Home › Blog › Should I hire an SEO agency, a freelancer or one expert?

Should I hire an SEO agency, a freelancer or one expert?

Three different ways to get help with your website and search. Here’s what each one is built for, so you can match it to what your company needs.

The right choice depends on what you need done, for how long and who on your team will manage it. Agencies, freelancers and independent experts can all do good work. They’re set up for different jobs.

What each option is built for

• An agency brings a team for ongoing work, often on a monthly retainer. It fits companies that want a steady flow of content, ads or campaigns and have someone in-house to manage the relationship.
• A freelancer handles specific tasks, like writing project pages or fixing technical issues. It fits companies that know exactly what they need and have time to direct the work.
• One expert on a defined project plans the work and carries it out, from audit to finished website, for a fixed scope and price. It fits companies that want a clear result without adding a monthly commitment or managing several vendors.

Three questions to decide

• Is this a project or an ongoing program? A website that needs to catch up is usually a project. A steady publishing or ads schedule is ongoing.
• Who will manage it? If marketing is one of many hats someone wears, choose the option that needs the least managing.
• How do you want to pay? Some companies prefer a monthly budget line; others prefer a one-time, fixed-price project the decision-maker can approve once.

Questions to ask any option

• Have you worked with businesses like ours, and can you show examples?
• What exactly will you deliver, and by when?
• Who does the work day to day?
• How will we measure results, and when will we review them?

Common questions