When Is the Right Time To Hire a B2B SEO Partner?

There is never truly a wrong time to hire a B2B SEO agency or partner. The truth of it is that this decision all boils down to your personal preferences because SEO success is still attainable even if you choose to go solo. However, in doing so, you’re discarding the many upsides of outsourcing.

This guide helps you determine whether or not to hire a B2B SEO partner. It includes:

• A short review of B2B SEO partner benefits
• Seven factors to consider when hiring one

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

Let’s go!

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The Role of B2B SEO Partners in Business Success

A B2B SEO agency or partner offers their search engine optimization (SEO) expertise through services. These include website and strategy auditing, data research and analysis, and digital advertising and marketing, all of which contributes to a better ROI.

Another advantage is that working with an SEO partner allows you to avoid common B2B SEO mistakes, including focusing on statistics that do not lead to increased sales. This means putting less stress on your business’s finances, and providing additional resources that can be invested in further growth.

7 Factors To Consider When Hiring a B2B SEO Partner

Hiring a B2B SEO agency would be similar to outsourcing the work of a department head. The position itself bears significant responsibilities, because of the many expectations and deliverables attached to it. You want to hire only the best if they have that kind of influence on your success.

First, sincerely ask: what factors are important for this position; what are my must-haves? Next, set out to find the right SEO match. Here are seven critical factors to begin with when considering hiring a B2B SEO partner.

     1. Cost-Benefit Study on Hiring a B2B SEO Partner

Let us start with asking, does your business need B2B SEO? While the undisputable answer is “yes,” the real question is whether you need it right now. To get the answer, conduct a cost-benefit analysis (CBA).

In a nutshell, a CBA’s purpose is to thoroughly investigate the associated benefits of an action, then weigh them against the cost to your company. It considers the future impact of the actions in question taking into account present resources.

     2. Presence of Competitors With B2B SEO Partners

Beating competitors is a compelling enough reason for anyone to want the advantages that B2B SEO partners offer. However, your competitors feel this way, too. This means that they are also considering hiring a B2B SEO partner to stay ahead. Look at it this way:

1. You and your competitors both hire SEO partners and are or more less evenly matched.

2. Competitors are taking over market shares with their advanced SEO marketing tactics.

3. You edge out competing businesses from the game with help from a B2B SEO partner.

     3. Availability of Team Members Who Can Do SEO

While B2B SEO is a must-have, outsourcing is not, at least not 100% of the time. Some small teams can accomplish enough independently, until the business and responsibilities grow to the point that they cannot effectively handle them. Depending on your definition, advanced SEO is doable for self-taught staff.

There are instances where self-taught skills acquired through trial and error are enough:

1. Your business is small enough that you can rely on staff to learn and apply B2B SEO.

2. You can assign SEO tasks to responsible departments (i.e., marketing).

     4. Satisfaction With the State of Your Digital Strategy

Some business owners feel confident in their approach to digital marketing and do not find it necessary to hire a B2B SEO partner. This is fine, as no one can – or should – force SEO on anyone. It reduces the effectiveness of SEO if friction exists between parties.

Working with a B2B SEO partner requires a foundation of trust and cooperation to yield positive results. Otherwise, you will waste both time and money and get nowhere. Even worse, you will end up with stress and frustration that negatively impact your day-to-day operations.

     5. Difficulties With Improving ROI and Lowering CPA

Out of all possible considerations for hiring an SEO partner, this is typically the make-or-break dilemma. For B2B businesses, correctly managing both returns on investment (ROI) and cost-per-acquisition (CPA) is the first step toward sustainable growth.

With their practical knowledge of crafting effective LinkedIn pay-per-click (PPC) ad strategies, the right SEO partner helps you achieve both ROI and CPA simultaneously. Without one, your business often struggles more than it should.

     6. Balancing the Different Aspects of Good B2B SEO

If you are already applying SEO but feel that your efforts are going nowhere, it might be because you are not dedicating enough resources to one or more aspects. For instance, B2B SEO is not all marketing strategies. You also need content and social media incorporated as a strategy, as well.

This is one case where hiring a B2B SEO partner grants much-needed peace of mind. It costs significantly less to pay someone to do a job properly from the beginning, than it is to pay someone to fix potentially fatal errors down the line.

     7. The Urgency of Hiring Critical B2B SEO Services

How urgently does your business need B2B SEO? Hopefully, not enough to break the bank or take out a loan just to hire a B2B SEO partner. In fact, SEO suggests the opposite.

You may have the necessary resources to feel as if you’re operating relatively well without a B2B SEO partner by your side. After all, SEO does not guarantee success out putting in the work. Many factors play into whether or not a strategy is successful. It depends on how much you put into it.

Summing Up

Outsourcing is always a good option for growing businesses, especially with B2B SEO. This is a relatively easy choice in some cases, but some businesses might struggle to determine whether they want or can afford to hire a SEO partner. Spoiler alert – it’s always a matter of when, not if.

Need help finding the right B2B SEO partner? Contact us to learn what we can do to help.