Not sure if in-house or agency SEO is better for you? You’re not alone.
In this guide, we’ll break down the pros and cons of doing SEO in-house vs. outsourcing your SEO.
What’s the difference between in-house and outsourced SEO?
Here’s the difference between in-house and outsourced SEO:
- In-house SEO: Hiring an employee or team within your company to do SEO.
- Outsourced SEO: Partnering with an agency or freelance SEO provider for SEO services.
Pros and cons of in-house SEO
There are pros and cons of both in-house and outsourced SEO. First, we’ll look at some advantages and disadvantages of internal SEO.
| Pros of in-house SEO | Cons of in-house SEO |
| More control over your strategies | High cost to maintain (SEO specialist salaries start at $40,000) |
| Familiarity with your business, products, and services | Have to pay extra for reporting and tech tools |
| Requires consistent maintenance and keeping up with the industry |
Pros
- More control over your strategies
- Familiarity with your business, products, and services
Cons
- High cost to maintain (SEO specialist salaries start at $40,000)
- Have to pay extra for reporting and tech tools
- Requires consistent maintenance and keeping up with the industry
Pros and cons of outsourcing SEO
Next, let’s check out some benefits and drawbacks of working with an SEO partner.
| Pros of outsourcing SEO | Cons of outsourcing SEO |
| Get access to a team of experienced SEO professionals and some of the best SEO services | An agency may not have experience with specialized niches |
| Reporting tools and tech bundled into the cost of SEO services | Less control over your strategies, depending on your SEO partner |
| Able to scale your strategy and leverage other marketing channels |
Pros
- Get access to a team of experienced SEO professionals
- Reporting tools and tech bundled into the cost of SEO services
- Able to scale your strategy and leverage other marketing channels
Cons
- An agency may not have experience with specialized niches
- Less control over your strategies, depending on your SEO partner
Is in-house or outsourced SEO better for me?
When deciding between doing SEO internally or with a partner (as well as when comparing SEO agencies), here are some things to consider.
1. What’s your SEO budget?
SEO specialist salaries start at $40,000 while SEO services start at $2500 – $10,000 per month.
At first glance, it may seem like doing SEO in-house is the cheaper option. However, keep in mind that SEO specialists have a starting salary of $40,000. If you’re looking to build an SEO team, your price can climb quickly.
On the other hand, you can expect to pay $2500-$10,000 per month for outsourced SEO services.
Your project scope and goals will determine the final amount you’ll pay for SEO, so that’s an important decision point to evaluate.
2. What’s the scope of your SEO project?
Large-scale, technical SEO projects often require expertise consistent with outsourcing your campaigns.
An experienced SEO partner can guide you through the steps needed to tackle a large SEO project that may require enterprise SEO services, from the ground up. If your internal team lacks technical SEO savvy, it will be difficult to manage in-depth SEO projects.
3. Do you have the experience and resources to do SEO internally?
Does your in-house team have the experience and resources to execute an ongoing SEO strategy that drives results? If so, that’s fantastic.
But if your crew lacks the know-how to implement SEO campaigns, especially the more technical aspects of SEO, it can spell trouble for your business.
4. Does your team have the bandwidth to keep up with evolving SEO trends?
SEO requires ongoing maintenance to continue driving results.
SEO isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it strategy. It requires ongoing maintenance to continue driving results.
In addition, your team will need to keep up with ever-changing technology, SEO trends, and SEO courses to be successful.
If your team is already stretched thin, they likely won’t be able to keep up with SEO at the level required to boost your ROI.
5. Do you operate in an extremely niche industry?
Depending on your industry and niche, you may find it harder to find an SEO partner with experience in your field. Because of this, you may find it more profitable to work internally on your SEO.
6. Do you have the software and tech needed for SEO?
Without an SEO partner, you’ll have to pay for the tools and tech separately, which can hike up the total price you pay for SEO services.
Many times, agencies will bundle the price of software and advanced tech into the cost of SEO services. Without an SEO partner, you’ll have to pay for the tools and tech separately, which can hike up the total price you pay for SEO services. By leveraging these SEO software for agencies, you can benefit from integrated solutions that streamline your SEO efforts and reduce overall costs by consolidating necessary tools into a single package.
Partner with a trusted SEO agency
Deciding whether to outsource or keep your SEO strategy in-house is a big decision for any business, no matter if you’re a business to business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C) company. Hopefully this guide gave you some more insights into which option is the better choice for you.
If you’re fully equipped to handle your SEO campaigns internally, that’s great. We wish you the best of luck.
But if you need an extra hand, we’d love to help. Ready to take the in-house vs. outsourced SEO conversation further?
Our strategists at WebFX (the team behind SEO.com) would love to connect with you! WebFX is considered to be one of the best SEO companies in the UK, Canada, the US, and around the globe!
Feel free to reach out today to take the next step in your SEO journey.
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