Over this past year, I myself have been the sole SEO in a large company, a freelance SEO, and part of a larger team of SEO’s for another large company. In each of these roles, there are vastly different and different degrees of challenges. Having been, and continuing to fill these roles, I thought it a good idea to answer a client’s question on the best SEO-hiring practices. Do you outsource to a freelancer, hire a firm, or hire in-house? It really all depends on your model and resources. Let’s look at the pro’s and con’s of each.
Hiring a Freelance SEO
As a freelance SEO, I often say, I am afforded the luxury of extra attention to clients without the need to charge “big company prices.” Freelancers don’t have to pay large light bills, employees, and some even duck taxes (tsk tsk). However, it is very understandable why a business owner would want to stray away from a freelance service. There’s no way to know of my validity or integrity for certain (word of mouth and name-branding is very important for a freelancer). It’s difficult to discern if the freelance in question has the experience needed to complete the job.
Hiring a Firm
If you decide to hire a firm for your SEO services, you have access to information to research. You can easily look into the firm’s past, taking note of any complaints. You can also ease your mind that a larger company will likely be there when you call for help when needed. On the flip side, you may be getting a different person every time you call. When it comes to SEO and Internet marketing, the price tags associated can become substantial. As stated above, this is especially so when hiring a firm. Broadly speaking, the larger the company, the higher the costs. They have to pay employees, legal bills, office space, the Indian company they are outsourcing the work to (the last one was a joke….or was it?). Also, firms like to monetize. It’s the nature of business. Unfortunately, we see more and more “SEO companies” that get into a routine that doesn’t allow for its employees to explore new avenues of optimization and expand on their skills. It’s a dead set process that all to often leaves much to be desired with regard to quality.
Hiring In-House
The trickier of the three is to hire an in-house SEO. It’s not so bad if you’re an SEO company needing to hire another SEO for your team. In that case you’ve probably been through the process before, and know what to look for in a candidate. But if you run a company of a different sort, this can be a tough decision. If you hire an SEO, you get to have someone on sight making last minute meetings and attention to emergencies very convenient. This is also a great route to go if you have an extensive IT department in place, allowing for the SEO to get to know the other members of your team on a more intimate basis, which will help in the months to come as your team members learn to work together. On that same note though, hiring an in-house SEO can get really fun (challenge is always fun for me). You have to make room, so to speak, for the SEO that will be making requests to change processes that you’ve had in place for a while. For some members of your team, this can seem a little threatening. This is also one more employee on the books for which you have to pay taxes, provide coffee to, and give a company car; something sporty and either black or silver, please.
While we are talking in-house SEO, it can also be a fun time for the SEO him or herself. We are pretty analytical most of the time, and we really like to socialize with other SEO’s for ideas and interesting, nerdy conversations. Putting your SEO into a room all by their lonesome can play a huge role in their success. If you are to hire an SEO, please accommodate for their social networking behaviors, your numbers will thank you for it.
Mix and Match
The previous three options are not really the only ones. You can find ways to mix these up. As a freelance SEO, I’ve been known to take on-site contracts for companies, requiring that I make myself physically available to the company a certain amount during a week or month’s time. You can also look into “firms” of independent SEO’s, like Clientside SEM. Though a “firm” on paper, the company is comprised of some of the bigger names in SEO. Then there’s SEOmoz, another “firm of SEO’s.” Again, though they are a company, the whole team has a very real contribution to the SEO industry. The sole downside is going to be the price, but you can rest assured that it’s well worth it.
In a lump:
Freelance SEO
- Pros
- More cost effective
- Individualized attention to your needs
- Better looking (especially the bald ones)
- Cons
- A lack of background is common
Emergencies can be of extra worry if you can’t reach your SEO
A freelance SEO’s sexiness can sometimes be too much to handle, even from great distances
Hiring a Firm
- Pros
- Easier to research company history
- Hopefully easier to contact if the need arises
- Cons
- Costs are usually higher
- Lack of individual attention is prevalent
- Quality can be a question
In-House
- Pros
- On-sight availability is very convenient
- Teamwork among your employees can result in very high quality of work
- The in-house SEO can get a much better feel for your company when working from the inside
- Cons
- Gonna have to get that checkbook out
- Internal differences can have a pretty big impact
- Lonely SEO’s are lazy SEO’s
- That company car is going to be expensive
In the end, it really all depends on the business you run. If you have the availability and are ready for the challenge, I really suggest the in-house SEO. I know I know. I’m a freelancer. But I’m also an in-house SEO…sorta. If you can hire the right person, the in-house SEO can do wonders for you. Whatever you choose, SEOmoz recently opened their marketplace for employers and job-seekers alike.
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