This submit was sponsored by SE Ranking. The opinions expressed on this article are the sponsor’s personal.
With over half of our workers hailing from Ukraine, SE Ranking confirms that by teamwork, you may climate the best of storms.
Despite the disaster, lack of prospects, withdrawal from the Russian market, large employees relocation, and warfare zone work setting (for individuals who stayed in Ukraine), we not solely managed to outlive however to evolve past our pre-war stage as a enterprise.
Through this text, the SE Ranking crew wish to share how we not solely survived however thrived, regardless of the unspeakable circumstances.
1. Put People First. They Are Your Lifeline.
Each one among our crew members ran the additional mile within the midst of this disaster.
Their onerous work and dedication are what saved this firm afloat.
No business-related ideas and tips might ever make a distinction with out them, which is why SE Ranking targeted on offering as a lot safety to the crew as doable.
SE Ranking Moved The Office From Kyiv To Wroclaw, Which Helped The Team Relocate To Safer Places.
In the primary days of the warfare, the whole Ukrainian crew obtained a relocation allowance.
Then, the a part of our crew that arrived in Poland first helped others with transportation, lodging, authorized features, and many others.
Not A Single Person Was Laid Off. No Cuts Were Made To Salaries.
Keeping the crew financially secure grew to become the corporate’s first precedence.
After solely a number of weeks into the warfare, all bonus applications and private growth coverages have been restored.
We Began Group Therapy Sessions To Help Us Process What Was Happening.
Although our SE Ranking household was territorially divided and morally damaged, similar to 1000’s of different Ukrainian households, we supported one another.
We organized particular on-line conferences in order that the crew might synchronize emotionally. We additionally invited knowledgeable psychologist who helped us work by the traumas of the warfare.
We Began Showcasing Our Team Members On Social Media & Sharing Their Stories.
After studying modify to the brand new current actuality, we felt that the voices of our crew ought to be heard throughout. We launched a collection of posts the place our teammates talked about themselves and their experiences.
This motivated our employees and revealed SE Ranking’s human facet.
Respecting and appreciating your workers is the important thing to their loyalty and, consequently, the important thing to any enterprise’s success.
This method to individuals has at all times saved SE Ranking robust, no matter exterior circumstances.
People have been, are, and would be the best worth to us as a result of they’re those behind our product – a product that lots of of 1000’s of individuals worldwide love.
Lesson discovered: Value the individuals behind the product, and so they’ll reply to you in type.
2. Stick To Your Plans To The Best Of Your Ability.
The warfare turned our lives the other way up.
Many of our plans have been ruined, and full uncertainty grew to become our “greatest” pal. Every member of our crew felt this.
We all wanted some stability, and our job grew to become one thing like an “island” of certainty for us. We determined to not change to power preservation mode, however to observe our roadmap as a lot as we might.
And it labored!
Our onerous work resulted in 4 model new AI and NLP-based instruments:
On-Page Web optimization Checker analyzes any net web page by checking it for 94 parameters that have an effect on search rankings.
Content Marketing Module helps you construct briefs and create Web optimization-friendly content material sooner with much less effort.
SERP Analyzer exhibits prime SERP gamers and measures their pages by checking them for 110+ on-page and off-page parameters.
Backlink Gap Analyzer exhibits domains and URLs linking out to your rivals however to not you.
We’ve gotten as near our authentic plan as doable and even managed to affix the brightonSEO convention for the primary time in October.
Image by SE Ranking, October 2022
We don’t simply really feel like we’re transferring ahead. We are transferring ahead.
Lesson discovered: Even while you really feel damaged and misplaced, do your job. It might change into your supply of reliability in a altering and scary world.
3. Stay True To Your Values – (*5*) Of Short-Term Business Risks.
Integrity is one among SE Ranking’s prime values.
No matter how a lot we need to say what individuals need to hear, we keep on with the reality.
The reality is that the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine, and we couldn’t preserve supporting shoppers from Russia as a result of it meant supporting companies that have been paying taxes and sponsoring their military.
Although Russia accounted for 15% of the entire variety of SE Ranking shoppers, we ceased offering providers to them on the finish of February.
Since then, new Russian customers couldn’t and cannot register with SE Ranking, and we don’t settle for funds from current Russian shoppers.
To overcome the difficulties attributable to the withdrawal from such a big market, we needed to:
Redirect our assets to draw new shoppers from different nations.
Review deliberate actions and add new platform promotion channels.
Slightly change the pricing coverage.
We communicated our place to prospects in an trustworthy approach, as we at all times do, and it resonated with them.
We might have misplaced 15% of our prospects, however SE Ranking attracted 20% extra since then; our firm stays worthwhile, and our revenues proceed to develop.
This 12 months, we hit 1,000 critiques on G2! We even have the highest-ranking Web optimization software program answer in the marketplace. We couldn’t be extra grateful to our customers for supporting and inspiring us alongside the best way.
Lesson discovered: When you keep true to your beliefs, it’s going to repay regardless of the preliminary losses.
4. Never Skimp On Security. Issues Can Cost You Dearly.
Crises are downright unpredictable.
Worse but, not with the ability to guess what’s going to occur subsequent is likely one of the largest the explanation why crises are so harmful.
There are 1,000,000 and one doable issues that may catch you unexpectedly and knock you out when you don’t take preventative measures early on.
Your largest insurance coverage coverage is sorting by all of the doable dangers after which discovering methods to beat them.
SE Ranking did simply that. We diversified all doable dangers from the beginning in order that our providers might stay in impact, even by a disaster.
How To Increase Business Security
SE Ranking carried out a number of ways to make sure that processes and knowledge keep secure, beneath any circumstance.
Our servers originated in a number of safe areas: Germany, Finland, and the USA.
We’ve constructed a dependable product infrastructure, and the system continues to work even when some crashes happen.
Teams, not only one particular person, coordinate processes. Each crew member can sort out issues once they come up. That’s why when a few of us couldn’t work (as a result of they needed to transfer to a safer place or cover in a bomb shelter), different crew gamers might cowl for them.
All communication occurs in a single place. In our case, it’s Slack. We have separate channels for every venture, division, and even for promo campaigns. This approach, everyone seems to be on the identical web page and has entry to modifications and updates in seconds.
We preserve our communication as clear as doable, from C-level administration to particular person crew members. All pressing selections are carried out directly and with restricted paperwork. Remaining clear braced us for the powerful instances forward. Our providers continued working, even by the start of the warfare when plenty of modifications needed to be utilized instantly.
We have operational guides for all departments in Confluence. We describe processes intimately so that every crew member is aware of what to do when preparing for some activity or exercise.
Lesson discovered: Be diligent and ready for the worst-case state of affairs since you by no means know when a disaster will strike.
5. Don’t Be Afraid To Say What Must Be Said.
From an operational standpoint, we would have liked to verify our prospects didn’t really feel the impression of the disaster on the corporate’s work and the product.
But on an ethical stage, we needed to deal with the elephant within the room – the warfare.
Despite the ocean of content material on the market concerning the invasion, we discovered our voice among the many digital advertising group and flew with it. We nonetheless couldn’t be extra grateful for the assist that also comes from this group to at the present time.
We additionally launched a collection of posts and articles discussing alternative ways you may assist: Ukraine, Ukrainian girls in the course of the warfare, Ukrainian Web optimization specialists who grew to become volunteers, and our unimaginable crew.
Later this 12 months, SE Ranking was shortlisted for the Global Content Awards as the perfect Crisis Response Content Campaign for this collection of publications.
We are particularly grateful to Miranda Miller who was among the many first to assist us as we voiced what wanted and nonetheless must be mentioned.
SE Ranking additionally organized a Charity Web optimization Webinar with Aleyda Solis, Barry Schwartz, Barry Adams, And Kristina Azarenko, which was attended by greater than 1,100 individuals.
The occasion raised $4,000 for the Save the Children basis, which supplies safety to each baby affected by the warfare in Ukraine.
With all this assist, we’ve got been satisfied as soon as once more that the Web optimization group is an actual household that’s at all times there to face by and with you throughout essentially the most difficult of instances.
Lesson discovered: Make your voice heard and your group will assist you.
Be Secure. Be Sincere. Be Honest. Be Supportive. Be Strong.
These ideas solely work when paired with transparency and honesty.
We imagine that these virtues are foundational to each enterprise’s success. You should be crystal clear about what your applied sciences and processes supply, and be totally open to the wants, opinions, and well-being of your employees and shoppers.
Safe information needs to be constantly secure.
Transparent communications should at all times be – clear.
If you supply full assist, be totally supportive.
This method proved and nonetheless proves efficient for us and is unlikely ever to vary.
And keep in mind: crises elevate distinctive challenges that require distinctive approaches. One-size-fits-all methods haven’t any place right here. So, use our ideas as benchmarks and adapt them to your corporation technique as you discover your personal technique to success.
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