Why Do You Need to Hire an SEO Company (And The Right One For You)?

The first thing you’ll need to understand is that SEO is actually not a rocket science. Technical-wise, SEO is fairly easy to learn, and if you are willing to learn about the concept and spend your time and resources, you can implement SEO by yourself without spending any money.

So, with that out of the question, why do we actually need to work with an SEO company or even a full-service digital marketing consultant?

The answer lies in the fact that although SEO is – as mentioned – fairly manageable to implement, it is a long-term effort that will demand consistency. SEO will require long-term hard work in at least several aspects:

• Publishing high-quality content pieces that are properly optimized for SEO
• Link-building, often the most tedious aspect of SEO. This can consist of several different aspects from analyzing backlinks profile to building key relationships to re-optimizing
• Technical optimizations, from assessing the current state of your website to analyzing your competition to implementing the best practices of SEO optimizations
• Monitoring and handling reviews – including and especially the negative ones, especially in the case of local SEO

With these being said, the real question is whether you have the time, and manpower, to implement SEO. On average, it will take 6 to 12 months of consistent SEO efforts before you can see significant results (i.e., your website ranking on the first page of Google search).

Depending on the size of your team and whether you have the luxury of time, most of the time working with an SEO expert is a better choice so that you can invest your time and resources elsewhere.

Remember that SEO is just a single aspect of an integrated digital marketing strategy. SEO will only bring its maximum results when other marketing channels such as social media marketing, content marketing, and email marketing, among others are also performing well.

1. Mike Khorev

Mike Khorev is a U.S.-based SEO consultant and the founder of mikekhorev.com, specializing in data-driven SEO strategies for SaaS, B2B, and eCommerce companies. With over a decade of experience, he focuses on technical SEO, content optimization, and scalable organic growth strategies. Mike typically works with mid-sized and enterprise-level businesses, offering hands-on consulting rather than high-volume agency services. Because of this personalized approach, he works with a limited number of clients at a time and positions himself as a premium SEO consultant.

2. Nine Peaks

Nine Peaks Media is a digital marketing agency specializing in SEO and lead generation. This agency has as strong global reputation, and is focused on maximizing SEO results through content and inbound marketing.

In this modern day of SEO, there’s no shortcut to ranking on the search engines besides consistent publication of relevant content, and this is precisely what Nine Peaks Media offers. Nine Peaks Media also take pride on their local SEO services to help small businesses improve their ranking on Google Maps.

3. Growth Partners Media

Growth Partners Media is a B2B-focused SEO agency specializing in authority-led organic growth for B2B companies operating in competitive global markets.

Rather than treating link building as a volume exercise, the agency focuses on editorial-quality backlinks, strategic niche edits, and community-driven brand mentions to strengthen authority, trust, and long-term ranking stability. Campaigns are built around manual outreach, established industry partnerships, and page-level prioritization to ensure link equity supports revenue-driving pages, not just traffic growth.

Growth Partners Media also aligns its SEO execution with modern search behavior, including AI-generated results and entity-based ranking signals, helping clients build durable visibility across both traditional search and emerging AI discovery surfaces. This authority-first, strategy-led approach makes Growth Partners Media a strong choice for B2B companies seeking scalable, defensible SEO growth rather than short-term ranking wins.

4. SeoLogist

SeoLogist is an SEO company in Toronto that partners with brands across Canada, the U.S., and beyond to build sustainable, long-term organic growth. As a company, they focus on strategy and execution rather than quick hacks, combining Technical SEO, Content optimization, and Link acquisition to help businesses compete in demanding markets. SeoLogist works with both local businesses and larger, multi-location brands, tailoring each campaign around the client’s goals, industry, and growth stage. Company also at the forefront of AI-driven search. They help brands adapt to the shift toward Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). Their services include comprehensive GEO and SEO audits, On-page and Technical SEO, Local SEO and ongoing performance reporting, giving decision-makers clear visibility into results.

With an experienced team and a process refined over many years, SeoLogist is a solid choice if you’re looking for a hands-on SEO partner that can manage complex campaigns while staying aligned with your broader digital marketing strategy.

5. Aira

Aira is a UK-based marketing agency that is not only focusing on SEO, but search marketing (PPC), social media marketing, content marketing, and overall digital marketing campaigns. Specializing on small and mid-size tech companies, Aira is a relatively small but experienced agency that emphasizes on understanding the client’s goals and deliver results.

6. Cloud22

Cloud 22 (formerly known as HallAnalysis) is a results-driven SEO agency focused on building sustainable organic growth through data-backed strategies. The team emphasizes technical SEO, performance analysis, and risk mitigation to ensure long-term search visibility. Cloud 22 works with mid-sized and large businesses that require scalable, analytics-focused SEO campaigns and a strategic, measurable approach to growth.

7. Vertical Measures

A Phoenix-based, award-winning full-service marketing agency, Vertical Measures (also known as IDX) is a global reaching agency with Fortune 500 companies as some of its clients. Specializing on content marketing, SEO, link acquisition, and paid advertising optimization, Vertical Measures focuses on enterprise and especially B2B clients. Relatively expensive, but certainly is one of the best agencies in the world.

How To Choose A SEO Company?

As stated, the main purpose of working with an SEO company is to save your time and resources. However, choosing the wrong one can be counterproductive, as it can ruin months or even years of SEO efforts if you are not careful.

With that being said, here are some important considerations when choosing the right SEO agency:

1. Defining Your SEO Goals

The first, and arguably the most important step in choosing the right SEO company is actually to look inwards: assess the current state of your online presence, and decide the key areas you would want to improve. If you can define clear and realistic SEO goals, you can have an easier time judging the different SEO companies to find the right team for the job. In this step, you would want to perform a thorough SEO audit, as well as overall marketing analytics. Thankfully, there are now various analytic tools that can help you in this step. The principle is relatively obvious: the better you understand your needs, the easier you can find the right people that can help with these needs.

2. Data-Gathering and Analysis Capabilities

As we can see from the previous step, a huge part of SEO is collecting, analyzing, and actually using data to improve your website’s performance. The thing is, different companies will need to track different KPIs and different metrics according to their niche, goals, and many other factors. So, it is important to work with an SEO company that can measure and analyze the right metrics according to your needs. This way, you can properly align your SEO goals and track the performance of your SEO campaign. Before you approach an SEO company, list your important online KPIs and metrics, and discuss these with the potential agencies.

3. Define Your Budget

SEO agencies and freelance SEO experts (which are also viable options here) come with different price tags and packages. Remember that we have mentioned that technically, you can implement SEO by yourself for absolutely free, so here you are actually buying time. It is wise to plan your budget ahead, so you can narrow down your options and avoid unnecessary spending. So, when approaching an SEO agency, it is wise to ask upfront about their costs and packages. This way, you can know early on if an agency is within your price range. Most SEO agencies will offer their service with a variety of monthly costs, so it’s relatively easy to compare between them, budget-wise. Remember to also consider your SEO goals when deciding on the appropriate budget.

4. Checking Reviews and Reputations

We are checking agencies offering the SEO service, which is centered around online presence. So, it would only make sense to choose agencies with a prominent digital presence where we can transparently check reviews, testimonials, and even case studies. You can explore the company’s site for this information, but you can also check third-party review platforms (sometimes a quick Google search will do). If possible, request case studies from the agency, which can often be done by simply submitting a request on their sites. You can also contact their previous client (or even a current client, which some reputable agencies can arrange). This way, you can get a more objective assessment of the company’s reliability.

5. Scheduling a Consultation

Once you’ve narrowed down your options, you can schedule consultations with your chosen SEO agencies. This will be a great approach to learn about their methods and strategies, and whether they can meet your goals. It’s important to remember that there’s no secret strategy or the “holy grail” for SEO: it’s all about consistency and hard work. A reputable SEO company will be transparent about their tactics and in most cases, will be upfront with the required timeline (6-12 months or even more being ideal). In the world of SEO, it can’t be more true that if something is too good to be true, it is. This consultation will also help you to understand the people behind the agency—their team—, and whether their level of passion, work ethics, and creativity will work well with your company. Ask as many specific questions as you can here, and figure out all the necessary information. Remember that you are making a long-term investment, so don’t be afraid to ask.

Comparison Table

Conclusion

Hiring the right SEO company isn’t about outsourcing “something technical”-it’s about buying consistent execution over months, across content, links, technical improvements, and reputation monitoring. Since meaningful results often take 6–12 months, the best agencies are the ones that align with your goals, can measure what matters, fit your budget, and are transparent about timelines and tactics. The right partner also understands that SEO performs best when integrated with broader marketing channels like content, social, and email.

Key Takeaways

• SEO is learnable, but successful SEO requires long-term consistency across content, links, technical fixes, and monitoring.
• Most brands need an SEO company because they’re really buying time, expertise, systems, and execution capacity.
• Expect meaningful SEO wins in 6 – 12 months, not weeks-be wary of “too good to be true” promises.
• Choose a provider by aligning goals, KPI tracking ability, budget, reputation, and consultation fit.
• The best SEO outcomes happen when SEO supports (and is supported by) a broader digital marketing strategy.

FAQs

Q1. If SEO isn’t rocket science, why hire an SEO company?

Because SEO is less about knowing what to do and more about doing it consistently for months-publishing optimized content, building links, improving technical health, and tracking performance without slipping.

Q2. How long does it take to see real SEO results?

Typically 6 to 12 months of consistent effort to reach significant outcomes like first-page rankings and steady organic lead flow (sometimes earlier for small wins).

Q3. What should I look for when choosing an SEO company?

Start by defining goals, then evaluate: (1) data & KPI tracking ability, (2) budget alignment, (3) reviews/reputation and case studies, and (4) transparency during consultation about methods and timelines.

Q4. How do pricing and value differ between consultants and agencies?

Consultants (like premium hands-on operators) often deliver deeper strategic focus and direct execution with limited clients, while agencies may offer broader teams, systems, and multi-channel marketing support-value depends on your needs and internal resources.

Q5. What questions should I ask during an SEO consultation?

Ask about: target KPIs, expected timeline, what’s included (content, links, technical), reporting cadence, how they handle algorithm changes, examples of past results, and what they need from your team to succeed.

The post The Best SEO Agencies in the World appeared first on Mike Khorev - SEO Consultant.

Would working with a “full” digital marketing agency be a better bet?

Those are some of the common questions to ask when considering an SEO expert or consultant—and all of them are valid ones—.

A professional SEO company—as opposed to a generic (digital) marketing agency, has several unique and crucial roles. To really understand these roles, however, it’s important to first understand the right concept of SEO:

What Actually is SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization.

While we can use all the technical terms and jargon to describe SEO, in a nutshell, and as the name suggests, SEO is simply an optimization, or more accurately, a series of optimizations that are implemented to a website, so that the website can rank better on the search engine’s (mainly Google’s) search engine results page (SERP).

It’s a very common misconception to think of SEO as a secret method, a get-rich-quick scheme to somehow cheat Google’s algorithm so the site can rank higher. It couldn’t be further from the truth.

Instead, the optimizations implemented in SEO are mainly performed so that our website can better meet Google’s (and the other search engines’) objectives, which according to Google’s mission statement is to provide the most reliable and relevant information for the human searchers.

It’s also a very common mistake to think that SEO is about pleasing the search engine algorithm. In truth, SEO is about being more relevant to your human audience.

If your content and your website are well optimized for human readers, you will be eligible for a higher SERP ranking, and not the other way around. This is a very important mindset to have before we start with any SEO efforts or work with an SEO agency or freelancer.

With those points being said, now we can be on the same page on what to expect from an SEO service.

What Does An SEO Company Do?

To reiterate, SEO is a series of optimizations implemented so our website can better meet our audience’s needs and preferences. This way, Google and the other search engines can perceive us of being relevant to our audience, and climb higher.

Based on that, here are the roles and responsibilities of an SEO agency:

1. Understand and/or Develop SEO Objectives

The first, and arguably the most important role of the SEO company is to help the client in defining the specific SEO objectives and/or goals.

Alternatively, the client might already figure out their SEO objectives, and so the job of the SEO company here is to accurately understand the client’s goals and discuss possible adjustments/realignments according to the client’s best interests.

It’s important to consider in this stage, that search engine ranking is not the end goal of SEO. It’s just a means to an end goal(s) that can be:

• Increasing organic traffic to your site, one of the most common SEO goals, but also one of the most important for any businesses
• Generate more leads, a step further from simply generating traffic, converting this traffic into qualified prospects
• Improving online brand presence, pretty self-explanatory, increasing customer awareness to your brand
• Online reputation management, establish your brand’s credibility and perceived trust to encourage future transactions. This will include ensuring your (positive) content ranks higher than the negative ones.
• ECommerce sales, encouraging sales conversions via persuasive content

Of course, this is not an exhaustive list, and you can pursue other SEO objectives according to your business’s overall mission.

It’s important to properly define specific, realistic, and measurable goals because they will significantly affect how you (and the SEO company) should approach the SEO strategy:

• Specific: the more specific your SEO objective is, the better you can define your target keywords and develop the right content according to the searcher’s intent (more on this later)
• Measurable: we should be able to measure the performance of the SEO services in pursuing this objective by assigning KPIs and measuring the right metrics
• Realistic: as in, achievable. If it’s a big goal, we can divide it into smaller milestones. This is useful so we can maintain the morale of our team, and for easier performance measurement.

2. Implementing an SEO Audit

SEO audit—or website audit— it the process of analyzing the current state of the client’s website, and its performance in relation to SEO best practices.

Since, again, SEO is essentially about optimizing, understanding the current state of the website is important in determining what to optimize when we execute the SEO strategy.

While an SEO audit is a very broad subject with a lot of different site elements—both technical and non-technical—, here are the important areas to focus on:

• • Technical issues: covering various elements from load speed to mobile-responsiveness to site indexability. You might want to check out our guide on technical SEO checklist here for a clearer picture

• Website structure issues: mainly about indexability, like crawl budget, XML sitemap, internal linking structure, etc.
• On-page optimization state: content structure, keyword density (underoptimized or over-optimized), meta optimizations (titles, heading tags, descriptions),  image optimizations, etc.
• User experience issues: heat mapping, A/B testing, conducting surveys if necessary. The idea is to keep users as long as possible in your site (maximizing dwell time.)
• Content gaps: finding gaps in your content strategy (outdated content, non-performing content, etc.) and also find keyword opportunities.

Again, this is not an exhaustive list. The more experienced (and skilled) the SEO expert is, the deeper and broader the SEO audit (and possibly, faster). The results of the SEO audit will be used to plan the SEO strategy.

3. Keyword Research

Probably the most obvious role of an SEO agency, and definitely one of the most important.

Keywords are the core of SEO, and finding the right keyword to target can either make or break our SEO results.

The main idea is to identify keywords that are searched/typed by your ideal audience (your prospects), and there are three main principles to consider:

1. The keyword must be relevant for your ideal audience,  this is mainly identified by monthly search volume (how many times the keyword is searched in any given month).
2. The keyword must also be relevant to your business. Obvious but often overlooked. For example, if you are targeting people between 20-25, then “Ariana Grande” obviously has a huge search volume, but it might not be relevant for your business.
3. According to your (or your client’s) budget, available time, and objectives among other factors, the competition for the keyword must be manageable. This is usually determined via keyword difficulty metric—or other similar metrics— in your respective keyword research tool.

In this step, typically the SEO company will utilize the help of keyword research tool(s) and will provide a list of possible keywords to target sorted by priority and competition difficulty.

Also, in conjunction with the SEO audit discussed above, the SEO company will assess the client’s current keyword rankings, as well as the competitors’. There might be keywords the client is already ranking for, and will only need a slight nudge to get that precious #1 spot, then this keyword might be prioritized.

Similarly, there might be keywords the client’s competitor(s) are already ranking for but the client hasn’t—or keyword gaps—. These keywords can be good opportunities to pursue.

4. Content Marketing Strategy Development

A good SEO company will know that SEO and content marketing are inseparable: good content needs SEO to generate organic traffic, while we can’t optimize for keywords without relevant, high-performance content.

With that being said, developing a proper content marketing plan is also one of the main roles of the SEO company, which will involve activities like:

• Figuring out the ideal audience’s possible search intent(s) for each target keyword.
• Finding topic ideas according to the search intent. For example, if the main intent is informational, then an educational topic might generate more traffic.
• Planning when to publish the content and in which channel(s)
• Planning how to promote your content. Often overlooked, but content promotion is just as important as the development process.

Again, the main focus here is to develop content that is relevant and valuable for the human audience, not only optimized for the search engine’s algorithm.

The SEO agency will develop a working strategy to capture and drive potential leads to your site when they are (proactively) searching for information, trends, best practices, or any relevant search for the niche.

5. On-Site Optimization

As previously mentioned, SEO is simply a series of optimizations implemented on a website and can be divided into two categories: off-site optimizations (that is, any optimizations performed outside your website, mainly about getting more backlinks), and on-site optimizations—essentially optimizing everything on your website.

Here, we are mainly discussing on-site optimizations, while we will discuss off-site optimization in the next section.

On-page optimizations can be further divided into two sub-groups:

• • Non-technical: mainly about optimizing your content ac.1cording to content optimization best practices. It is important to note that today in 2020, content optimization is much more than simply optimizing for the target keywords, but also involves things like improving readability, layout, and structure (user experience optimization).
• Technical: Optimizing various technical factors of your site. Again, you might want to check out our technical SEO checklist here to get a better picture. However, here are some important areas to focus on:

• • The loading speed of your site. Research results have suggested that more than half of visitors will bounce the website almost immediately when the page loads more than 3 seconds.
  • mobile-friendliness (or mobile-responsiveness) of your site. A major ranking factor today.
  • Whether your site is crawled and indexed properly.
  • Optimize media and all the elements within your content (videos, audio, menu bar, etc.).
  • Test everything regularly, performing A/B test and test the website performance on as many devices as possible.

On-site SEO must be performed continuously while the website gradually climbs the SERP until it finally appears on the first page—and preferably top 5 or top 3—.

6. Off-Site Optimization and Link Building

As mentioned, off-site SEO is any kind of optimizations that are done outside the website itself.

In general, the objective of off-site SEO is to improve the search engine’s and the audience’s perception of the site’s relevance and quality, and nowadays, this can be achieved in several ways:

• Getting mentioned on social media, both in quantity (a lot of people talking about the brand) and quantity (relevant influencers mentioning the brand).
• Getting good reviews on relevant review platforms (Google Maps, TripAdvisor, etc.), especially for local businesses
• Getting links especially from reputable and trustworthy sites—backlinks or inbound links—.
• Getting our content shared on social media

You get the gists.

The most important of them all, however, is backlinks. Think of backlinks as votes of confidence of the internet. When a site links your content, they are saying you are a reliable and trustworthy site for their audience—and this will be noticed by the search engines—.

On the other hand, it’s important to understand that today, the quality of the backlinks is more important than quantity. In fact, getting too many low-quality backlinks at any given period of time can get you penalized by Google.

Thus, it’s generally sufficient just to get 2 to 3 high-quality backlinks each month, but it can be easier said than done.

The focus of the SEO services should be about getting these relevant contextual links on authoritative sites on your industry/niche.

7. Further Optimizations: Conversion Rates, Landing Page Optimizations

As discussed at the beginning of this article, SEO service doesn’t end with simply ranking on the first page of the SERP, but in the end, it must contribute to generating revenue via conversions.

The SEO company must also work on monitoring and improving conversion rates of the website by optimizing landing pages, maintaining a positive brand presence and online reputation, and so on.

Various tests (A/B testing, surveys, interviews, etc.) might be conducted to improve the overall performance of the site, and also to improve content optimization regarding user experience.

End Words:  Monitoring and Evaluation

Since SEO is not a short-term process, and we’ll need to invest 6 to 12 months—at the very least—before we can see significant results, consistent monitoring and evaluation of the SEO campaign’s performance is very important.

This is not only about monitoring the website’s ranking for the target keywords, but also many different metrics and backlinks profile analysis. Adjustments to optimization approaches and even the whole strategy might be necessary depending on the site’s performance and the competitors’ approaches.

This is where having the right SEO services for IT, Tech, SaaS, software and startup companies to help you is very important, so you can have the right partner to deal with all the complicated metrics and data input.

The post SEO Services: What Does An SEO Company Do? appeared first on Mike Khorev - SEO Consultant.

Outsourcing to an SEO company is generally the most beneficial option, especially for businesses willing to try SEO for the first time. Not only it is generally the most affordable, you can generally get the whole end-to-end package. So, you wouldn’t need to worry about executing the plan and planning contents as they will also be handling that job.

However, choosing the right SEO company can be a daunting task, especially for companies less experienced with SEO. So, in this article we will discuss a step-by-step guide to evaluate an outsource SEO company, with the aim to help you have a more successful SEO outsourcing.

Before we discuss the steps, let us first begin by discussing the things you should AVOID.

Mistakes You Should Avoid When Choosing SEO Services

1. Believing in A Secret Scheme to SEO Success

While it is true that in the early years of internet and search engine SEO successes are built through secret tricks and recipes, that is no longer the case today.

Nowadays, SEO is a very open field with consistency and well-executed plans being the only secret remains. So, when an SEO company pitches you with their ‘secret optimization techniques’, it is a very big red flag.

So, when having an SEO sales pitch, make sure you ask how they will do it, and never accept answers like ‘proprietary’ or ‘secret’.

2. Trusting Solely in Google Rankings

The seemingly obvious logic is the best SEO companies should have the best-ranking websites when you are Googling keywords like “best SEO New York” or similar ones. While there is certainly truth to that logic, unfortunately, a lot of the best SEO companies actually don’t rank well.

The ones in high-demand are often overwhelmed with clients’ projects, and they always get great referrals. Not only they don’t have time to optimize their websites, they simply don’t need to do it.

So, actually, the ones that rank well for “best SEO+city” or “best SEO+specialty” are the ones without any clients, most of the time. Although you probably can find the needle in the haystack here, it is simply not a good filter.

3. Trusting in Paid ‘Best-SEO’ Lists

There are many websites listing best SEO services, but the fact is many of them offers consultants and agencies to pay to be on their lists. This type of scheme happens in just any business. For example, we know there are a lot of sites listing the best restaurants which are also paid.

The thing is, this type of lists is simply not helpful for customers, and in fact can be misleading. There are, however, several trustworthy lists, such as Moz’s and other respectable websites. So, if you want to rely on this list articles, make sure you are getting the ones from trustworthy sites.

So, now that we have discussed the mistakes to avoid, let us shift our focus on what we should actually DO.

Step-By-Step Guide to Evaluate an SEO Company

Step-1: Set a Goal

You won’t be able to determine a good SEO service for your business if you don’t really have a clear goal. So, sit down with your team and actually figure out what you are trying to achieve with SEO. Be specific and clear, because there are also bad goals you should AVOID, such as:

Traffic and Ranking

Both traffic and ranking is obviously necessary, but shouldn’t be your sole goal. You should be more specific on how SEO can bring direct benefits to your business. We all know how ranking well can lead to more traffic and traffic (hopefully) will lead to sales. It is simply a terrible goal.

Beating a Specific Competitor

Annoying and beating your competitor might be fun, but it won’t directly translate to revenue and your overall business goals. Well, if your business goal is also just to beat a specific competitor, you should definitely think again.

So, what are the examples of good goals? Here are a few:

• Boosting traffic from a specific group looking for a specific keyword
• Boosting revenue through SEO as a sales driving channel
• Boosting brand perception and sentiments by using SEO

By having a specific goal, you can also try to find SEO services that specialized on your specific goals, if any. Nevertheless, this first step is really important, so plan it carefully.

Step 2: Filter Your Options

Now that you have figured out your goals, find three to five SEO companies to evaluate. Choose those that you feel can align with your specific goals. If you have more time to evaluate, you can certainly choose more than five. However, the more options you have, keep in mind that generally the more confused you will be.

We have mentioned that you should avoid using Google searches to find your prospective SEO service companies. So, how should you find your options? Here are a few good sources:

• Your trustworthy friends both on personal and professional networks are always a good source
• Non-competitive companies, such as B2B companies on your network.
• Industry insiders. For example, don’t be afraid to reach SEO professionals you’ve followed on Twitter for recommendations.

After you’ve figured out your three to five options, set up a meeting if possible, and here are a few questions you should ask:

• Ask for samples of successful results, and check their validity
• Ask for references, and also check for their validity
• Ask a little about their company histories, how long have they been in the business, and their general digital marketing experiences
• Ask about their preferences on reporting and monitoring, including how they will report their progress
• Ask for a specific quote, including how many websites they are going to optimize for that price
• Ask for their specific ways to optimize your sites, remember that there are no secret recipes. You can get technical here and ask a few trick questions, such as whether Local SEO and Google Places are similar to general SEO strategy
• Ask whether they are offering other digital marketing services that can support their SEO strategy, you might get a bargain with the package

You can add other questions as necessary, including questions specific to your niche, industry, or goals.

Bottom Line and Final Step

Now that you’ve got your prospects and have asked the necessary questions, the final step is to finally decide the right SEO company for you. Here are three common criterion you can use:

Trust and Communication Match

You’ve checked their success stories and references and they are satisfying. You’ve had good conversations with them and felt like they are a good match. Cultural differences can be a major hindrance in the future, so it is a factor worth considering.

Price and Contract Structure

Of course, their price should match your budget, and they should have a clear contract structure. Make sure everything is clear, including how they are going to be paid and their accountability.

Referrals

If you hear great referrals from trustworthy sources, it is a very good signal to sign them.

While choosing the right SEO expert or company for your business can be a hard task, it is definitely doable. Remember after you’ve decided on hiring one, you should also evaluate their progress over time, so it’s just the beginning of a journey. Consistency and long-term focus, the keys to SEO success.

The post Step-By-Step Guide To Evaluating an SEO Company appeared first on Mike Khorev - SEO Consultant.

As we have understood, SEO is a long-term process that requires consistency. So, there are generally three approaches to managing your SEO: building your own in-house SEO team, working with an SEO company or hiring an SEO expert freelancer (or a team of freelancers) to do the job.

In this article, we will have an in-depth discussion of the three options: their respective advantages and disadvantages. The first thing you should remember is that there is no one right answer. Also, it is a possibility that using not just one, but a combination of two or all of the models can be the right for your business.

First, let us do a quick overview of the pros and cons of each model.

In House VS Outsource SEO Company VS SEO Expert Freelancer

In-House Model: Pros and Cons

Pros:

• You can exercise more control of your SEO programs and strategies
• Generally, starting a small in-house team is more affordable than outsourcing
• More control in targeting your exact audience
• Easier time to measure specific objectives
• More flexibility to adjust your strategies on the fly

Cons:

• If you need a large team, the HR cost can be expensive
• Building your own team can take a lot of time

So, the in-house model is generally the better choice if you want to start small. For example, if you feel you only need one or two SEO professionals, keeping them in-house will save a lot of money in the long-run.

Outsource SEO Company: Pros and Cons

Pros:

• If you need a bigger team, outsourcing to an SEO company is generally more affordable
• Outside SEO company will be more objective with no pre-existing bias towards your business
• Generally, they’ll have more knowledge of the current SEO trends and strategies
• SEO agencies usually consist of content producers, link builders, and project managers so you’ll have everything you need

Cons:

• Finding the right SEO company or agency that suits your business can be hard
• You have less control over your strategies
• Less time to communicate, so there’s less flexibility when you want to change strategy

Hiring an outsource SEO company will save a lot of time you will otherwise spend on recruiting and training. If you need a big team, it’s also a more affordable method. However, you will obviously have less control over your team, and it will take more time to do a strategic pivot.

Freelancer SEO Expert: Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Generally cheaper than outsourcing to an SEO company
• They usually take fewer projects/clients compared to agencies, so they will have more time for you
• Generally, you will have more control and flexibility compared to outsourcing an SEO company
• Some businesses will do better with a freelancer compared to an agency atmosphere

Cons:

• Some SEO expert freelancers only deal with consulting strategies, so you will need to have your own team to execute
• Finding the right SEO expert consultant might need a lot of trials and errors

SEO expert freelancers can indeed be more knowledgeable in SEO for SaaS, Technology, IT, Software and Startup companies compared to agencies, and they tend to be more affordable. However, freelancers generally won’t offer you the same all-in-one package offered by SEO agencies. Thus, you will most likely need to have an in-house team to execute the SEO strategy. Combining an in-house team with an SEO expert freelancer can be a viable choice for many businesses.

Factors to Consider

Now that we have learned the advantages and disadvantages of each model, there are several factors you should consider before making the final decision. We will discuss three key areas you should especially consider, starting with the first one.

Budget and Cost

The first thing you should consider is your available marketing budget, especially SEO budget. As we have discussed, building an in-house team is generally the most expensive option, especially if you need a big team.

As a benchmark, hiring a high-end SEO company as your outsource can cost at least $3,000 per month. On the other hand, hiring an SEO professional can cost you $50,000 annually including benefits, while more experienced ones can cost you $70,000 and above. Hiring an SEO expert freelancers, as we have mentioned, is generally more affordable than outsourcing an SEO agency. However, you might also need several in-house staffs to execute the SEO efforts.

Here is a very nice guide by Forbes on maximizing your SEO budget plan.

Required Expertise and Availability

There are many factors that can dictate the required expertise for your SEO strategy. For example, if your business is in a saturated industry and the keyword competition is high, you will need the help of an expert. On the other hand, if you feel the difficulty of your SEO shouldn’t be too difficult, you might as well do it yourself. To assess your own skillset, this is a very nice guide from higher visibility.

After you’ve understood the required expertise for your SEO, you can then consider both your budget availability with your required expertise. If you really need a high level of expertise with a limited budget, most likely you’ll get the most from a freelance SEO expert.

Business Model

Is SEO a critical part of your business model or your industry? For some business model such as online retailers, SEO and online marketing can be mission-critical. However, other business models or other industries won’t require the same importance.

If SEO and digital marketing are absolutely critical for your business, consider increasing the allocated budget with a mission to build an excellent in-house SEO team in the long run. Initially, you may begin with outsourcing. However, in the long run, having an in-house team will give you more control and better ROI.

Bottom Line: What’s Ideal For Your Business?

In the end, there will be no perfect answer to this question. Ideally, an in-house team will always be the best choice, provided you have an unlimited budget. The best way to approach this question is to treat your SEO team -whether in-house or outsourced- as an investment. Which option will give you the best ROI? Assess all available factors depending on your business model and industry.

If you have a budget constraint and you are happy with the environment of an SEO company, it is definitely a viable choice. However, if you are looking for a dedicated person to handle your project, you might be better off outsourcing to a freelancer SEO expert.

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