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SEO In-House vs. Outsourced

The Case for In-House SEO

Time
Companies can commit time to an SEO project, but they must make the most out of their choice. Time doesn't only involve a part-time or full-time employee, but staff involved in marketing, sales, IT and other areas.

Budget
Companies have multiple options available to them, but it usually involves cutting into existing budgets to make SEO work. Or, profits can be allocated to an SEO initiative. Time and budget can be a powerful combination.

Processes
Successful businesses often establish consistent practices that allow them to provide customer value while evaluating an employee in each role. Practices also come in handy for training. Companies that establish and support good processes can leverage SEO as well, which requires extensive research, testing and documentation. It's not too difficult to keep track of every effort and measure the progress.

Expertise
If an SEO firm can hire (or train) specialists, companies can too. But if a company doesn't already have an expert in place, the training may be more difficult and take much longer. Hiring an SEO veteran may be the best option. Otherwise, a new person will need to absorb everything regarding SEO that they can get their hands on, from books to blogs, before developing the expertise and confidence to provide SEO services for the company.

This experience isn't limited to the main SEO professional. Any company can have other experts on hand, including those familiar with online and offline marketing strategies and web site development. Sometimes it's "simply" a matter of adjusting job duties, including asking less experienced employees to absorb the non-strategic tasks of those moving more deeply into SEO.

Teamwork
In-house SEO requires a great deal of teamwork. Although conflicts between marketing and IT are not uncommon, individuals in these areas can get along. Political turf wars and agendas don't need to stand in the way. As SEO specialists, if IT leaders and marketers work together, the program can succeed. It's a matter of respecting backgrounds and sharing data, including a series of in-person meetings that take into account the health of the company, new products or services, and seasonal trends. The SEO specialist should be an outstanding communicator and confident about their own abilities and industry knowledge. Convincing others to get on board (and tapping into their time and resources) is the key.

Tools
Businesses can access the same tools as SEO firms. Besides books and industry newsletters, basic investments include a computer with Excel and other programs, web analytics, a keyword tracking subscription, and software for link building and rankings.

Web Site Architectural Changes
In-house SEO programs may require changes to the web site architecture. With enough explanation to all involved parties, a business may undertake minor or substantial changes to the web site to ensure that it can be indexed by search engines.

ROI
Companies are in an excellent position to cooperate with their SEO specialists in terms of the traffic and ROI. Web site design and content changes can take place on a regular basis as conversion opportunities are tested and refined. The data can be evaluated from many angles, including a focus on new sales and documentation about whether new customers originated from a natural search engine result.

The Risk Factors
If a business out-sources the SEO project, there are many potential risks. Many of these hazards can exist internally as well, but the company can take measures through research and policies to mitigate them. A consultant could come in and make changes that end up getting the web site penalized or banned if they create doorway pages, push for duplicate or hidden content, or acquire too many links in a short period of time (and possibly establish ties with link farms). Depending on the firm's integrity, they may simply not be very good at SEO. Businesses can guard against this by examining SEO consultants from many angles, including how long they have been around, the size of their staff, their affiliations (like professional groups and the Better Business Bureau), client case studies and testimonials, and whether they are respected in the industry (articles and premier speaking engagements).

Here are other questions to consider:

  • Who has the time for SEO work?
  • Who knows how to select the right keywords?
  • Can anyone determine correct pages titles?
  • What is the ideal META description tag?
  • Should we bother with META keywords?
  • What does an internal linking strategy look like?
  • Is our site architecture effective for search engines?
  • What would changes entail?
  • Are their risks to link building?
  • Do we have to link back to sites? When?
  • Is the SEO expert trained? What will it take to train them? How will we know if they're actually good at what they've been hired to do?
  • Can IT and Marketing get along? Who will supervise SEO?
  • Who has a handle on ethical SEO tactics?
  • What is the value of page cache tracking?
  • Does A/B testing make sense for SEO?
  • How will SEO relate to pay-per-click?
  • Who will be responsible for web analytics? How far will this go?
  • What are the costs if we go in-house? How much will an outside consultant charge?
  • Is there an "opportunity cost" if we go in-house?

Read excerpts from this SEO study online:

Fathom SEO is a market-leading firm dedicated to Search Engine Marketing (SEM), with an emphasis on natural Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Fathom SEO provides link building, pay-per-click (PPC) bid management, web analytics, and custom and integrated Opt-in Email Marketing services. Clients include Eaton Corp., the Cleveland Clinic, Little Tikes, FedEx Custom Critical, Sauder, Bissell and Darice.