Search engine optimization is a critical must-have for any business. With the vast majority of consumers beginning their buyer journey on search engines, it’s more important than ever for you to carve a spot in those results. The power of SEO is particularly far-reaching for local search; 72% of consumers who conducted a local search went to a store within five miles.
Furthermore, according to Moz, the first page of Google receives 71% of search traffic clicks. This number is growing more and more each year, with far less people venturing on to page two and beyond. And yet, it can be difficult for growing companies to prioritize whether to bring in an in-house specialist or outsource their efforts. With the importance of SEO clear, here are five reasons why you should outsource your SEO:
Lower Costs & Overhead
As a business, your goal is to cut costs without cutting corners. In-house staff represent a fraction of the talent that comes with an agency, and often at a higher price. Hiring in-house means you’ll spend a larger amount of money on overhead costs and dedicated resources. For instance, in addition to a salary, you’ll have to pay for benefis.
Some business owners try to take on SEO independently. However, optimizing your website takes time and effort, and if you attempt to do it yourself, you could end up hurting the company in the long run—not to mention wasting valuable time. An agency allows you to focus on your core competencies and spearheading the areas of the business where you’re most talented and valuable.
Leverages Your Time
For those that don’t understand the process that goes into SEO, you might be surprised to find out that SEO takes time, and is a truly never-ending process. But this shouldn’t deter you; on the other side of the coin, it’s the gift that keeps on giving. And without it, studies show that you lose more than you gain. Most businesses cannot survive long-term with just word-of-mouth referrals and guerilla marketing: a digital SEO strategy has to complement it.
When you get started with your SEO, it could take several months to see results materialize on Google, and agencies help manage those expectations. Agencies will take a look at your current ranking, website, and several other factors to determine where you need the most help and what tactics could best benefit you. Beware of shady SEO agencies that promise deliverables within a specified timeline; companies can make experience-based guesses, but there are no promises when it comes to Google algorithms.
Fixes Your Website
Your website is instrumental to how search engines perceive your value. But it’s not just about keywords and meta tags and sitemaps. There are plenty of ways your website can hurt your SEO. For example, websites that aren’t responsive result in a lower quality mobile experience; an area that’s becoming increasingly important for Google (the majority of searches in the United States originate from mobile devices versus desktop). Furthermore, site speed also has a negative impact on your SEO. If you have too many large resolution photos, and agency will come in and determine the necessary steps to boost your site speed and optimize those photos.
More Manpower
When you hire an agency, you get an entire team on your side, working SEO day in and day out. Oftentimes, you’re benefiting from a combined decades of experience. These agencies are accustomed to creating results-oriented campaigns, time and time again. They’ve worked out the kinks, understand complicated ranking factors, and have the resources to continuously learn more as algorithms change. In 2018, Google made over 3,000 improvements to its code, and several hundred of those are search alterations. Chances are, you don’t have the bandwidth to stay on top of new updates throughout the year.
Strong Linking Strategy
Linking is a big part of SEO. Your link profile consists of two types of linking: inbound and outbound. Inbound links are those that point to your website from other websites, and outbound links are those that point from your site to others. Both combine to provide a comprehensive view of how resourceful your website is. Consider this: of the more than 200 ranking factors, your linking profile is among the top three. Think of each inbound link as a vote for your website; the more votes you have, the more useful Google considers your website to be.
If your website has been around for a while, there’s a chance that your site has some broken links, which can hurt your SEO. A great agency will come in with a strategy to boost inbound and outbound links, as well as the tools to fix any broken links that could be hurting your ranking.
