As times are changing and we are moving towards the internet world, Google is becoming the solution to most problems. We seek help from Google before consulting a human expert. Using the internet for marketing is one of the most popular marketing tools in current time. In fact, most organizations prefer online marketing over manual marketing techniques, though manual marketing techniques are still popular. How to hire a great in-house SEO expert is a question every company wants to know whether it is still small, growing, or a large and well-established.
The debate over getting a SEO expert or hiring an agency is as old as online marketing. In this article, we are going to discuss all in-house marketing professional hiring tactics, but first of all, let you know what a search engine marketer is and what they do. Before we jump into that, you need to know…
Which of the Following Is an eBusiness Marketing Technique? Search Engine Marketing or SEO
Search engine marketing (SEM) is the type of marketing where search engine optimizer (SEO) or search engine marketers increase the visibility of the website on the search engine which helps in promotion and getting more business.
The job of a search engine marketer is popular and in demand because of the wide use of the internet and the dependability of people on a search engine. People choose a website for information rather than doing it manually and most businesses have their website to share all the related information.
The online world is more convenient and easy to use as well as time savvy, which is really crucial in this fast-paced world. The job of a search engine marketer is gaining popularity day by day and more businesses and organizations choose to hire an in-house marketer for promotion and publicity. We can say that search engine marketers are in demand, but most business organizations lack knowledge about this job and how beneficial it is.
They hardly understand the difference between hiring an in-house SEO expert and hiring an agency to do it for you. The hiring of a SEO expert or an agency totally depends on the nature of the business and the plan.
If a business plans to expand and hire more staff then individual experts are a better option but if in any case, a business does not have any plans to increase the staff or expand the business then hiring an agency for doing the job is a better choice.
We can say that hiring an in-house SEO expert can be a good decision if you know how to use it for your benefit because most of the managers and leaders have an underlined pressure of expanding and increasing the business.
Hiring An In-House SEO (or SEM) EXPERT
It is a debate of this decade and chances are going to continue in next decade too because the internet is a crucial part of our life nowadays and going to be a more integral part of our life in near future.
Search engine marketing agency totally depends on your business and the needs of your business because the nature of your business depends on so many other things which have a great influence on the overall success of your business.
No one can say that one is good and the other is bad, because SEO experts are going to be a good option depending upon the needs of your business and how much you want to invest in this venture. This has its own benefit and own drawback and usually, benefits overpower the drawbacks.
In-House VS Agency
What is the best, or rather, which is a more optimal choice: hiring a SEO expert or search engine marketing agency? Outsource and in-house, both can be good enough, it totally depends on the nature of your business and how much work you need to be done.
If your company is small and you have no plans on expanding your staff or the business, then outsourcing is perfect for you. You can hire an outsource company like an online marketing agency which can help you in achieving your goal within a set budget.
Outsourcing can also make your work easy because you don’t take responsibility for the marketing part of the overall process, whatever it may be. On the other hand, in-source can help you maintain your own business with your own term. In-house search engine marketing is a job that needs lots of attention and care to deliver, maintain and keep in check.
If you have a plan for expanding your own business and hiring new staff, then a SEO expert has to be be your answer for promoting your company. They will be your responsibility. So make sure to find a talented and organized marketer. That will also take time. Meaning, if you are short on it, you need to find an agency.
So the best option is up to your specific business needs. The best online marketing expert will surely help you succeed though so it’s definitely worth spending a time and money on.
Know Your Business
There are so many people nowadays choosing to do business themselves rather than doing a desk job for an established company. The number of such businesses is increasing day by day. More businesses mean more competition and the need for greater marketing skills to succeed. Which in turn creates job opportunities for the search engine marketer who help in promoting your business.
Hiring an in-house SEO expert for your specific business demands means you need to find someone who specializes in your niche. But at the same time is a SEO and marketing experts. So it’s a bit like hiring someone with double or triple degrees in seemingly unrelated fields.
Search engine marketing agencies have a whole team of experts and they can focus on each minor detail as well as have experience of day-to-day promotion. On the other hand, the chances for them to have someone in your niche (if your niche is fishing for instance) is quite slim. And if they happen to have someone, hiring such experts can cost you double your budget.
Knowing your niche means one thing. Even if you don’t have much budget, you can hire a SEO and marketing specialist and work closely with them to deliver good results with combined efforts. This is the only way out for small business or in the case of a sudden crisis within the company. You will take care of the fishing, they will help you make it SEO friendly and market it.
As a business owner, it is your responsibility to understand whether you need inbound or outsourced because both have their benefits and drawbacks. It is a two-way road. So, pay attention to your business plans. Long as well as short term.
Budget and Cost
The two important factors of any business, whether it is small, medium, or large. Capital in business is what matters the most. SEO needs time, money, and lots of attention to take everything on the smooth road. The million-dollar question here is whether your business can take this step budget and cost-wise or is it better to choose a safe to outsource option.
If you are strictly on the budget and cost, and you have no time to dedicate to working alongside them, remember that a single person can never do the entire job your business needs. So hiring a team of freelancers one by one will be super costly. Agencies usually have packages that can work around your budget. Although keep in mind that the service offered to you will be limited.
SEM Skills
What is the use of a search engine marketer if the person does not possess SEM skills and what good such employee does for the business? Excel and Google spreadsheets are the absolute basics. Bulk data, uploading, and marketing are the core jobs of the SEM. There are other skills that play an important role in SEM management, like multitasking, understanding, and knowledge of the latest trends.
Experience
The experience could be something you find rare in the field of SEO and SEM because the subject of search engine marketing and search engine optimization still has freshness. Yes it’s been more than a decade but most people on the market have no sufficient experience and those who do work for big companies or their pricing is quite high. And they are a few.
Finding an experienced candidate is great and all but give a chance to fresh graduates or those with only couple years under their belt. When hiring, ask for their portfolio but let them know it doesn’t have to be super extensive. Ask for references so you can contact previous employees (if any) and have a chat with them. You can also negotiate doing first few tasks on a smaller budget or for free (they can build their portfolio) to see if they are who you need.
Do It Yourself
Doing it yourself can be a good option if you have no money but some time and sources. You know your business and understand the vision best, you can later hire help for your marketing team and train them according to what you deem appropriate.
SEM can be tiresome especially if you have lots of responsibility but a good option for a startup business. In fact, before starting a business, we advice you learn at the very least, some basics. You don’t have to become an accountant overnight, or a SEO virtuoso, just learn what keyword research is, how to use keywords and maybe about marketing four Ps.
Conclusion
Search engine marketing is becoming popular with every passing day because the online market is growing at a really fast pace. You need to be on top of your game if you want to succeed in such conditions. Hiring an in-house SEO expert can be a very important decision for your business so you need to choose wisely. Never make a hasty decision, keep all your options open and think things through.
