In these lucrative times, digital marketing is the most important aspect of any business to be successful. Having an online presence is necessary for a firm to be successful. Every enterprise, be it small or large, invests in digital transformation to get a better ROI.

In Digital Marketing, SEO is one of the most powerful channels to generate traffic to the website and generate sales when compared to PPC, email marketing, and many more. Most businesses prefer investing in SEO because it generates more return on investment (ROI) in the long run when compared to PPC, email marketing, or any other digital marketing services.

SEO is important for any business because;

• Helps in increasing the usability of the website
• Helps in increasing organic traffic of the website
• Helps in retaining users as well as customers
• Decrease Bounce rate
• Helps in generating more business
• Helps in improving the visibility of the website in SERPs
• Better user experience

SEO is the ultimate channel for any business to improve online presence and be successful in this digital world. Due to its prominence, various companies have extended their services in the domain by taking up outsourced projects. In such a scenario, there are different genres’ of SEO experts who have utilized this opportunity, and for agencies looking for such help, they have three categories to choose from, i.e., Freelancers, Outsourcing agencies, or in-house agencies.

Let’s have a look at each of the above options to make an informed decision.

In-House SEO Team

Having an in-house SEO team comes with a lot of benefits. Resources can work on your project with full focus and priority. Let’s look at some of the major pros and cons of having an in-house SEO Team.

Pros of In-House Team

• Own Team: An in-house SEO team works on your project only. Each person in the team will be able to give a minimum of 40 hours to your project. So, you have enough manpower to effectively work on the SEO tasks. They can implement the SEO strategy to get the best outcome.
• Better Brand Understanding: An in-house SEO team will be more aware of the latest happenings in the organization. It has a better understanding of products and services. The team is better aware of the company functionality, time constraints, and budget allocation for SEO Team.
• Smooth Communication Channel: You can speak to the in-house SEO team without any restrictions and anytime. They facilitate smooth communication in cross-department within the company and SEO Specialists will have all the required information and promotional material easily.
• Better control Over Team And Promotional Activities: You will have complete control over SEO Activities and the entire promotional campaign. This will help to prioritize goals and achieve them.

Cons of In-House SEO Team

The main problem with building an in-house team is time and money. Everything requires time, and to be proficient with SEO also requires time. Here are some major cons of in-house SEO;

• SEO Recruitment: Hiring the right SEO Talent and getting them on board might be a big struggle.
• Train Resource: It will take time and money to train resources on the latest trends, on product understanding, and a faster process to market them.
• Resource Limitation: Getting an SEO Team is not enough. They need the necessary Tools, Content team, and designer to help them in marketing efforts.
• Expensive: Building an in-house team will be expensive since you have to hire an entire SEO team to work dedicatedly on your project.

Freelancers

Freelancing has become quite popular in creative design, digital marketing, and the entire IT industry. Many portals host individuals who offer freelance services. Freelancers are specialists in their respective fields and can be considered subject matter experts. You can find a freelancer to get SEO work done. Find below the Pros and Cons of hiring freelance SEO;

Pros of Hiring Freelancers

• Cost-Effective: Getting SEO done from Freelancers will be cost-effective when compared to other options.
• Quality Work: Since you are dealing with subject matter experts, you can expect high-quality SEO work from them. Also, freelancers want to maintain their reputation in the market so they work hard to produce quality work for the clients.
• Many Option to Select From: There are many portals hosting thousands of freelancers. One can post SEO requirements in portals to get the SEO work done. You are at the liberty of choosing an SEO expert based on their rating and experience

Cons of Hiring Freelancers

• Lack of Trust and Commitment: One can not completely trust freelancers because they may commit to a deadline to get the project but might not deliver it. A freelancer might not even complete the task. So, it recommended to pay attention to their activities and get tasks done timely.
• No Ongoing Support and Maintenance: There will be ongoing maintenance support or any maintenance help from Freelancers. They are committed only to get the job done. They might not respond to queries or give any support.
• Possibility of Disappearance: A freelancer might disappear in the middle of the project or they might not reply to all your queries. To get rid of such a freelancer, make sure that you select the right freelancer after reviewing the complete work history and skill set.

Outsource to An Agency

SEO Agencies have everything setup – team, tools, artwork, etc. So, you are ready to go. SEO agencies are connoisseurs and specialize in the work that you are looking for, so your work is in the safe hands. Also, they have experience working with multiple clients and have already faced many issues that hinder SEO. So, if your website is facing any SEO issue, they can identify it easily and fix it accordingly.

Pros of Hiring SEO Agency

• Instant Expertise: A team of experts can start work immediately and fasten the process to get the desired results. They can implement the latest trends and techniques on the website.
• Not Just SEO: To have a successful online presence requires you to work on every aspect of digital channels like website design, development changes, effective content, paid to advertise, and social media marketing.
• Software and Tools: Agency has all powerful tools and software; free as well as paid ones.
• Complete Work within Deadline: SEO Agency is professional and never wants to harm their reputation. So, all the tasks will get completed within the committed deadline.
• No Extra Office Space: One doesn’t need to worry about hiring a new team as well as an office to fit in them.
• Focus On Core Business: As a business owner, you must devote a maximum of your time to the KRAs of your business cycle. Sometimes, amidst all the processes that go on simultaneously, it may be difficult to focus on your core business. To solve these issues, you out-source you can outsource your work; this ensures that your focus is on your core business. Hiring SEO agencies to out-source your work is an efficient and effective method to have your SEO needs to be fulfilled.

Cons of Hiring an SEO Agency

There might be a few Cons when working with an SEO Agency. A few of them are discussed below.

• Selecting Right Agency: There are lots of agencies claiming to offer SEO and identifying the good ones can be a challenge.
• Agencies Have Additional Clients: Unlike an in-house team, an agency will have other clients too. Make sure that they are putting enough effort into your project. To ensure this, you need to keep on checking work and have regular meetings with them.
• Ownership: You might not get access to complete data from certain tools that the agency is using.

Selecting the Best SEO Option for your Business

Every business requires some unique SEO solution depending on their business size, goals, budget, competition, target market, resources available, etc. 

The entire SEO industry is evolving very fast and so the marketing practices followed by SEO professionals keep on changing. SEO is not about getting some on-page and off-page promotion done and getting a top ranking in SERPs. Now, the entire focus is to generate quality traffic to the website, engage those users and convert them into customers. 

Below are some factors that might be helpful to find the right SEO option for businesses

• Check All Options: If you are skeptical about which one to select, then try them all. Hire a freelancer for 2-3 months and see the outcome. If that doesn’t work out, go for another option.
• Check Different Platforms: We need to make sure that the website is optimized using the white-hat SEO technique. We must check different platforms like Google, Linkedin, Upwork, SEO Forums, etc., for finding the perfect SEO Service provider. Make sure that you are using the right practices and platforms for finding the perfect marketing solution. Google, Upwork, SEO forums, and social media are some of your options.
• Follow Latest Trend:We must make sure that the agency or freelancer that you are considering follows the best SEO Practices and knows the latest techniques like more focus on content marketing rather than using old link-building tactics. We could also make sure that every aspect of technical SEO is taken care-of and implemented on the website.

Conclusion

Recruiting an Inhouse SEO team is the best option for industry leaders and large enterprises. They have the necessary budget and the scope to expand the existing team. Also, their position as market leaders attracts talents more quickly than their competitors. Choosing freelancers might not be the most effective, but if your business is very small and it can’t afford to outsource the work to an agency, then you can opt for freelancers. 

We know that SEO is a continuous process, but we need to make sure that whatever we do to enhance our rankings, that follows best industry practices. SEO Agency is the ultimate winner here and can be more beneficial from all the 3 options since it can provide a variety of services without a lot of hassle.

If you need further advice choosing between an SEO Agency, Freelancer, or going with an in-house team of SEO specialists, then we are happy to help you. You can contact us to make wise business decisions.