Keeping SEO In-House vs. Outsourcing

Companies of every size are looking for ways to increase results while lowering costs. This creates a dilemma for search engine optimization. Visibility, clicks, online leads, traffic, and sales are more important than ever, but also more challenging to obtain. Is it better to manage SEO in-house or outsource it to maximize your return on investment?

What It Means To Handle SEO In-House vs. Outsourcing It

Having an in-house SEO team means your company manages SEO tasks, from planning to execution, internally rather than outsourcing them.

Outsourcing SEO means hiring a third-party agency (or a consultant) to perform some or all of the necessary work.

Effective SEO involves a range of tasks, including:

• Developing a customer-focused strategy
• Choosing keywords that align with marketing goals and opportunities
• Creating content to support your target keywords
• Analyzing metrics to ensure performance
• Managing backlinks and building outreach opportunities
• Setting and achieving strategic goals for search rankings 

How many professionals are required for SEO depends on the size of your marketing program, but it’s common to need at least a few people, whether you choose outsourcing or in-house SEO. 

The Benefits of In-House SEO

Bringing your SEO efforts in-house helps you create a program that fits your target audience and marketing objectives perfectly.

Full Control Over SEO

One of the most significant benefits of having an in-house SEO team is the freedom to control every decision relating to web content, search optimization, and marketing campaigns. For example:

• What short-term and long-term SEO strategies to follow
• Which topics to cover and avoid, and from what angle
• Which keywords to prioritize, when, and how
• When to use SEO and when to use pay-per-click advertising for promotions
• How to respond to audience shifts or market trends

Almost 60% of American consumers feel that brands don’t understand what they want, expect, or need. Poor SEO targeting can make the problem worse or generate fewer valuable leads.

How does in-house SEO help? Company employees have access to more internal information. They’re more likely to understand the unique advantages of your products, your brand identity, and what makes your customers tick, potentially aligning your SEO content more closely with target audiences.

Tight Integration Between SEO and Other Marketing

In-house SEO benefits from closer integration with other company marketing channels, such as social media, lead-nurturing programs, and video content. Omnichannel coordination makes it easier to shift your focus in response to trends, concentrating your resources where they have the biggest impact. 

Third-party agencies can offer the same flexibility if you use a single provider, but trying to coordinate multiple agencies (e.g., PR, SEO, and influencer marketing) can add significant complexity, costs, and communication delays.

Advantages of Outsourced SEO Services

Compared to coordinating SEO in-house, outsourcing is generally faster, easier, and less stressful for business owners.

SEO Experts With Their Own Tools

SEO agencies often have 10 to 20 years of experience in the industry. Many are founded by or employ experts in digital marketing and SEO. For example, some SEO professionals leverage decades of expertise and industry connections to improve a site’s backlink profile more quickly.

Generally speaking, third-party agencies and SEO consultants provide the necessary tools for the project. These often include SEO analytics platforms, keyword research tools, advanced content management systems, site maintenance software, and A/B testing solutions.

Specialized Knowledge and Bespoke Solutions

Outsourcing SEO to experts is like hiring an experienced contractor instead of a handyman for kitchen remodeling. In-house teams can perform general SEO tasks easily, but more complex or resource-intensive issues benefit from a skilled hand that knows exactly what to do.

This is especially true if your website requires specialized content for SEO. It’s not easy to find an employee with SEO experience and expert knowledge in cybersecurity, HIPAA compliance, or automation technology. On the other hand, SEO agencies may have a go-to expert available for each of these fields.

Turnkey Packages

For many small business owners, outsourcing SEO is a good way to simplify marketing and get good results. Many agencies combine SEO with content marketing, social media marketing, and paid search advertising. Choosing a comprehensive package that fits the needs of your business allows you to focus on managing your employees and satisfying your customers.

Less Effort and More Convenience

Hiring an SEO agency is like leasing a car versus buying one. Owning a vehicle sounds great in theory, especially for saving money, but reality doesn’t always match the first impression. Being responsible for all maintenance, repairs, and breakdowns can get old quickly.

When you outsource SEO to an experienced agency, you can usually “set it and forget it.” The agency delivers performance reports to keep you in the loop and make sure you’re getting your money’s worth, but you shouldn’t have to worry about any of the hard work.

Time Savings

Even in larger companies with a dedicated marketing department, outsourcing SEO may be the right call for efficiency. By handing over the reins of time-consuming tasks such as keyword research, content planning, article writing, and backlink building, you free up in-house specialists to focus on more critical decisions, such as advertising strategy, market research, audience touchpoints, UX, web development, and channel management.

Downsides of Handling SEO In-House

Despite in-house SEO offering closer brand alignment and control, over 60% of marketers outsource at least some SEO tasks. Why is outsourcing popular even with enterprise-level businesses? There are several cons to moving your SEO efforts in-house.

Hiring Costs and Employee Benefits

The costs of maintaining an in-house SEO team can add up quickly. In 2025, SEO specialists in the U.S. make an average of $65,000 a year. SEO managers have an even higher average salary, from $52,000 on the low end to over $130,000 for some experts. These pay statistics don’t include expenses like insurance, payroll taxes, and job perks.

In-House SEO Training

Sourcing, hiring, training, and overseeing in-house SEO teams takes time and resources. Additionally, there’s no guarantee that workers will stay with your company. If they leave, you’re back to square one, restarting the costly cycle of recruiting and retraining.

Less Expertise in SEO

There’s a difference between general marketing professionals and dedicated SEO specialists. Digital marketers may have a surface-level understanding of SEO best practices, but that’s not always enough for organizations that face intense competition for keywords, especially when sales or leads depend entirely on website traffic.

Multi-User Subscriptions for SEO Tools

When you create an in-house team, your organization also has to pay for the necessary tools. For small businesses, free SEO software may be enough, but larger companies and ecommerce businesses generally need a multi-user subscription for keyword planning, analytics tools, and link management.

HubSpot’s enterprise marketing hub costs more than $3,500 a month for five users. The Ahrefs SEO platform (popular for keyword research and planning) costs nearly $500 a month for just one user.

What About a Hybrid Solution for SEO?

You can outsource some SEO tasks and still keep control over strategy and implementation. Discover our suite of custom SEO services today.

Cons of SEO Outsourcing

The cons of outsourcing your SEO depend heavily on the agency’s reputation. There aren’t very many downsides to working with trustworthy SEO professionals. A good SEO firm should adhere closely to your company’s marketing strategy and brand identity, helping you achieve your objectives and communicating regularly with your team.

Is outsourcing SEO more expensive? It can be, especially compared to learning SEO yourself. The more SEO content your site requires and the more keywords you target, the more third-party agencies charge.

Of course, if you have to hire multiple full-time professionals for in-house SEO, outsourced packages may save you money instead.

Important Factors for SEO In-House vs. Outsourcing Decisions

There’s no right or wrong answer when choosing between in-house SEO teams and third-party SEO agencies. For some companies, an in-house model is perfect. Others are willing to pay for added convenience and less hassle.

Which option fits your company’s needs and objectives the best? Five factors can guide your decision.

1. SEO Complexity and Industry Requirements

Does your company need to compete with established sites or rank for high-difficulty keywords? Does your content require a high level of precision, such as legal, health, or technical data? Outsourcing may provide access to a greater range of expertise.

2. Scalability

Third-party SEO firms can easily scale with content needs and keyword targeting growth. Small in-house teams or individual consultants may not have the bandwidth to compete for hundreds of search terms.

3. Time Constraints

Does your CMO or marketing department have the bandwidth to manage SEO effectively? Spreading yourself too thin leads to less-than-stellar performance.

On the other hand, some small and mid-size businesses find that a single in-house SEO professional is just right for taking care of their strategy from start to finish.

4. Customer Concerns

Is your brand’s target audience extremely sensitive to messaging and content tone? In that case, in-house SEO and content marketing may be a better fit. Managing content creation doesn’t completely eliminate the risk of PR problems, but you have more control than with third-party services.

Expert Help With SEO Outsourcing and In-House Teams

At BKA Content, we have more than 15 years of expertise in search optimization for ecommerce, B2B, healthcare, and other industries. In addition to expert SEO services, we also provide support for in-house marketing teams. Streamline your digital marketing with cutting-edge SEO outsourcing and in-house consulting solutions.