5 Tips to Consider Before Starting an Online Business

5 Tips to Consider Before Starting an Online Business | Search Engine People | Toronto /* Begin WPvideo CSS */.wpv_videoc {text-align: center;display: block;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;width: 425px;/* border: 1px solid #aaa; */}.wpv_video {display: block;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;padding: 4px 0 4px 0;width: 425px;height: 350px;}.wpv_rating {margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;width: 95%;padding: 3px;border-top: 1px solid #aaa;font: 8pt "Lucida Grande", Verdana, Arial, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif;text-align: right;}.wpv_titleauthor, .wpv_durationdate, .wpv_description {display: block;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;width: 95%;font: bold 11px "Lucida Grande", Verdana, Arial, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif;color: #666;padding: 3px;border-top: 1px solid #aaa;}.wpv_download {display: block;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;padding: 3px;}.wpv_download a {font: bold 11px "Lucida Grande", Verdana, Arial, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif;color: #f44;}.wpv_download a:hover {text-decoration: none;}.wpv_download img {border: 0;}.wpv_self {text-align: left;}.wpv_self a {font: bold 9px "Lucida Grande", Verdana, Arial, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif;color: #000;}/* End WPvideo CSS *//* ) (if enabled) */table.wp-table-reloaded thead tr th, table.wp-table-reloaded tfoot tr th {background-color: #e6EEEE;border: 1px solid #FFF;font-size: 8pt;padding: 4px;color:black;}table.wp-table-reloaded thead tr .header {background-image: url(/wp-content/plugins/wp-table-reloaded/img/bg.gif);background-repeat: no-repeat;background-position: center right;cursor: pointer;}table.wp-table-reloaded tbody td {color: #3D3D3D;padding: 4px;background-color: #FFF;vertical-align: top;}/* Styles for alternating row colors (if enabled) */table.wp-table-reloaded tbody tr.even td {background-color:#FFFFFF;}table.wp-table-reloaded tbody tr.odd td {background-color:#F0F0F6;}/**************************************//* how to change column widths :you can access a column with its CSS-class(that is ".column-" plus the number of the column)use table.wp-table-reloaded to do your change for every table, or usetable.wp-table-reloaded-id- for just a single table (with ID )example: this changes the width of the third column of table ID 5 to 25px:table.wp-table-reloaded-id-5 .column-3{width: 25px;}*//* Styles for the sorting (if Tablesorter is enabled) */table.wp-table-reloaded thead tr .headerSortUp {background-image: url(/wp-content/plugins/wp-table-reloaded/img/asc.gif);}table.wp-table-reloaded thead tr .headerSortDown {background-image: url(/wp-content/plugins/wp-table-reloaded/img/desc.gif);}table.wp-table-reloaded thead tr .headerSortDown, table.wp-table-reloaded thead tr .headerSortUp {background-color: #8dbdd8;}/* Style for the Table Name (in -Tag) (if printed above the table) */h2.wp-table-reloaded-table-name {font-size: 16px;}/* Style for the Table Description (if printed under the table) */span.wp-table-reloaded-table-description {font-size: 10px;}/* ]]> */ (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); 1.877.584.7304 Digital Marketing Redefined. Call Us Today! XMenu X Follow @SEP!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); HomeOur ApproachOur SolutionsTraffic BuildingSearch Engine Optimization (SEO)Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC)Display AdvertisingSocial Media MarketingLocal SearchMobile MarketingLead GenerationContent MarketingWeb Design & DevelopmentConversion OptimizationSales GrowthLead NurturingROI AnalysisAnalytics & ReportingAbout UsWho we areThe SEP AdvantageClient TestimonialsCareersBlogContact UsPickeringLondonVancouverFree Quote 5 Tips to Consider Before Starting an Online Business by Susan Delly May 3rd, 2013 var fbShare = {url: 'http://www.searchenginepeople.com/blog/5-tips-to-consider-before-starting-an-online-business.html',size: 'small',}

In today's tough economy, more people are turning to eCommerce as a new career choice or 2nd income. The booming eCommerce statistics show it's a field worth considering but how do you get started? So many amazing ideas that end before they even get started so you may need a little help along the way. In fact, in my years of working eCommerce, I've realized that when you have a grasp on some ideas in advance can really help you get started.

Here are a few tips that I've learned from my time in eCommerce.

Where there's a will, there's a way.
Deciding what type of eCommerce business to start is always one of the hardest decisions and it's one of the first things you'll have to decide on. My recommendation is to choose something you're passionate about. Picking a niche based on what you feel will make money is a bad idea unless it's also something that piques your interest and excites you. Picking something that you're passionate about will allow you to stomach all the long hours and late nights you'll be pouring into your company until it can starts to take off.
Advanced research and planning will reduce future headaches.
After you've chosen a niche market that you're passionate about and that you feel will be profitable, enough cannot be said about doing advanced research in advance. Knowing all there is to know about your industry, future target audience, their shopping habits, your competitors, and realistic goals, etc., will help reduce stress and surprises. If you have friends in the industry, talk your plans over with them and keep an ear open for words of wisdom and advice. If you don't, visit forums where users in your industry meet and talk shop.Know the rules legal and social.
Rules, rules, rules. Are they made to be broken? Not always. When opening an online store, there are many things to consider and the law takes precedence. Whether it's Copyright Laws, Business Registration, Consumer Rights or PCI-compliance laws, these should be addressed before your site goes live. Learn them, know them and obey them or you may find yourself in legal and financial trouble. There are also social rules to follow, especially when you start dipping your fingers in the world of social media. While breaking them may not land you in jail, it's best to build your brand without trampling the social taboos.Understand what it takes to build an online presence.
Patience, knowledge and hard work are required when you're just building a new idea or business. There are so many other important things to consider while creating a profitable online store. Make sure you understand and know how to use the facts. There are hundreds of questions to be addressed but some of the most important are.

How can you build a store that people want to shop at?Should you build it yourself or go with an eCommerce Solution software?What is online and offline SEO?Why is quality content and frequent blogging important?How can links both help or hurt your site?Why is social media and brand building important?What is the best shipping and inventory management?How will I market my site?How do I protect myself and my customers from fraud?Make Your Life Less Complicated.
We've gone over so many details to consider before starting your eCommerce business. It can seem overwhelming but there's an easy way to reduce your workload almost immediately. Find quality eCommerce solution software (aka shopping cart software) and make sure it offers a robust tool set. The right software will cover the basics of onsite SEO, marketing, shipping and inventory reports, tracking and management, a built-in blog, mobile store options, and social media tools. It will allow you to manage everything from one admin panel and keep your business organized in ways that are hard to do on paper.

Starting your own online business should be a fun task that helps your build a 2nd income or start a new career. If you're prepared in advance for the challenges that lay ahead, you'll be on your way to becoming profitable in less time and with less stress!

Susan Delly

Author Susan Delly is the owner of ZippyCart.com, an unbiased guide to expert shopping cart reviews and educational tool for online business owners. Though originally from the Midwest, Susan currently lives in the SF Bay area and loves to travel the world. Luckily, with the success of her online business, she is able to feed her wanderlust tendencies and work from abroad when the mood strikes. In the spirit of global awareness, her favorite charity is Kiva.org.

You May Also Like How to Decide Which Software You Need for Your Online Store – Licensed vs. Hosted eCommerce solutions software by Susan Delly November December 24th, 2012 How to Use Social Media to Reduce Shopping Cart Abandonment by Susan Delly November November 7th, 2012 2 Responses to “5 Tips to Consider Before Starting an Online Business”Adam says:May 6, 2013 at 6:46 am

"After you've chosen a niche market that you're passionate about and that you feel will be profitable, enough cannot be said about doing advanced research in advance."

This is exactly why every project I take on once it gets past my stringent keyword research gets mind mapped. I want to know who/how and what a market I'm considering investing time into will do for me in return.

I see so many people jumping into stuff gung-ho do to initial excitement only to realize later that their market is to small or to highly competitive and they don't stand a chance. Research! Research! Then take action!

ReplyChris Mayhew says:May 7, 2013 at 2:13 am

Behind having a well thought out plan; knowing how to create online awareness of your brand is the most important thing to consider.
Stepping into the eCommerce world without a bit of knowledge of SEO or online advertising will lead to problems in driving people to your website further down the line.

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10 Things We Didn't Know A Week Ago [Week 15]

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– The Atlantic

– The Guardian

"The new scheme is being operated by Freedom Registry, the company which operates a similar .TK system for Tokelau – the tiny cluster of coral atolls in the South Pacific with a population of less than 2,000 – but which is now the most popular domain name in the world, with more active domain name registrations than Russia and China combined."

Starting this July. Domainers, start your dictionaries.

– Google Webmaster Central

Mistake 1: rel=canonical to the first page of a paginated series
Imagine that you have an article that spans several pages:

example.com/article?story=cupcake-news&page=1 example.com/article?story=cupcake-news&page=2 and so on

Specifying a rel=canonical from page 2 (or any later page) to page 1 is not correct use of rel=canonical, as these are not duplicate pages. Using rel=canonical in this instance would result in the content on pages 2 and beyond not being indexed at all.

– The New York Times

"Fake followers are typically sold in batches of one thousand to one million accounts. The average price for 1,000 fake followers is $18, according to one study by Barracuda Labs. Mr. Stroppa and Mr. De Micheli said some sellers bragged that they made $2 and $30 per fake account. A conservative estimate, they said, was that fake Twitter followers offered potential for a $40 million to $360 million business."

– ZDNet

"More than two thirds, or 67.8 percent, of South Korean smartphone users changed their devices last year–becoming the country to do so the most."

– The Guardian

The Channel 4 documentary on dogging (see Urban Dictionary…) had one person state they loved Lynx, the deodorant. Lynx took it in good stride

"Rather than panicking about the negative publicity, the official Lynx Effect Twitter account tweeted "Good choice of fragrance over on @Channel4 – guaranteed to get a bit more attention, whatever the situation..! #DoggingTales"

It then followed up the next morning with a spoof photo of Lynx's social media team holding "crisis meetings" wearing masks similar to the doggers in the documentary."

– Photoimaging Manufacturers and Distributors Association

"While Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr remove embedded information like copyright notes, the name of the creator, the description and more, the results show that other social networks like Google+ or Tumblr protect photographers' data better."

Full test results at http://www.embeddedmetadata.org/social-media-test-results.php

– The Guardian

"Iran's minister for information and communications technology, Mohammad Hassan Nami, announced this week that his country was developing what he described as an "Islamic Google Earth" to be called Basir (spectator in Farsi) which will be ready for use "within the next four months". [...]

"We are doing our best to launch the Islamic Google Earth in the next four months as an Islamic republic's national portal, providing service on a global scale," he added.

"On the surface, Google Earth is providing a service to users, but in reality security and intelligence organisations are behind it in order to obtain information from other countries," Nami said."

– PEW Research

"While many teens have a variety of internet-connected devices in their lives, the cell phone has become the primary means by which 25% of those ages 12-17 access the internet. Among teens who are mobile internet users, that number rises to one in three (33%). Among teen smartphone owners, 50% say they use the internet mostly via their cell phone."

– The New York Times

"It accuses Google of using the Android software "as a deceptive way to build advantages for key Google apps in 70 percent of the smartphones shipped today," said Thomas Vinje, the lead lawyer for Fairsearch Europe, referring to Android's share of the smartphone market.

For example, phone makers that agree to use Android – and that also want Google applications like YouTube – face contractual requirements to place those applications and other Google-branded applications in prominent positions on the mobile device's desktop, Mr. Vinje said."

Now that I could get behind: a case against crapware. Don't stop at Android! Think of PC's sold with trial version of Office and shortcuts to ebay — ebay! a shortcut! — on your desktop. Away, away you go!

Written by Ruud Hein

My paid passion job at Search Engine People sees me applying my passions and knowledge to a wide array of problems, ones I usually experience as challenges.

People who know me know I love coffee.

Ruud Hein

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15 Shades of Landing Page Performance: Can You See Them All?

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It is amazing how little some online marketers know about their landing pages. Like a tourist in a foreign country, a marketing newbie often gets a standard set of conversion optimization tips that normally include: "unclutter-unclutter-unclutter", "use compelling titles and images", etc.

But is there more to these tips? Well, the more one learns about conversion optimization, the more one realizes it's a well without a bottom, and the ideas for things you can do with your website are endless.

At the same time, it is important to know where to look when improving a landing page, because, for a month-old site owner, analyzing their pages' performance can be similar to a fairy hunt – one needs to know what they are chasing in the first place.

Hence is this post, which you can use for a landing page vision check and see whether your sight of your page's potential and its possible problems is clear.

Are you using the right keywords?

You have probably optimized your page for the keywords which, in your opinion, people will use to look for your page. But then, are they really the right keywords?

Look into your analytics and see what keywords searchers actually used to find your site. Did anyone search for man in a green shirt, which happens to be the title of one of your images? If so, you should probably use image titles and image alt texts that suite your page's topic better.

Another metric to look into is whether your page is attracting visitors with the right searcher intent. Was anyone looking for night clubs Hong Kong, but ended up on your page about a Hong Kong golf club? Luckily, there are technologies like Zenya that help you discover keywords with just the right searcher intent.

Are you visible to the search engines?

Even if you check your rankings when you page goes live, this doesn't mean it will continue to rank the same for good. Search engine algorithms change, new services appear (think Google's Knowledge Graph), new players come to the market, etc. So, it's important to keep an eye on your search engine visibility at all times.

Besides, it is also important to make sure that the page from your site that ranks for a particular keyword is actually the "right" landing page that should be ranking for it. And, we have just put together a quick tutorial on how you can check that with Rank Tracker.

Do they click on your page in the SERPs?

When your page is displayed in the search results, how often do people click on it? You can find this out by checking out the number of times your page was served in the SERPs (impressions) and the number of clicks it received (clicks) in Google Webmaster Tools.

If the difference between the two is drastic, consider making your pages title and meta description catchier (but not spammy!) – just avoid moving around/removing your target keywords, if possible.

What does your page look like on mobile?

Do you know how many people have visited your page from mobile devices? You can see this in Google Analytics, just check under Mobile and see what your bounce rates from mobile are:

If your mobile bounce rates are way higher than your non-mobile ones, see how your page renders across different devices. You can use a tool Google developed for this purpose.

How high are your bounce rates?

Web marketing newbies often ask: what's a good bounce rate? However, the right question to ask probably is: what's a bad bounce rate? The answer to the latter would be "100%". Everything else pretty much depends.

Over time, you're likely to determine an average value that would define your perfect bounce rate and take it from there. Then, if your bounce rates go up, this indicates a problem. To get to the core of it, check the landing page performance indicators further in this post.

Is your page copy scaring people away?

One of the reasons people leave your site immediately upon arriving on it could be that they don't like the copy on your page. First off, people will barely read a copy written in the stream of consciousness technique (that is, with no subheadings, no bullet points, etc.)

Second, it a fine line between your copy being lively and overly aggressive. Better avoid using what I call SHOUTING graphical means and avoid making unrealistic claims, such as that your product or service is "the best in the world", unless it really is. (I also recommend reading this post that talks about the terms to avoid when describing yourself on LinkedIn – I think many of these points apply to page copy as well).

Is your selling proposition that unique?

The secret to winning your visitors' hearts and minds often lies in the ability to stand out of the crowd. This is why marketers believe any online offer should contain a unique selling proposition. In other words, you should be uniquely positioned in the market compared to your competitors.

I like how Mint break their unique offer:

Can they see your call to action?

A lot has been said about the call to action on the Internet: that it has to be a really big orange (!) button, that you should split test different designs and wordings, etc. This is all very true. Just one thing I'd like to add: do not be afraid to repeat your call to action as many times as appears natural. Some people may dislike buttons or dislike the color orange – you never know. So, provide additional links that lead visitors to perform the desired action(s) throughout the page.

Is your navigation straightforward?

I once came across a site on the Web that seemed to have many links on its home page, but those "links" were actually underlined text that did not lead you anywhere. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the site, but the fake links had quickly gotten annoying and I felt like leaving the site, even though it was rather good.

To get insight into how visitors interact with your site's links, images, text, forms and other parts, you can use click tracking software (like MouseFlow, for example).

Do you provide shortcuts to checkout?

As I said earlier, not all people will want to read your entire copy (even if it's well-structured). So, can they see clearly where to go to get what they came for?

For example, here is what SiteBuiltIt! did: they provided a plan for their landing page with breadcrumbs right at the top of it. If one wants, they can just go ahead and take SBI! for a test drive right away:

Then, at the end of the shorter version of the page, there is another start-trial button and a bright yellow line that invites you to click if you'd like to read more about the product:

Does your signup section look like a tax return form?

When it comes to forms on a page, the general rule is the shorter, the better. Ive been noticing mostly forms that ask for one's name/email these days. However, sometimes you might want to exclude poorly qualified segment of subscribers who are unlikely to become paying customers or other bring you any value. If that's the case, it's wise to include more fields into your form. But then keep in mind that you will probably get fewer signups.

Does your page inspire trust?

Perhaps you've seen Amit Singhal's list of 24 questions a site owner should ask himself/herself about their site. Some of these question concern trust:

Would you trust the information presented in this article?Would you be comfortable giving your credit card information to this site?For a health related query, would you trust information from this site?

By honestly answering these questions about your page, you should get an idea of the level of trust it inspires in people.

When visitors are about to give you their personal data or money, they want to be sure that (A) it's safe and (B) they'll get the value they expect. Hence, include proof that your company is real (address, phone number, etc.), add testimonials and, if possible, a money-back guarantee.

Why do they actually leave?

Now, when you have looked at all of the above metrics, how do you tell which one is the reason people don't do what you want them to do on your site? Even though there is no way to know this for sure, you can get closer to solving this mystery by looking at your abandonment rates in Google Analytics (you find them under Conversions -> Goals).

This way you can see what Goals on your page do not get completed and try to figure out why.

Are you Web 2.0 compatible?

Does you page have sharing buttons? If it doesn't, get some. You can use the old-style design or get something "sexier" than that.

Web 2.0 compatibility also means that you host your videos on YouTube. In most cases, it's better than hosting videos on your own site, because YouTube videos are easier to rank on both Google and YouTube and let people comment on, share and add videos to playlists in a familiar way.

Do you have a positive ROI?

The ultimate question to ask about your landing page performance would be: does it drive positive return on investment (ROI) in the end? If it doesn't, you might want to see how it is connected to other elements of your Internet marketing campaign and analyze them together.

For instance, paid ads could be cannibalizing your organic traffic, but how do you know that? I really like this method offered by Brad Geddes, which helps you to figure it out.

Conclusion

Have you tested your landing page vision using the 15 questions? There is just one more thing I'd like to leave you with: don't take any tip from any Web marketer for granted – they could be judging by their experience. Always test things to find out what works on your site and for your audience.

For example, some marketers say pop-ups are a no-no. I don't agree. I've seen pop-up forms, chats and other types of pop-ups work out for many website owners. So, don't jump to conclusions and don't believe anything before you test it and see the results with your own eyes.

Image credit: foshydog via Flickr.com

Alesia Krush is a blogger and digital marketer at Link-Assistant.Com, home to the industry's best SEO and SMM tools. The company's most recent initiative has been the release of the revolutionary BuzzBundle social media management tool that helps Web marketers manage their brand's reputation and establish presence at social networks, blogs, forums, Q&A sites and other social platforms.

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Best Practices for Promoting Infographics

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With thousands of infographics posted on a daily basis, it can take a lot of work to get your latest creation the online attention it deserves. This can be problematic if you've invested the time, money and resources and the infographic fails in promotion. As the owner of both an infographic design agency and an infographic submission website, I've seen my share of promotion wins and promotion flops. While not all infographics have what it takes to make it in even the best of promotion circumstances, here are some tips for success:

1. Choose a Topic that Makes an Impact

It may sound trite, but a headline can make or break your infographic. Salesy topics will get you nowhere, because webmasters will rarely publish someone else's advertisement for free. Bloggers want to post infographics that will get their readers talking, and even better, commenting on their site. They want topics that provide that "A-ha" moment, make people laugh, incite debate, or shed light on something nobody knew about. Some of the most widely shared infographics online have topics that impacted their audience:

2. Design Makes a BIG Difference

A topic can be amazing, but if the design is not properly executed, your infographic will have a hard time getting shared online. Infographics are meant to tell a story visually, so people don't want a reading assignment: they want eye candy. Additionally, the design should be well-organized and original. There are too many infographics released today using stock photos, stock icons, or templates. Most blogs won't post them because it's obvious that the design was done quickly and only for links. Bloggers and webmasters care about what they post to their sites, and those that will provide quality backlinks or social shares expect quality content. If you're unwilling to spend time on creating something eye-catching and amazing, it's an insult to ask webmasters of any caliber to post it to their site.

3. Identify an Outreach List

Once you have an amazing infographic, the next step is to identify a list of blogs and websites that you think will post your design. This list should include sites that your core audience often visits as well as blogs that have posted similar infographics in the past. Be sure to identify sites in which you think your infographic would be of genuine interest to their readers. The list should include a minimum of 100 webmasters, as well as contacts for all of the infographic submission sites that exist.

If you're promoting multiple infographics, be sure to create a unique outreach list for each one. Getting backlinks from the same sites over and over again will create a subpar backlink profile and devalue your infographics.

4. Mondays Are the Best Days

Once you have your outreach list ready, it's time to promote your infographic. After promoting over 1,000 viral infographics, we've learned that Mondays are the best days to launch a new design. These are the days that many webmasters are planning their content for the week and are more apt to read a pitch email. On the other hand, don't post during a holiday week. The odds of your pitch email being read during a holiday week go way down as many bloggers have day jobs keeping them busy during a short workweek, or they may take long vacations during holidays.

5. Don't Spam Anyone

This is another tip that may sound trite, but it's amazing how few people take it to heart. SubmitInfographics.com receives over 25 infographic submissions every day. Of those, only one or two emails seem like the sender actually took their time to speak to our reviewers directly. Most send canned emails, some just include a link to an infographic, and even others include a salutation like "Hello INSERT NAME HERE" – to be clear, they are actually leaving the words "INSERT NAME HERE" instead of filling in the blanks of their own form letter.

In a world where email has become the main form of communication, recognizing spam is now second nature for most. So, rather than cutting a few corners and trying to reach out to all of your contacts in one email, take the time to write up something unique to stand out. Based on our own experience, less than 4% of people are actually doing this, so you have a far better chance of getting your infographic posted if you just take the time to write a personal email to each webmaster on your contact list.

6. Follow Up

Since you're already taking the time to write a personal email, it's also good to follow up. Wait a week from when you first sent an email and reach out to those who didn't respond. It's possible they were out of the office or maybe they still flagged your email as spam. A personal follow up shows them that you are a real person, who feels that their readers would be genuinely interested in the infographic you are promoting.

In the end, running an infographic promotion is similar to most content marketing: there's a great deal of things you can do to set it up for success, but there are a variety of factors outside of your control that may lead to less than ideal results. Still, integrating these best practices into your infographic promotion strategy can increase your chances at a more successful campaign. Start today and watch the results!

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Working With an Outside Developer: How to Make Your SEO Campaign Successful

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Most people in SEO have been in this situation.

You're on a call with a client, discussing changes that need to be made to the site to make it SEO-friendly, when you hear the words that make your blood run cold and your hand start to reach for aspirin.

"Wait, I need to talk to my developer."

It doesn't need to be this way.

Developers come in all shapes and sizes, and trust me – this isn't a post to rag on them (they're vitally important to the SEO process, too!). In an ideal world, the developer may be part of the same team as you, such as in an agency or you may actually be the developer. This is great because communication can be easily facilitated and everyone can be on the same page from day one. You can be involved in the site building process or can give advice along the way. But when the developer is someone not in the same communication loop as you, this can cause quite the problem.

Developers who also do SEO (good, bad, or otherwise) may not be keen to work with someone else, and sometimes, that's justified. Think about how you would feel if another SEO was brought into the picture for consulting or on-site work. Would that make you feel better, or would you feel like you were threatened?

But to put the pride and protectiveness of the site aside, there is something that needs to be recognized: you both are working toward helping your client – you BOTH benefit from working together well.

So, when you are faced with the challenge of working with an outside developer, here are some things you can do to make both of your lives easier – and your client's campaign more successful:

Adopt a positive mindset. It seems like the minute you hear that someone else is involved, you automatically go into an attack mode or become overly defensive. Instead, take a deep breath – and realize that your client is going to make those kinds of business decisions. It's not up to you to do that and sometimes, that does mean there will be an extra cook in the kitchen. However, be positive. You both have the same goal – help the client – and you can work with each other to make that happen. Plus, *gasp* you could LEARN from each other. Walk into the project with the intention of working together to achieve your common goals. Be friendly. Be helpful. Be easy to work with.Create an open line of communication. This is the reason why so many developer and SEO relationships go sour. I'm a firm believer in making sure everyone involved in a project (including the client and developer) are on the same page. Schedule group conference calls, CC each other on emails – do whatever it takes, but keep communication open and ongoing so that everyone knows what's happening at all times, which brings us to the next point.Be upfront about expectations. Your job has a scope and the developer's job has a scope. Work together to avoid creating extra work for each other – and extra frustration. Define your roles in the project and make sure the client understands who he or she needs to go to when they have a question or want to make a change. Work with the developer on understanding what each of your jobs entail and make sure the client knows that too. Be respectful (and encourage respect) of each other's jobs. You both contribute to the client's success, but it does make things easier when everyone knows what he or she is or isn't supposed to do.Cultivate a collaborative environment. Working with the same client can mean that YES, you CAN work together! Think of yourself as part of a team. You want to work with the developer and the developer wants to work with you, so create opportunities for that to happen. Ask for his or her opinion or feedback. Have brainstorming or strategy sessions together, rather than apart. Foster an environment where everyone is contributing and feels like they're doing something meaningful. This makes a huge difference.

Going through steps like these can sometimes yield a great partnership between SEO and development, but there will also be cases where you can't really do much to make this relationship less rocky because the other person isn't willing to go through the same steps. I'm an optimist, so I think that in most cases, the developer you're working with wants the same things you do: to work together, to work well, and to help the client achieve his or her goals. Developers are people too! Be open, honest, communicative, and committed – the rest will follow.

Have other suggestions for making the developer and SEO relationship easier? Leave a comment with your tips!

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Mandy Boyle gets her daily fix of copywriting as the SEO Team Leader at Solid Cactus. She is also a published freelance writer and was probably a baker in another life. Cupcakes, anyone?

Mandy Boyle

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