Smart Agencies are Outsourcing SEO

September 25, 2022 at 05:51 AM EDT

Colorado Springs, Colorado Sep 25, 2022 (Issuewire.com) - The internet is quickly becoming crowded with websites of all kinds. Google and other search engines have an increasing number of sites to sift through when deciding what shows on the first page results. Their algorithms are constantly evaluating content to determine what gets pushed to the top. But these algorithms change over time. What worked five years ago--maybe just 5 months ago--might not work anymore, sending a once-popular website onto page 20 of search results. This means that search engine optimization, or SEO, is more important than ever for a business to succeed and be competitive.

Many marketing agencies include SEO as part of their service packages. But agencies already have a lot on their plates in this ever-changing, increasingly connected online world. Traditional media relations, social media content creation and management, managing partnerships with influencers, writing and video content production...the list goes on. But many clients also demand SEO services to make sure their websites are seen by their own customers. With so many responsibilities, it has become overbearing and expensive for marketing agencies to retain SEO services in-house.

"We've seen a tremendous uptick in agencies who simply don't have the staffing or tools to provide a quality SEO solution anymore," says Mark Blum, owner, and CEO of Colorado-based SEO249.com.

Providing proper SEO is a highly technical process that requires both time and experience. SEO249.com is a white-label SEO agency, meaning that it does SEO work for agencies on a freelance basis. The client gets an SEO team to manage their site without the agency needing to manage it themselves.

"To us, white-label means that we never speak to our client's client," Blum says. "The company receiving our SEO never even knows we exist. The agencies take credit for our work, and that's how we like it."

Hiring in-house is costly

If you're with an agency, you might be thinking, "Why not just hire an SEO specialist for my team?" While that line of thinking appears reasonable, there's a problem when hiring SEO professionals full-time: They're hard to find and expensive.

According to Glassdoor, the average SEO manager's pay in the United States is $93,395 a year, accounting for base pay and bonuses. That's more than $7,700 per month. In contrast, SEO249.com's packages start at just $249 for basic SEO and top out at $1249 per month. That's a lot of savings when compared to hiring a full-time, in-house person.

SEO professionals are also in high demand, and the shortage of qualified experts isn't likely to change soon. An analysis of LinkedIn's data in 2021 indicates that there are barely enough SEO professionals with enough experience to meet employers' qualifications. Outsourced agencies like SEO249.com currently employ over 40 specialists and constantly hiring due to demand.

Don't forget about the tools

Aside from the costs of an employee, in-house teams endure a steep bill when it comes to the tools needed to produce quality SEO. There are no shortages of available SEO software, but they aren't all created equal. Some of the more popular tools available are SE Ranking, SEMRush, Ahrefs, and MOZ Pro. Agencies will need to decide which tool or tools to purchase for keyword research, audits, reporting, backlink monitoring, and rankings. Although you can get away with just one of these subscriptions, it would be like using a hammer with a screw. Each software has a specialty and the more tools available, the more accurate data you will be able to provide to the client. The average annual subscription cost for each one of these tools is over $5,000.

There are also tools available that most SEO professionals know to run away from. For example, AI software used for writing articles is a big red flag. These programs will ultimately hurt the client's rankings rather than improve them. There is even a program that will find a published article and just change a few keywords so you can repost it as yours. We believe these are dangerous SEO practices and highly recommend staying away from them.

Quality SEO takes experience and time. There are no shortcuts that are worth the consequences. The alternative is again, outsourcing to a complete SEO firm.

"The problem with SEO is that it's time-consuming," Blum says. "You can have your person spend 20-30 hours a month on it, or you can pay a qualified SEO company a few hundred dollars and not have to worry about it."

"My biggest concern in my industry is the vast amount of people who claim they are offering quality SEO, but aren't," Blum says. "For example, someone who only writes your blogs, or only does your backlinking, or only fixes your on-page SEO can't deliver anything close to what a complete SEO solution would."

Try Outsourcing

Although outsourcing has only recently become widely accepted, many agencies are hesitant in taking the first step in the process. When searching for an outsourced company, you may want to start small and grow your client list with them as your confidence increases. Most reputable SEO outsourcing companies will not require a minimum client load to start.

"I completely understand the fear of outsourcing," Blum says. "That's why we, and some of our competitors, will offer complete transparency, constant communication, and no contracts to our clients."

You should also weigh your new SEO partner's location when vetting these outsourced providers. Compare their time zone to yours and understand the overlapping working hours you will share. This includes making sure there isn't a language barrier as communication is another vital component of optimization. Finally, we recommend that you look at the cultural differences. Different countries have different working hours and holidays as part of their culture. Will your new partner be on the same page as you?

"With over 90 percent of our clients based in the United States and Canada, we're able to communicate and react immediately because we're headquartered in Colorado," says Blum.

In the end, the benefits of outsourcing will become more evident when you see a decrease in your overhead costs, aggravation, and an increase in productivity.