To Outsource Or Not To Outsource? Seo And Ppc Most Asked Question!

By Author: John Tang
Total Articles: 512
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It's a legitimate question and has always been. Should I outsource my Internet Marketing or do it in house? In my career of almost 8 years, I've been asked this question many times. The answer is; it depends.

Every owner, manager or decision maker wants to select the best solution for his business. However, sometimes that might not be an easy task. There are certain points that must be evaluated thoroughly before making a decision. Search Engine Optimization takes lots of time, effort and patience. I believe it's in the best interest of companies to outsource online marketing to reliable firms with years of expertise. Here are some very logical reasons why;

1- SEO takes time and money especially if you are in a very competitive industry. (Real estate, mortgage, pharmaceutical and etc.)
2- Hiring someone to do in-house SEO might take a long time. SEO is not a one man job in 90% of the time. SEO that will yield results require a team of experts and a lot of time.
3- Outsourcing SEO or PPC Management to a trusted marketing firm will enable your company and employees to access years of expertise in ...
... lead generation as well as new marketing techniques.
4- If there's nobody in your company who is knowledgeable about SEO and PPC, it will be tough to select and monitor the in-house personnel who will work on Internet Marketing.
5- My best reason of all; you will be taking a risk and a chance.

So, if it's so necessary to outsource online marketing, what do you look for in an Online Marketing Consultant?

1- Look for a minimum of 7-year expertise.
2- Ask a lot of questions; get to know them and their best practices.
3- Ask for references; if they're serious about what they do, they will give them to you. Ignore companies who seem hesitant to give you references,
4- Ask about customer service and support. Make sure it's a company you can call and reach.
5- Ask for results; ask for examples of their work.
6- Do not get stuck on rankings; Rankings bring you traffic but they do not bring you sales or conversions. Look for a company that emphasizes ROI and conversions.
7- Try to search for a pay-per-performance model; that means if you get results, they make more money and you both win.
8- Beware of packages; SEO cannot be packaged into number of links and directory submissions. It requires a lot more effort than that. Beware of packaged offers.
9- Beware of over-promises; SEO is not an overnight process. Beware of any company that promises you top 3 ranks in a certain period of time. Nobody knows that. Select a company that sets reasonable expectations.

Use your best judgment. Selecting a marketing firm to outsource Search Engine Optimization and PPC Management is just like choosing any other service.