SEO is a competitive, rapidly evolving landscape. One of the best ways to develop and maintain a competitive advantage is by creating one cross functional team. Cross-functional teams are used in a wide range of business and project environments, but, as we'll see, they are especially important in the world of SEO.

Related: How to assemble a strong, dynamic and interdependent team

What is a cross-functional team?

A cross-functional team is a team that combines people with different expertise. Cross-functional teams, which can be used for a project or as a permanent team structure, aim to avoid miscommunication and streamline workflow. They may include people with different levels of seniority, different educational backgrounds and training, and a variety of professional experiences.

Cross-functional teams are a popular alternative to a traditional silo approach. or silo approachwhich involves a stricter hierarchical structure and keeps departments separate, can hinder collaboration and stifle creativity. It can slow down projects by creating gaps in knowledge or even miscommunication. In an SEO context, a silo approach can exaggerate any inconsistencies or separate priorities that exist between departments, creating divisions between the marketing team and the technical SEO team, for example.

An effective SEO campaign includes SEO strategy, content creation, technical optimization, SEO analysis and a thorough understanding of the brand, product or service being promoted. Rather than expecting every team member to understand all of these areas, it's more effective to rely on the diverse training and experience your staff already has to assemble a cross-functional team.

Related: 7 ways collaboration can create a successful team

10 Tips for a Cross-Functional SEO Team

When they are well organized and well executed, cross-functional teams can improve communication and minimize project completion time. Combining employees with different training and ways of thinking can drive innovation and help a team find blind spots or knowledge gaps faster than a silo structure. Here are some key steps to help you create an effective cross-functional team:

1. Choose a team structure carefully: Your team structure should lend itself to clear task assignments and a simple workflow. If you choose to have a team leader, they should have a thorough understanding of each step of the SEO process.
2. Set up workflow processes: Since SEO projects involve collaboration between teams, it's important to establish a consistent workflow. This may include templates for different tasks or automating task submission processes. A clear workflow will prevent tasks from being missed or left behind.
3. Schedule registration appointments: Meetings should be regular enough to keep everyone on the team on track and reduce dependencies. IN Speedour SEO team has a daily meeting that includes several members of the client success and content teams. This enables us to keep SEO campaigns cohesive and align goals regularly.
4. Set up your workspace for success: This can include virtual platforms, such as your CMS, communication tools like Slack or Loom, or a physical workspace.
5. Connect priorities: Some people think that the goals of SEO and content naturally conflict, but the reality is that they should align and enable each team to produce more effective SEO efforts. A cross-functional team enables the content team to have a thorough understanding of the SEO focus and keyword priorities providing SEO specialists with a better understanding of content and marketing guidelines. However, without clear objectives, a cross-functional team will stagnate. Setting goals that include specifics, such as technical SEO tasks, content production objectives, and scope of work for each client, will help keep the team unified and on track.
6. Promote a comprehensive understanding: To help your team speak the same language and participate in discussions equally, you may need to promote regular cross-training. Content Specialists must understand SEO basics, especially terminology, keyword research and KPIs, to participate in discussions and effectively develop optimized content. Your SEO specialists and marketing team may need to understand content processes, and both teams should be aware of brand guidelines and industry-specific terminology.
7. Use input from all teams: A cross-functional team should do less work, not more. What keywords can marketing and PR team members suggest for optimization? What content strategies can the SEO team recommend? Leveraging each other's strengths and expertise is the best way for a cross-functional team to build and maintain momentum.
8. Set clear tasks: To eliminate dependencies, one task should be assigned to one team member at a time and include clear, actionable steps.
9. Monitor progress: Setting clear goals and monitoring success through common metrics is the only way to determine whether or not your team is operating as effectively as possible. This requires careful analysis of SEO success in a language your entire team can understand.
10. Fits: One of the main advantages of a cross-functional team is that it allows different departments to identify problems and create responses together. The best teams are resourcefulable to solve the problem cohesively and continuously improve their workflow.

Related: Follow these 13 rules to collaborate effectively in your business

Investing in an efficient and well-organized cross-functional team can significantly improve your SEO efforts. While it may require streamlining your workflow and training staff members, it will ultimately make your SEO campaigns more cohesive and reduce project turnaround time.