Search engine optimization is a vital part of any digital marketing strategy, and it’s the key driver of long-term success in the online world. No matter the size of your business or the industry and niche you’re in, there is no denying that you need to invest in SEO best practices to improve your online visibility and awareness, build brand trust and reputation, and generate qualified leads. But that’s just some of the great things that SEO can help you achieve, so all the more reason to focus on SEO over the long term.
However, when the time comes to do just that, and you realize that you don’t have the SEO experts needed to achieve these goals, things start to get a bit complicated. Do you start hiring in-house SEO experts (you will need more than one person) or do you outsource the whole thing to an agency like rocketagency.com.au?
Let’s break it all down today and take a look at some key considerations you need to focus on right now in order to make the most cost-effective decision for your business.
The obvious financial questions
SEO itself is way more affordable than some other digital marketing tactics, like paid advertising or influencer marketing – but that doesn’t mean that it’s cheap. What you’re paying for when investing in SEO is the talented experts first and foremost, but then also the various tools and subscriptions that allow them to do their jobs properly. When you take all the SEO expenses into account, you might find that assembling a team of SEO experts can put a big dent in your budget.
After all, not every small business is capable of hiring several new team members right off the bat, because full-time employees are very expensive. This is where hiring an SEO agency is almost always a more financially sensible decision, because the ongoing costs are much lower.
SEO agencies work with a number of clients, and are therefore able to drop their prices down to something that’s much more suitable for small businesses.
Staying on top of the latest trends
Google is always coming up with new and exciting ways to mess with companies and their online strategies. The algorithm is always changing and evolving, and Google is always looking to refine its processes in order to bring the best possible experience to every user. That is why SEO is never a set-it-and-forget-it type of deal, and it requires ongoing support, maintenance, and optimization to ensure your website keeps ranking high throughout the years.
This consumes time and other valuable resources, but it also means that you need to stay on top of the latest trends to stay relevant. Now, both an in-house and an external SEO team can follow the trends and act on them quickly, but it comes down to their level of commitment, skills, and industry experience. There’s no clear winner here, you just need to choose carefully.
Full-service vs in-house capabilities
One of the key reasons why small business owners tend to lean more towards SEO agencies than hiring in-house teams is because typically an SEO agency will offer more services for a better price. Nowadays, it’s important to invest in all areas of SEO in order to maximize your online visibility, and that means hiring numerous SEO experts.
While your team might lack some of the skills necessary to bring some SEO campaigns to life, full-service teams like the popular AdVisible agency have all the experts needed to create comprehensive campaigns. The emphasis here is often on local SEO and optimizing your digital presence for local search, which is a nuanced skillset that agencies have.
Combining local SEO with technical optimization, content creation and keyword implementation, backlinking, and more, will allow you to finally start ranking on the first page of Google.
Shorter turnover times and quality concerns
Companies often struggle to deliver optimized-materials and solutions when working with an in-house SEO team, but that’s by no means a rule. You could also be working with the wrong SEO agency that time and time again fails to deliver things on time, so once again, you need to be careful in your approach. This is especially important when handling SEO tasks like link building, which can ruin your online reputation when done wrong.
For the most part, though, you can expect SEO agencies to cut down the turnover rate considerably and drive efficiency forward. Likewise, because SEO agencies employ the foremost industry experts, you can expect to get a level of quality that you might not be able to acquire from in-house workers. If you do decide to create an in-house team that will guarantee stellar results, then you need to be ready to pay a hefty sum for talented employees.
Getting a team that knows the brand
Lastly, there’s no denying that an in-house SEO team will quickly become a part of the brand, develop a deeper understanding of the brand’s identity and requirements, and become a part of your company culture. While a good SEO agency will strive to do the same in order to achieve the best results possible for your company and ensure a fruitful partnership, it can be difficult to achieve the same level of brand commitment.
This is only natural, as SEO agencies work with multiple clients. Nevertheless, for an SEO team this is a minor consideration because the emphasis should be on delivering the best SEO practices and understanding the brand enough to achieve the best possible results. A good agency will make sure to achieve just that, if you make the right choice.
Over to you
In the end, the choice is up to you how you want to approach the problem of forming an SEO team. Both are valid options with their own advantages and disadvantages. Make sure to take these considerations into account to determine the best route for your business and its unique requirements.