In the vast digital landscape, finding the right SEO strategy is often a challenge. With options like in-house teams, freelance specialists, or outsourced agencies, it’s hard to know which one would best suit your business needs.
We’ll compare an outsourced SEO Manager and a Freelance SEO specialist in depth, laying out their pros and cons so you can make an informed decision for your search engine optimization needs.
Key Takeaways of Outsourced SEO Manager
- Outsourced SEO managers work in a team from an agency. They know all parts of SEO well and can help your site be seen more on the web.
- Freelance SEO managers work alone, not part of any company. They use special methods to make your website show up high in search results.
- There are challenges with both options. With freelancers, you might face issues like slow replies or lack of some skills. Hiring an agency can cost a lot and they may not fully understand your business needs.
- Both have good points too. A freelance manager costs less and gives personal touch, while agencies offer a wide range of expert services and clear reporting with less risk for conflicts to happen.
- When choosing between the two, think about your budget, how much control you want over daily tasks, specific knowledge needed for your industry, size of service required and ways to share reports and keep secrets safe.
Understanding the Difference Between Outsourced and Freelance SEO
Outsourced SEO refers to the process of hiring a dedicated agency or team to handle all aspects of search engine optimization, whereas freelance SEO involves hiring an independent contractor who specializes in providing individualized services for optimizing website visibility and ranking on search engines.
Definition and role of outsourced SEO managers
Outsourced SEO managers are experts from an external agency. They handle tasks linked to search engine optimization (SEO). Their job is to help your website show up high in search results.
This means more people see your site. They have a lot of knowledge about technical SEO, off-page SEO, and on-page SEO strategies. The choice to hire this kind of team depends on what your company needs and can afford.
Your company saves time as you don’t need to learn all the SEO skills yourself or find someone else who does inside your business. It also helps if you want a large team with many skills but don’t want to hire them all yourself.
Definition and role of freelance SEO managers
A freelance SEO manager works on their own. They are not part of a company. Their job is to help websites rank higher in search engine results. To do this, they use different methods and tools.
These solo digital marketing consultants can make your website very visible online. They know what words people type into Google when they want to find a service or product like yours.
They put these words into your website’s text and behind the scenes code.
Like all jobs, there are pros and cons with hiring an independent SEO manager. A big plus point is the cost. These self-employed SEO specialists have got low overheads because they work alone from their home or office space.
This means that they often charge less for their services than big companies.
Another advantage is the personal touch you get with individual freelance SEO specialists. When you hire one, it’s much more likely that you will talk directly to the person doing your work instead of a middleman at a company.
Challenges of Hiring a Freelance SEO Manager
Engaging a freelance SEO manager often comes with significant challenges such as potential lack of accountability, limited range of expertise, risk of conflicts of interest and an unhealthy dependence on a single individual.
Lack of accountability and communication
Freelance SEO managers can be hard to handle. They work alone and might not answer you right away. This lack of quick replies makes work slow down. Sometimes freelancers do not take the blame if things go wrong as they should.
Accountability is low in those cases, trust gets hurt too. Clear speech and teamwork are vital but often lacking when working with a freelance SEO manager. These issues make business owners like you face problems with remote workers especially those who deal with your company’s search engine optimization.
Limited expertise and skill set
Freelance SEO managers might not have all the knowledge and abilities you need. This means they may only know a few parts of SEO well. It is hard for one person to be good at everything.
They may lack skills in some areas like link building or technical analysis. Their limited resources might also stop them from giving full support to your company’s needs.
Potential for conflicts of interest
Hiring a freelance SEO manager can bring up conflicts of interest. This happens as they juggle several clients at once. They may not have enough time or resources for your business needs.
You might get less attention than you paid for.
Another issue arises in the quality of work. To keep costs low and profits high, some freelancers may cut corners on your tasks. This can lead to poor results that don’t meet your goals.
Trust is important when working with a freelancer, but it’s hard to measure their true commitment to your project.
Dependence on one individual
Trusting a freelance SEO manager can be tough. This choice asks you to bank on one person’s skills. If this expert gets sick or takes a vacation, work stops. Your business could run into delays in important tasks such as updating content or tracking site changes.
A lone freelancer may also struggle with big projects or tight deadlines that need many hands. There is clear risk in leashing your company’s online growth to one person’s skills and time table.
Benefits of Hiring an SEO Agency
When you hire an SEO agency, you tap into a broad spectrum of expertise with well-established processes and consistent communication structures that minimize conflicts of interest.
Explore these advantages in detail as we delve deeper into the benefits of professional, outsourced SEO services.
Wide range of expertise and resources
SEO agencies bring with them a sea of knowledge. They have pros who know SEO like the back of their hand. These experts spent years in this field. They can help your business stand out online.
SEO is not just one thing, it has many parts. There are things like keyword research or optimizing content that need special skills. A good agency will have people for all these jobs on its team.
So, hiring an agency means you get access to a wide range of expertise and resources for website optimization all at once.
Established processes and procedures
SEO agencies have firm processes and procedures. They know what to do from the start. Each step of search engine optimization is clear to them. The team follows a plan. This gives your project an edge.
Hiring an SEO agency means you get their tested systems for success. You don’t need to stress about the details or direction of work. Your online presence will grow in safe hands.
Consistent communication and reporting
An SEO agency gives you clear updates. They talk with you a lot. The talks are about your website’s rise and shine on search engines. They show what they did for this to happen. Clear facts let the client see everything in a bright light.
Trust grows between the client and the agency from these talks and reports.
Lower risk of conflicts of interest
Using an SEO agency often means there’s less chance for conflicts of interest. Companies have peace of mind because the agency aims to give a fair and balanced service. The goal is success for your brand, not theirs.
This is possible as agencies treat every client with impartiality and objectivity. Transparency in all dealings helps lower risk too. Unlike in-house teams, where bias can sneak in, an outside agency offers independence and neutrality for your SEO needs.
Challenges of Hiring an SEO Agency
While hiring an SEO agency provides access to a team of experts with wide-ranging skills, it can come with certain challenges such as higher costs. Businesses may find themselves lacking direct control over strategies and execution, which might lead to misalignment with company objectives.
Despite their broad experience, agencies might not fully grasp the unique aspects of your business or industry. Also, limited availability due to handling multiple clients at once could hinder prompt communication and swift resolution of issues.
Higher costs
Hiring an SEO agency can cost a lot. They have many skills and use lots of tools, so you pay for that. The money pays for expertise, services each month, and costs the company has to run every day.
You may find out you have to spend $75 to $150 every hour or $500 to $8000 every month.
Freelancers don’t charge as much as agencies do. They work alone and don’t need as much money to stay open. Even if freelancers are easier on your wallet, remember they might not offer the same level of skill or resources that an agency can give.
Lack of direct control
An SEO agency has the reins in managing your digital marketing. You give up some control. They make choices about SEO programs and strategies. As they run the show, you may not always agree with their methods.
Your voice might be less heard in decision-making processes. This can lead to feelings of lost command over your own business’s online presence.
May not fully understand your business
Hiring an SEO agency has some challenges. One is that they may not fully understand your business. Even though the team at an agency has a lot of skills, they might lack comprehension about what makes your company special.
Limited understanding can lead to plans that don’t match your goals. The agency’s budget and resources could also be misplaced if they don’t know what you want. An absence of dedicated project managers might make it even harder for them to grasp your needs.
Limited availability
An SEO agency might not always be ready when you need them. They work with many clients and can get busy. You may find it hard to book a meeting or call with them. It could take longer for them to finish tasks or to make changes on your website.
This could delay your SEO goals and put you behind schedule. You should think about this before hiring an SEO agency, especially if you have a tight deadline.
What to Consider When Choosing Between Outsourced and Freelance SEO
In deciding between an outsourced or freelance SEO, businesses should carefully weigh their budget limitations, the level of control they wish to maintain over their SEO strategies, industry-specific knowledge and experience held by potential hires, the scalability of services on offer, reporting methods and confidentiality measures.
Budget and cost
Money matters a lot. For SEO work, prices can vary greatly. A one-time job might cost from $250 to $2,000 or more. You may have to pay between $75 and $150 per hour for an SEO pro’s time.
If you choose monthly services, the price could be anywhere from $500 up to a whopping $8,000 or even higher. The field your company is in can also affect how much you need to spend on SEO services.
Despite all these costs, going with a freelance expert often costs less than other choices if your budget is small. It means companies who want to save money but still get good results may find hiring freelancers their best bet.
Desired level of control and involvement
You want to pick what works best for your company’s SEO needs. One key thing is how much control and say you want in day to day activities. If you like being hands-on, a freelance SEO service might be the way to go.
They give more room for internal SEO management and decision-making. On the other hand, an outsourced SEO agency does most of the work. This frees up time but means less control over strategies used.
Industry knowledge and experience
Having the right know-how can be a big win. If a team or person knows your industry well, they will do better work. This is why some firms pick SEO experts who know their field inside out.
These pros have deep understanding and skill in that area. They are good at what they do because of past work in the same field. So, think about this point when you choose to hire an SEO expert or company.
Scalability of services
Scalability is a big deal for businesses. It means when your business grows, the service can grow with it. This is true for both outsourced and freelance SEO services. But how they scale can be different.
Outsourced SEO firms often have many skilled workers. They can take on bigger loads of work in a short time. Freelance managers might need more time to do the same amount of work because they usually work alone.
Reporting and analytics
Reporting and analytics are vital tasks in SEO. They show how well your website works. An SEO agency looks at data from tools like Google Analytics. This helps them see what is working or not.
Then they use these facts to make plans for better results. A freelance SEO manager may do this too, but they might not be as thorough due to limited resources. So, when picking an SEO solution, think about the level of reporting and analysis you need.
Confidentiality
Confidentiality is a big deal when you hire an SEO manager. You don’t want your business secrets to get out. Both freelance and agency SEO choices can keep things secret. The key is to pick carefully.
Be sure that data security is strong with whoever you choose for outsourcing your SEO tasks. A good start point can be looking if they have a confidentiality agreement in place. This way, your company’s private info stays safe when getting help for better search engine results.
Can You Use a Hybrid Approach?
Exploring a hybrid approach that integrates in-house, freelance, and outsourced SEO solutions can potentially offer companies the best of all worlds, however, this method also presents its own unique set of benefits and challenges that need careful consideration.
Combining in-house, freelance, and outsourced SEO
Mixing in-house, freelance, and outsourced SEO is a smart move. This blend can offer many benefits to your company. An in-house SEO manager gives more time to each project. They know the ins and outs of your business.
Freelancers add fresh ideas from their wide range of experience with other companies.
Then we have the outsourced SEO agencies. They come with special tools and services that you may not find otherwise. On-site or off-site, they handle it all with dedicated teams at work for you.
So by using this mix, you get the best of all worlds. Take note: It’s also softer on your budget than hiring a full team yourself.
Benefits and challenges of a hybrid approach
A hybrid approach can be a smart play for your business. It blends both in-house and outsourced SEO resources. This joint strategy gives you more control than full outsourcing. The mixed outsourcing adds new ideas to your team too.
Yet, there are challenges with a hybrid workforce as well.
For one thing, the lines of communication can get blurry. You need to make sure everyone knows who is doing what task. Also, managing this kind of integrated solution takes time and effort.
It’s not all tough though, this path has rewards too. Your company will have access to experts in different areas of SEO through freelance gig sites or agencies. Plus, this blended method lets you grow big while keeping costs down.
How to Decide Which Option is Best for Your Business
Assessing your business’s unique needs, identifying available resources and budget, as well as determining the desired level of control and involvement can serve as effective criteria for choosing between outsourcing SEO services or hiring a freelance SEO manager.
Evaluating your business’s needs and goals
Look at what your business needs for SEO. Set goals you want to reach. Think about how fast you want to grow and expand. The right choice between a freelance or outsourced SEO manager will hinge on these factors.
Your budget is part of this too. More money may mean an SEO agency can help you hit high targets quicker, while a smaller amount might call for a freelance option instead.
Determining budget and resources
Money matters a lot when picking an SEO manager. Firms must know what they can spend on this task. They need to find out how much cash and staff time they have for it. If the budget is low, hiring an in-house SEO may not work.
It means paying a full-time salary and other costs like training.
Yet, this does not mean firms with limited funds can’t get good SEO help. They might pick a freelance worker instead of a full agency. Freelancers often charge less than big agencies but still do great work.
This choice could be more cost-effective but needs careful thought about staffing decisions and resource management.
Evaluating the level of control and involvement desired
In choosing SEO managers, firms must weigh their need for control. Some want a big say in choices made. Others may choose to trust the experts entirely. This plays a big role in deciding between outsourced and freelance SEO managers.
Full control often means more time spent on oversight. Letting go of some control might free up valuable time for other tasks. So, companies need to think hard about how much input they want in their SEO process before making a choice.
The Importance of Optimizing Content for SEO
Undeniably, a robust content strategy significantly impacts SEO success by drawing in more web visitors and potentially higher search engine rankings. To learn how to effectively optimize your content for SEO, continue reading our next section.
How a strong content strategy can impact SEO success
A strong content strategy is key to SEO success. It boosts organic search visibility, rankings, and traffic. This means your website can be found by more people online because it gives what they look for in terms of content quality and relevance.
The focus should be on creating targeted, well-written pieces that are also SEO-optimized. Outsourcing this task can help you get just the right kind of content needed for a successful SEO.
Tips for optimizing content for SEO
Use your keywords well. They should be in your content, title tags and other on-page places. This helps search engines know what your page is about. Make sure each page of your site has a clear focus keyword.
Next, make sure that all your pages are easy for search engines to find and understand. This means you need to have a good plan for how the pages link together. You want search engines to index all of them.
Good SEO also cares about backlinks. Backlinks are when other sites link to yours. They help show that your site is trusted and useful.
Last, always keep track of how well you’re doing with analytics tools like Google Analytics or Moz Pro’s suite of tools for SEO professionals including Campaign Rank Tracking & Site Crawl.
The Benefits of Outsourcing SEO Services
More and more businesses today are choosing to outsource seo and outsource seo services to an external seo partner or seo company. Outsourcing allows you to tap into the specialized knowledge and skills of an seo provider without having to build an in house seo team. Professional seo outsourcing services offer extensive expertise in areas like keyword research, running seo campaigns, and managing seo efforts to drive organic traffic to your site.
A full-service seo outsourcing partner provides comprehensive seo services to improve your search engine results pages (SERPs) rankings. This includes on page optimization, off page seo like backlink building, local seo, and technical seo audits. Advanced seo companies utilize tools for tracking keyword rankings and seamless project management.
Partnering with a reputable digital marketing agency for seo outsourcing allows you to tap into their years of experience and effective seo strategies. It also enables you to focus on your core business activities rather than trying to master seo consultant-level skills yourself. Generating consistent online visibility through SEO requires specialized knowledge and effort.
Outsourcing to a third party company with a proven track record of seo results frees you up to pursue your main business goals as a small business owner. The right seo outsourcing provider will handle key seo activities like keyword research, content creation, internal linking, competitor analysis, and technical website optimization.
Be sure to partner with an agency that has clear communication channels and streamlined project management processes in place. This enables you to collaborate seamlessly and get the full range of specific seo services you need to achieve your objectives, like high quality content writing for better organic traffic and higher keyword rankings.
Frequently Asked Questions about Outsourced SEO Manager
1. What is an Outsourced SEO Manager?
An outsourced SEO manager is a hired person or team from another company that handles your website’s search engine optimization tasks.
2. What Does a Freelance SEO Manager Do?
A freelance SEO manager works independently to improve your website’s visibility on search engines using various strategies and techniques.
3. Which One is Better: An Outsourced or Freelance SEO Manager?
The choice between an outsourced and freelance SEO Manager depends on your specific needs, budget, and the level of expertise required for your project.
4. How Much Does it Cost to Hire an Outsourced vs. Freelance SEO Manager?
The cost to hire either will vary depending on their skills, experience, and the complexity of the work involved in optimizing your website for search engines.
5. Can I Switch from an Outsourced to a Freelance SEO Manager Later if I Want to?
Yes, you can change from an outsourced service to a freelance professional whenever you wish, as long as any contracts in place are duly considered or terminated.
Conclusion and Summary of Outsourced vs. Freelance SEO Manager for Search Engine Optimization
Choosing the best SEO route is vital. It can make your business boom or slump. Be smart and weigh what works for you. Good luck on your journey to success.
When it comes to SEO, there are many options available from hiring an in-house team to partnering with an outsourced SEO agency or freelance specialist. The right solution depends on your business goals, budget, and need for expertise.
Key factors to weigh include desired level of control, required project management structure, need for industry-specific knowledge, and importance of scalable SEO services. A hybrid model combines in-house, freelance, and agency resources for maximum flexibility.
Regardless of route chosen, a strong content strategy and on-page optimization remain critical for SEO success. The focus should be on creating high-quality, targeted content that ranks for your most valuable keyword searches.
An optimized site paired with the right SEO solution will boost your online visibility, increase organic traffic, improve SERP rankings, and support overall business growth. Do your research to make the best choice for long-term SEO gains.
Image Credit: YurolaitsAlbert / 123RF.com (Licensed). Photo Illustration by: Doctor Marketing, MD.
Doctor Marketing, MD™ is a leading content creation, distribution and marketing agency. The firm works with Top Doctors and Surgeons, Healthcare Companies, Medical Professionals, Private Practices, Medical Groups and Clinics, Hospitals, Executives, and Leaders in the Healthcare Industry and specialty Medical sectors. Doctor Marketing, MD™ has built a world-class content writing team of award-winning writers, SEOs, copywriters, wordsmiths, and ghostwriters. They’ve perfected a proprietary content assembly line process, and further specialize in large-scale content production through well-crafted blog posts, articles, and medical content pieces that attract new patients.
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