SEO Agency vs In-house. Which is Better?

Nowadays, most businesses operate online, so competition is stiff to rank on the first search engine results page. To achieve such a goal, companies must perform SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) or optimise their website to comply with Google’s guidelines. This includes using keywords, creating backlinks, optimising page load time, user experience (UX), user interface (UI), and more.

As a result, there are many emerging SEO agencies, all formed with the purpose of providing marketing services to businesses. With so many to choose from, you may be wondering which one you should hire. Is it worth your budget? Or is in-house SEO a better way to go? This article will give you a clear explanation of which is better. But before we get to that part, let’s learn more about SEO first!

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) refers to how you customise your website, improve your content, and create backlinks to get your website displayed on Google’s first search results page. Roughly, the approach to SEO can be divided into 3 aspects:

• Content – e.g. writing your content using keywords to let Google know what your website is about, which helps it rank on the search results pages.
• Website structure and efficiency – e.g. creating internal links or HTTPS.
• Credibility – e.g. receiving referrals from external sites to your website, also known as backlinks.

These 3 aspects are essential whether you hire an SEO agency or do it yourself. Together they help optimise your website, which leads to it ranking on the search results page and better success for your online business.

SEO: Hire an Agency or Do It In-house? 

Whether you hire an agency or do it by yourself, there are factors you need to consider: readiness to perform SEO, the amount of time required, costs, and budget. Each element differs when doing in-house SEO and hiring an agency. 

Readiness to Perform SEO

This refers to both the readiness of the company’s personnel to perform SEO and the experience and expertise within the team. For this, it’s undeniable that hiring an SEO agency wins. An agency has personnel with the knowledge and expertise to perform quality SEO. This may lead you to think you could employ SEO experts rather than an agency, but there is a difference. SEO agencies benefit from a wider pool of skills and experience which can be tapped into when needed. This is not possible if you do SEO yourself or hire a freelancer.

Amount of Time

SEO takes time, from planning to adjust your website structure to creating content. In all, it can take around 1-3 months to complete and constant optimisation. For this, an in-house SEO team may be a better option as they can focus specifically on performing SEO. You may see results faster than if you hire an agency, as they will take care of several clients simultaneously.

Although it’s possible to do SEO in-house, it is a process of trial and error rather than quick wins. However, if you hire an SEO agency, they bring with them a wealth of experience, which can help reduce the time spent on SEO.

Therefore, it’s hard to judge whether in-house SEO or an SEO agency is better when it comes to time spent. Other underlying factors must be considered. For example, your in-house SEO team may not be able to generate results that are as impressive as an agency, so sometimes it’s worth spending more time for a better outcome. 

Costs

One of the most critical factors in marketing, regardless of the strategy adopted, is the costs. If you invest in in-house SEO, your budget will mostly be spent on hiring staff or an SEO team which might include a content writer, developer, graphic designer, SEO specialist, and digital marketing planner. 

Now, supposing an average employee’s salary is 25k Baht, that means the cost of your SEO already exceeds 100k Baht per month. Also, keep in mind that the salary of each position is not the same. An experienced website developer may earn over 50k a month, so your in-house SEO can cost you even more. However, your costs will be fixed with in-house SEO, so you’ll have a realistic idea of how much it will cost you each month. 

If you hire an agency, you can sign a contract of 3, 6 or even 12 months at a fixed rate, but you’ll be benefiting from the experience of employees at all levels. You may pay the agency around 100K Baht per month, or perhaps even 300 – 400k, and if your contract with the agency lasts for a year, your costs can be upwards of 1M Baht. But with in-house SEO, your costs can exceed 1.5M Baht, plus you have the admin associated with hiring and managing an SEO team yourself. 

In summary, whether you hire an SEO agency or do SEO in-house, both have pros and cons. The main factors to consider are readiness to perform SEO, the amount of time needed, and the cost. It depends on what the business wants to prioritise. However, it’s undeniable that SEO agencies offer quality and guaranteed results, which makes them worth the investment.

If you’re looking for an SEO agency, contact Primal. We have more than 150 digital marketing experts with the skills and expertise needed to help your site rank higher on the search results pages, which increases your opportunities to drive sales and generate more profits for your business. Please contact us today for a free consultation and marketing plan.