If you had a team of 10 intelligent but unskilled people...

[Cataclysmic]

If you had a team of 10 intelligent but unskilled people at your disposal to "do SEO" full-time, what would you have them do?

(when I say "unskilled" I mean they know nothing about SEO)

[subzero27]

Link Prospect Research and content strategy

[eeyipes]

Why, are you hiring?

[joshz]

Competition research, competition link research, scanning various outlets for linkable sites.

[fathom]

If you had a team of 10 intelligent but unskilled people at your disposal to "do SEO" full-time, what would you have them do?

(when I say "unskilled" I mean they know nothing about SEO)

Avoid using them on positive results oriented strategies unless you plan to spend many hours a day double checking everyone's work.

I would put them on Negative SEO tasks like webspam reporting using link checkers or copyspace.

If they screw up no harm, no foul and if they don't you're providing customers, searchers and Google invaluable returns via the premiumly unskilled.

[tstolber]

Train the most competent and keen person up as the team leader - invest in their training and learning, and have them leader the team. The other people on the team can learn from the leader.

Have an experienced SEO as a consultant or on a monthly retainer.

This uses the people you have with minimal investment.

Also, don't underestimate the power of this forum to provide incredibly valuable and free information.

[eddyf]

I'd have them update their resumes in anticipation of getting fired.

Someone above you is going to expect measurable results from a team of ten people.

Sorry if this seems like a smart-*** answer. But I worked in a corporation for many years, and when "unskilled" but intelligent people are assigned to a project they are not trained for, it seldom works out.

Ed

[Test-ok]

For every corporation I've ever worked for..the unskilled people were moved up to supervision. But that's when unions were alive and well.

So make them supervisors...lol, JK

[tstolber]

Actually, these posts got me thinking. Initially I just answered your question, but think about this seriously.

If you have 10 people that are not trained to do SEO - they are either not being paid very much at all or will cost more than hiring one SEO expert - which will free up the 10 people to do things they are more proficient at.

Your question has sparked my interest - whats the scenario here?

[SEO_AM]

Management that is knowingly assigning unskilled people to do a highly important project or task means that management is either incompetent or does not believe the SEO project or task has any great value. In either case I would deem the management incompetent.

[DarrenHaye]

Fire the 10, hire one or two people (budget depending) who do know what they're doing.

Problem solved.

[fathom]

Your question has sparked my interest - whats the scenario here?

...mom, dad, sister Jean, bothers Tony, Mike and Dan, sons Peter and Mike, daughter Jill and uncle Harry all need a job so that this is family run business that can get free money from a govenment program to drive a genuine family run business.

Outsourcing is not in the cards.

[Glenn Kilpatric]

So we now have 2 highly trained and efficient seo consultants. What will they be doing for this company ? In terms a real dummy like me can understand and try take something worthwhile fro the answers.