How To Outsource SEO (+ Tips and Challenges)

Off-page SEO refers to optimizing off-site elements related to your online presence, like:

Off-page SEO is a bit trickier to optimize for, considering you’re not optimizing anything directly on your website. That’s why outsourcing off-page SEO is a great options for those who aren’t wholly familiar or comfortable with doing SEO on their own.

Local SEO outsourcing

Local SEO is all about optimizing your website for localized search results. Think phrases like “takeout near me,” or “construction business in [location].” It’s important to optimize for local SEO, especially when you have a physical storefront, because it helps you attract local customers and web traffic.

When outsourcing local SEO, you’ll partner with an agency that can help you optimize things like:

How to outsource SEO to the right company

Finding the best company for your SEO services is essential to getting the best results. Here are a few factors to look for when choosing an SEO company:

Steps to outsourcing SEO

So, when you’ve decided that your in-house team needs some help with SEO, how do you go about outsourcing your SEO campaigns?

Here are the most important steps to outsourcing your SEO:

1. Determine all the marketing services you want to outsource
2. Outline the goals you want to reach
3. Research top marketing agencies that offer the services you’re looking for
4. Confirm your strategy with the agency you choose
5. Track progress and keep up to date with your campaign

Download Now: Free Guide to Outsourcing SEO

1. Determine the marketing services you want to outsource

As a company that’s looking to outsource SEO services, you’ve likely dabbled in other marketing strategies as well. For example, you may also have a paid advertising campaign and an email marketing campaign on the back burner.

Before proceeding with SEO outsourcing, you should determine if there are any other marketing strategies that you want to outsource. If you want to outsource all your marketing, it’s best to search for an agency that offers all the services you need.

Choosing what you want to outsource will help you determine if you should hire a full-service agency for your SEO outsourcing, or if it would be more beneficial to opt for freelance SEO.

2. Outline the goals you want to reach

You should consider the specific goals you hope to reach with your SEO campaigns — including the metrics you want to increase and the site updates you’d like to make. This will help you find the perfect outsourcing option.

If your company can afford to hire a reputable agency, we recommend doing so, since it will likely be worth every penny.

3. Research top agencies that offer the services you’re looking for

Whether you’ve decided on outsourcing all your marketing or just SEO, you should look for an option that offers the services you’re looking for. Consider multiple options before narrowing down to a few companies, then start asking for proposals.

4. Confirm your strategy with the agency you choose

After signing on with an agency or freelancer of your choice, you’ll want to confirm your strategy. This step will ensure that you can tell your strategist your goals and expectations.

5. Track progress and keep up to date with your campaign

Be sure that you are aware of a reporting schedule so that you can always have a transparent view of the results your provider drives. Ask questions about the results your campaign drives, and be sure to address any concerns with your provider.

Mistakes to avoid with outsourcing SEO

Download Now: List of SEO Outsourcing Mistakes to Avoid

Below are a few common mistakes companies make when outsourcing their SEO services:

Going too cheap

Cheap SEO doesn’t mean good SEO. If you see a company advertising SEO services for lower-than-average costs, you’ll end up paying more down the line to repair the lackluster results.

Good SEO costs more upfront, but the return on investment (ROI) will pay for the initial investment over time. Plus, when you work with a credible company, you make sure that every penny goes toward business results.

Learn More: Why Cheap SEO Services Aren’t Your Company’s Friend

Inexperienced companies

SEO takes time to learn. The more experience a company has, the better. While newer companies can still provide quality work, they might have a harder time being flexible or thinking through challenges they haven’t seen before.

A more experienced SEO company will know how to work through challenges they’ve seen before, giving you the best chance at impactful SEO.

Companies tracking vanity metrics

Vanity metrics are numbers that look impressive but don’t speak to your website’s health. They don’t tell you how well your SEO strategy is doing, and if you focus on them too much, you could be pouring money into failing SEO.

Watch for companies who focus too much on:

• Website visitors
• Session duration
• Social media likes
• Other empty metrics

Misaligned goals and values

Above all, your SEO agency needs to be the right fit. You’re going to work closely with your agency, so they should respect your goals and be there to help you along the way.

What if you want to focus on your customer relationships along with SEO and your agency doesn’t offer options to meet that goal? Or, they promise to account for customer service, but they don’t factor that into your SEO plan? Misalignment like these could impact your own values and relationships.

Companies that promise fast results

SEO results don’t happen overnight — you could wait months to see a return on the changes you make. However, SEO is worth the wait, so you want to work with someone who is going to be with you for the long haul.

Churning out quick vanity metrics quickly might look good on paper, but it will end up wasting your time (and money!).

Businesses that fail to communicate

You need to communicate with your agency if you want to be involved in the process. A neglectful company will make the entire process much more difficult.

Reviews can be a resource for finding this information. You can also get a feel for their communication style during the pitch process.

Outsource your SEO with a leading agency — WebFX!

If you want to get started on your SEO, WebFX is ready to help. Our SEO services can help you transform your website into a powerhouse of information that draws in clients organically.

In our time, we have generated in income for our clients and 24,859,684 leads. With 500+ marketing experts on staff, you get an extended team ready to help you get more revenue from your SEO efforts.

Ready to learn more? Request a free quote today to get started!