If you want to remain competitive in the digital realm — whether you’re looking to increase your online sales, rank for high-value keywords, or grow a healthy backlink profile to increase your authority — you need a stellar SEO and link building strategy. And that’s why so many businesses choose to outsource these services to professionals.
It’s all too common for business owners, especially those running SMEs who aren’t SEO experts themselves, to struggle with developing and implementing the right keyword or backlinking strategies. With limited resources and expertise, it can be difficult to know where to focus your efforts — or even where to start. But this is where agencies like Seeker — one of the leading SEO companies in Bristol — come in.
If you’re having trouble keeping your head above SEO-filled water, you’re puzzled by Google’s latest algorithm updates, or you’re constantly battling for rankings with no real luck, outsourcing your SEO and link building services could be the smartest choice you make. Here’s all you need to know about SEO outsourcing.
What’s the difference between in-house and outsourced SEO?
In-house SEO is where you have a dedicated internal team that manages your SEO services, whereas outsourced SEO means hiring an external SEO agency or consultant that provides specialist services in this area. In-house SEO may offer more control over your strategy but is resource-intensive, whereas outsourcing is often more cost-effective, particularly for smaller businesses.
Of course, it’s possible to have both in-house and outsourced SEO specialists working for your business. For example, you might have your internal team working on SEO-optimised landing pages or blog content, and an external agency team working on technical SEO or link building strategies. By partnering with the right SEO agency, your outsourced services can complement your internal team, creating a powerful alliance that maximises efficiency and output.
What are the benefits of outsourcing your SEO and link building?
If you haven’t got the time, resources, or indeed the expertise to dedicate to SEO or link building long-term, outsourcing the work to a professional agency can be a worthy investment.
Here are the primary benefits of outsourcing SEO:
1. More resources to work on in-house projects
Ranking on Google’s first page and securing links on high traffic sites doesn’t happen overnight. Managing a successful SEO strategy takes time, and this is time your business may not have an abundance of.
From identifying the best pages to focus on to performing technical audits, to outreaching for potential guest posting services, outsourcing your SEO and link building efforts can give your team more time to focus on other areas of your business.
As a small business, your resources are precious. So, sometimes that means handing over the reins to a more experienced team who can often achieve faster, and more sustainable, results. You can then allocate those resources to new areas — such as social media marketing or customer relationship management — and lift the pressure a little from your in-house team.
2. Better quality SEO and link building strategies
Perhaps the biggest advantage of outsourcing SEO and link building is the improvement in the quality and speed of your results. SEO agencies like Seeker are staffed by teams of specialists, often with many years of combined experience and excelling in areas such as content creation, digital PR, and technical analysis.
When managing an SEO strategy in-house, your knowledge of best practices and industry trends may be limited, meaning it’s often difficult to drive sustained, meaningful results. An SEO agency, on the other hand, applies specialised expertise to ensure you get the most from every facet of your organic growth strategy.
When it comes to link building, for example, outsourcing can improve link quality, diversity, and relevance, ultimately boosting your site’s domain authority and increasing your potential to rank. Working with an SEO agency can also help ensure you stay updated with the latest SEO trends and algorithm changes, ensuring future-proof organic growth.
3. Greater ROI in the long run
Outsourcing SEO and link building activities can lead to a significantly higher Return on Investment (ROI) over the long term. For one thing, outsourcing allows access to specialised talent without the overhead costs associated with full-time employees, such as salaries, benefits, and training, meaning it’s often a more cost-efficient way of driving growth.
Most importantly, however, an agency like Seeker will focus on delivering maximum value over time, delivering sustainable results that enable you to keep growing organically. By implementing robust yet flexible SEO tactics, your investment is likely to turn into consistent ranking improvements, continual traffic growth, and a steady increase in conversion rate.
4. Expert advice can feed into other areas of your business
Working with a digital marketing agency extends beyond just improving your online visibility. The insights and strategies provided by seasoned professionals can help you improve and align various aspects of your business — and this knowledge is highly valuable, especially for startups and small businesses.
For example, the data-driven approach of SEO experts can provide valuable information about customer behavior, preferences, and market trends. This knowledge can be leveraged to make informed decisions in other areas of your business, such as the type of content your social media audience will engage with or which product categories you should be focusing on.
What SEO and link building services can a digital marketing agency help with?
If you’re thinking about outsourcing your SEO or link building, then it’s important to know exactly what an agency can help with. All digital marketing services feed into each other, and many agencies offer a range of converging services — like us here at Seeker.
For example, an SEO agency might be able to help you manage the following:
On-page and technical SEO
On-page and technical SEO covers several important aspects of an overall SEO strategy, from keywords to canonicalisation. Some examples of on-page and technical SEO services offered by agencies include:
Keyword optimisation: In-depth keyword research based on targeted services, products, and conversations that your target audience is searching for. These keywords are then naturally integrated into on-page elements to improve search engine visibility.
URL structure optimisation: Ensuring a clean and user-friendly URL structure that aligns with SEO best practices, making it easy for search engines to crawl and understand the content.
Image optimisation: SEO-friendly images with descriptive file names and alt text. This improves accessibility (particularly important for ecommerce sites) and provides additional opportunities for search engines to index relevant content.
Page speed optimisation: Improving website loading times through various techniques, such as compressing images, minimising code, and leveraging browser caching, to improve user experience and search rankings (page speed feeds into Google’s Core Web Vitals, an important set of metrics for ranking).
Internal linking structure: A strategic internal structure to distribute link equity and guide users to relevant content within the website, enhancing both user experience and search engine crawling.
XML sitemap optimisation: Updating and creating XML sitemaps to facilitate search engine crawlers indexing all relevant pages on the website.
Canonicalisation: Implementing canonical tags to avoid duplicate content issues and consolidate the authority of similar pages, signaling to search engines which version of a page is the preferred one.
Link building
Using an outreach link building service means you can improve both the quality and quantity of your backlinks. Links from trustworthy sites convey authority, making it possible to rank for hotly-contested queries, but it requires time and resources to see impactful results — something an agency can take care of!
We’re very proud of the link building results we drive here at Seeker. Combining proactive and reactive methods, we begin securing tailored links with stringent risk management, sending important authority signals to search engines and boosting domain credibility.
Some examples of SEO agency link building services include:
Backlink acquisition: The process of actively obtaining backlinks (using white hat link building methods) from external websites to your own, enhancing your site’s authority and search engine rankings.
Competitor profile audits: Analysing the backlink profiles of competitors to identify strategic opportunities, and gain insights into successful link-building strategies within your industry.
Editorial outreach: Proactively reaching out to editors, journalists, or content creators to secure opportunities for guest posts, mentions, or collaborations, contributing to backlink acquisition.
Penalty recoveries: Addressing and rectifying penalties imposed by search engines, typically due to violations of SEO guidelines, to restore a website’s search engine ranking and visibility.
In-house link building training: Providing link building training sessions to equip internal teams with the skills and knowledge needed for sustainable link-building practices.
Content creation
Content writing, link building, and SEO are a dynamic team, with each adding value to the other. So, if you’re considering outsourcing one, don’t overlook the potential of having an expert handle all three. Without great content, securing backlinks and ranking highly is far more challenging. Content should always impress humans first, and worry about algorithms later!
Professional copywriters are also a dab hand at debunking technical subjects. Why does that matter for SEO? Well, your content needs to make sense, fit your company’s tone, and be grammatically correct to provide value. If you get that right, then readers are more likely to engage and link to your content, while Google rewards you with a healthy position in the SERPS.
Some examples of copywriting services offered by SEO agencies include:
On-site blog posts: Blogs published directly on a website such as valuable guides, how-tos, or insights relating to your products or services.
Content optimisation: Re-optimising existing content to improve its relevance, readability, and visibility on search engines, ultimately driving better user experience and search engine rankings.
Landing page copy: Optimised and informative page copy that guides visitors to take a specific action, such as making a purchase, filling out a form, or signing up for a service, to convert them into customers or leads.
Product descriptions: Writing persuasive and informative product or service descriptions that highlight features, benefits, and unique selling points to encourage conversions.
Digital PR
Digital PR is another valuable service that many digital marketing agencies offer, and can help you secure high-impact links and brand coverage from authoritative sources. If you’re looking to gain coverage in some of your industry’s biggest publications (how do Home & Garden or Business Insider sound?) outsourcing to an SEO agency that also specialises in digital PR (you guessed it, like Seeker) can increase your chances of securing just that.
If you want to build impactful backlinks while also increasing your brand’s media coverage, outsourcing your digital PR is a great solution. It combines traditional PR advantages, like building brand awareness and securing press coverage, with SEO benefits for online growth, such as better rankings, diverse backlinks, and increased referral traffic.
Some examples of digital PR services include:
Campaign development: Proactive campaigns aligned with your business goals, target audiences, and messaging. The aim is not only to enhance brand visibility, but also create shareable content that earns valuable backlinks. This comprehensive approach ensures the campaign aligns with SEO strategies, driving both short-term and long-term success.
Outreaching press releases and expert-led articles: Distributing well-crafted press releases and articles backed by industry experts to relevant media sources. The aim is to position your brand as an authority in its field, secure backlinks in prime publications, and gain media attention.
Expert commentary: Responding to queries on platforms like Help a Reporter Out (HARO) by providing valuable insights, expertise, and contributions, facilitating brand mentions, links and an increase in authority.
FAQs about outsourcing SEO and link building services
1. How long does it take to see results from outsourced SEO and link building services?
The timeline for results varies based on factors like industry competitiveness and the current state of your website. Typically, noticeable improvements in search engine rankings and organic traffic can be seen within a few months of implementing SEO and link building campaigns. However, SEO is continuous, requiring ongoing efforts to improve online visibility and authority.
2. How much do professional SEO and link building services cost?
Working with SEO and link building experts can be a big financial commitment, but one that’s definately worth it. The price will depend on the scope of work required, your goals and of course the years of experience being provided – don’t overlook the amount of time and effort required to get your business in a great position online!
3. How can I ensure that outsourced SEO and link building services align with my brand’s values and messaging?
When outsourcing SEO and link building services, it’s crucial to communicate clearly about your brand’s values, messaging, and target audience. Provide comprehensive guidelines and examples to ensure that all content and strategies align with your brand identity and objectives – a professional agency will ask about this as part of their onboarding process. Regular communication and feedback can also help maintain consistency and alignment throughout the partnership.
SEO and link building strategies are essential for brands that want to drive organic growth, but they can be tricky to nail on your own. Outsourcing link building can be a great way to drive your brand’s digital profile while saving precious in-house time and resources.
Looking for Bristol SEO services? Hoping to outsource your link building strategy to an SEO agency with vast expertise in this area? We’re here to help! Get in touch with our experts today to kickstart your online growth.
