Many business owners start by handling SEO themselves. They watch YouTube tutorials, read blogs, install plugins, and use AI to edit content.
While this is a great place to start, SEO eventually becomes too technical, time-consuming, and strategic to manage alone.
The Yoast plug-in can only give you so much direction. You have to know SEO to use tools like that effectively. And often, that thought feels very overwhelming.
So people start to wonder what it looks like to outsource SEO. It might feel like giving up some control, but it really means getting better traffic results with a clear strategy.
What Does It Mean to Outsource SEO?
When you outsource SEO, you aren’t giving someone a checklist of things to accomplish.
Sure, you’ll get a list of deliverables, such as:
- Keyword research
- Content strategy
- Technical SEO
- On-page optimization
- Reporting
- Link building recommendations
- Content updates
But beyond that, you’re hiring expertise. You’re trusting someone with extensive experience and knowledge of search algorithms to handle your SEO so you can get more qualified traffic to your website.
As search algorithms evolve (every day, it feels like), it’s comforting to know that someone else is on top of it and has optimized your website to stay relevant and competitive.
5 Signs You’ve Outgrown DIY SEO
We all start somewhere. There’s nothing wrong with DIYing your SEO, but every business owner reaches a point where it doesn’t feel strong enough anymore. They know it could be better, but don’t have the time or expertise to do it themselves.
And honestly, you shouldn’t have to! You already wear ALL the hats. Handing off SEO is one less thing to worry about.
Here are some signs that you’re ready to outsource SEO.
1. You’re Publishing Blogs Without a Strategy
You’re publishing blogs (which is an achievement in itself!), but there isn’t a strategy behind it. Maybe you’re writing whatever comes to mind and whenever you feel inspired or find the time to sit down and write.
You don’t have any:
- Keyword research
- Internal linking
- Content clusters
So your content feels scattered and isn’t driving the results you were hoping for when you started blogging.
2. You’re Getting Traffic But Not Leads
Traffic is good, but conversions are the real goal.
There are a few reasons this is happening:
- Targeting the wrong keywords
- Not aligned with search intent
- Weak CTAs
- Missing conversion strategy
Either the wrong people are landing on your website, or the CTAs aren’t clear or strong enough to convert.
3. You Don’t Know What to Prioritize Next
Without a roadmap, everything feels equally important, and that feels overwhelming. When you don’t know where to start, you don’t take any action at all.
4. SEO Keeps Moving to the Bottom of Your To-Do List
We’ve all been there… Our business always comes last on our to-do lists, especially the stuff we dread or aren’t confident in doing.
SEO becomes “I’ll do it next week,” and all of a sudden, it’s been 6 months since you’ve even logged in to Google Search Console.
5. You’re Constantly Googling (or ChatGPT-ing) Every SEO Decision
You aren’t confident in making SEO decisions.
You question:
- Which keyword?
- How many headings?
- Is this page cannibalizing another?
- Why did rankings drop?
You feel like you need someone to run things by before implementing because you aren’t sure if you’re on the right track.
These reasons are how you know it’s time to outsource SEO.
7 Reasons It’s Smart to Outsource SEO
Outsourcing anything in your business can feel scary. You’re giving up a small level of control to something you care so much about. Even though it’s an emotional decision, it’s a smart one, too.
1. You Save Hours Every Month
Whether or not you’ve been doing the work, you know it takes hours to research, strategize, implement, and report on anything related to SEO.
SEO includes:
- Keyword research
- Competitive analysis
- Writing metadata and headlines
- Copy optimization
- Image optimization
- Internal links
- Publishing
- Updating
- Monitoring rankings
Just one page can be several hours of work. Now multiply that by every page on your website, and it’s at least a week of your time.
When you outsource SEO, all that work gets done behind the scenes and your normal day-to-day doesn’t change. Except maybe responding to more inquiries 😉
2. You Get a Real SEO Strategy Instead of Random Tactics
No more questioning if you’re doing things right or running strategies by ChatGPT. A professional knows all the strategies to see real results.
An SEO strategist aligns with:
- Pillar content
- Search intent
- Customer journey
- Seasonal planning
- Business priorities
Effective SEO connects everything together.
3. An SEO Strategist Spots Problems You Don’t Notice
Sometimes we overlook aspects of our businesses because we’re so ingrained in the day-to-day. You don’t notice a broken link. You think the navigation is easy to use because you built it. You rushed to publish a page for a launch, but didn’t go back and optimize it.
Other examples:
- Keyword cannibalization
- Thin pages
- Orphaned pages
- Duplicate metadata
- Broken internal links
- Pages that should be merged
- Missing schema
- Crawl issues
A strategist brings a fresh pair of eyes to your website and notices the things your audience notices, too.
4. You’ll Avoid Costly SEO Mistakes
Whether it costs time, money, energy, or rankings, not knowing SEO costs you something. You can negatively impact your search presence if you don’t consider the impact one decision can make.
Examples:
- Targeting impossible keywords
- Keyword stuffing
- Publishing duplicate content
- Ignoring search intent
- Deleting pages that have backlinks
- Changing URLs without redirects
- Forgetting technical SEO basics
And sometimes, we just don’t know any better. That’s why it’s worth bringing in someone who knows what to watch out for.
5. You’ll Produce Higher-Quality Content
A blog with a strategy always performs better. You’re writing about topics your audience is interested in and making it easy for them to find.
Instead of simply writing, you’ll have:
- Content built around search intent
- Better structure
- Stronger headings
- Better readability
- Strategic internal links
- Clearer calls-to-action
6. You’ll Stay Current Without Having to Learn Every Google Update
Google updates feel like they happen every other day, and it feels like a part-time job to understand the nuances of what they mean for your business.
Business owners shouldn’t need to become SEO experts. When you outsource SEO, a strategist will keep up with:
- Core updates
- AI Overviews
- Search trends
- E-E-A-T
- New SEO tools
- Industry changes
You don’t have to keep up yourself, but you get all the benefits of your website aligning with search updates.
7. Better Data Leads to Better Decisions
Rather than wondering, “I think this blog is doing well,” you’ll know:
- Which blogs generate leads
- Which pages rank
- Where traffic comes from
- Which keywords are improving
- Which content deserves updating
Data gives you insight into how your website is performing in search results and clear next steps to improve.
What an SEO Strategist Actually Does Behind the Scenes
Many people only see the published website, but most of the work happens on the backend. Behind every successful SEO strategy is hours of research, planning, optimization, and analysis designed to help your website attract the right audience.
This is what an SEO strategist does behind the scenes to help your business grow:
- Personalized keyword research & selection of primary and secondary keywords for the core pages of your website.
- Competitive review so you understand where they’re ranking and where you can fill gaps.
- Page titles, meta descriptions, and image alt text written for you and implemented on the backend.
- Additional optimizations, including text tag structure, internal linking updates, and light copy editing to work in your new keywords.
- Technical SEO improvements, like broken link fixes, site speed optimizations, and updated URL structure.
- Layers panel renaming & reordering, so Google can properly read your site and you can easily maintain it (for Showit websites).
- Custom 404 page copy & setup, so you can turn possible dead ends into more time spent on your site.
- Sitemaps submission to both Google & Bing.
- Google tools set-up and optimization (like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and Google Business Profile).
- Progress reports to see how your site is performing and what else you can do to improve your SEO.
It’s not as simple as “research keywords and write metadata.” There’s an entire SEO strategy an expert can bring to your business.
Is Outsourcing SEO Worth the Cost?
The ROI of outsourcing SEO goes beyond rankings. Because who cares about ranking #1 on Google if you aren’t also getting:
- More qualified traffic
- Better leads
- More sales opportunities
- Less wasted time
- Faster growth
- Better website performance
- Content that continues working long after it’s published
SEO is an investment that continues to pay off, long after the project is done.
Can I outsource only part of my SEO?
Sure, if you only want to outsource keyword research and write the metadata yourself, you totally can. I would just caution you that SEO works best when all the pieces work together. Splitting up the work can sometimes lead to an inconsistent strategy.
If you do choose to outsource only part of your SEO, make sure everyone involved is aligned on the overall goals and approach.
Will I lose control of my website if I outsource SEO?
Nope! I just require a login so I can make changes to the backend of your website, and I’ll never make changes without your approval first.
How long does outsourced SEO take to show results?
It depends on a variety of factors:
- How long you’ve been in business
- Your industry
- The competition
If I had to give an average and generalized answer, it would be 3-6 months before you see results.
How to Choose the Right SEO Strategist
Not all SEO strategists take the same approach. Before hiring someone, take the time to understand how they work, what they prioritize, and how they’ll measure success. And it doesn’t hurt to make sure you like ‘em, too!
Look for a Strategy
Anyone can optimize a title tag or recommend a keyword. A great SEO strategist looks at the bigger picture. They should create a plan that connects keyword research, content creation, technical SEO, and user experience into a cohesive strategy that helps your website attract and convert the right people.
Make Sure They Take Time to Understand Your Business
Your SEO strategist should ask questions about your services, ideal customers, competitors, goals, and brand voice before making recommendations. The more they understand your business, the better they can create content that will perform well in search results.
Avoid Unrealistic Promises
Be cautious of anyone who guarantees a #1 ranking on Google or promises overnight results. Literally no one can promise rankings or quick results. That’s just not how SEO works.
SEO is a long-term investment, and no one can control search engine algorithms. A trustworthy strategist will set realistic expectations, explain their process, and focus on sustainable growth rather than quick wins.
Choose Someone Who Educates Along the Way
Even if you’re outsourcing SEO, you should know what’s happening on your website. A great strategist explains why they’re making certain recommendations, shares insights from your data, and helps you understand what’s working.
You Don’t Have to Figure Out SEO on Your Own
Doing your own SEO is a smart way to learn, but it isn’t always the best long-term strategy. As your business grows, so do the demands of maintaining an effective SEO plan.
Outsourcing gives you access to expertise, a cohesive strategy, and consistent execution so you can stop second-guessing every decision. Instead, you can focus on running your business while your website continues to attract qualified traffic.
The SEO Sprint was created so you can have an optimized website in just one week. I’m not lolly-gagging over here. I’m getting websites ranked and pulling in new, qualified traffic.
If you want in, schedule a discovery call to discuss how a customized SEO strategy can help you generate more qualified traffic and leads.
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