How Does an SEO Department In a Digital-Agency Work?

Both small and large agencies follow structured processes guided by existing organizational structures. A typical agency structure consists of various departments working together to accomplish specific tasks to achieve the desired and best-expected result. A marketing department, an account services team, a media team, a creative team, a finance team, a client services team, a digital marketing department, a production department, a traffic department, and a project management team will all be involved.

In agencies, hierarchy systems are used to organize teams according to responsibilities. Additionally, the hierarchy outlines the roles and reporting criteria. An agency hierarchy can be viewed in two ways: organically and mechanistically. Power is centralized, and formal relationships are created among team members through the mechanistic hierarchy. The best environments for mechanistic organizations are stable, austere environments. Management integrates the activities of clearly defined departments through formal channels and meetings. 

As a rule, the organic structure promotes cross-divisional collaboration in order to prevent slowing down a company's processes. Organic models are usually flat and use cross-hierarchical and cross-functional teams, along with a comprehensive communication network that features lateral and upward communication in addition to downward communication. 

Consulting firms are a suitable example of organizations with organic structures. The needs of a customer change as the business environment changes and consulting firms respond to those needs as they arise. Choosing an organic structure allows consulting firms to respond to change quickly and address their customers' needs.

Three types of hierarchy organizational charts are most commonly used for agencies: the traditional model, the matrix model, and the pod model.

In large agencies, offering a variety of services, this is the most common way of organizing. In the model, many employees are managed through centralized command detailing everyone's reporting lines. Despite its benefits for agencies offering specialized services, this model creates a lack of collaboration between departments.

Using a matrix structure, traditional divisions and their heads are allowed flexibility to form cross-divisional teams by blending mechanistic and organic structures. Full-service agencies are able to meet their clients' needs without having to create or experience large communication barriers between divisions. It aims to combine organic and mechanistic hierarchies to the best of its ability. It has the disadvantage that sometimes it is unclear who should be reported to.

There are several distinct types of pods, including Account Managers, Project Managers, Strategists, and PR Specialists. For example, an SEO Specialist, Copywriter, PPC Specialist, and Designer might make up a pod, as could a PR Specialist and Copywriter. A more organic approach has been taken by eliminating traditional account managers. 

Team leads within the agency can delegate tasks to other team members when necessary. With this model, senior posts are basically eliminated, approval times are reduced, creativity is encouraged, and friendly accountability is increased.

The pod model makes many processes more efficient by reducing the amount of time wasted on tasks that are not related to the project. With everyone working on the same projects every day, there is no need for a hierarchy or for senior positions. 

The goal of different agencies is to combine departments to shorten the communication chain and improve departmental interaction and the client experience using different approaches. However, this is primarily a management goal, as various departments often have positions that require specialized skill sets (e.g., SEO specialists).

As such, it would be difficult for someone from another department (e.g., Marketing) to manage them effectively. Conversely, a technical specialist (e.g., Head of SEO) would not be able to lead managers effectively but could develop an effective system for their department.

According to the agency's organizational structure, there are a variety of positions available. There are various levels of positions, from the management team to junior employees, all serving the same purpose: to fulfill client requests and to grow the agency's business. Here are a few examples of main positions in digital agencies.

• Decisions and administration are handled by the management team, which is composed of top-level managers (board of directors).

• A middle-level manager is a leader under the top-level manager who is responsible for translating decisions and executing them. Additionally, they assist their subordinates (creative directors, SEO specialists, product/project managers, accounting managers, brand and marketing managers, head of customer service, and head of technology).

• The activities of the company are carried out by junior-level employees on a day-to-day basis. Their primary responsibility is to assist company customers or clients with their requests, develop long-term relationships with clients and connect with key stakeholders and business executives. In order to deliver the sort service properly and effectively, they ensure that the right information about the client's requirements is collected. They are involved in all aspects of production, including marketing, designing, and delivering (account executives, creative teams, designers, and SEO consultants).

Your agency can also hire SEO freelancers on a contract basis. Their services may be provided on a per-project or retainer basis.

The specific roles within an agency can vary greatly and even people in the same role can have different goals, skills, and responsibilities. Agency roles have the same responsibilities regardless of the title. Many digital agencies offer web design and development, in addition to digital marketing services. Ciarán describes the way they structure the agency:

A digital agency has a team of experts who use technology to connect with your target audience, rather than using traditional marketing methods like billboards and newspaper ads. Digital agencies can provide the following services:

1. Developing services: website building, maintenance and hosting, CRM implementation, platform, and data migration;
2. Services related to design: UI/UX design, wireframing (the layout of an interface for key pages), graphic and website design, and animations;
3. Research services: competitors identification and comparison, market overview, traffic analysis, sales funnel strategy, consulting and strategizing, customer pain point analysis, brand positioning, process automation, etc.
4. Marketing services: content creation and optimization, marketing campaigns, creation of a portrait of buyers' personas, branding, press releases, and PR, lead nurturing (building relationships at every stage of the sales process), SEO.

Full-service digital marketing agencies handle all aspects of a company's online presence. Others may specialize in very specific marketing services like SEO or website development.

Using an SEO company if you don't have an in-house team can help you grow your business. With keyword research, link building, content creation, and other services, SEO companies improve your website’s visibility in search results.

 Ciarán Ó Muiris explained the core services in the Mayfly agency functions:

Agency processes vary based on the approach used. It is possible to identify such an approach by specialization — for example, SEO, content/copywriting, social media marketing, search engine marketing, or email marketing. According to the business line: promotion of medical sites, real estate, e-commerce, etc. There is also the option of specializing by business approach: promoting enterprise or small-medium business clients.

Some of the primary services that SEO agencies provide include:

• Keyword research and keyword mapping;
• Developing link-building strategies and searching for qualified backlinks;
• SEO audit (from meta and HTML tags optimization to loading time);
• Site redesign, interlinking, and structure;
• Redirections, optimizing the robots.txt file, sitemaps, and adding new pages;
• Metadata and SERP features optimization for more visible snippet's performance;
• Revise your meta tags (title, meta description, title H1, H2, etc.);
• Content optimization (images, videos, documents).

In the case of digital marketing agencies, this could include website content creation, PR, link earning, social media marketing, email outreach, re-targeting, and search engine marketing using paid results.

Depending on their SEO needs, clients may require help in a particular area. In the case of restaurants, for example, a small business with a strong focus on local customers may require local search assistance. Additionally, some companies may need help optimizing mobile search websites since the Google algorithm change favors mobile-friendly sites. An SEO agency will also apply an approach to analysis and strategy design customized to the client's unique competitive position.

Depending on the specialization, processes can include communication with clients, onboarding, SEO practices, audit, planning, and support. There are main stages that a digital marketing agency must complete:

The first contact phase is preceded by many other actions focusing on attracting the right audience. If your company is brand new, you will likely choose a specific area, decide which services you want to offer, develop your online presence and start a portfolio to prove your capabilities to new clients, which often means gathering examples of past work, collecting testimonials, and building a portfolio.

You’ll start attracting new prospects to your SEO agency with a combination of inbound and outbound marketing strategies.

In fact, problems often occur within the team and with the customer when implementing a project, not due to technologies. Personal relationships are essential in business. To build a good working relationship, clarify expectations with your internal and external teams. This will create a context where the agency and the client can ask questions and align with each other.

During our interview with Ciarán, we asked him how often and what form of communication he uses with customers:

Transparency is a vital characteristic of a digital agency. SEO companies must provide comprehensive reports on their work each month so that clients are sure they will obtain their benefits and use ethical SEO strategies. At this point, consider using a custom reporting platform instead of e-mails with separate documents that require version control. Reports from the agency should demonstrate how the company's efforts have contributed to improving critical performance areas.

A data-driven digital agency can give the client not just user behavior information, but also a wealth of insights. In Mayfly, this is what reporting looks like:

Although deciding which keywords to target is crucial to creating a successful SEO campaign, there is more to it. As time goes on, marketers need to be able to keep track of multiple SEO metrics and report them back to management and clients.

SEO reports are more complex and longer, while SEO reporting dashboards only provide a brief, live overview of specific vital metrics. SEO reporting dashboards are helpful because they give website owners insights into their performance in the SERPs. They can also warn that an essential SEO metric needs to be addressed. An SEO reporting dashboard can track various metrics, such as organic traffic, visibility, conversions, time spent on site, backlinks, and more.

You will find the template made for the website opensea.io with the main metrics from the Serpstat Custom report via this link. 

The Head of SEO at Mayfly shared his approach:

A common issue that SEO and online marketers face is when clients have unrealistic expectations about the results of their campaigns. Many experts in the field work to help the client comprehend all aspects of the campaign so that their expectations are managed before the actual work starts.

It would be best to keep a few things in mind to deal with customers' unrealistic requirements. Here are a few key points: 

• SEO agencies can't guarantee top rankings, but they can give you a realistic projection of the results that can be achieved.
• SEO is a long-term investment that requires ongoing work from the client and the SEO expert.
• SEO is mostly a behind-the-scenes type of service. Clients should be willing to listen to feedback and advice to understand the SEO process better.

A few words from Ciaran Ó Muiris:

Working together, the client and the online marketing agency can communicate and strive for the best results. An SEO agency will evaluate where the company stands in terms of domain authority and then create an action plan to improve key performance indicators. Such specialists understand the difference between black, gray, and white hat SEO tactics. 

An SEO professional strives to increase website traffic and sales to generate more revenue, but this doesn't always align with what Google requires. Using black hat tactics can single-handedly destroy a company's reputation, ban a client's site from search engines, and negatively affect search rankings. Ethical SEO tactics that follow Google's guidelines and will not result in penalties are referred to as "white hat" strategies.

The most successful SEO professionals are those who can see beyond the basic concepts, who are willing to learn from their mistakes, and who always keep the best interests of their company in mind. We also asked Ciarán about client requests to use black or gray hat SEO and PBN-related orders:

SEO professionals should consider whether a tactic will help them achieve their goals and if it's worth the risk. This way, they can celebrate milestones, improve their approach, and enjoy the process for a lifetime.

It is even more important for SEO agencies to keep existing clients than to find new ones. Also, it costs less to retain clients than to find new ones, so your profits will increase. Small agencies must implement a structured process to ensure a natural flow to a long-term relationship after initial contact and acquisition. A larger agency also involves reducing churn rates and setting up suitable assumptions. The support stage is precious to keep your client.

To conclude, we will shortly discuss non-standard digital marketing approaches and significant concerns. Your job as an SEO expert is to ensure that your client's product or service is showcased to as many people as possible via organic search. This means optimizing everything on their pages and everything you can do on other websites' pages to maximize the results for your client.

It was a brief description of the teamwork details, issues that arise when working in a digital marketing agency, and pieces of advice to improve your communication with clients. We introduced a specialist's significant challenges and exciting life hacks in this sphere and discovered how professionals could enhance their client success metrics. 

An experienced and responsible SEO company ensures success if customers understand their business goals, are ready to collaborate, and understand that SEO is a marathon, not a sprint.