Choosing between in-house SEO and an agency is like choosing between red and white wine – both are great in the right situations, but disastrous when matched with the wrong dish.
An in-house SEO program can be hugely beneficial for some companies and a costly waste of time for others. On the other hand, an outsourced SEO campaign can be an expensive, frustrating disaster for businesses that demand tight, extreme control.
In this guide, we’ll explain the key benefits and disadvantages of each option while highlighting the best choice for different businesses.
In-House SEO: The Preferred Choice of Tightly-Controlled Brands
You’ll rarely see a company like Apple outsourcing its SEO. Why? Because gigantic companies like Apple are often hugely dependent on branding, and use SEO not as its own marketing method, but as an extension of their typical PR campaigns.
In-house SEO has some serious downsides for small businesses and sales-driven companies, but for large corporations it’s the preferred choice. Some of these key benefits include:
- In-house SEO is each to integrate with your PR campaigns, your traditional advertising, and your company’s brand principles.
- In-house SEO is easy to scale if your company has the resources and time to hire additional SEO staff.
- In-house SEO is easy to track, provided your SEO department remains in close contact with your other marketing teams.
On the other hand, in-house SEO has some major downsides that make it a rarity for smaller and medium-sized companies. These include:
- In-house SEO is very expensive, particularly when it comes to start-up costs and expenses related to hiring.
- Tracking down SEO experts that are willing to work with your company – as opposed to an external consultancy position – is very difficult.
- In-house SEO often results in risk-averse behavior, where your brand is put before any potentially lucrative marketing ideas.
All in all, in-house SEO is the preferred choice of big businesses and the Fortune 500s of the world, but not the ideal choice for small and medium-sized businesses.
Outsourced SEO: The Optimum Choice for SMEs and Sales-Focused Businesses
For direct sales, it’s tough to beat outsourced (or agency) SEO. By outsourcing your search engine optimization to an external consultancy or agency, you can focus on what you do best: running your business.
One of the biggest benefits of outsourcing your SEO is that you’ll be able to work with a consultant that might cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to hire as an internal employee – a cost that’s replaced by a manageable monthly fee.
Other key advantages of working with an outsourced SEO agency include:
- You’ll receive monthly (or even weekly) reports of your top keywords and search terms, as well as the traffic that they’re generating.
- You’ll be able to focus on running your business while an established and experienced expert takes care of the SEO details.
- You’ll avoid taking a major financial risk by hiring in-house SEO staff, and instead benefit from using a company that only charges a monthly fee.
Finally, you’ll enjoy the greatest benefit of all – working with someone that has a proven track record of success for other businesses. Since agencies depend on an excellent reputation, you can be assured that you’re working with the best.
Let SEOPOP Take Care of Your Company’s SEO Campaign
Focus on what you do best and let SEOPOP manage your SEO campaign. We’re one of Southern California’s most trusted SEO firms, and we’re here to help you get to the top of the rankings without having to worry about in-house SEO staff.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can craft a holistic, powerful search engine optimization campaign that delivers you highly targeted customers every single month.
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