This is perhaps one of the most common issues faced by businesses around the globe: should they simply hire a guy to do SEO or should they outsource the entire project to an SEO firm. The decision is not an easy one seeing the fact that recent updates from search engines has completely altered the optimization techniques used by search marketing professionals. Google has rolled out major updates like the Penguin Update and the Panda update which have resulted in sites being penalized and pushed to the last pages of search results.

Moreover, Google has declared that such data refreshes would keep on coming- which means SEOs have to be on their toes all the time and be up to date with algorithmic changes made and ways to mold their sites as per search engine’s requirements. Hence this decision becomes even more important because the knowledge, skill and innovation of the SEO professional will make or break your site. Now there are obvious benefits and some pitfalls in both in house hiring and outsourcing; and to help you decide which road you are going to take, here is an essential rundown of both these hiring options:

In House SEO Team

Hiring an in house SEO professional or even a small team of search experts is considered a valid option by many businesses. An organization may decide to set up an SEO department if they think that outsourcing is best choice for them given their situation.

Pros of hiring an in house SEO professional:

•             Individual Attention: Your website and your project would be the sole focus of the search team. They would use all their capability to ensure that your site gets the best leverage from SEO practices. Undivided attention- that comes with an in house team.

•             Expertise: There are many search professionals out there who have gathered years of industry experience and are experts in handling certain or all verticals of search engine marketing. An SEO guy who has worked with an e-commerce company before would know exactly how to bring your business to prominence.

•             Complete Control of Data and Campaign: When an in house SEO professional will work on your site, every bit of research and data related to the search marketing campaign remains within the organization. So, even if you hire someone new, they would be brought up to speed with the campaign quickly due to the data available. This is not possible in case of outsourcing because consulting relationships are temporary in nature and if a consultant goes, he takes the entire knowledge of your search marketing campaign. Employee relationships don’t get terminated immediately and the exiting employee has to handover every detail to the new one on board so your campaign details and nuances are preserved within the organization and work is not impacted when the professionals change seats.

•             Better and Smoother Communication: You are in direct face to face contact with your SEO guy and are in on any new steps being taken by them. Unlike an SEO agency, you are not waiting for emails or having hurried chats about your campaign. In fact you are pretty much right in the middle of the campaign being planned and executed in front of your eyes.

Cons of hiring an in house SEO professional:

•             More Expensive: You will hire a full time employee/s and this translates into paying them full time work salaries and other employee benefits. On the other hand, when you outsource, you pay them for a part time job. Also if you hire an experienced and top SEO consultant, be ready to pay them a good amount for their services. In some cases, this amount may seem unsustainable in the long run.

•             On the job Training: To keep costs down, many organizations hire a fresh SEO professional. Usually when you bring someone new in on your team, you will have to train them. This means they will not only be lacking in the expertise to take your campaign to the top, but will require on the job training as well.

•             Continuing Education with Search Engines’ Updates: Search industry is very unpredictable because search engines constantly update their algorithms. Google for one has been really consistent with rolling out major updates which have completely altered the way search professionals work. That is why you will need to ensure your SEO guy follows search engines’ roll outs by subscribing to the best blogs in the industry. He will also need to join training sessions to understand the changes made and the new practices to follow. This means an added effort and expense, which you will have to put in signing your search professionals up for SEO training sessions and seminars.

The SEO Agency

Outsourcing your SEO work to an agency can be highly rewarding/ cost effective and hassle free. Organizations, which have hired SEO companies, have benefitted hugely from their ‘process centric’ approach.

Pros of hiring an SEO firm:

•             Industry Exposure: SEO firms have on board expert SEO professionals who have a wide variety of experience in promoting online businesses and causes. They have a track record of many pushing many sites right on top of search results and giving them the exposure and visibility they needed.

•             Updated with Latest Search Practices: SEO firms have professionals who keep constant tabs on rollouts and updates made by the search engines. They are subscribed to search blogs and keep ahead of the latest happenings in the search industry. That is why they will make informed decision regarding your marketing campaign after something like the Panda or Penguin update is rolled out.

•             Expert Marketing Strategies: When you will bring SEO firms on board for your site, they will use their vast breadth of experience to come up with the most potent Internet marketing strategies your site needs. SEO experts keep abreast of changes in the search industry and will use the latest tools and practices at hand to create promotional plans best suited for your online business. They will also guide you and advise you on what tactics could be the best for your site. 

•             Hire only the Best: You have the freedom to change the agency at will and get another one to work on your campaign immediately. This freedom is not available in case of an in house guy as you cannot find a suitable replacement that easily. On the other hand, it is quite easy to handover your campaign to another agency.

Cons of hiring an SEO firm:

•             Lack of Smooth Communication: The SEO agency you will hire will work on an external basis. This means they may not get a full understanding of your work culture. Also, emails and chats may not suffice to ensure complete communication and there can be instances of miscommunication too. Your message may be ‘lost in transmission’ literally.

•             Legal/Security Issues: Sometimes, there is a possibility of security breach or legal issues rising up with an SEO firm. This can lead to further complications.

The Takeaway:

As you see, there are both pros and cons of in house SEO as well as a consulting firm. However, the realm of Internet and search marketing is changing rapidly. Search engines are evolving new guidelines- and practices of ranking websites and consequently SEO practices have to change face accordingly- and by these changes we mean updates like Panda and the Penguin rolled out by Google. An SEO firm gives you a huge leverage here because they are a team of dedicated search professionals who keep abreast of these changes and work towards creating counter strategies for promoting websites. The search industry is a highly volatile one and for your online business to hold its place through all the algorithmic changes and shifts, you need the search experts of an SEO company to work on your site.

What to do if you hire in house SEO team?

If you choose to build your own in house SEO team, remember to follow these tips for the best professional gains:

•             Make sure that every member of the SEO team is updated with the news, changes made in the search industry. For this make them subscribe to the top publication and blogs on Internet marketing and SEO practices.

•             All across the world including in India, digital marketing conferences are organized on a frequent basis. You must send your team to these workshops at least twice a year.

•             You can save cost by outsourcing link building or certain labor-intensive jobs, which have no relation with changes on your site.

What to do if you outsource to SEO Agency?

If you decide to outsource to an SEO Agency, follow these practices to have a successful contract with desired results:

•             Ensure that the agency delivers monthly rank reports, traffic reports, conversion reports and other reports you need to see the changes happening on your site.

•             Get in touch with them via a conference call monthly and let them update you on what are they doing on your site and what are their plans for the future months.

•             Remember they are always up to date on the changes in search engine algorithms and you can rely on them to practice only white hat SEO activities.

That said, the decision you make must be taken on the basis of your work requirement, your budget for the same and of course your own understanding of the entire optimization process and the way Internet works. We hope you make an informed choice- one which you won’t ever regret!

Navneet Kaushal is the founder and CEO of leading search marketing agency PageTraffic. You can follow him at twitter @navneetkaushal