SEO Services – In-house vs. Agency

This week I was discussing search engine optimization (SEO) services with a prospective client and he mentioned they were considering using the internal IT team to deploy the SEO initiative.

From experience, I know that companies occasionally consider this as a viable option. After all, they think that they’ll save money and better manage the SEO effort.

I’ve learned that this is rarely the reality. IT staffers are usually working the with tight time allocations. As a result, SEO becomes a “part-time” commitment.

SEO is no longer a short-term activity managed by occasional IT support. To the contrary, successful SEO campaigns are carefully and continually managed over many months and ideally, the course of the year.

Deciding whether to execute an SEO program in-house or alternatively, with an agency that has proven ability to execute SEO should be considered very carefully.

Here are three points I shared with the prospective client:

1. Agencies build up a very valuable knowledge base by serving many clients. This includes knowledge about search engine algorithms and protocols. There are few industries or practice specialties that are subject to the on-going and frequent change like search engines. A stream of new adjustments to their algorithms is common place. What worked six months ago, may not work today.
2. Top tier SEO agencies have developed a range of tools that provide valuable diagnostic information to determine if a site is search engine friendly, content opportunities as well as tracking rankings and competitors. These tools are regularly tested with a wide range of agency clients.
3. SEO agencies provide the rigor of systematic analytical reports. This establishes a way for clients to regularly keep an eye on what they are getting for their investment with the agency. In-house reporting tends to be pushed to the bottom of the client projects lists.

No doubt, some client companies do have success managing this function in- house. In fact, Marketing Sherpa’s survey several years ago indicated that on average, in-house practitioners achieved a 38% increase in traffic to their Web site. Not bad. But, the survey went on the report those companies that used an agency achieved a 110% increase with their efforts.

If SEO is important to a company and their Web site is viewed as a contributor to its business success, then clients must carefully consider the trade offs of going in-house.

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