Look at the advantages and disadvantages of SEO managed in-house and SEO handed to an agency to decide which solution suits your business. You will also find the steps for outsourcing your SEO strategy.
Is it better to outsource SEO to an agency or keep it in-house?
The choice between SEO handled by an agency or by an in-house team depends on factors specific to your business, such as budget, team size and workload. It also depends on your team, your SEO knowledge, your goals and how far you want to scale.
The table below sets out these considerations:
| Factor | External SEO agency | In-house SEO team |
|---|---|---|
| Time | Limited time | One (or more) team members dedicated to the SEO role |
| Skills | Gaps in on-page, off-page or technical SEO skills | Complete SEO knowledge (team members can research and implement updates effectively) |
| Performance | Stagnant or lagging performance | Acting effectively and meeting leadership's goals |
| Reporting | You need reports on rankings, traffic and ROI | You need basic reports, such as rankings and traffic |
| Company age | Established business or new business with external funding | New business (without external funding) |
| Omnichannel | Integrating SEO into omnichannel marketing campaigns | Running SEO as a standalone marketing campaign |
| Budget | Budget available (around £1,100 a month or more) | Small budget (under £1,100 a month) |
Read on for more detail on choosing between the two options.
What is the difference between in-house and outsourced SEO?
The difference between in-house SEO and SEO outsourced to an external agency lies in who runs the search engine optimisation (SEO) work. With in-house SEO, your own employees manage it, while with outsourced SEO the work is handed to a third party, such as an SEO agency.
SEO handled by an in-house team
What taking SEO in-house means for your business:
Cost
The costs of in-house SEO include:
| Cost | Average price |
| Dedicated SEO specialist | £33,600 / year (Glassdoor UK average, July 2026; this figure does not include employer National Insurance, pension contributions or other benefits) |
| SEO tools and software | $1,500+ / year |
Additional costs to consider include:
- staff turnover
- One-off costs, such as hiring a freelancer for writing or design.
Cons
The disadvantages of in-house SEO include:
| Disadvantage | Description |
| Cost | High running costs (SEO specialist salaries in the UK average around £33,600, with a range of roughly £25,000 to £40,000 in base pay, before other business costs such as National Insurance, insurance and equipment) |
| Upkeep | Teams have to keep their SEO knowledge up to date, from algorithm updates to optimisation tactics |
| Recruitment | Finding team members for office, hybrid or remote roles can take months |
| Competition | Competing for internal resources, such as development or writing time, to complete SEO optimisations |
Pros
The advantages of in-house SEO include:
| Advantage | Description |
| Control | Full control over strategy, optimisations and reporting |
| Business knowledge | Brand experts who know your products or services well, and more |
| Accessibility | Easy, convenient access to the SEO marketing team members |
| Time | An SEO team member spends all their time on your site |
SEO handed to an external agency
What handing SEO to an agency means for your business.
Cost
The average cost of outsourcing SEO to an agency depends on how the SEO service is structured. Pricing can be monthly, hourly or per project. The most common rates in Ahrefs' survey of 439 SEO providers (published December 2023, updated August 2024) are:
- Monthly: $501 to $1,000
- Hourly: $111 on average
- Per project: $2,501 to $5,000
These fees bundle individual expenses together, making SEO more affordable. The expenses can include:
- Dedicated team
- Tools
- Content / tasks (such as content produced, optimisations implemented and so on)
Cons
| Disadvantage | Description |
| Specialisation | An agency may have no experience with a specific niche |
| Control | Less control over your strategies, depending on your SEO partner |
| Contract | Most SEO agencies usually ask for a six-month commitment |
| Procurement process | You will often need senior management's approval to hand SEO to an agency |
| Site access | You usually need to give your SEO provider access to your site. Some agencies can work without site access, but they will ask your team to make the necessary updates. |
Pros
| Advantage | Description |
| Cost | The most common SEO retainer is $501 to $1,000 a month, which is usually cheaper than in-house SEO, because the service includes the team, tools, reporting and so on. |
| Expertise | You rely on experienced SEO professionals and on some of the best SEO services, who can help give SEO performance a push when it has stalled. |
| Scalability | You can expand your strategy with a dedicated SEO team. |
| Integration | Full-service agencies offering SEO can integrate it into an omnichannel campaign or offer digital marketing services. |
| Technology | You get access to advanced technology for site optimisation, in-depth reporting and syncing marketing data, for a more competitive SEO strategy. |
How to decide between in-house SEO and an external agency
When deciding whether to manage SEO in-house or hand it to a specialist agency (and also when comparing SEO agencies), there are a few main questions to ask:
1. What is your SEO budget?
SEO specialist salaries in the UK average around £33,600 a year, while the most common agency retainer is $501 to $1,000 a month.
At first glance, handling SEO in-house might look like the cheaper option. Bear in mind, however, that an SEO specialist costs around £33,600 a year in salary alone. If your goal is to build an SEO team, the price rises quickly.
For outsourced SEO services, on the other hand, the most common retainer is $501 to $1,000 a month, with larger projects well above that.
The scope and goals of your project determine the final amount you pay for SEO, so this is an important decision point to weigh up.
2. What is the scope of your SEO project?
Large-scale technical SEO projects often require skills that fit with outsourcing the campaign.
An experienced SEO partner can guide you through the steps needed for a complex SEO project, which may require technical SEO solutions or enterprise SEO services, starting from scratch. If your in-house team lacks technical SEO skills, in-depth SEO projects will be hard to manage.
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3. Do you have the experience and resources to manage SEO in-house?
Does your in-house team have the experience and resources to run an ongoing SEO strategy that produces results? If so, good.
But if your team lacks the skills needed to run SEO campaigns, particularly the more technical side of SEO, that can be a problem for your business. You risk spending budget and resources ineffectively.
4. Will your team keep up with constant changes in SEO?
SEO needs continuous maintenance to keep producing results.
SEO is not a strategy you can set up once and then forget. It needs ongoing work to keep producing results.
To succeed, your team will also need to stay up to date with constantly changing technology, SEO trends and SEO courses.
If your team is already stretched, it probably will not be able to keep up with SEO enough to increase your ROI.
5. Do you work in a very niche sector?
Depending on your sector and niche, you may find it harder to find SEO agencies with experience in your field. For that reason, building an in-house team to handle SEO may work better.
6. Do you have the software and technology SEO needs?
Without an SEO partner, you have to pay for tools and technology separately, which can push up the total cost of SEO.
Agencies often include the cost of software and advanced technology in the price of their SEO services. Without an SEO partner, you have to pay separately for tools and technology, which can push up the total price of SEO. With this SEO software for agencies you get integrated solutions that simplify your SEO work and save on overall costs, since you get the tools you need in a single package.
How to outsource SEO to an external team
How outsourcing SEO services can simplify your strategy. This information is based on many years of helping businesses optimise their websites, and can help you find the partner that best fits your specific needs:
1. Set out your goals
Outline your goals for outsourcing SEO services, and make clear what senior management expects from the work. Consider your own expectations too, such as how much time you want to invest, who should be the supplier's point of contact and so on.
2. Build your shortlist
Put together a shortlist of potential agencies (or freelancers) with tactics such as:
- Asking your network for recommendations
- Using search engines to find well-regarded agencies
- Looking for agencies in your area (if you also want to meet in person)
While building the list, keep these questions in mind:
- Does the agency fit your budget?
- Does the agency have case studies and online reviews?
- What kinds of businesses has it worked with?
Asking these questions will help you build an accurate shortlist and save time in the next stage, which involves meeting these suppliers to discuss your business's specific needs.
3. Start assessing the candidates
Now it is time to get in touch with the agencies you have found. Take the time to contact the best SEO agencies (or freelancers) on your list. In most cases an initial call will tell you whether they are right for your project. If not, the agency itself may recommend another contact.
Use the call for that purpose, for example by asking:
- Have you worked with businesses in my sector?
- Do you guarantee results? ( Note: guaranteed results are often a red flag.)
- How do you measure results?
- How long does onboarding take?
- How much ongoing time would you need from me or my team?
You can also gather questions from earlier discussions with your team and senior management. Based on this first conversation, you can decide whether you want more information from the agency and whether you want to work with them.
How to do SEO in-house
Would you rather manage SEO internally? These steps can help you get started:
1. Define your goals
Before writing a job advert, consider the following questions:
- What is the current SEO state of your site?
- What do you want to achieve with SEO?
- How will you measure SEO results?
- How much will you spend on SEO?
Your answers will guide you in hiring an SEO. For example, if your business has a limited SEO budget, you could hire freelancers to help with SEO tasks instead of a full-time team member.
2. Find your SEO professional
Next, use the right channels to get in touch with one of these profiles:
- Freelancer
- Contractor
- Full-time team member
Depending on the type of role, you may be able to hire without your human resources (HR) team. For example, if you are looking for a freelancer to write SEO content, you can probably do it through platforms such as Upwork.
For full-time roles, you will need to work with your HR department.
3. Start onboarding
Once you have hired your SEO (which can take months for full-time staff), you can start onboarding. Onboarding processes vary by company and role. A freelancer producing SEO content will need fewer resources than a full-time SEO.
If you go for a full-time SEO, onboarding can also include:
- Reviewing the business goals for SEO
- Completing a website audit
- Outlining opportunities and priority actions
- Generating strategic ideas
Your support and their work during this phase lay the foundations for the overall SEO strategy.
With that, you have taken the first steps towards managing SEO in-house. Keep these tips in mind:
- SEO usually takes 3-4 months to start working
- Measure SEO performance regularly, for example quarterly with monthly spot checks
- Review regularly whether you need more SEO support.
Work with an SEO agency you can trust
Deciding whether to hand SEO to an agency or run it with an in-house team is a significant decision for any business, whether it is business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C).
We hope this guide has given you a clearer idea of which choice suits you. If you have everything you need to run your SEO campaigns in-house, you now know what to expect.
If you need a hand, we are happy to help. Want to look more closely at in-house versus agency for your business? Contact us and we can review your situation together and send you a tailored SEO proposal.
