Outsourced agency talents vs. SEO in-house: Who wins?

SEO is complex and there are many components. Many of these parts are always changing. SEO will become more difficult as a site grows. What’s the best way to approach SEO? To either start your own team or hire an agency or freelancers.

Let’s see…

There are pros and cons to building your own team

Pro #1 – You create your own internal talent

Your greatest asset is your team. Your company can only be as great as the people who work for it. These clichés are true, but they still hold true.

A company-owned team makes it easier to align your SEO strategy with your company’s culture as well as your product positioning strategy. You also get better results because there is more communication and ideas flowing. The cross-pollination and collaboration of talent can also be a benefit. This will lead to greater innovation and better problem-solving.

Con #1 – Talents are more inclined to work on

Talented people tend to grow their businesses quickly.

Sometimes it can be difficult (and costly) to retain talent even if you were the one who grew them.

Pro #2 – You hold someone accountable

You will be able to find someone who is competent at hiring and will take their training seriously. This person will take ownership of the business and make everyone’s lives easier.

A business initiative will only succeed if it is “owned” by someone within the company .

You can request and receive reports in a matter of days with your own team. Without wasting your time, you can ask for clarifications.

Con #2 – It’s expensive

Many businesses cannot afford an internal SEO that is just SEO… Other than the regular and inevitable payroll, HR processes also contribute to overall expenses. We must not forget employee insurance and other benefits.

Although growing your own team can be a great investment, it is not possible if you don’t have the budget. There’s also the possibility that your investment might be lost one day. (see ).

Pro #3 – You own your data

Privacy is a major concern when it comes to marketing that anyone can do for you. You can, however, control technology and privacy more effectively by ensuring that only your internal team has access to your data.

You will also lose a lot of data when you outsource any activity, such as contacts that you have acquired or templates that work better.

You can build relationships that you can trust by working with people internally. It is possible to also build your own data and discover innovative ways to integrate it into your search engine marketing strategy.

Con #4 – It is slower

SEO tasks can pile up unless you have a large team. Because there are so many variables, it is very difficult to organize and scale them without external help. Most of these tasks are also done on a regular and continuous basis.

Using contractors to outsource SEO tasks can often be the best way to get things done. This will allow you to look into analytics and align your SEO strategy more effectively.

Pro #5 – The process can be more integrated

SEO is not an isolated phenomenon. SEO is only effective when it is integrated into every aspect of an organization’s business processes, such as product development and sales.

SEO must be able to integrate with martech, digital marketing and sales. This is because digital and physical experiences are interconnected. Only a cohesive footprint can help your business achieve its goals.

Con #5 – You can’t build a team that excels at all

SEO’s biggest problem is the many moving parts that require completely different skill sets and training.

Do you remember the graph?

Source: Anthony Palomarez

SEO includes content creation, optimization, technical support and link building. This usually includes email outreach, relationship-building and linkable asset generation. In turn, this may involve graphic design or video production tasks.

Here is a simplified flowchart that will help you understand the various moving parts.

It’s important to remember that many of these parts will need to change based on the ever-changing Google guidelines. It is hard to keep up with .

It is almost impossible to build a team with the right skills, even for corporations.

Technology makes this much easier. To build a landing site or manage on-page SEO, you don’t need to be a web designer. To create visuals or a lead magnet, you don’t need to be a designer.

However, even with the most advanced technology, it is still difficult to manage all aspects of an SEO strategy.

Truth is somewhere in between

This is a bit of a dilemma. You want to be able to manage something you are not able to.

The middle is often the best:

• 
  Hiring an SEO manager with extensive SEO knowledge
  
• 
  Let the SEO manager search for companies and freelancers that can outsource various moving parts to
  

A project manager with a great SEO skillset is essential.

It will take some time to find the right person, but it is not easy.

It’s well worth your time, though:

• 
  When you are unable to understand the SEO jargon, your in-house representative will “translate” it to you.
  
• 
  Someone will be responsible for the strategy and implementation
  
• 
  A person will be assigned to your company to ensure that your SEO strategy aligns with your overall product positioning strategy. They will also include other departments in the SEO process
  

You need both an internal person (or team) and someone external to help you with your SEO strategy. It is not about choosing one.

Conclusion

It is difficult to manage SEO. Do not be discouraged. Organic search traffic is the only viable alternative. You need to find the right person to handle the process and reliable partners to outsource various SEO tasks. You can keep your strategy in control and still be able to afford it. Good luck!

Ann Smarty, the founder of Viral Content Bee and brand manager at Internet Marketing Ninjas, is Ann Smarty. You can find her on Twitter @seosmarty

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