Whether you just launched a new business and you need to do SEO, or you’re an agency whose client requires services you don’t offer in-house, outsourcing local SEO can be a great solution.
But outsourcing can also present a whole other set of questions and challenges? Is outsourcing my best option? Who should I outsource to? Should I outsource the whole project or just part of it?
In this post, we’ll explore everything you need to know about outsourcing local SEO.
Why You Should Outsource Local SEO
Doing SEO takes time, talent, and resources that the average small to medium-sized business just doesn’t have. And let’s be real. You’d rather focus on running your business than thinking about SEO, anyways.
Outsourcing local SEO just makes sense. Of course you already know that, but let’s validate your thinking before we go any further.
Here are the main reasons why outsourcing local SEO makes sense:
Access to Special Skill Sets – Local SEO is a niche service that — let’s face it — you don’t have the talent for on staff. You probably don’t want to hire the talent either. Even compared to “regular” SEO, Local SEO is a whole different beast. You’re better off outsourcing it to someone who does this for a living.
Time Efficient – Local SEO can be time consuming and a little bit tedious. If it’s not a core part of your business, you shouldn’t dedicate internal resources to it.
Cost Effective – Managing your local SEO in-house means you will either have to hire full-time staff or require your existing staff to reallocate their time. Outsourcing removes that burden and lets your team focus on operating the business.
What local SEO services can be outsourced?
Local SEO involves a lot of moving parts. All of them can be outsourced but you may decide to keep some of these tasks in house.
For example, SEO agencies may want to keep the technical aspects in house but outsource content production to a third party. Businesses may want to handle reputation management themselves and outsource the more technical aspect of local SEO.
Here are some commonly outsourced SEO tasks:
Google Business Profile Optimization – Your Google Business Profile is the centerpiece of your local SEO strategy but setting it up right can be tedious and time consuming. Adding the right content and making continuous updates can also put a strain on your team.
Local Citation Building – Citation management can be tricky — especially when you have multiple locations. Outsourcing these tasks to an SEO consultant helps to ensure your citations are consistent across your website, blog posts, and directory listings.
Local Link Building – Link building involves a lot of cold outreach, relationship building, and amazing content creation. But be careful who you are outsourcing too. Bad links can have a neutral or even negative impact on your search visibility.
Content Creation – Content creation requires a lot of time, effort, and talent. It’s actually a completely different skill set from technical SEO. This is why many businesses and SEO agencies hire expert-level freelancers.
Local SEO Audits and Reports – Before you go all in on local SEO, you might want to test the waters with an SEO audit first. An SEO consultant will have the right software to analyze your website for weak spots and find your biggest areas of opportunity.
Should you outsource local SEO?
As I mentioned earlier, local SEO is a niche service that most businesses don’t want to dedicate internal resources to. Outsourcing makes sense in almost every situation. If you belong to one of the following groups, you should strongly consider letting a third party handle local SEO.
Small Businesses – Most small businesses just don’t have the time or resources to dedicate to marketing. If you fall into this category, you might be better off outsourcing to a freelancer or SEO agency.
Multi-location Businesses – Local SEO gets a lot more complicated when your business has multiple locations. Citation management alone can be a handful. Even if you think you have time to do it yourself, you may want to tap into the expertise of someone who has been there and done that several times.
Marketing Agencies – If local SEO isn’t part of your core services but a segment of your clientele requires it, outsourcing this part of your strategy could be your best option. Your internal team is already stretched thin and these kinds of peripheral tasks can drain productivity.
Who should you outsource local SEO to?
You’ve got several options for outsourcing your local SEO. Each option has its own set of pros and cons. Whichever route you take really just depends on your budget and your expectations.
SEO Agencies
An agency can provide a wide variety of services related to local SEO. They might even be able to help with other marketing challenges like paid advertising, content production, and website development.
Independent Contractors
Freelancers often provide the same level of service as an agency but at a fraction of the cost. If you just need help with some basic tasks like Google Business Profile optimization or citation management, hiring a contractor might be your best option.
Local SEO Tools
Platforms such as BrightLocal make it easier to manage local SEO campaigns. You can track performance, manage citations, and monitor online reviews in one easy place. This is a common solution for agencies that offer SEO services, but businesses without in-house expertise may still feel lost.
Challenges of Local SEO Outsourcing
Although outsourcing has many upsides, it does present some challenges of its own. But if you’re able to anticipate these challenges and take proactive measures, you might be able to avoid — or at least minimize —them.
Here are some of the biggest obstacles you can expect when outsourcing local SEO:
Poor Communication – This has been the death of many professional relationships. It usually happens when one party has less skin in the game than the other. To avoid this, make sure to establish clear expectations for communication and reporting early in the relationship.
Quality Control – It’s hard to control the quality of deliverables when you outsource production. Make sure to read reviews and testimonials from previous clients or ask for work samples before making the hire.
Budget Management – It can be hard for outside partners to provide an accurate estimate. Complexities can arise and you may discover it’s a bigger job than originally thought. This is difficult to avoid, but you can be proactive by reviewing the scope of work in detail before signing a contract.
Lack of Accountability – Some SEO partners may avoid accountability by reporting on deliverables or billable hours. It’s important to keep the conversation centered around results by asking for performance reports that focus on important KPIs.
How To Be successful With Local SEO Outsourcing
Success with outsourcing depends on foresight and proactive measures. Due diligence during the hiring process can save you a lot of headache down the road.
You may be eager to kick off your local SEO strategy right away, but you should always perform the following steps before making a final decision:
Assess Their Capabilities – Before you hire a local SEO partner, you want to examine their capabilities. Some agencies may be great at technical SEO but have a weakness in content creation. Others may not offer link building or reputation management. It’s important to review their service offerings and read client testimonials before hiring.
Review Their Pricing – Different agencies or contractors will price their services differently. Pricing can also vary depending on the scope of work and specific services being offered. For example, many agencies will charge per keyword. Multi-location businesses can also expect to pay more for Local SEO.
Examine Their Reputation – Not all SEO consultants are the same. You will definitely want to check out their reviews, case studies, and company history to make sure they are reputable and stand by their work.
Ready to get local SEO off your plate?
Local SEO can transform your business. But it also takes work and dedication. You may not have the resources to handle it on your own.
If you’re ready to outsource your local SEO to a partner you can trust, contact me today. I’ll start you off with a free SEO audit and provide some recommendations on where to start. We can take it from there.
SEOstateof_mind 