Hiring an SEO professional or team can be a strategic move for many businesses looking to leverage search engine optimization effectively. One important aspect that business owners should consider is whether to have an in-house SEO expert do the work or leverage the skills of an agency.
Both approaches have their strengths and limitations, and your decision depends on what you believe will closely align with your needs, goals, and resources. We’ll help you weigh your options in this article by discussing each.
What is In-House SEO?
An in-house SEO team, as the name implies, involves hiring an internal team comprised of search engine optimization experts to manage SEO activities within the business or organization.
They’re directly employed by the company and can maintain complete control over the entire SEO strategy, from making decisions to implementing techniques.
Moreover, an in-house SEO team can collaborate with other internal departments, such as marketing, sales, and web development. This allows the team to make sure that its efforts closely align with business objectives.
What is an SEO Agency?
Working with an SEO agency could be an option for those looking for an outside perspective. Agencies may offer a business fresh insights that may not have been considered internally.
If your in-house team lacks one specialty — for example, a content strategist or link building specialist — an agency usually provides comprehensive solutions. To boost the effectiveness of an SEO campaign, agencies usually have access to a wide range of tools and resources.
What’s the Difference Between In-House SEO and an SEO Agency?
Whereas an in-house SEO team is dedicated solely to your business’s SEO efforts, which allows for greater focus, an SEO agency has diverse skill sets and offers more flexibility.
However, when it comes to knowledge of your business, an in-house team may have a deeper understanding of your company’s unique goals, culture, and industry nuances. Since they’re immersed in your business, they can come up with more tailored strategies and adapt quickly to changes in your business environment.
On the other hand, an SEO agency may bring an external perspective. Since they work with different clients across different industries, they have insights to share regarding emerging trends and best practices.
That being said, we can say that some companies benefit from hiring agencies while others benefit more from an in-house team.
Pros and Cons of Hiring an In-House SEO
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| A deeper understanding of your company: In-house SEO teams are closely aligned with the company’s broader business objectives and goals. Since they have a detailed knowledge of your products and services, they can create more accurate and compelling content. | Expertise and training: Hiring and training skilled SEO professionals for an in-house team can have its share of challenges. Besides the time spent on initial training and onboarding, they need ongoing education to stay updated with the latest SEO best practices. |
| Direct control and communication: Companies with an in-house team may benefit from faster decision-making, especially when there are changes in search engine algorithms. There’s no need to wait for external agencies to get approval or understand the nuances of your needs. | Resource constraints: Some in-house teams may struggle with limited time, budget, and manpower, which can particularly affect smaller organizations. Juggling roles and skill gaps can make it challenging to a backlog of projects and delayed SEO initiatives. |
| Long-term investment: When an in-house SEO team is first established, there’s a learning curve as team members familiarize themselves with the company. But, over time, the expertise developed internally adds long-term value to the business. | Bottlenecks due to reliance on internal resources: An in-house SEO team would have to rely heavily on resources within the company for support. Although this isn’t necessarily a negative thing, sometimes, internal departments may have their own priorities and deadlines that conflict with the SEO team’s needs. Conflicts may also arise when the SEO team requests resources that are also needed by other departments. |
| Cost-efficiency in the long run: The money that is spent hiring and training an in-house team becomes more predictable and controllable over the long term. There are no additional markup fees that are involved on third-party services (e.g., platforms, tools, and freelancers). |
Pros and Cons of Hiring an SEO Agency
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Expertise and experience: SEO agencies typically have a team of experts with extensive experience across different areas of SEO. Whether it’s keyword research, content creation, technical SEO, or link building — businesses can benefit from collective knowledge that may boost their performance. | Loss of control: Transparency can be a concern when outsourcing SEO to an agency, which can leave you uncertain about what is being done and how it is affecting your performance. Moreover, you may have less direct influence over things like link-building tactics, content creation, and other SEO activities. |
| Scalability: Whether you require a comprehensive SEO strategy or a one-time service, agencies can adjust their services accordingly based on your needs. | Reliance on external agencies: A lack of internal capability can make a business more reliant, which limits its flexibility. This increases the risks associated with outsourcing. |
| Access to a wide range of tools: SEO agencies typically invest in advanced tools and software to support their efforts. These tools provide agencies with comprehensive data and insights that inform their strategies, which benefit your business results. | Communication challenges: Time zone differences and delays in response times are some of the challenges encountered while working with an external agency. If not addressed, they can impact the efficiency of an SEO campaign. |
How to Choose Between Hiring an In-House SEO vs. SEO Agency
To make the most informed choice, a business owner can ask these important questions:
1. What are my business goals and objectives for SEO?
Take into account your broader goals and consider the objectives that support these goals. This may include getting more website traffic, improving lead generation, or increasing your local search visibility.
If your company has internal capabilities, including SEO knowledge, skills, and time, then an in-house team might make more sense. Otherwise, an SEO agency would be a better option.
2. What is my budget for SEO?
Compare the total cost of building and managing an in-house SEO team with the fees associated with outsourcing to an agency. It’s important to factor in all relevant expenses, including recruitment costs, salaries, benefits, training, tools to be used, overhead costs, and agency fees.
Moreover, take a long-term view of your financial planning for SEO efforts. Consider how your budget may evolve over time, and whether your chosen approach — building an in-house team or outsourcing to an agency — will remain relevant.
3. How much time can I dedicate to SEO management?
Estimate the amount of time required to effectively manage SEO initiatives internally based on different SEO tasks, such as keyword research, content creation and optimization, technical SEO audits, monitoring performance metrics, and ongoing optimization.
Determine whether your team can commit sufficient time to these activities while balancing other responsibilities or if outsourcing is more beneficial.
4. What level of control and oversight do I need?
Consider whether you value regular meetings, status updates, and open communication channels to discuss concerns and provide feedback. Some businesses prefer to have the authority to make decisions, while others feel comfortable delegating responsibilities to an external partner.
Conclusion
Evaluating certain aspects before deciding whether to hire an SEO agency or take advantage of an in-house team matters. There are pros and cons to each, and one could be best for you based on your needs, expectations, resources, and capabilities.
Take your time, and remember that the right can set the foundation for a successful SEO strategy implementation.