Outsourcing SEO? How Not to Sabotage It

Online, November 30, 2010 (Newswire.com) - If one of the sure signs of industry maturity is the growth of specialist, outsource services, then search engine optimisation (SEO) marketing must have stepped into adulthood, growing from a mysterious marketing tactic to a critical part of a marketing mix.

As a result, more companies are growing in-house SEO expertise. Alongside that, another phenomenon is brewing. There are also more companies outsourcing their organic search portfolio to external SEO agencies.

The most common reasons for this growing SEO outsourcing trend are:
1. SEO knowledge is not a core competency for the business
2. The cost of hiring, training and maintaining a team of SEO experts is too high
3. The business is not achieving required ROI for in-house SEO investment or in-house SEO is underperforming

For every company that has taken the decision to outsource SEO, there's another company bringing SEO back in-house simply because outsourcing did not bring the desired benefits. Poor SEO outsourcing decisions could easily sabotage a business's SEO efforts.

Given the growing importance of search engine optimisation in the online marketing mix, selecting the right agency to outsource SEO to is another important step in maximising SEO investment. aoom - art of online marketing - consultancy, outlines 5 areas to watch out for when outsourcing SEO.

1. Planning - Setting Objectives For Search Engine Optimisation
Before jumping into the selection process for the right SEO firm or consultant, a business should map out clear business and marketing objectives for SEO such as What is the business looking to achieve, what role does SEO play within the broader marketing mix, what are the potential impacts of outsourcing SEO and critically, what resources are needed within the business to effectively manage the outsource SEO agency. Proper planning will help in the selection of the most suitable outsourced SEO partner as well as help align expectations for both the agency and the business.

2. Selection - Picking The Right Search Engine Optimisation Firm
Type in "SEO agencies" in Google and there are easily more than 5.5M search results. With such a large number of SEO experts out there, how does a business separate good SEO agencies from the bad?

In order to select a good SEO agency, there are really no short cuts, the business needs to understand basic SEO - it is important to read up on SEO topics, from black hat tactics to common on page optimisation requirements in order to gain understanding on trends in the search marketing industry. Alternatively, a company can hire someone with a good level of SEO competency to help the business in the SEO outsourcing / selection process. This will help the business pose the right questions and evaluate the right agency to outsource SEO services to.

Equally as important, a company looking to outsource should always ask questions and validate answers. Asking question will help ascertain the SEO agencies or consultant's SEO knowledge as well as SEO philosophy. Some other critical information to request for include examples or references of website they have optimised as a demonstration of ability.

3. Recommendations - Reviewing The Search Engine Optimisation Plan With A Fine Tooth Comb
When an SEO proposal is presented to the business, it is important to understand the recommendations put forward by the SEO agency - what does the SEO recommendations mean, what do they entail, how to execute to it, what are the objectives - and learn from the recommendations. Where possible, a business should try to validate the recommendations; be it testing the SEO recommendations, discussing it with others on SEO forums or reading through SEO resources.

4. Search Engine Optimisation Reporting - Make Them Accountable
Good reporting makes outsourcing accountable and measurable. A business should never sign up with an SEO agency that does not provide proper reporting. While SEO agencies cannot (and should not) guarantee first place ranking on search engines, it is important to understand how the business will rank as well as understand how SEO performance and results will be reported back to the business.

Reporting transparency keeps the SEO agency accountable for their actions and gives the business information to understand SEO performance versus investment.

5. Search Engine Optimisation Cost - How Much or How Little
Pricing is often a tricky issue.

When it comes to SEO, high pricing does not equate to quality. Similarly, the cheapest deal does not always offer the best value or best meets the business objectives.
Most SEO consultancy are managed based on an ad hoc project (SEO audit) and/or combination of ongoing search engine optimisation initiatives.

The best way to approach SEO pricing to understand the scope of the SEO activities/projects included and to have a detailed breakdown of services that the business will be paying for - from SEO copywriting, creating fresh content to building links.

Ensure that reporting is part of SEO activity in order to monitor results. This will provide business with critical information to determine if the outsourced SEO agency is achieving desired results with the investment.

For more information, please visit: http://www.aoom.com.au