Ask the Experts: Should I Outsource SEO Services?
Home - Ask the Experts: Should I Outsource SEO Services?
This is a really tough decision and one that you should research thoroughly before taking action. Your budget, your capacity to create an in-house team, your expectations and the sort of working relationship you envisage having with your SEO team are just some of the key factors to be examined before making your choice.
Effective SEO is a full time job and cannot be squeezed into an existing employee’s role. As a result, you have to choose between the cost of outsourcing SEO or the cost of hiring SEO experts to join your company. New in-house hires are likely to be more expensive long term, but could still be the right choice depending on how involved you want your SEOs to be with your business.
A more hands on approach lends itself to creating your own in-house team, should you have the capacity to do so. If you are happy to have SEO at arm’s length or are tight on budget then outsourcing may work better for you.
Results are key when investing in SEO. If you choose to outsource there will be a plethora of agencies all claiming to be the best in the business - you need to ensure that you select an agency that will actually deliver.
A simple way to do this is to request that agencies prove their track record - there should be solid evidence of the agency consistently increasing domain authority, rankings and organic traffic for clients through measured SEO. If they fail to provide proof of their statistics it’s likely that they will fail to provide you with results, so steer clear.
The landscape and rules of SEO are constantly changing and you have to think innovatively every day to stay ahead of the curve. This is why, if you want to achieve the best results, it is essential to have a dedicated team of experts working to optimise your business.
As time is of the essence with SEO it is also important to note that though outsourcing may grant you access to expertise immediately, you will have to spend some time explaining what your company does to outsiders. If new SEO hires are integrated into the company they are more likely to have a better understanding of the company’s culture and commercial goals.
Ideally you want to have an SEO team that you can work with closely to build great results and a strong business relationship. This may be easier if they are in-house but can also be achieved with an outsourced team.
Communication is key so be sure to choose a company which is in sync with yours, check in regularly with your SEO team and always make sure you have final say on any content.
To sum up, SEO is essential to increasing the reach of your business and deciding on the best way to source your team should be given careful thought. It is not one size fits all so consider exactly what you need from the role to determine which option is best for your business.