Search engine optimisation (SEO) as a process is best outsourced to an SEO company rather than being run in-house.
This article looks at why it’s I best to use an experienced SEO company for your online marketing campaigns rather than doing work in-house. A common thread holding the article together relates to information – SEO succeeds where there is a constant communication, tracking and updates.
An opening caveat, SEO is not an overnight miracle process, nor is effective SEO that delivers measurable results cheap. Any SEO company promising or guaranteeing huge results over a short period is likely to be verging towards black hat SEO. Search engine optimisation is a slow and very methodical process that must be backed by excellent understanding of analytics.
Using an SEO company is a great route to go in driving maximum performance from your SEO and other online campaigns. The main advantage is that it is easy to quickly scale up the process using external teams rather than draining your own internal resources. Internally there are no personnel or administrative issues to handle – redrafting job roles, no training is needed and there is no need to climb a steep learning curve.
However don’t negate or debase your own internal skills and people. Assign a dedicated liaison to interact with the SEO company and make sure that this person is well placed to follow through all initiatives. Demand information and regular updates from your SEO company, have clearly formulated plans, milestones and post-mortems on progress.
Internally also ensure that all key information and findings are communicated within your company. There may be a critical aspect your internal team is missing and many heads make for better overall understanding.
On the subject of demanding information, using and SEO company will best succeed if this communication flows both ways. At the start of the project be clear in your definitions, goals and projections. Take advice from your SEO company as to what is realistic and achievable. Back to the topic of guarantees and immediate results, a white hat SEO company will be clear on “negotiating” realistic and sustainable targets.
Make sure that as the SEO campaign progresses that the right information is being communicated both ways. Make sure that reports are focussed with sufficient right information to be able to quickly analyse results.