Keeping SEO In-House vs. Outsourcing (Key Factors Compared)

The benefits of SEO reach far beyond just helping your company show up on SERPs.

SEO unlocks higher-quality traffic, brings you in front of your ideal customers, and boosts your revenue.

But you’re probably discovering that implementing a successful SEO strategy requires a dedicated team, technical know-how, and the right tools.

So, should you keep SEO in-house, or is outsourcing the better option for your business?

This guide will help you weigh the pros and cons and give you expert recommendations so you can decide on the best strategy for you.

TL;DR – SEO In-House vs. Outsourcing

In this detailed guide, we’ll unpack the key differences between in-house SEO and outsourcing organic SEO services.

Too long to read at the moment? Scan through this comparative overview:

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What Does ‘In-House SEO’ Mean?

In-house SEO means handling your company’s SEO strategy internally. 

For this, you need to hire SEO strategists for aspects like content creation, technical SEO, and local SEO.

In-House SEO Team Structure

This is what a small to medium-sized company’s in-house SEO team looks like:

Aside from the roles specified above, you’ll also need writers, content editors, outliners, and more to get your SEO strategy in full swing.

However, most companies, especially startups and small businesses, have people wearing multiple SEO hats instead of staff handling their areas of expertise.

For example, the technical SEO guy could also handle link-building and outreach.

What Does SEO Outsourcing Mean?

SEO outsourcing is when a third party manages your SEO for you. Depending on your contract, it can be on a one-time, hourly, monthly, or per-project basis.

You can also still outsource some aspects of SEO while having an internal SEO team. For example, you might only need an agency for content creation services. 

SEO Outsourcing Options

You have three SEO outsourcing options, namely:

• Agency: An SEO agency is a team of experts who can handle a range of SEO services, such as keyword research services and article writing service.

• Consultant: An SEO consultant evaluates your SEO strategy and provides expert guidance on how to improve your website’s visibility.

• Freelancer: A freelancer can be a strategist or specialist who works side-by-side with your team on a specific aspect of your SEO strategy.

Key Differences Between In-House vs. Outsourcing SEO

Let’s flesh out the major differences between these two:

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Pros & Cons of an In-House SEO Team

Learn more about hiring a full-time SEO strategist with these pros and cons:

Pros:

• Maximum control: With an internal team, you have control over the SEO strategy from planning to execution and SEO maintenance. You also have control over who, how, and when to hire them.
• Detailed reporting: In-house staff have greater accountability, which is reflected in the comprehensiveness of their reporting.
• Greater understanding of your brand: A full-time strategist knows the ins and outs of your business, which helps them shape a nuanced and consistent strategy.

Cons:

• Costlier: When you combine salaries with the cost of compliance, upskilling, and benefits, you’ll realize that it’s much more expensive to maintain an in-house team in the long run.
• Limited skills and knowledge: While this can be remedied with frequent upskilling (which is an added cost!), an in-house strategist can only wear too many hats.
• Takes longer to show results: Building a solid strategy can take time with a limited internal team. It’s also more challenging to keep up with SEO developments.

How to Build an In-House SEO Team

Do you want to build an internal SEO team? Follow these steps:

1. Set a budget: Determine how much you can afford to spend on a team. That includes salaries, benefits, and tools.
2. Define your goals: What do you want to achieve? When do you want to achieve it? Your objectives determine your team structure and how many specialists you need on board.
3. Find the right people: Attract the right people by clearly defining the job roles. Also, do your research on industry standards to know what will entice a good candidate.
4. Prepare the necessary tools: Next, make sure your team is equipped with the right tools and resources–from software to training.

Pros & Cons of an Outsourced SEO Team

Is outsourcing your SEO a good business decision? Let’s find out with these pros and cons:

Pros:

• Cost-effectiveness: SEO pricing is around $3,000 monthly. That can go up or down, depending on factors like agency size and location.

That number can sound like a lot, especially if you’re a small business paying thousands for SEO alone. But if you compare it to the cost of long-term investment in full-time staff, it’s much more cost-effective.

• Access to advanced tools and resources: An agency has the tools, technical knowledge, and industry expertise to handle a wide range of services. This means it’s easier to scale your SEO strategy because you don’t have to invest in upskilling an in-house team. Instead, you get to take advantage of an agency’s team of experts to allocate the resources that you need.
• Availability: Since they work alongside you but apart from you, a third party can focus on your SEO strategy right when you need it without affecting your internal schedule or operations.

Cons:

• Limited involvement or dedicated time: Outsourcing your SEO means the time an agency spends with you depends on your contract. For instance, a six-month B2B blogging service contract means that’s the most time an agency will allocate to your SEO strategy.
• Challenges in communication: Unlike when working with internal staff, partnering with an agency can lead to communication gaps and alignment issues. Differences in culture or simply speaking a different “language” can cause problems in planning and implementation.
• Losing control over your SEO strategy: SEO outsourcing means you hand over control (although the degree varies) of your strategy to them. This means they may make decisions that don’t align with your business goals.

How to Outsource SEO Effectively

Should you decide that outsourcing your SEO is the right path for you, here’s how to make sure you’re doing it right:

1. Set your objectives: Clarify what you need an agency, consultant, or freelancer for. Write down these objectives, making sure they’re realistic and attainable (are they possible given your business size, performance history, and desired timeframe?).
2. Specify your budget and requirements: Now, define how much you can reasonably spend on your SEO strategy and how long you need an agency to work on it for you.Also, enumerate the qualifications that you want your chosen agency to have. For example, for a B2B content writing strategy, you’ll need content specialists with experience in B2B content strategy.
3. Pool potential agencies: Based on your needs and requirements, pool a shortlist of agencies or freelancers.
4. Set up a call: Dedicate time to speak with each of your shortlisted agencies to clarify doubts and further discuss a potential arrangement.

Once an agency meets all your requirements and agrees with your terms during the discovery call, you’ve found the right one!

Questions to Ask When Deciding on Hiring an SEO Agency vs. In-House

Still can’t decide which to choose? These questions can help clarify it for you:

• How much am I willing to spend?

The average cost of outsourcing your SEO is $3,000 a month, while an SEO strategist’s salary is around $60,000 yearly (not counting benefits and compliance).

• What is the level of expertise that I need?

The scale of the project and the level of technical expertise and knowledge needed will tell you whether in-house SEO or outsourced is better.

For complex, highly technical projects, for instance, you would need advanced skills that an internal team may not have. In that case, outsourcing to an agency with expert technical SEO strategists is your best option.

• Do I have the tools and resources to achieve my SEO goals?

Effective SEO is a combination of the right skills and up-to-date know-how.

If you have the capacity internally to keep up with developments and have ample resources (such as software for keyword research and analysis) to do your SEO well, then you may not need to outsource.

Why TrioSEO Could Be Your Ideal Choice

Looking to scale your traffic and sales with ease? We are the SEO partner that can do that for you.

TrioSEO is a team of expert SEO strategists, top-notch editors, and seasoned writers who are serious about your growth.

How do you know we mean it? Read our case studies on how we’ve scaled multiple businesses through SEO content.

Here’s a snapshot of our process:

1. Free SEO audit to evaluate your existing SEO strategy
2. Keyword research to scout hundreds of relevant topics
3. SEO strategy for topics and SEO goals
4. Content creation by our team–from writing to editing to uploading
5. Publishing and optimizing to ensure each piece of content is ready to rank
6. Analytics and reporting to monitor and interpret the results of our SEO strategy

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Do you have any more questions about choosing in-house vs. outsourced SEO? Check out these FAQs below:

Can I Combine Both In-House SEO and Outsourcing for Better Results?

You don’t have to choose either in-house or outsourced SEO. Using both can deliver better results.

For example, you can use a trusted SEO agency to get a hang of the type of strategy that works for your business. Once you’ve achieved your goals, you can build an in-house SEO team that takes care of maintenance while keeping an SEO retainer for more specialized projects.

How Does Data Security Factor Into In-House vs. Outsourced SEO?

Many business owners are wary of using a third party for their SEO due to issues in data security.

However, it doesn’t have to be a problem as long as you partner with a vetted agency and have safety precautions, such as limiting data access, in place.

Tip: Using agencies known for ethical SEO practices is a good way to prevent privacy and data security issues.

How Do I Transition From In-House SEO to an Outsourced Team Smoothly?

Here are some tips on how to transition from in-house to third-party SEO seamlessly:

• Set clear objectives: Identify the reasons why you want to transition in the first place. Make sure they’re measurable, attainable, and time-bound.
• Align your outsourced team: Most issues that crop up during the transition phase result from misalignment. Prevent this by equipping your outsourced team to speak your language and understand your business goals.
• Create a hand-off protocol: Whether you’re fully or partially outsourcing your SEO, you need a framework for how the transition should take place. Establish guidelines and roles that define who’s responsible for which, when those responsibilities begin and end, and the like.

Conclusion – In-House vs. Outsourced SEO

There’s no one answer that fits all businesses for whether it’s best to choose in-house or outsourced SEO.

The answer lies in the circumstances surrounding your business, your needs, and your goals.

In fact, you can even choose both!

Generally speaking, it’s more beneficial to stick to an internal SEO team when you have the resources necessary for building and executing an effective SEO strategy. Otherwise, you need a third-party SEO team with the technology, advanced skills, and experience.

If you’re looking for an SEO agency, we at TrioSEO could be just the right fit for you.

We’ve scaled multiple companies to millions and are trusted by entrepreneurs like you to continue to do the same. Sign up for a free SEO audit with us to see the same growth for your business.