Should I Outsource SEO?

 

SEO has become a standard practice for companies wishing to succeed online. The chances of your business being found on the web, especially in Google, are slim unless you have some sort of campaign in place.

 

The benefits of having a good SEO campaign are usually seen through increased traffic, sales and leads that are driven via the website and result in a good ROI. Unfortunately Search Engine Optimisation is expensive, especially in the UK.

 

Anyone with some knowledge of how SEO works would agree that marketing agencies offering SEO at cut prices are a waste of money. You can't get top 10 positions for a one off fee of £50! It doesn't work that way. Maybe if you have a niche market that has yet to have any online dominance, you may have some success.

 

For companies who are willing to pay a little more for search optimisation services, they may have some concern about what it is they are getting for their money. They might prefer to have access to a dedicated optimiser and consider employing someone in-house to do the job.

 

Another money saving alternative is to look abroad. Outsourcing your SEO is cheaper, but does come with risks. Language, trust, work ethics, accessibility and faith in expertise would be major concerns for companies look elsewhere to achieve their online goals. With many business becoming desperate to increase sales they are looking into ways of achieving this at minimal expensive and often fall into these types of traps.

 

Here are a few tips that may help you choose the right way to outsource. Look for companies that have high success rates. Many SEO businesses like to put out on display the types of clients they work with and the success that can be directly attributed to their hard work. Websites that have little or no information like this might be an indication that you should stay away. If you contact them and they are unwilling or can't provide such information, then move on.

 

Language is important. Give them a call. Most outsource SEO companies have a skype account so its free to call and speak to someone. Make a list of SEO questions that you feel are relevant. Do some digging around online and knock up a list of technically and strategic questions that you know the answer to. There is enough information for you to learn from online. If they cant answer or appear to be winging it, then hang up the phone.

 

One last thing to look at is the type of work that they do. Many Outsource SEO's rely on low end linking building and use automated software to do so. Link building should be natural and contain a mixture of links from all kinds of site. If all they are doing is submitting your website to endless directories, you may find you get into trouble with Google, or at the least, have wasted your money.

 

Finally, look for companies within the UK that offer a mix of outsource SEO with UK  based strategists. This usually works out cheaper and not only do you get a qualified experienced SEO analyst designing and implementing your campaign, but a team of English speaking professionals who know what they are doing.

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