SEO Reputation Management: Agency vs. In-House?

SEO reputation management is not a one-off task for a free afternoon or weekend. 

Search Engine Optimization is a long, delicate process of showcasing your expertise to (ideally) show up at the top of Google’s search results when people search for your product or services – or information related to your products/services.

SEO is essential for nearly every business – and the time will inevitably come when you have to make a big decision: 

Do you hire an SEO agency or hire SEO experts in-house? 

 Both these options come with their own set of pros and cons, and the answer to this question depends on many circumstances. 

SEO Agency vs In-House SEO

First and foremost, let’s spell out the differences between hiring an SEO reputation management agency and in-house SEO specialists. 

An SEO agency is a team of experts that works for a mix of clients. Some agencies work with businesses across all different industries, while others specialize in one or two industries. 

When you partner with an SEO marketing agency, you have a team of specialists performing ongoing tasks, including (but not limited to):

• SEO audits
• Keyword optimization
• Content creation
• Link building
• Technical SEO

You pay the agency a monthly retainer or an hourly rate. 

When you hire SEO specialists in-house, you have employees on your payroll performing the tasks mentioned above. 

The big difference is your in-house SEO specialists work on your SEO tasks exclusively. An agency, on the other hand, works with a plethora of different clients. 

Now, both options have their own advantages and disadvantages. 

In this post, we want to help you weigh your options, and determine which is best for you specifically. 

Let’s dive into it. 

Benefits of Hiring an SEO Agency

We like to start our posts on a positive note, so we’re going to lay out the major advantages of hiring an SEO agency to manage your organic search presence. 

Access to a Full SEO Team

When you hire an SEO reputation management agency, you’re not getting just one specialist; you’re getting an entire TEAM of experts. 

This includes:

• Strategists
• Technical SEO experts
• On-page SEO specialists
• Off-page SEO specialists
• Content writers/editors
• Data analysts 

These people live and breathe SEO every single day, and they work as a team with proven processes in place. Basically, when you hire an SEO agency, they handle every task needed to increase your web traffic. 

Your job is to figure out what to do with the uptick in site visitors.  

Expertise and Experience

SEO agencies are specialized in digital marketing, and they have experience in managing SEO campaigns for different industries. 

When you hire an SEO agency, you’re paying for more than just services; you’re paying for a wealth of expertise spread across a team of professionals. These people stay in the loop on the latest shifts in Google’s algorithms, measure their results, and constantly make upgrades to their strategies. 

Scalability

As your business grows, your SEO needs are going to change. SEO agencies plan for this – and have service packages designed for small startups all the way to large enterprises. 

The business model of an SEO agency can quickly scale its services up or down based on your requirements. Whether you need to ramp up your SEO efforts during a product launch or scale back during a slow period, an agency can adapt, while keeping costs manageable.

When you hire in-house, you’ve got to pay your SEO specialists the same amount, regardless of what your needs look like. You may end up paying your employees to twiddle their thumbs. 

Cost-Effective

Hiring an in-house SEO team requires investing in salaries, benefits, training, and tools. 

An SEO agency, on the other hand, doesn’t require any of this. They already have everything in place to manage your SEO campaigns, and offer flexible pricing options, such as hourly rates, project-based fees, or retainer agreements. 

This can be more feasible for small or medium-sized businesses that don’t have the budget for a full-time SEO team.

Access to Advanced Tools and Technologies

Agencies have access to premium SEO reputation management tools and technologies. These tools are used for tasks like keyword research, tracking rankings, analyzing competitor strategies, monitoring website traffic, and more.

This enables them to create contemporary SEO strategies that deliver strong results, and constantly improve their tactics. These tools can be expensive to acquire and maintain in-house, but an agency has already invested in them, and you reap the benefits.

Faster Results

SEO agencies maintain clients based on the results they provide, and are focused on delivering them quickly.

Now, it’s important to realize that results in SEO do not happen overnight. Most SEO plans start to generate results around four to six months in, sometimes longer depending on the circumstances. 

An experienced SEO agency will have a formula in place to start generating results as quickly as possible. This typically starts by: 

• Tweaking your website’s content to improve the structure
• Fine-tuning the technical components of your website to get indexed by Google’s bots 
• Optimizing your Google My Business Profile
• Managing your off-site SEO – backlink profile, citations, etc. 

These agencies know what it takes to start getting traction fast – and they waste no time in getting the ball rolling. 

Disadvantages of Hiring an SEO Agency

Lack of Control

When you hire an agency, you’re trusting your SEO efforts to a third party. 

This means you have limited control over the SEO strategies they implement (and the results they deliver). Your business is your baby, and relinquishing control is never an easy thing to do – we get it. There needs to be a mindset that the agency knows what they are doing and has your best interests in mind.  

To get to this point, it’s important to have clear expectations to ensure the SEO agency is aligned with your business goals.

Communication Issues

Communication is everything when working with an SEO management agency. 

There will be regular meetings and status updates to keep you informed about your SEO campaign’s progress, results, tactics, and the next moves. The best agencies are easy to get a hold of and take the time to ensure you understand everything about your campaign, without talking over your head with industry jargon. 

Unfortunately, not all SEO agencies are great communicators. Lapses can lead to misunderstandings and delays, which can impact your results.

Risk of Quality Concerns 

Not all SEO agencies are created equal. 

Some may use unethical or outdated techniques that can actually harm your website’s rankings in the long run. This is why it’s important to thoroughly vet an agency before hiring them. This should involve:

• Looking into their online reviews 
• Checking case studies 
• Asking for references from past clients (good agencies will have no problem providing them). 

These steps can help confirm the SEO agency uses white hat (trustworthy) tactics and has a proven track record of success.

Less familiarity with your business

SEO agencies work with many different clients, and may not have the same level of familiarity with your business as an in-house team would. This may require a bit of a learning curve to understand the ins and outs of your industry. 

Additionally, most SEO agencies have defined processes to execute SEO campaigns, which may be used for all their clients. This can result in a less personalized approach to your SEO strategy and may limit the agency’s ability to understand your unique business needs.

The Verdict

Hiring an SEO reputation management agency is ideal for growing businesses that a) need to generate results quickly, and b) have a limited budget for hiring in-house SEO. 

Some good indicators when looking for an SEO agency:

• Case studies 
• Good communication skills
• Month-to-month contracts (no long-term commitments)
• Receptiveness when asking for references 

Pros of Hiring an In-House SEO Team

More control

Without question, the biggest advantage of an in-house SEO team is you have complete control over your strategy. 

You can customize your SEO tactics to meet your business’s needs and ensure that the team is aligned with your company’s values/goals. Your in-house team (ideally) understands all the nuances and challenges of SEO within your industry, and can build a strategy accordingly.  

Familiarity with your business

An in-house SEO team should know your business like the backs of their hands. This means they can develop a more personalized approach to SEO reputation management. 

Another huge benefit is an in-house SEO team will work more closely with your marketing team, web development team, and other departments to ensure that your SEO strategy is cohesive with other business initiatives.

Better communication

Communication is always easier when the entire team is in-house. 

You can meet with the team regularly to discuss your SEO campaign’s progress and make adjustments as needed. Additionally, everyone involved is following the same procedures and coordinating their efforts. 

Cons of Hiring an In-House SEO Team 

High cost

Building an in-house SEO team is costly, and there’s no way around it. 

You’ll need to hire experienced SEO professionals. This means respectable salaries, benefits, and vacation packages, as well as training and development opportunities. Moreover, you will need to invest in the latest SEO reputation management tools and technologies to ensure that your team has the resources it needs to succeed.

Limited expertise

Unless you can afford to hire senior-level SEO experts, an in-house team may have limited expertise compared to an agency that specializes in SEO. SEO agencies are made up of experts with years of experience and knowledge in the field. 

There will always be unforeseen challenges in an SEO campaign. You need people who can solve them – which doesn’t come cheap. 

Difficulty keeping up with industry changes

SEO is a rapidly changing field, and it can be difficult for an in-house team to keep up with the latest trends and changes in algorithms. SEO agencies make it a point to keep up with the latest industry news and update their tactics. 

If your in-house SEO team is mostly entry-to-mid-level workers, they may not have this degree of versatility.

The Verdict

Hiring an in-house SEO team has many benefits, but it comes at a very high cost. 

This route is ideal for enterprise-level companies with a sizable budget. Additionally, the company has extensive SEO needs that require a dedicated team working full-time to move the needle forward. 

The Bottom Line 

Just about every business needs a sound SEO reputation management strategy, but the requirements will be slightly different from case to case. 

Hiring an SEO reputation management agency is the more feasible option to get access to a proven SEO team. This option is ideal for smaller companies with a limited budget. 

Hiring a team of SEO experts in-house is necessary when you require fully dedicated support. More importantly, the company can afford to bring in specialists to work exclusively on their campaigns. 

At Law Edge Solution, we specialize in on-site, off-site, and technical SEO for growing businesses. If you need some help deciding which option is best for you, don’t hesitate to book a book strategy consultation. Even if we’re not the perfect fit, we’ll be happy to steer you in the right direction.