The Positive and Negative Effects of Outsourcing SEO Projects

In past years, Search Engine Optimization was just seen as a project that could help a company grow and be more in tune with their online presence. However, SEO has now evolved into a necessary tool that makes up the digital marketing backbone of a lot of enterprises and big companies.

Consumers rely on online searches. With the way that we live today, we can always ask what we want or find what we need online. In Google alone, there are over 2.3 trillion searches each year, where 15% of the daily searches are relatively new. As a matter of fact, 70% of consumers will not buy something unless they consult the internet or read about a particular product or service online. If companies do not stay relevant in this highly competitive atmosphere, they will get left behind. What they need to remain informative and relevant is Search Engine Optimization.

Now that you have seen how important SEO can be, one question remains; Should I outsource or instead do it in-house? What measures should I take to make and execute an effective SEO plan? Business owners will be having a hard time deciding between these two because this decision will be crucial to their digital marketing success. We want to be able to help, so here is a comprehensive overview of the positive and negative effects of outsourcing SEO.

The Positive:

• Outsourcing SEO saves time– When you outsource your SEO to an agency, that means that you will be able to implement marketing strategies and campaigns right away. You do not have to go through the burden of hiring people, training them, developing your plans, and all the other steps that come along with it.
• Outsourcing SEO reduces multitasking– If you outsource your SEO, your team will be able to focus and achieve their core tasks much more comfortable. Large enterprises are able to set up a separate group for their SEO; however, if you do not have this luxury, that will mean more workload for your employees.
• Outsourced SEO is done by professionals– Before Google’s search algorithm ranks a website, it will have to consider more than 200 factors. This means that you will need great execution for your SEO campaign and a lot of high-quality content, so if your in-house team is inexperienced, do not expect that you will get the results that you want. Leaving your project to the professionals will most likely leave you feeling secure.
• Outsourced SEO is more cost-effective– Hiring an SEO agency is not cheap, however, it is more cost-effective than doing it in-house and you know that you are getting your money’s worth. Doing it in-house will require you to build a competitive team and grant them benefits, bonuses, and insurance on top of other things. The accumulated cost will be much greater.
• Outsourced SEO involves a larger team working on your campaigns– A professional SEO agency is made up of an experienced team of digital marketers, content creators, web designers, optimizers, and other SEO specialists that are trained to work together and deliver the results you need.
• Outsourcing SEO ensures you get the latest strategies– Search marketing is continuously improving with its constant updates and different trends. A professional agency will consider all this and will make sure to implement the latest techniques in order to stay relevant and more so competitive.

The Negative:

• Outsourcing SEO is still an expense– Let’s face it. Outsourcing can be cost-effective and will save you a lot of time, but it is still something you have to pay for. Sometimes, you may even have to pay more to make sure that you get high-quality work from the agency. Just make sure that what you paid is worth it.
• Outsourcing SEO means you’re handing off from the processes– When you hire an SEO agency, it basically means that you are giving them the freedom to execute marketing campaigns without direct intervention from you. It is vital that you hire an SEO agency that you can trust and will keep you posted about their work.
• Outsourced SEO means that you’ll receive divided attention– Hiring a professional agency often means that you are one of their clients, and their focus may shift from time to time so make sure to find an SEO agency that will designate a team for your specific needs.
• Outsourced SEO may not be comprehensive– SEO agencies will provide you with extensive outputs, but they may not be comprehensive for your business. Make sure to find an agency that will really dive deep into planning what your specific company will need and execute it.
• Outsourcing SEO makes it difficult to choose the right firm– One of the main problems with outsourcing your SEO is deciding on which agency to work with. You have to consider track records, reviews from past and current customers, and a lot of other things on top of their cost. Make it a point that the agency practices only white hat SEO strategies.

Conclusion

Deciding on whether you will outsource your SEO or build it in-house will ultimately come down to what you want for your business. Study these pros and cons and make sure that whatever you decide, will be worth it.

To read more about the pros and cons of outsourcing SEO, read this great infographic by Digital Marketing Philippines.

outsourcing concept -DepositPhotos