SEO Project Management for Remote Teams: Best Practices for Mastering the Process

The development of technology and connectivity has allowed many professionals to leave the office and work from the comfort of their own homes. Of course, this makes it necessary to develop new procedures for managing the team because people no longer meet in person. 

Since this phenomenon has arisen relatively recently, managers have yet to gain experience and develop effective techniques, but for now, most are learning from their mistakes. However, we collected some recommendations on how to build effective SEO project management for remote teams.

Use Proper Tools

Choosing the right tools for every task is the key to a successful job. However, this point is particularly important for remote teams. Unfortunately, there is no universal and comprehensive solution because you must choose the appropriate software for each work area separately.

You must carefully select a program for keyword research and content optimization, an application for backlink analysis and monitoring, and a tool for link-building experts. Of course, you should also master all the instruments to get the most out of them.

How to Organize a Remote Team

Team management involves comprehensive measures to organize, maintain, and correct its activities. You need to unite individual specialists so that, despite the remote mode, they work harmoniously and produce the desired result. However, this requires a good plan, tools, and structure; otherwise, SEO workflow might collapse.

Define Your SEO Team Structure

First of all, decide on the structure of your future team. Write a complete list of professionals needed to complete current tasks. The remote work format makes it easier to recruit staff because you do not need to limit yourself to the borders of your city. You can hire, for example, content makers from another country. The main thing is that their qualifications and experience suit you.

On the other hand, this approach presents you with new challenges. For example, you will have to consider time differences and potential cultural differences when communicating with your team. In addition, the structure of the company and its work procedures also influence the formation of a remote team.

For example, if there is a practice of regularly meeting for team building, be sure to mention this during the interview since the candidate may not have the opportunity to come to the meetings regularly.

Select Specialists

At the previous stage, you have already compiled a list of professionals you require. Now, all that remains is to find them in your company or hire more experts from among candidates on the labor market.

You can delegate this work to a future team lead or do the selection yourself. We do not recommend significantly cutting down the team or merging functions. This can lead to overworking of staff and poor quality of work.

For example, you should not require copywriters to build a link mass if they have not done this before. Learn more about content marketing for better SEO networking and use these tips for complex team creation.

Develop a Training Procedure

Lack of personal communication while completing tasks is another challenge you will have to overcome. People are often embarrassed to write their questions so as not to interrupt senior specialists from their work. To eliminate this shortcoming and establish problem-free communication, you must act in two directions simultaneously.  

First, anticipate possible questions and cover them in detail during the initial training. The more clearly you explain to beginners the basics of work, the less difficulties they will have. Also, observe new employees at first in order to identify and correct their mistakes in time.

Secondly, ensure a friendly and trusting atmosphere in work chats so that new employees are not afraid to ask questions. Under no circumstances should you scold or criticize a team member for asking, and never ridicule the primitiveness of the question. You should also understand your team’s work and know how to track the results. You can find tons of information on nealschaffer.com for your self-education.

Organization of Daily Work

Once you have assembled your team and familiarized your employees with the general rules of work, you can begin to formulate a daily routine. It is especially important for remote teams since they are essentially deprived of the personal control of the manager. There are numerous methods to manage SEO projects and process crucial tasks. Let’s look at the main points.

Daily Meeting

A mandatory call can be the best way to start your working day. If your team members live in different cities, be sure to account for the time difference so that attending a virtual meeting is convenient for everyone. During the call, ask the team how the work is progressing, what challenges or insights they want to voice, and focus on priority tasks.

Daily Report

You can implement this form of daily control into your schedule. Don’t ask employees for a multi-page, detailed report. Ask everyone to briefly describe the work completed that day and note any difficulties they may have. The employees should spend no more than five minutes on the report, and then they will send it to you daily without objection.

Feedback

Remember to regularly collect feedback on teamwork and the effectiveness of work procedures. It is vital for you to know the aspects that require correction. Besides, ensure anonymity so that team members are not afraid to voice complaints about the work of their colleagues. Since this information is essential in project management for SEO, you can give a template to the team to facilitate the feedback expression.

Summary

Organizing a functional and productive team takes a lot of time and effort, primarily if you work remotely. Besides, many traditional project management techniques are suitable for such teams, but you will have to adapt to others. Don’t be afraid of these challenges because, as a result, you will get an SEO team that can cope with all the tasks.