Customers today turn to research instead of salespeople. They’re looking for information, not a sales pitch. This makes optimizing your website a necessity.
You need to ensure you win the battle between you and your competitors. But who should be your driving force? An in-house team or an SEO Agency?
To make the decision easier, we’ll look at:
- The key benefits of hiring an in-house SEO team
- The benefits of opting for an SEO agency
- How cost is the deciding factor
Benefits of Hiring an SEO Agency
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Outsourcing your SEO to an agency leaves you less control over the optimization process. However, the long-term benefits outweigh its shortcomings.
Access to Expert Knowledge and Experience
When you hire an SEO agency, you gain access to a diverse team of skilled professionals specializing in search engine optimization. This team typically includes SEO strategists, content creators, link builders, and technical SEO experts.
SEO strategists are responsible for conducting in-depth research and analysis to lay the foundation for the optimization approach. They identify relevant keywords, analyze competitor strategies, and formulate a comprehensive plan to improve your website’s visibility in search engine results.
Content creators craft high-quality, keyword-rich content that not only appeals to search engines but engages your target audience.
Link builders focus on establishing a strong backlink profile for your website. They utilize various strategies such as broken link building, guest post agency, and email outreach to acquire high-quality backlinks from reputable websites.
Technical SEO experts focus on optimizing a website from the back-end, including website speed optimization, improving site structure, implementing structured data markup, and ensuring mobile responsiveness.
Receive Unbiased Advice and Perspective
Hiring an SEO agency allows you to benefit from expert advice and gain a fresh perspective on your optimization efforts.
They offer valuable guidance tailored to your specific business needs. They can assess your current SEO practices, identify areas for improvement, and provide recommendations to boost your website’s visibility and performance.
Faster Implementation Times
With an SEO agency, you can expect faster implementation times due to its streamlined processes.
SEO agencies in big cities like New york possess a deep understanding of the complexities involved in search engine optimization. Their ability to juggle multiple projects simultaneously allows them to hit the ground running.
Time-Saving
Managing an in-house SEO team can be time-consuming and demanding. It involves recruiting, training, and overseeing daily operations.
An SEO agency offers a time-saving solution by entrusting your SEO strategies to a dedicated team of professionals.
Benefits of Hiring In-House SEO Experts
In-house SEO experts can help in many ways, including:
More Control Over the Process
By bringing together an in-house SEO team, you gain unparalleled control over the entire optimization process. This direct involvement lets you steer the strategies and tactics according to your business objectives and brand identity.
You can fine-tune the SEO efforts to align seamlessly with your overall marketing and business strategies, ensuring an integrated approach.
Ability to Monitor Performance in Real Time
Working with an in-house SEO team gives you immediate access to progress reports and analytics.
With real-time monitoring, you can track essential indicators such as organic search rankings, website traffic, conversion rates, and engagement metrics.
If you notice a decline in organic search rankings or website traffic, you can quickly investigate the root causes and implement necessary adjustments to address the situation.
Easier Communication
When your SEO team shares a physical workspace, communication flows effortlessly.
Face-to-face meetings and brainstorming sessions foster productive collaboration among team members.
The advantage of easier communication in an in-house SEO team is that it promotes efficient information exchange. Team members can communicate directly without any delays or misinterpretations that may occur in virtual or remote settings.
This direct communication enables a better understanding of project requirements, allows for prompt decision-making, and ensures everyone is on the same page.
More Flexibility to Adapt Strategies
When you work with an SEO agency, you face certain limitations in implementing changes quickly. You have to rely on their availability and schedule to make adjustments, which can result in delays and missed opportunities.
With an in-house SEO team, you can make immediate adjustments to your SEO efforts based on evolving market trends, changes in search engine algorithms, or shifting business priorities.
In-House vs. SEO Agency: Cost Consideration
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The annual cost of hiring an in-house SEO team is $200,000. An SEO agency costs between $20,000 to $200,000.
When you hire an SEO agency, you don’t have any other cost to pay but their fee. Running an in-house SEO team involves various expenses beyond salaries. These costs include:
- Recruitment Expenses: Advertising job openings, conducting interviews, and hiring SEO professionals incur costs.
- Benefits: Hiring SEO professionals as full-time employees means offering benefits like health insurance, retirement benefits, and paid time off.
- Training and Development: Investing in continuous training programs and staying up-to-date with industry changes incurs additional costs.
- Tools and Resources: Paying for SEO tools and software licenses can add to the overall expenses.
- Overhead Expenses: Providing office space, equipment, and utilities are other expenses that must be considered.
Key Takeaways
The decision between hiring an in-house SEO team or opting for an SEO depends on your needs and budget.
Hire an in-house SEO team if your priorities are:
- Maintaining control over the optimization process.
- Having direct collaboration and seamless coordination within your organization.
- Real-time monitoring of performance to analyze data promptly and make data-driven decisions without delay.
- The flexibility to adapt strategies quickly in response to market changes, industry trends, or emerging opportunities.
Partner with an SEO agency if your priorities are:
- Accessing a diverse team of SEO experts with extensive experience in different areas of search engine optimization.
- Receiving strategic recommendations to optimize your online presence.
- Leveraging the agency’s experience and resources to implement SEO strategies more effectively.
- Saving valuable time and resources by entrusting the agency with day-to-day SEO tasks.
Ultimately, assess your budget, the level of control and involvement you desire, and the expertise needed for your SEO efforts. Consider your long-term goals, the size and scale of your business, and the complexity of your optimization needs.
