Considering Outsourcing Local SEO? Pros and Cons To Help You

Have you ever thought that your search engine optimization (SEO) strategy is not going as planned? Hiring a San Diego local SEO agency can change that, but only if you know what you want and why you want to outsource. Knowing what to expect from an agency is also good.

Below is a quick review of why and when you should or should not outsource your SEO needs:

• Five advantages of hiring a San Diego local SEO agency.
• Five disadvantages to consider before you outsource SEO.

There is a lot to discuss, so get ready to take notes.

Let’s go!

Watch this video to learn about the Digital Authority Partners approach to local SEO!

Five Great Reasons to Hire a Local SEO Agency

Every San Diego business needs good local SEO to thrive online, particularly now that more markets are shifting to digital formats. Local SEO can be done independently, but you need experts to be truly competitive. Below are five reasons you should outsource SEO:

     1. High-Quality Service at a Fraction of the Cost

No matter how you do it, SEO will cost your company a lot of time and money to execute and maintain. This means both in-house and outsourced services are investments. However, you get fantastic benefits from hiring a San Diego SEO agency because it is cost-efficient.

When outsourcing local SEO needs, you no longer have to think about running a hiring process to build a team, finding office space for them, or paying additional staff. SEO agencies already have it prepared and ready to help your business. All that is left to do is to hire their services.

     2. Industry Pros Working with You for Effective SEO

The top reason to hire a local SEO agency is to get the skills and expertise of each person on their team. Different aspects of SEO rely on varying skill sets that a person focuses on as their specialty. For instance, content creation, UX design, and digital marketing are all separate.

Working with an SEO partner gives you the benefit of having access to the skills and output of professionals who are trained to effectively do their jobs. This can quickly turn your SEO around and give your business a much-needed boost. It is one of the best advantages of outsourcing.

     3. Getting Started and Getting Results Much Faster

Another value of hiring a San Diego local SEO agency is that their team is already built and filled with experts. This allows you to start seeing the benefits of local strategies faster than if you had to hire an entirely new team. All they need is to know what your business needs.

Hiring experts allows you to leave SEO running in the background of your business while you attend to other matters. This also allows you to run your business with less worry. After all, when hiring professionals, you expect them to deliver.

     4. Having Expertise and Experience on Your Side

The point of hiring outside help is to alleviate worry about whatever tasks they are given. You can safely assume that every person on an SEO agency’s team has been tested and vetted for their abilities. That is what allows them to produce quality results.

When outsourcing SEO, you are essentially putting the agency’s skills to use for your business while getting the same benefits that you would with an in-house team. Not all agencies are equal, however. Remember that expertise and experience vary, so get to know your agency as much as possible.

For instance, a craft brewery in Torrey Pines can attract more bars, pubs, and tourists with a website that ranks high on searches for “craft breweries in San Diego” than one that does not. Knowing this is an example of the difference that an expert SEO agency can make for local businesses all over the San Diego area.

     5. Maintaining Your Leading Position in Your Market

If you have gotten your business to a good position in the market without SEO, then its best use is to help you maintain or improve. Local SEO is highly competitive because the small businesses around you aim for the same goal. Ranking high on search engines is critical.

A local San Diego SEO agency can help your business reach and maintain a high position in local search results. That makes it easier to attract more potential website customers and get them to browse your products and services. Local SEO is great for boosting sales.

Five Serious Issues Related to Outsourcing SEO

Outsourcing SEO needs is not as simple as hiring the first or top result that you find. You have to assess the agency’s fit for your business in order to get the best partnership possible. Below are five issues with outsourcing SEO that you can prevent by doing your due diligence:

     1. Costs Accumulate Quickly If Left Unchecked

It is much cheaper to hire the services of a San Diego local SEO agency compared to an in-house team. The latter might turn out cheaper in the long term if you are not careful about budgeting outsourcing costs. When outsourcing, costs can accumulate fast.

Not all parts of local SEO are included in an agency’s services. Some might cost extra, while others could increase fees. It is important to be mindful of how and what services you obtain from your agency and be aware of their pricing model. This will help you avoid any hidden charges.

     2. Communication and Timeliness Are Secondary

The point of outsourcing is to perform the work your company cannot do. However, you are not their only client. Other companies also hire SEO agencies to formulate their strategies. This means that the agencies you encounter serve many clients.

The downside is that they are not exclusive to your business. There may be times when they are busy with other clients. Slow responses and lower productivity are risks of outsourcing. However, this mostly only applies to agencies that are not well organized. 

     3. Quality of Work Might Vary Based on Workload

Similar to the previous point, when choosing the right SEO agency for your business, consider the quality of their work and the factors that affect it. For instance, how aligned are their values with yours? This can affect communication and the relationship with the SEO agency.

Because their workload is another factor that affects quality, consider the scope of their services as well as your business needs. An inexperienced agency might seek to cut corners to meet deadlines when in a time crunch. Build a good working relationship with open communication to avoid this issue.

     4. Their SEO Services Are Not Exclusive to You

A major drawback of outsourcing is that you share the services with other clients who might be or become competitors. That means whatever strategies that you use can be similar to those of other small businesses. None of it is going to be exclusive to you.

You can request changes to make it more personalized. However, to offset the time and effort needed to get specialized services inflates the costs. Properly weigh this disadvantage against any advantage of hiring an SEO agency. That helps to ensure that you are making the best choice for your business.

For instance, a tech start-up in Rancho Bernardo ideally wants a partner that can focus on helping its business grow. It is highly unlikely that it will find an SEO partner that does not have other clients. The best it can do is to find an agency that does not have conflicts of interest.

     5. Your Competitors Might Also Be Their Clients

A conflict of interest is not always avoidable with outsourcing. Without asking, you cannot predict who the agency has taken as its clients. When this does happen, your progress might not happen as expected because your competitors are growing at the same rate as your business.

Make a point to check if the agency is also servicing the SEO needs of any local competitors. It is not a dealbreaker in and of itself, but it might be best to find another agency if they do not have plans to address this conflict. A good agency should know how to balance its clients.

Summing Up

When outsourcing your local SEO, you are putting your trust and business in the hands of the SEO agency. Do not take risks with an agency that you have not thoroughly reviewed, as any mistakes on their end may cause harm to your business. Weigh the pros and cons.

Need help finding the best San Diego local SEO agency? Contact Digital Authority Partners (DAP) to learn how we can help.