To Hire an SEO Company or Not

Published by Sonia

If you want to use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in your site to achieve higher rankings in search engines and to increase traffic to your site, an important decision is whether to outsource this service or do it yourself. There are advantages and disadvantages when it comes to outsourcing the work as compared to doing it yourself.

Option 1: Hiring an SEO company

One of the options that you can select from in doing SEO is outsourcing the work to a professional SEO company. The main advantage that will stem from selecting this option is that you will have a company who is an expert when it comes to SEO. And one of the main disadvantages when it comes to SEO is the cost, and another is finding the right consulant.

While outsourcing the problem to an expert may sound appeal, you have to make sure you fully vet out your consultant before hiring them.

The Selection Process

Finding a good consultant is one of the big challenges when it comes to outsourcing your SEO strategy. You need to make sure that the SEO work that they are doing is professional, and does not engage in unethical practices.

Referrals are Your Best Friend

The best way to find potential SEO Consultants is through referrals are a great way to find an SEO consultant. Network with other web marketers and web business owners and find out which firms they are using. And always ask for references and talk to them before deciding to move forward with a firm.

Criteria

You should think through your selection criteria fully before you start screening different consultants. What is your budget? What are the goals of your SEO program? How will you measure success? What type of SEO practices are you comfortable with (link buys)? How transparent is the consultant?

Negotiating the Project

There are three primary models that SEO consultants use to price their services. The most typical model is to have a monthly retainer. With this model, it is an ongoing engagement where the SEO consultant provides monthly updates on your search engine rankings, and focuses on the next set of gaps and opportunities. Another model is to price per project. WIth this model, the consultant might review your site, and identify a key set of gaps to address (e.g. link structure) and complete this project with you. The last model that is sometimes used is “pay-for-performance” where the consultant gets paid based on the specific amount of traffic, leads, or transactions that they help generate. This model is very difficult to manage in SEO, because it is difficult to measure and attribute the increased performance to specific things that the consultant implemented.

The right model for your situation will vary significantly based what you are trying to accomplish. For example - if you have a specific gap that you need address, a well defined project will probably make the most sense. On the other hand, if you are fairly new to SEO and want someone to manage it for you on an ongoing basis, the monthly retainer model may be the right fit.

Beyond the typical price and structure negotiations, another key thing you need to be very careful about in your negotiations is the “copyrights.” SEO consultants will sometimes demand copyright to the content they create to optimize your site. This is a common “gotcha” that you need to make sure you avoid in your contracts.

Managing the Project

Also, it is important to remember that after hiring an SEO company, it is extremely critical that you stay engaged in the process. You need to actively monitor the work they are doing, and make sure understand the value that you are getting from SEO.

Option 2: Doing SEO yourself

Another option that you can use is to do the SEO process by yourself. This is recommended if you are a marketer who isn’t afraid to tinker. Doing it yourself gives you great visibility and transparency into this key aspect of your business. Many consultants will not provide a great deal of transparency and control, which may make you very nervous. DIY SEO is also the best way to build a competitive advantage online. After all, who knows your business better than you?

On the other hand, the main disadvantage in doing the work by yourself is that you might not have the right level of experience to make it work. If you already have a background in SEO then it should be easy for you, but if you know nothing about SEO, there are definitely some basics that you will need to learn. A quick way to counter this is to educate yourself when it comes to SEO. Join online communities and interact with the SEO experts so that you will have valued information.

In the end, the decision will rely solely on you. Keep in mind that both options have its own advantages and disadvantages, so the decision will also depend on which option will work best for your company.

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