How Enterprise SEO Differs from Traditional SEO

It’s fair to say that not all SEO campaigns are created equal. While the basic goals are fairly consistent—high Google search rankings for targeted keywords, increased traffic and lead generation—the scope of different SEO projects can vary, as can the specific obstacles faced.

Much of this variation hinges on the type of business being promoted: SEO for a small, mom-and-pop shop with a decidedly local presence is going to be entirely different than SEO for a huge, international agency.

Companies in this second category might fall under the broad heading of enterprise SEO. Again, enterprise SEO has the same basic goals as traditional SEO, but because it deals with an elite classification of business entities—generally, Fortune 1000 brands—it has a unique set of skillsets, challenges, and opportunities.

Specific Needs of an Enterprise SEO Campaign

Consider just a few of the unique demands that enterprise SEO invites:

Localization/Globalization. Enterprise SEO deals, almost by definition, with major, internationally-known companies. At the same time, it is not uncommon for these companies to have smaller, more localized presences or franchises. For example, when optimizing for a company like Apple, the unique challenge might be to effectively optimize Apple as a global presence while also giving search engine traffic to regional Apple Store locations—allowing for dominance in both broad-brand and local Web searches.

Enterprise security. Search engine optimization must always be done in a way that aligns with the confidentiality of customer data. Many enterprise websites act as portals for consumers to input and record personal data—and obviously, maintaining the integrity of this data is key.

Daily search engine rankings. Search engine rankings are a little bit like stocks—they’re always ebbing and flowing, and staying on top of daily performance is crucial. Unlike stock markets, though, search engines never close. Enterprise SEO requires competition for a number of highly competitive keyword phrases, and staying on top of minute-by-minute performance is essential for keeping the campaign pointed in the right direction.

Automation and technology. Automated content delivery and optimization is a boon to any SEO campaign—but it’s especially vital for enterprise SEO, due to the sheer scale and volume of the work being done here. A huge part of doing enterprise SEO right is identifying the best software to meet your business entity’s needs.

Branding. Again, this isn’t necessarily unique to enterprise SEO—but it is magnified. SEO requires that copious amounts of original content be produced. The problem is, the more content is created, the more imperative it is for all of this content to be aligned with the voice of the brand. Consistency is hard to achieve, yet it’s imperative for putting the company’s best foot forward.

Choosing an Enterprise SEO Firm

Ultimately, none of this is attainable on a small scale. Enlisting an experienced enterprise SEO firm is necessary for keeping all the balls in the air, and sufficient attention paid to rankings and analytics. A good enterprise SEO firm will be one that recognizes just how unique this work is, even compared to traditional SEO.