outsourcing your SEO

Outsourcing Your SEO: The Pros and Cons

Image by Diggity Marketing from Pixabay 

Investing in search engine optimization (SEO) is fast becoming a necessity for businesses looking to be competitive in Google’s rankings. Some companies like to hire their SEO team in-house. However, outsourcing their SEO to an agency is becoming increasingly popular with a growing number of organizations.

To see whether outsourcing would be right for your small business, here we look at the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing your SEO work.

RELATED ARTICLE: 6 TIPS TO ENHANCE YOUR HOME-BASED BUSINESS

The Pros of Outsourcing SEO

Your SEO Will Be Managed by Professionals

If you want to achieve excellent rankings in Google and other search engines, you require true expertise. What’s more, the SEO industry is ever-changing. Search algorithms are constantly moving the goalposts. Therefore, trying to manage your SEO efforts without expertise can actually lead to worsening your position.

Outsourcing your SEO to an agency is often the easiest way for smaller business to get the kind of SEO knowledge and experience they need. This isn’t just about specialists’ technical knowledge, either. Agencies will also typically have skilled content writers, graphic designers, and outreach professionals.

It is also worth pointing out that a professional SEO agency will also have access to all of the tools and software necessary for coordinating your search efforts.

You’ll Gain Cost-Efficient SEO Expertise

One of the major benefits of outsourcing SEO for small businesses is the cost-saving implications for the organization. As we have already mentioned, there are many different skills required for effective optimization. These range from technical expertise to content creation. To hire that kind of talent in house would be extremely expensive.

However, when you work with an outsourced SEO agency you will receive all of these necessary skills for one simple monthly fee. What’s more, this fee will typically be far more cost-effective than trying to bring in that kind of knowledge individually.

Outsourcing SEO Makes Your Search Marketing Easily Scalable

It is worth noting that one of the major challenges for small businesses going through a period of growth is effectively scaling their marketing team. Hire too fast and the marketing team can be a real drain on the company’s financial resources. However, hire too slowly and you can quickly lose ground to competitors with stronger marketing portfolios.

This is certainly the case with search marketing, where the fast pace of the industry can mean that big-spending competition can quickly out-rank your company if you aren’t putting in the right investment.

Therefore, outsourcing your SEO to an agency can be a fantastic choice for your small business. When you work with an agency you have the flexibility to be able to put more money into your SEO budget when doing that makes good business sense. On the other hand, you can reduce costs on a monthly basis if you need to.

The Cons of Outsourcing SEO

You’ll Have Less Control

Just as when you outsource any kind of service to another business, taking your SEO efforts outside of your organization inevitably means surrendering a certain amount of control over the output. Therefore, it can be important if you do choose to outsource that you maintain a close working relationship with the agency you are working with.

So ensure that you are working with a company that provides you with regular reports on progress. Moreover, insist that they provide detailed insights into what they are achieving. This helps you to stay on top of what they are doing. Plus, you’ll feel like you have a say in what your company is doing online, even while you’re outsourcing your SEO.

You Could Encounter Black Hat Tactics

It is unfortunately the case that some SEO agencies still use what’s known as “black hat” tactics. These are underhanded techniques discouraged or even punished by Google. Why do they use these techniques? Basically, it is because they work… for a short time.

However, black hat SEO can be a real problem if you’re outsourcing your SEO. At first, you will probably see excellent results from your SEO agency. This encourages you to invest more money in them. However, these unethical tactics will eventually backfire. Moreover, they can cause serious issues for your business in the long run.

That’s because Google catches on quickly to companies using black hat tactics. In the best-case scenarios, they simply return your business to the place it deserves to be, which is likely much lower in the rankings. However, at worst Google could choose to penalize or even blacklist your company for attempting to cheat the system.

So make sure you check online reviews to be sure the agency you are considering for outsourcing your SEO has been around for a long time. Check to see if they have a good reputation. And absolutely avoid agencies that appear to be offering something that is too good to be true.

Outsourcing SEO Can Be Expensive

One of the things that can discourage small business owners from outsourcing their SEO with an agency is the cost. It’s true that hiring a team of SEO experts can be pricey. This can lead business owners to reason they can simply use their own staff to do the required work.

Of course, this is a choice that some businesses do make. But be aware that your competitors who do choose to outsource their SEO with an agency will see better results. What’s more, those companies that are outsourcing their SEO will take business away from you.

With the Right Agency Outsourcing SEO Is a Smart Investment

With the right agency, outsourcing your SEO offers an excellent return on your investment. Therefore, choose carefully. And when you look at the price, remember the benefits you will gain if you select the right agency.