In-house SEO vs. outsourcing to an agency, which actually works better for a small business?

I spent 6 months trying to build our organic traffic internally with one part-time hire, then switched to a $2k/month agency retainer and saw way faster results. Anyone else torn between keeping it in-house or handing it off to pros?

3 comments

3 Comments

joel_jones5d ago

Oh boy, another "agency vs in-house" debate like it's some life or death business decision. Relax, it's just SEO, not brain surgery. You threw $2k a month at an agency, so yeah, you should see results. That's like saying "I paid a guy to clean my house and now it's clean." In-house works if you've got someone who actually knows what they're doing, but most small businesses hire a kid fresh out of college and expect magic. But hey, if throwing money at a problem makes you feel better, go for it. Just don't act like you cracked some secret code.

reed.elliot4d ago

Ngl, @joel_jones I get your point about it not being brain surgery, but you kinda gloss over something. You said "you threw $2k a month at an agency, so yeah, you should see results" but that's not always true. I've seen plenty of small businesses drop that kind of cash and get nothing but fluff reports and broken promises. It's less like paying a guy to clean your house and more like paying a guy to say he cleaned your house while the dishes are still dirty. Results aren't automatic just cause you spent the money.

bennett.evan5d ago

Yeah, I read something similar from @joel_jones last week about how most small businesses just toss cash at SEO without knowing what they're actually paying for, and they're not wrong. Agencies can work, but you gotta vet them like any other hire, not just assume the price tag means quality.