In short, it's very different from conventional SEO. That's because it deals with the search rankings of much larger websites.
You know - those websites for companies that have millions of customers around the world. Think about it this way: any problem you've encountered in the past in regard to SEO will be multiplied by 100+x when it comes to Enterprise SEO.
If you're working for a large corporation, you'll have a number of other challenges to overcome, such as complex infrastructure, integration with other departments, and office politics.
Here we signal just some of the differences between Enterprise SEO and other forms of search engine optimization.
1. It's a lot bigger
The first thing you'll notice about Enterprise SEO is the sheer size of it. Here you're not trying to target keywords and phrases for a relatively small niche, but a much larger company with fingers in many pies.
Think multi-national corporations, department stores, internet portals - websites that have hundreds of thousands of hits every single day. The challenge here is to increase search visibility for a number of factors.
You'll have to deal with different demographics (these websites usually attract people of all ages and have a brand known around the world), and target keywords for hundreds (sometimes thousands) of different products.
2. Enterprises have more content creators
You've heard it before, and I'll say it again: content is king. As Google places a greater emphasis on what you write, - and how you convey your brand to your visitors - fresh, innovative, on-topic and as per recently - factual content, can really make a difference when it comes to improving your corporate search rankings.
It's true to say that enterprises will have to generate more content, especially as they have bigger websites to fill.
Whilst they may create this content in-house or source it from a third party, there's a whole load of office politics involved in the process.
For example, content will often be the responsibility of various departments, - such as public relations, marketing, sales, and product management - and at times, this probably all gets a bit confusing.
If you have a small or medium-sized business, you won't have as much red tape to go through when generating content for your pages.
3. They have multiple sites
Enterprises are in charge of making sure multiple websites are in prime position on the SERP in order to attract new customers.
They may even have local websites that will need to be optimized separately to take into account different purchasing habits or demographics in a particular part of the world.
All of this can be time-consuming, and will require a large number of staff to make sure everything continues to run smoothly.
On top of this, enterprises will need to be fine-tuning their social pages, business profiles, video channels, and much more.
Smaller companies won't have to deal with as much content, and will be able to focus on attracting customers and clients on a local level, or those who are interested in their niche.
4. Analytics is the same, but larger in scope
Of course, enterprises will still need to measure the effectiveness of their website - just like you've done with conventional SEO.
They track keywords, measure social signals, and keep an eye on their positions on the SERP. The software that enterprises use are usually larger in scope, and provide them with much more intertwined data, compared to small businesses - especially as they might have many websites, pages, languages and demographics to monitor.
However, similar procedures are involved, so if you're a whizz when it comes to analytics, you'll find it easy when making the transition.
5. Enterprises already have authorship
Many of these enterprises already have brand loyalty and great customer relations. It's in this sense that they're already credible, and this will be reflected on the SERP. Large household-name brands are seen as trustworthy, and Google recognizes this.
Unlike conventional SEO - where a smaller, local-based company will try to increase the visibility of their brand by creating authoritative content - enterprises are already one-step ahead in this regard.
They'll also be able to acquire links much easier than smaller companies.
6. Enterprise link building is about relationship building
As we said earlier, it's easier for an enterprise to acquire links than smaller companies. Why?
Well, because they have bigger budgets to create more quality content, and they will find it easier to source links through their marketing (whether that's a huge new product launch, multi-media campaign, or contacts with influential news sources).
However, link building is more about acquiring relationships once you reach the enterprise level. According to ClickZ, emphasis should be placed on building long-term relationships with adjacent industries and actors in the supply chain.
7. Enterprises still face similar SEO challenges
Just because a company is larger in size and scope (and already has the credentials to prove their trustworthiness), it doesn't mean they won't come across hurdles.
A survey conducted in 2014 by SERPS, the top five metrics reported by larger websites included traffic (68%), rankings (58%), conversion from top search terms (36%), goals completion (32%), and revenue attributed to specific search terms (28%).
As you can see, these metrics would be similar for any small or medium-sized business too. Enterprise SEO and conventional forms of SEO are similar in the regard that they are practically trying to achieve the same thing, even if the former has more resources in its arsenal to be able to do so.
Conclusion
If you're looking to move into enterprise SEO, you'll need to realize that it won't be cheap, and it will be extremely time-consuming.
You'll probably need quite a bit of help at first - that's why it's a good idea to work with external consultants, at least until you are up and running.
Enterprise SEO won't necessarily show results for your business immediately due to the legalities and challenges involved - it will take time, so be patient. However, staying positive, and taking things in small steps, could benefit you in the long run.
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This article was originally posted on Rowe Digital.