There are many ways that an agency is different than an in-house SEO professional. From accountability to communication to impact on results, their role on your project can differ depending on the type of results you expect and what you are looking for.
In today’s Ask an SEO episode 5, Brian Harnish dives deep into in-house SEO vs. agency SEO, and which one you should choose. In addition, he also provides advice for SEO professionals who many be looking to get into either one.
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You can also read the In-house SEO vs. Agency SEO Ask an SEO Episode 5 transcript below:
In-House SEO vs. Agency SEO Transcript
Today’s question comes from Jan.
What is the difference between an in-house SEO and an agency?
So let’s take a look at Agency SEO. With agency SEO, you have a team of expert level professionals working on your website from content to link building to technical SEO, even the CEO themselves.
Everybody usually has a pretty defined goal when it comes to certain aspects of SEO for your website.
And it could be pretty comprehensive as a result.
Now, with some agencies, there are cookie cutter approaches in place, which they apply to all clients, which can be a deal breaker for you if you want something a bit more robust in terms of SEO and SEO results.
And with an agency, the SEO is usually in charge of multiple clients with projects ranging from $5,000 for a ten hour project to over $40,000 for a large, 40 hour to 60 hour project, depending on the project and the amount of work involved.
When it comes to agency SEO, the SEO professional works on multiple clients in order to drive results for the website in as much of a professional manner as possible while making sure that the project comes on time and on budget and just making sure that it’s done right the first time and in the best way possible for that client. With in-house SEO, the roles are a little bit less defined.
And this is where things can get a little more complicated, if you will.
With in-house SEO, the SEO is focused mostly on one website.
So they are able to deliver a lot more in terms of significant, more custom results that are tailored to that website, as opposed to using a templated approach from an agency.
So there are certain benefits to being an in-house SEO.
Now, the in-house SEO is also responsible for basically communicating with the executive level people in charge of budgeting and so forth.
So it’s important to make sure that as an in-house SEO, you communicate effectively, communicate and report on results and so on.
That way, they can make the most effective decisions moving forward.
And also, as an in-house SEO, you tend to be able to have a lot more autonomy.
So if you are someone who thrives in an environment where you can get stuff done and really drive forward on your own, you should be pretty successful as an in-house SEO.
However, if you’re somebody that needs a lot of micromanaging in order to get stuff done and have some accountability in that regard, it’s probably not for you.
And this is where in-house SEO can be better for a company than an agency.
It just really all depends on what you are after, the kind of results you want and what you are looking for from your SEO professional.
There is really no one size fits all to the equation, but in our opinion, finding an expert level agency is probably going to provide bigger and better dividends for your website than an in-house SEO professional.
Again, it depends on who you choose.
If the agency has been in business for a long, long time and they have the record and proof to back it up, you might want to go with the agency.
So it just all depends on your situation.
That’s it for today’s Ask an SEO Episode 5.
This is Brian Harnish signing off. Have a great day!
