Do It Yourself or Get Someone Else?
Many companies find it hard to decide whether to outsource their SEM services or bring it in-house. Hiring a professional SEM firm can seem costly, but it is a critical business decision that will ensure the best return on your investment. Benefits to Hiring an SEM Firm:
SEM Expert Knowledge
As a regular part of their day to day business, SEM firms are required to frequently research their field as Search Engine Optimization constantly changes. SEO consulting firms are more likely to be aware of current trends and changing information within the SEM industry. Professional SEM continuously work on a wide range of sites so they understand what trends are working and what tactics need to be implemented.
In-house SEO specialists may not have the necessary expert knowledge or awareness of changing industry trends. Not having this information can cause websites to be penalized and removed from major search engines, resulting in a loss of visitors, sales and profit.
Range of SEO Services Required
An SEO expert views the company from a broad perspective, unifying the business needs of sales, marketing and IT. Most companies find that they have personnel who understand their specific departments, but lack the overall knowledge needed to be a successful SEO specialist. An in-house SEO expert may be unable to provide the objectivity and honesty that an outside professional SEM firm offers.
An in-house SEO expert would be required to wear many hats, and this list of responsibilities can be overwhelming. Professional SEM firms typically have many SEO specialists, and rarely does one person perform all of the SEO services.
SEM Firms Save Time
Search Engine Marketing services are incredibly time consuming, and on average it may take anywhere from 3-6 months to complete the majority of SEO work. An in-house expert will rarely have time to optimize hundreds of pages, write content, create Meta tags, find and exchange both reciprocal on on-way in bound links, run traffic reports and complete other SEO tasks in a timely fashion. A professional SEM firm with multiple, highly trained staff members can quickly accomplish what might take one SEO expert months to complete. .
SEM Firms Save Money
Hiring an in-house SEO specialist may seem to be a more cost-effective choice; however, this decision could be costly.
The average, salary for an SEO expert (in-house) is about $86K according to salary.com, and this cost does not including benefits like insurance and paid time off. It typically takes 3-6 months of training and experience to determine if a new employee will be effective for your company. You run the risk of the in-house specialist implementing poor SEO techniques costing you time and money, in fixing their mistakes and losing customers. The average SEO professional firm charges anywhere from $5K –$ 35K, for a staff of highly trained professionals. Even at the high end, hiring a professional SEO company is more cost efficient than hiring an in-house SEO professional.
Conclusion
SEM services are important to your business growth. A professional SEM firm has the knowledge, time, resources and expertise to conduct Search Engine Optimization services for your website that are guaranteed to have a positive effect on your bottom line.
If you would like a free high level evaluation of your website please call us at 1-847-680-8811.