For the past year, we have seen how much the business world has changed. Businesses have moved online and use search engine optimization (SEO) to attract their target audiences, gain leads, traffic, and conversions.
Given our current situation, it is not surprising to see companies and small businesses focus on SEO. The vast space and reach of the Internet have so much potential to be discovered once you combine SEO strategies in your campaign.
If you have decided to use SEO, you have two options: manage your campaign yourself or hire an SEO company. Both of these have their pros and cons, but choosing the right for you would depend on your preferences.
Either way, it would be better for you to understand the difference between self-learning and hiring an SEO agency. Doing so would help you decide which one you should choose.
SEO SELF-LEARNING VS HIRING AN SEO EXPERT.
First of all, SEO is not just a one-trick pony since it has many benefits that you can use to your advantage. That also means you will need to devote your time and spend hours studying SEO and other components of digital marketing.
While learning the basics is pretty easy, mastering the art of SEO is a different story. It can be challenging since you would have to be aware of trends and watch out for algorithm updates of search engines. Otherwise, your hard work will be for nought.
If doing all of that is too much for you, perhaps you should hire an SEO company. Hiring an expert to take over your marketing campaign might be a wise choice since you do not have to read dozens of articles and get your head wrapped around the complexities of SEO.
Though still, money could be an issue since the cost of outsourcing your SEO services can be expensive not only in Singapore but also worldwide.
To guarantee you will make the smarter choice, take a look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of self-learning and hiring.
SEO SELF-LEARNING: PROS AND CONS.
Knowing a few things about SEO is still a great advantage, especially if you plan to hire an SEO agency to help. But if you choose to optimise your website yourself, that is okay, too. You only need to be careful when developing your marketing plans.
With that said, here are the pros and cons of self-learning SEO:
PROS.
1. COST-SAVING.
The best part about learning how to optimise a website is you can save money. You do not have to rely on an SEO agency, let alone pay them to manage your campaign. As such, you can save a lot of money in the long run and use them for other business needs.
2. GAIN KNOWLEDGE.
Besides saving money, gaining SEO knowledge is crucial for businesses. Once you become well-versed in SEO, you can manage your campaign and resolve issues all by yourself without needing any help from an SEO expert.
3. COMPLETE CONTROL.
Most of all, if you learn SEO yourself, you do not have to surrender and let strangers control your online presence. You can do everything from speaking for your brand, building links, and connecting with your target audience all over the web.
CONS.
1. TIME-CONSUMING.
But even though you have complete control over your SEO campaigns, doing everything can take away a lot of your time. You should know the do-it-yourself approach may be flexible, but the amount of work you have to do can be a lot. You have to manage yourself wisely, or else you might sacrifice some of your time with your family.
2. STIFLED GROWTH POTENTIAL.
No matter how devoted you are to your work, there is a limit to how much you can do. You may have put your SEO knowledge into a strategy and have a successful campaign today, but you can never say it would be the same for tomorrow.
As your business grows, you would find yourself unable to continue further with several campaigns you have to do all at once.
3. PUT YOUR WEBSITE AT RISK.
Since you have no experience or training in SEO, your knowledge and skills may not be par. You might be able to optimise your website up to the stand the search engine requires you to do. As a result, you could put your SEO rankings at risk, causing more problems such as receiving a penalty from Google like what happens in Google Panda, Penguin, and Hummingbird.
HIRING AN SEO COMPANY: PROS AND CONS.
Depending on your preferences, hiring an SEO agency may be the wiser choice. With a team of specialists to back you up, you can count on them to give the most efficient results. But of course, there are many things to consider before you can finalise your decision.
Let us check the pros and cons of hiring an SEO agency.
PROS.
1. EFFICIENT PROGRESS.
Planning an SEO strategy takes a lot of time if you do it by yourself. But with an SEO agency, you can speed up the process since you can assign an expert to each task, from keyword search to writing campaigns. That way, you would not have to waste precious time and money.
2. PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE.
Sure, SEO self-learning is a great thing, but nothing beats professional training and experience.
Fortunately, most SEO companies offer marketers who excel in optimising websites for increased search engine rankings. Whether it is local SEO or content marketing you need help with, you can rely on digital marketers to help you with everything so you can reach your goals.
CONS.
1. HIRING CAN BE EXPENSIVE.
While the prices of SEO services may vary, hiring an SEO agency can be expensive if your campaigns do not produce efficient results. That is why it is vital to hire an SEO agency that could give you more than what you will bargain for.
2. LACK OF CONTROL.
Since you will be handing over your marketing strategy to an SEO company, you do not have total control over your campaign. You need to trust your SEO company so they can come up with excellent plans and help you succeed in increasing your goals.
WHICH ONE IS BETTER?
In the end, the choice is yours to make. Take your time and evaluate what you truly need and what is best for your business.
Just make sure whether you will do it yourself or hire an expert, give your 100%. Your efforts would surely help improve your site’s ranking in no time!
If you are still uncertain which one is better, get in touch with our SEO agency in Singapore to know more about SEO! Call OOm at 6391-0930.
