Overcoming Organisational Barriers in SEO: Decoding Discovery Episode 2
July 2025
In episode 2 of Brave Talk, host Geoff Griffiths is joined again by Harry Clarke and Ashleigh Noad from Brave Bison's SEO team to uncover a hard truth about SEO: it’s often not strategy that gets in the way, but internal structures. This episode explores the realities of implementation, the impact of organisational friction, and the human nuances needed to get SEO strategies over the line.
Why your biggest SEO obstacle might be your own organisation
Even the best-laid SEO plans can be derailed by internal red tape. Geoff opens the conversation with a stark theory: "Organisations and brands themselves are often their biggest enemy when it comes to SEO." And it checks out. Technical SEO, content, and off-site authority building must work together. But internal blockers – from disconnected teams to unclear workflows – mean that what should be a smooth process often becomes a struggle.
“It’s not that developers don’t want to help – they’re just not being given a reason to care”, said Ash.
Start with the developers
SEO needs development to thrive. Yet too often, SEOs are ghosted after raising a ticket. Not because of resistance, but because developers are overwhelmed and SEO hasn’t been clearly prioritised. According to Harry, the fix is simple but crucial: understand their workflow and integrate with it.
"Are they using JIRA? Then write tickets in JIRA. Are they working in sprints? Then plan accordingly. And above all else, communicate the commercial value – why this task matters to the business."
Test, learn, shout about it
SEOs are typically conservative in forecasting outcomes, especially when compared to other marketing channels. But staying quiet doesn’t help. Ash makes a compelling case for getting louder: "We don’t shout about our work. Other teams do. We need to be more visible."
That visibility means testing, tracking, and communicating results. Newsletters, simple updates, and naming your projects can all bring momentum and buy-in. "If the CMO bumps into your stakeholder in a lift, they should be able to say in one line what the SEO team is working on and why," Harry said.
Kill the silos. Content is a team sport.
Effective SEO content isn’t written in isolation. Editorial, PR, legal, compliance and SEO all have a stake in the output. The trick? Speak their language.
"You can’t just send a keyword list to a brand copywriter and expect results," said Ash. "Understand what each team values and tailor your pitch. Sometimes that means shared goals, sometimes it's just showing them the search demand."
Internal education is essential, and so is having the right structure. Harry talked about Brave Bison’s "named project workflows" – cross-channel strategies that tie together tactics and outcomes under a common objective. "It's about making strategy easy to understand and easy to support," he said.
Don’t just build links – build brand authority
Link building isn’t what it used to be. Forget buying 100 links and calling it a day. The SEO conversation is evolving towards brand authority and earned media value. Harry put it simply: "Digital PR is about more than backlinks. It’s about visibility. It’s about trust."
Ash added: "Think of it like a billboard. Being seen in high-authority places like Forbes matters, even if the link isn’t clicked."
To get the most from digital PR, align with traditional PR efforts and connect strategy with performance goals. Tools like uplift modelling and branded search tracking can help bridge the gap.
Advice for in-house teams and the C-suite
Ash calls on in-house marketers to be chameleons: "You have to tailor your SEO narrative to different teams, because each one hears a different story."
And for senior leaders? Don’t just ask what’s being done – ask why.
Harry advises: "Understand how SEO ties into business objectives. If the value isn’t clear, challenge your team to clarify it."
The bottom line
Organisational buy-in isn't just a nice-to-have – it's the difference between an SEO strategy that flies and one that stalls. Test, measure, communicate and bring your people with you.
Because, as the Brave Bison team reminds us, "if you can’t implement, you can’t win."
Watch episode two in full below.
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