The most important decision an organization will make regarding the long-term success of its SEO program is the foundation upon which it is built. There are three critical elements to consider that will determine the long-term success of the program:
- The right person(s) in charge are competent and empowered to lead.
- There is a proven plan in place.
- They report to a leader who knows SEO and can lead and mentor them.
Without these three crucial elements, the level of success you seek in your SEO program is unlikely to be achieved. It’s essential not to make such a significant decision without the guidance of an expert who has experience in these areas. Their insights can provide reassurance, instill confidence, and prevent potential pitfalls.
Popular Models for Building an SEO Program
Several options are available to a business leader when starting anew with their SEO program, which we will explore below. However, many of these leaders will elect to do nothing and hope the search engines will figure it out.
Some will make the mistake of entrusting the program to someone who has expertise in another area, such as offline marketing, paid search, or with the IT or development team. They fall victim to the belief that these channels are close enough to run an SEO program.
Or they may have resigned themself to relying on costly paid search campaigns to drive visibility. Paid search is an effective way to gain visibility for queries that are important to the business but it is a very expensive long-term solution.
Those who make the decision to build an SEO program often choose one of the following potential options.
The ”Hire A Guy” Option
A common place to start is to pass on the agency and in-house options and “hire a guy.” This is often someone that they know from a previous position or someone that they find online. A search engine optimization expert comes in and is given the autonomy to begin developing the program. They are given the free reign to move forward however they see fit.
A single professional can move quickly to build a plan of action. They are a team of one so they aren’t bogged down with hiring, training, and leading, they can plan SEO activities and focus their entire attention on completing them.
That being said, there are some drawbacks. Often the SEO professional proceeds unchecked and unchallenged because the leader either isn’t knowledgeable enough, not willing to hold them accountable, or isn’t available enough to direct them. Leaders empower this person to handle everything from developing the strategy to implementing the process, and providing the reporting. And with all of this, they are expected to scale it for the future.
This approach absolutely can work, given the right situation. However, there has to be appropriate vetting of this person’s knowledge, skill, and experience before they should be entrusted to lead such an important channel for the business. It’s critical to have proof that they know what they are doing and have strong communication skills to collaborate with various stakeholders such as development, marketing, and leadership. It also requires that they understand where the company is headed and are sure of the plan of how to get them there.
The In-House Team Option
When the stakes are too high to entrust the SEO program to a single person, the discussion will elevate to whether or not to build an in-house team. Hiring a team of experts provides many benefits. Unlike the one-person show, there are multiple voices and input regarding strategy and several sets of hands moving projects forward.
Unlike the agency option, you retain hands-on control of your program. It ensures that your organization’s needs will always be at the forefront of all decisions because they have a vested interest in your success.
An in-house team will always have more relational equity with internal stakeholders than an outside consultant or agency ever could. They are also more likely to completely understand the long-term strategies and goals of the company’s proprietary long-term strategies and goals, which are not at liberty to be shared with outside entities. They also understand what can and cannot be done.
While budget shouldn’t be the most crucial factor in determining directions, choosing a one-person show will always be the least expensive option. If budget is the determining factor, you should go that route. However, you should expect to invest significant time and money in either in-house or agency options.
When building an in-house team, the most important question is, “Do I have the right resources to oversee, guide, and hold them accountable?” SEO is not dark magic, but it is a very niche digital channel that requires a unique blend of technical knowledge and marketing savvy to do it right. Finding a person with high marks in both is not easy.
And truth be told, search professionals, in general, are a unique breed. Many are far more comfortable in a dark office banging out meta tags and monitoring Google Analytics than leading a team, educating stakeholders, or communicating effectively with leaders. With many companies, the latter can be very intimidating. It takes a high level of confidence in your knowledge to sit around the conference table with those who may be perceived as more intelligent or better educated, better paid, and more aggressive than they are. This makes the hiring process extremely difficult and crucial. Once you have decided, you are stuck with them for a season – whether they prove to be a good or bad hire.
That said, the in-house team option is usually the right choice for big companies where organic search will always be priority. For scenarios where ongoing control of the program and company-wide education are critical, hiring a talented leader who can build a high-performing team that is in it for the long haul can ensure long-term success.
The Outsource to an Agency Option
Another popular direction, especially for big companies with big budgets, is to pass on the one-person and in-house team and outsource everything to an external agency. With this decision, the entire program is entrusted to an outside entity with the expectation that they will build the program far beyond what an in-house option ever could, without the headaches of additional salary and lower risk of failure.
Anytime an organization goes with an agency, there is a reason and certain expectations. They assumption that they will have immediate access to a bigger team – one with more resources, specialized expertise, and direct connections with the search engines themselves. They assume they are buying access to a far more impressive and respected group of professionals than an in-house team could provide.
Again, given the right situation, this can be a great option. An agency usually comes with a tried and tested set of processes and deliverables that do not need to be built from scratch. They have the resources to tackle multi-faceted projects with a quick turnaround. Selecting the right SEO agency gives you instant access to a larger team of professionals with deep knowledge and diverse skills.
However, there are pitfalls with this option. Regardless of how impressive its sales slides and pitch are, an agency will never be as intimately knowledgeable about your business and industry or more invested in your success as an in-house team can be. This is one of many realities that organizations are often unaware of before signing an expensive and long-term agreement.
The Hybrid Option
The final option is to use a hybrid model. With this solution, a company hires an SEO professional, or builds a small team entrusted to represent the company’s best interest while outsourcing most of the tedious day-to-day work to an agency. It can be the best of both worlds.
For big companies, this is almost always the best option. Not the cheapest by any means, but the most effective. It places a subject matter expert or experts in charge who will be far more effective with educating and nurturing buy-in with other internal teams, and ensuring that project deadlines are on track and goals are met. The role of the in-house person or team becomes more about setting and communicating strategy, measuring performance, and managing the agency while offloading the bulk of the hands-on SEO work to the agency team.
Another benefit is that it provides access to a team exposed to a wider variety of situations and solutions than an in-house team will. The Team is always expected to stay current on cutting-edge strategies, developments in the broader marketplace, and changes in SEO industry.
The other good thing is that if performance does not meet expectations it is easier to fire an agency while keeping the internal people intact. Assuming that there is still confidence in the in-house team, the foundation’s core and internal equity will remain.
The challenge with the hybrid option become apparent when there is a long stretch of poor performance. In these instances, a business leader can become very confused. When the pressure of accountability sets in, both sides can get defensive, and finding the truth from either can be challenging.
That being said, the hybrid program provides an internal point person to ensure that strategy is aligned with company goals and objectives while outsourcing the many SEO tasks to an external agency. The hybrid approach ensures that the program executes as planned and can hold the agency accountable for performance.
Regardless of which option looks the best to you, it is always better to get input from someone who has experienced these scenarios and can advise on the best way to move forward. Learn from my winning decisions and my mistakes, and save yourself a lot of time and money.
Conclusion
Regardless of which option looks the best to you, it is always better to get input from someone who has experienced each of these scenarios and can advise on the best way to move forward. Learn from my winning decisions and my mistakes and save yourself a lot of time and money.