"Creating a website that will rank well organically calls for a balance of skillsets and plenty of communication between developers, designers, and SEO pros." - WebProWorld Editor
We've all been involved with or heard stories about friction between developers and marketing folks. Some of the flashiest and attractive websites don't always equate to the best sites from an SEO standpoint.
The article I read earlier today mentions some barriers to optimization that developers can sometimes create:
• Text as images
•
Splash pages
• Spider traps
• Poor coding
• Poor, vague, or No
title tags
• No sitemap
• No image title tags
As a recruiter, this is a topic that I discuss with potential client companies seeking my services to find SEM talent for them. I want to have a good understanding of their existing team and process before I attempt to sell the opportunity to people. A huge red flag that pops up is when I see that an SEO Specialist is going to report to an IT Manager. Yes, there are still companies who have internet marketing people working in the IT department and reporting to technical people. Internet marketing folks should be in the marketing department and not working beside java developers.
On the candidate side of things, one should market themselves in an interview as effective communicators who can work with the technical folks and tactfully educate and persuade these groups to get onboard with changes that will better optimize a site. In an interview, have examples prepared to support this position.
I've come across folks who are very well-versed on both sides the fence. But more often than not, one belongs to either camp...