Thread by @GiordMarco96

Today I tweet about something different. Some things I learned while studying and practicing #SEO that some people may find extremely valuable (or not).

This is a thread about my personal 15 lessons 🧵

1. Soft skills are extremely important. The first time you heard about them they seem fluff, it's actually the opposite.

Convincing stakeholders and negotiation are the most valuable skills for my own experience.

2. Variety is great. This doesn't just apply to your workplace but to skillset as well.

Exploring new things and going over prejudices involving other disciplines is a super valuable learning.

3. Just because you are good in one industry it doesn't mean you will be the same in another one.

I recently started as in-house SEO for a B2B niche I knew nothing about and it was a total shock at first.

4. A lot of content online is outdated or partially wrong. This is natural as SEO is a fast-paced industry and that is why communities are great.

You have multiple opinions and you can test what works and what not and receive feedbacks.

5. Collaboration > Competition. SEO is a big field, collaborating with like-minded people is a great way to improve yourself.

Of course, you should also look for people who do the opposite to have the complete overview.

6. If you have to plan content it's almost always better if you know the niche. You may think it's skippable in some cases, I think not.

Business/Domain knowledge should go hand-in-hand with SEO expertise.

7. There is no right way, everyone is free to do what they want, if it makes sense and brings results for the customers.

This point doesn't exclude ethics, it is actually referred to your skills/expertise....

... just because you prefer some strategies it doesn't mean that what other people do is wrong!

Very very important lesson that most people seem to miss out.

8. A good understanding of basics trump all. No need to go far if you cannot make sense of simple strategies.

9. Doing SEO doesn't mean that UX and CRO are not your responsibility. I think that you need a minimum amount of knowledge to find what's best.

UX and CRO are different fields, though it's highly beneficial to know at least the bare minimum.

10. When working on a project teach people the mindset, not the tools.

Teach them to listen to customers, to understand pain points, to be strategic and obsessed about customer satisfaction.

11. Working as a in-house SEO is a different beast. You have to handle different problems and communication with management is more important than ever.

Knowing the business is the first thing you have to do when starting.

12. Tools are... well, just tools.

There are better tools or more suitable ones, the concept doesn't change. Strategy and soft skills are not replaceable.

13. Personal branding and sharing content is awesome. No explanation here, just my personal opinion.

14. Data are a must nowadays, we have so many opportunities now.

#SEO can really benefit from #DataScience or related fields. Be open to new perspectives.

15. Perfection is a mirage. All I know is consistent testing and research to see what works and what doesn't.

Stop looking after perfection and embrace temporariness.