Why Hiring an SEO Agency Is Better Than DIY SEO

 Introduction

In the digital branding landscape, search engines remain one of the leading contributors to the company's overall success - SEO is increasingly becoming one of the top contributors of success within digital branding, as well as online visibility. There are numerous guides, tutorials, and tools available to help you manage your own SEO efforts, but the DIY method could prove to be very cost-prohibitive, as you may not likely see any measurable return from it in an extreme competitive online environment over time. Therefore, your best alternative is to hire an SEO agency to provide SEO services on your behalf, and help you to achieve your expected results.

SEO no longer only constitutes putting keywords in the body of your content, or changing your meta tags; SEO includes a plethora of different components such as technical optimization, content strategies, user experience factors, data analytics, and the ongoing changes of search engine algorithms that can affect your performance in the search engines. By hiring an experienced SEO agency, you will have access to a team of expertise who will be able to work with you in creating & implementing a complete and effective SEO strategy for your business. Rather than using a trial and error approach as you would when managing your own SEO, you will have access to the wealth of knowledge and experience of SEO agency professionals. 

Importance of Hiring an SEO Agency Over DIY SEO

The primary reason for engaging an experienced SEO Agency rather than executing SEO yourself is due to how complex and ever changing Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is. Companies such as Google are continuously updating their algorithms, which makes it extremely difficult for individuals or companies with inexperienced SEO teams to keep up with these changes and remain in compliance. SEO companies monitor the continual changes by Search Engines and adjust their strategies to match these changes so that their clients' websites stay competitive and adhere to the rules of the Search Engines, thus avoiding penalties that will hurt their SEO ranking and, ultimately, decrease traffic.

Another reason is the expertise and accuracy that SEO agencies provide. SEO agencies employ experts in multiple areas (such as technical SEO, Content Optimization, Link Building, Analytics, and User Experience). This broad range of expertise gives SEO agencies the ability to notice problems that your DIY SEO could miss. For instance, the majority of DIY SEO workers do not take into consideration things such as Site Speed, Crawl Errors, Mobile Optimization, or Conversion Tracking. Each of these separately can have a significant impact on improving site rankings and providing a better User Experience.

Saving time is an additional factor. SEO takes time and dedication over a long period in order to develop, monitor, research, and optimize effectively. The day-to-day operations of a business can sometimes make it overwhelming and unproductive for a business owner to manage their own SEO, thus taking time away from their business. When a business hires an SEO Agency, they save time while also ensuring that their online presence is being managed in a professional manner.

Lastly, SEO Agencies place emphasis on return on investment and measurable results. They use advanced analytical tools, such as Google Analytics (GA) and other tracking programs, to keep an accurate data log of everything related to SEO-based activities (such as Results, Leads and Sales) in order to provide report data to business owners.

Benefits of Hiring an SEO Agency Instead of DIY SEO

Working with an SEO agency has many advantages that are not obtainable through DIY SEO. Perhaps the most important advantage is that you have access to professional knowledge and advanced technologies.

SEO agencies use high-end analytics, keyword research, and competitor analysis tools that would otherwise be unaffordable or difficult to operate for an individual. Having access to these tools allows an SEO agency to make better-informed decisions and thus provide faster results.

Another significant advantage of hiring an SEO agency is that they can provide you with constant and scalable results. SEO agencies use a structured, systematic approach, which is based on tried and tested methodologies and is tailored to meet your specific business objectives. Rather than "doing their testing" using trial & error methods, SEO agencies implement best practices to create results, improve search engine rankings, build traffic through organic methods, and generate leads over time. This level of consistency is not achievable using DIY SEO and is extremely difficult to sustain without the aid of a dedicated professional.

SEO agencies minimize the chance of making expensive mistakes. The use of improper SEO techniques, use of outdated practices, and unethical methods to build links can lead to penalties from search engines for your site. By using an SEO agency, you will be assured that your site will follow all white-hat SEO guidelines.

The final advantage of hiring an SEO agency is the time and cost benefits. Even though DIY SEO may seem to be the cheaper option, the time you spend learning and correcting mistakes will far outweigh the cost of hiring a professional to do the work for you. By outsourcing to an SEO agency, you are free to focus on the core business functions.

Advantages of Hiring an SEO Agency Over DIY SEO

There are several distinct advantages to using an SEO agency versus doing your own SEO. This is especially true if the business is focused on building long-term digital success. The first and perhaps most important benefit is the ability to develop a strategic plan for how to optimize your website. Unlike doing your own SEO, which typically includes some type of generic practice, an SEO agency will develop a unique strategy specifically for your business based on its goals, target audience and competition in the market. Because of this customized plan, the traffic that flows to your site will be much more relevant, resulting in a higher rate of conversion.

Another very strong advantage to using an SEO agency is the wide range of specialists that are available within the agency. Rather than relying on one individual to manage all aspects of your SEO, an agency will provide numerous specialists in various areas including: technical SEO, content marketing, on-page optimization, link building and analytics. The fact that your SEO will be managed by a devoted team of experts allows for a higher level of professionalism and efficiency when addressing all facets of SEO.

A further benefit that SEO agencies offer over the competition is in-depth competitor analysis. This means that agencies will analyze all of your competitors and see what types of strengths and weaknesses they have and what types of keywords they are ranking for and what types of backlinks they have and look at this information to find opportunities that you can use to gain an advantage over your competitors. This type of comprehensive analysis is typically not performed in a DIY SEO situation.

Finally, most SEO agencies will take a data-driven approach to decision making and continue to optimize for success. Agencies will frequently track performance, provide ongoing reporting, and continually improve your website based on what they see in the data. By monitoring and adjusting continuously, SEO agencies will keep websites ahead of their competition.

Conclusion

The conclusion can be drawn that although DIY SEO is perhaps less expensive, lack of experience, lack of consistency, and lack of strategy will ultimately result in no meaningful and enduring SEO results. SEO is a constantly evolving and multi-dimensional process that involves technical SEO, analytical skills, creative content planning, and monitoring of search engine changes. Therefore, trying to have a full-time job as a DIY copywriter and SEO specialist means you are likely to experience slow growth, missed opportunities and/or make mistakes that negatively impact your business.

On the other hand, hiring a professional SEO company gives small businesses an edge because they have access to many of the latest, advanced tools and proven methodologies. Agencies use a data-driven approach to make decisions based on what works best for a specific industry or type of business and adhere to the guidelines provided by Google and other search engines.

Finally, working with an SEO company provides business owners and management with the ability to focus on their strengths, manage and grow their business, while an outside expert manages their online visibility and performance. The transparency provided through the monthly, quarterly, and yearly reporting of the work completed by a professional SEO company, combined with measurable results, reinforces the benefits of working with a professional SEO company.

As discussed above, working with an SEO company is more than just getting a higher ranking; it is the beginning of creating a credible, competitive online presence for your company. Compared to the DIY approach to SEO, the agency approach offers a much higher level of professionalism, experience, knowledge, and support to businesses.