Training 2.0 for In-House Search
You are certain that in-house search is the way to go. You’ve made your case to senior executives and they are fully on board. You’ve opted to hire most of the staff from within (which saves jobs and cuts costs). Team members with the right skills and mindset have been identified and recruited.
You are now ready to move on to the next item on your list: Training.
This is a no brainer, right? How hard can it be? The search industry has a full decade of tested, proven, reliable and compliant methodologies, many of them documented. Surely you can find an industry expert to come in and do some training workshops? Heck, maybe you could just buy a bunch of copies of “SEO for Dummies” and distribute them to the new team.
Bad idea. Here’s why:
1.) The success with which you enable staff to develop in-depth knowledge and skills that constantly evolve and build over time will make or break your in-house search initiative. This isn’t a good place to cut corners or make a quick decision (especially one based on cost and/or what requires the least amount of effort).
2.) Search is impacted by many people/functions throughout the organization. You will greatly improve the success of the in-house team if you take the time to create a “culture of search”, rather than focusing training solely on the people with “search” in their job title.
The problem is that developing in-depth knowledge and skill starts with training, but it doesn’t end there. “Training” is really just an initial transfer of facts and best practices. Creating sustainable skills and expertise requires building learning systems, not simply conducting training events. Think of it as “Training 2.0“.
So what can you do to make sure your program falls into the Training 2.0 category?
1.) Take the time to study and understand the various roles that need training; customize materials and courses for each. Everyone on the in-house team should understand search as a whole, but don’t waste time (yours and theirs) trying to teach cats to bark. Gear the training to the role being performed. This is especially true for skills development that needs to happen throughout the organization, outside of the in-house team. For example, content creators need to understand the aspects of search that impact their daily activities; they do not need to know anything about canonicalization.
2.) In your attempt to create a “culture of search” beyond the in-house team, don’t force training down people’s throats. Instead, communicate the benefits (the benefits to them, not just to the organization) and find ways to involve staff from various departments. Remember the “ugly baby” concept: If it is your baby, it isn’t ugly. Involving people in program design and implementation will go a long way towards willing adoption.
3.) Use a training management system, especially in large organizations. If you aren’t tracking who knows what and who is capable of facilitating skills development in various roles, you are wasting a valuable asset (i.e., the constantly evolving knowledge and skills of your own staff, some of whom may be hidden away in the far corners of the organization and don’t get out much).
4.) Don’t get target fixation on the initial knowledge and skills transfer (“one to many” training). Find ways to facilitate “many to many” knowledge building. For example, encourage evangelists outside of the in-house team in specific skill areas and have someone from the in-house team manage ongoing engagement and communication with those folks. And don’t forget to create systems for informal knowledge sharing (wiki’s, brown bags, etc.).
5.) Reward those who are willing to learn and those who are willing to teach. Create a certification program; laud and recognize key contributors.
At Serengeti, we’ve helped companies large and small transition search in-house. Without exception, companies that follow the principles of “Training 2.0″ achieve better results.
