SEO – Outsource It Or Handle It Yourself Internally?

Search engine optimization is becoming increasingly complex and complicated not only because the search engines themselves are continually tweaking their algorithms but also because you need to deal with numerous interconnected components.

The page rank your website ultimately achieves is a result of the impact of multiple sub-strategies employed to deal with issues like content marketing, social media marketing, and link building.

While the basics of SEO can be picked up easily by almost everybody, the strategic implementation can be quite complex technically and usually profits from professional intervention.

The real question then is not whether your SEO should be handled by professionals, but what kind of professionals should be involved.

One option is having your own team to do the work of strategizing and executing the SEO in-house while the other option is to engage the services of a specialist SEO agency.

A quick glance on the pros and cons of each approach:

The Advantages of Executing SEO In-House

More Control over the Process

When you have an SEO team working in-house, you can exercise better control over the SEO strategy development and execution.

While external agencies may typically have a longer track record of SEO execution, it needs to be appreciated that since they are handling several clients simultaneously, it is very likely that they will not be able to accommodate any special request that you may make.

If you know what needs to be done, you can get on top of the situation and call the shots to get faster results, however, it really depends on the level of your knowledge.

Better Coordination

It is generally expected that your in-house team will be in a better position to appreciate the applicable brand standards so that they are in a position to produce messaging and content that is tighter, faster, and more reliable.

With an in-house SEO team, other departments like customer services and sales will find it easier to coordinate and abide by the SEO goals.

Quicker Communication

Even though most agencies will assure you of fast response times, there is really nothing to beat the availability of someone sitting a few desks away.

It is easier to collect campaign details and issues can be discussed with an in-house team across the table than with an external agency over the phone.

Then, Why Use an Agency?

Availability of Domain Experts

The learning curve involved in SEO strategy and execution is pretty steep so it can always be pretty challenging for your in-house team to stay abreast with the latest challenges.

Undoubtedly, engaging an SEO agency Mumbai can be more expensive but you do have the advantage of being able to access a specialist team that has different proficiencies at one go. This actually works out to be a major cost-saver.

Greater Accountability

Agencies can only survive in a competitive world by responding to client requests quickly and efficiently.

Unless they can deliver and keep their clients happy they will not be able to charge the monthly retainer fees that keep them going.

It is in the interest of the agency to deliver an ROI in line with the expectation of its clients. So, it will be eager to prove that its SEO efforts are bearing fruit.

Cost-Effective

The fees that SEO agencies charge can leave many clients somewhat shocked, however, clients need to appreciate that the monthly retainer fees that they are shelling out are actually a substitute for a team of employees working full time.

Counting its cost to the company, the team would have cost far higher than even the most high-end service plan of a typical SEO agency.

Secondly, the expense incurred on SEO should actually be considered to be an investment that brings in a positive ROI. This means that the business gains more in revenue that what it spends on SEO.

Conclusion

The need for a well planned and executed SEO strategy is paramount for all online businesses.

Whether you have an in-house team, outsource the work to a specialist agency or even adopt a hybrid strategy really depends on the scale of operations, perceived benefit of the SEO execution, and most, importantly your business priorities.