Should You Outsource SEO Services of keep it in house?
Your business needs SEO. Should you take care of it in-house? We’re running through when you need to outsource SEO services so you can make an informed choices.
The most common sentence you’ll ever hear come out of a business owner’s mouth is, ‘I just don’t have time to do everything I need to do!’ Yet, many still resist outsourcing certain tasks, like SEO services.
Sadly, those are often the businesses which fail.
In the non-digital world, we outsource all the time: if your tap leaks, you call a plumber; if the car breaks down, you call a mechanic (and so on). We outsource our house cleaning, lawn mowing, ironing. We even outsource dog washing!
In short, we hire professionals to do what they do best, to free up our time to do what we do best.
Outsourcing SEO Services Is Central To Success
Another alternative for a business owner is to hire a full-time SEO services professional, but then there’s holiday pay, sick leave, insurance and superannuation to consider. Outsourcing is starting to sound a lot more attractive now, right? So let’s look at some real reasons why it makes sense.
Outsourcing is starting to sound a lot more attractive now, right? So let’s look at some real reasons why it makes sense.
So let’s look at some real reasons why it makes sense:
The #1 reason is simple: without Search Engine Optimization, your business is likely to fail. Sounds harsh, perhaps, but this usually the case, especially since mobile devices overtook desktop computers as our major go-to for information.
Whether you trade entirely online, or you have a shop front, it’s your SEO that will lead customers to your door. In fact, it pays to think of mobile search as the new “front door” to your store.
So, having established the fact that you need SEO services, let’s consider why, in most cases, it will be more effective if done by a professional.
Constant Algorithm Changes
SEO has evolved dramatically over the last decade and is now changing practically every day. This is thanks to the constant algorithm changes made by search engines (Google in particular). When these changes occur, they need to be recognized, and then acted upon. This could mean a complete shift in SEO strategy.
The thing is, Google makes many of these changes “under cover” and, unless you’re involved with SEO on a daily basis, those changes are easy to miss. A business that doesn’t outsource its SEO services might not know anything has changed until they lose their search engine ranking and customer numbers drop dramatically.
A professional SEO services provider is on the ball every day and can step in and do something proactive before any damage is caused. Bearing in mind Google might undertake 10 algorithm updates in a week, do you really have time to take on this task?
Bearing in mind Google might undertake 10 algorithm updates in a week, do you really have time to take on this task?
Fully Optimized Content
And that’s just the beginning! Your SEO has to be perfect to draw potential customers away from your competitors, but it doesn’t stop there. Once the fish is on the hook, you have to keep it there, and that means your website must feature quality, fully optimized content, that must be regularly updated.
Visitors to your site need to be entertained, engaged and informed in order to complete the task – ie make a purchase or sign-up. And that means constant scrutiny to see what’s working, and what’s not.
The correct interpretation of these analytics is crucial to the success of your online marketing campaign, and will also allow you to exactly work out your ROI.
Key Ranking Factors
Google algorithms rely on more than 200 factors to work out what a user might be looking for. These include keywords, quality, and freshness of content, location and more.
Google processes more than 40,000 search queries per second, so it will pick the websites with the most relevant matches, in order to quickly deliver a result to the user. That means your SEO has to be spot on.
Your website needs to be optimized for local search, as well as long tail keyword searches. In other words, it’s no longer a case of having the keyword ‘bread’ if you’re a baker! As well as words that represent your products or services, you also need to include the phrases people use in searches. For example, ‘baker nearby’ or ‘nearest bakery’.
SEO Must Be Consistently Good
Long tail keywords and ‘intent’ are more important than ever since Google updated Hummingbird in August. So if you’ve been struggling to do basic SEO yourself, it’s definitely time to outsource to SEO services professionals.
Successful SEO services need to be consistent. It’s not something to ‘get to on the weekend if I have time’. What’s more, it has to be consistently good. Sure, there are online tools to help you do this, but how reliable are they? Can they really identify what’s working, and what isn’t?
The fact is that successful companies outsource their SEO services. They consider SEO an investment, so they want the job done right. They also know that outsourcing gives them access to several professional brains whereas, if the job was done in-house, they would probably only hire one person.
Outsourced personnel are highly trained in the industry, and they can be more objective than an employee, bringing a fresh perspective to the table.
Part Of Your Digital Marketing Strategy
SEO services don’t stand alone. They are generally one part of an overall digital marketing strategy. SEM – or Search Engine Marketing – is gaining much popularity, due to its effectiveness and flexibility, especially when paired with PPC – Pay Per Click – paid search.
It’s about getting the right balance; clearly the more successful your organic (unpaid) search ranking, the better your ROI. Professional SEO services will grow your organic results, with your consultant knowing just when to add a PPC campaign for a boost.
On the whole, search engines like natural, organic growth. And that’s the main reason search engine optimized blogs and content have become so central to a successful website.
Google recommends that if you’re planning to outsource your SEO services, the earlier the better! It’s particularly important if you are just starting up, launching a website, or redesigning a website. And it’s crucial if your ranking, visitor numbers, and conversions have dropped.
It won’t happen overnight but, by putting your digital marketing campaign into the hands of professionals, you’ll not only find it easier to grow your business and reap the rewards, but you might actually get to spend some time with the family this weekend!
How’s your SEO knowledge? Get in touch with us if you’d like to learn more.
