Should you Outsource SEO in 2022? (Infographic)

Search engine optimization or SEO has proven to be essential for digital marketing. Many businesses and consumers have relied on remote methods of doing things due to the COVID-19 epidemic. This saw an increase in the usage of mobile devices and internet usage.

Online visibility is more important for businesses because it increases the likelihood of generating leads and directs them to conversion. Companies with websites are 40% more likely to grow faster than those not on the internet.

But, managing an SEO campaign to increase one’s online presence can be difficult and time-consuming. It also requires using the right tools and implementing the proper techniques. Due to this, many prefer to outsource these SEO tasks to a 3^rd party. According to Google Trends data, the online search term “SEO agency” has seen a dramatic rise from 2018 to 2020. It rose steadily during the COVID-19 pandemic and surged abruptly towards the end of 2021.

Despite the fact that there are many other digital marketing strategies on the rise and the economic impact of the pandemic, many still wonder if outsourcing SEO is worth it.

Here are some tips to help companies decide if outsourcing their SEO to an agency is worthwhile.

Outsourcing SEO Can Be a Cost-Effective Option

Companies outsource their SEO primarily because of its cost-effectiveness, with the average annual cost of hiring an in-house SEO expert amounting to $90,154.

Moreover, building an internal team requires at least three full-time employees, resulting in thrice the salary expenditure. Employers also need to pay for employee insurance, bonuses, and other benefits.

Aside from these, enterprises also have to invest in the necessary tools to implement their SEO strategies. These expenses take a large chunk out of a business’s finances, which can be used to fund other critical operations.

Contrary to popular belief, an external SEO specialist can be hired for as low as $800 per month, depending on the company’s needs and complexity of tasks. This is especially true for small businesses that are limited in budget or have difficulty financing due to the pandemic’s economic consequences.

Although it is still expensive to hire an external SEO agency, it is a lot cheaper than hiring in-house staff. This may also give companies better ROI opportunities.

Outsourced SEO Saves Time

It can take time to find the right candidates and train them to run an effective campaign. Accordingly, building an in-house SEO team involves hours of research, strategy creation, monitoring, and many other processes to produce desired results and help meet marketing objectives.

Employers can save valuable time by outsourcing SEO to a competent digital marketing agency. This allows them to allocate their time on more important business operations. Additionally, time saved is directly related to money saved. Spending less time and money on complex SEO tasks by letting an external SEO team handle them means the business can save more.

Outsourcing SEO Optimizes In-House Staff

Attention span for inhouse employees might be an issue when implementing an SEO campaign on their own. For larger companies, it might be easier to establish an internal SEO team as they have the budget and resources. 

However, it might be more difficult for smaller businesses to create an internal SEO team because existing employees may need to do SEO work on top of their regular duties. Multitasking can lead to people losing focus on their core functions, which can hinder productivity and affect other company processes.

Outsourcing SEO can help businesses reduce the need to multitask, allowing their employees to concentrate on their primary tasks.

Outsourcing SEO Offers Access to Powerful Tools & Professional Services

SEO requires the mastery of many innovative tools. This can be costly and take years to fully grasp. It also necessitates a strong link-building network and high-quality content to achieve a desirable result.

Search engines take into consideration many factors before ranking websites. For example, Google’s search algorithm has 200 ranking elements to consider to determine a website’s relevancy to a search query.

Because of these, it can be daunting for businesses to manage an SEO campaign on their own. It can also be detrimental for enterprises if an inexperienced staff member performs these SEO tasks without a thorough understanding. Therefore, it is better to trust skilled professionals with the knowledge and experience in SEO to get businesses their desired outcome.

Outsourced SEO Means a Larger Team Running Your Campaigns

A company’s SEO requirements will grow as it expands. Scaling SEO efforts can be difficult for in-house personnel, and a lack of staff can lead to major problems. This is where an outsourced team can help.

The following are the members of a professional SEO agency:

• Digital Marketers
• Content creators
• Web designers
• Link Builders
• Additional SEO experts

Businesses can use the combined skills of SEO experts to keep up with growing demands. They can be confident that no matter how complex their SEO tasks become, they will still have reliable professionals available to help them.

Outsourced SEO Takes the Guesswork Out of Adopting New Strategies

SEO strategies are dynamic and constantly evolving. With the continual evolution in marketing trends and demands and constant updates to search engine algorithms, the industry landscape is also subject to changes. Thus, SEO professionals must be aware of these trends to ensure that their campaigns are effective.

Reputable SEO agencies keep themselves updated and incorporate the most recent techniques into their SEO efforts to achieve desired results. These strategies are not something companies have to trouble themselves to learn, as an outsourced team can do it.

Final Thoughts

Many businesses have started outsourcing SEO to help them execute a data-driven, comprehensive campaign. Still, many people ask if this strategy will still be relevant given the changes that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This question can be answered yes.

It is evident that companies have uneven advantages to SEO with their different resources. But having an external team can help them achieve SEO goals that they may not be able to accomplish on their own.