Do you have the time, resources and expertise to run effective SEO campaigns in-house? Might it be in your best interests to outsource your SEO to a company specialising in SEO?

Perhaps the first question you will ask yourself is whether you even need SEO at all.

Well here are 5 reasons as to why SEO is absolutely ESSENTIAL for your web presence.

1. Your website needs to be at the top of the Google tree. Strong SEO can prove an invaluable resource in helping you get there. 82% of search engine users never venture beyond the first 3 pages of search results leaving your site well and truly 'sandboxed'.

2. Your competition WILL be investing in SEO, winning business that should be yours.

3. SEO generates more traffic, visitors stay longer, more visitors complete calls to action. Use analytics to inform the nature of and the way you deliver services and products

4. Build better brand identity through effective search engine marketing techniques.

5. Well applied SEO will MAKE YOU MORE MONEY.

There are numerous other reasons why SEO can benefit your business however it's probably pretty clear by now that using SEO to get your site ahead of the competition shouldn't be regarded as a luxury but as a necessity.

Before you closely consider the question as to whether your SEO is best organised in-house of outsourced, here's a little background information on SEO and how it works.

Websites are ranked according to how useful the search engines find their content - the relevance of a page against the search term. Search engines use numerous parameters (Google refer to these parameters as 'signals') and each search engine has its own algorithm to rank different websites, Google uses over 200 'signals' to determine relevance. Factors that influence ranking are many, for example the quality of inbound links and keywords, however there are tried and trusted methodologies that in the hands of expert SEO professionals can give you a critical competitive edge. Search engines live for relevance. Relevance determined through crafted content, high quality site organization, smart clean code, intelligent linking and simply categorized content.

The four fundamentals of successful SEO

1. Business Objectives: Map business objectives to the target audience. Research and identify the most useful keywords and phrases - appropriate search terms inspire viable visitors more likely to convert into leads, fulfil calls to action and generate ROI.

2. Search Engine Preparation: Apply lean, clean and light standards compliant HTML code to create easily readable and indexable sites. A high ratio of content to code and a fast-loading, accessible search engine friendly structure yields SEO rewards.

3. Site Content and Structure: Search engines hunt text content (see LSI) and respect structure. They are priority hungry. SEO copywriting integrating articles, reviews, case studies, press-releases can offer rich sources of spider food.

4. Link Popularity: Google, Yahoo and the other major search engines like to see sites that have authoritative inbound. Sites with strong authority pass on their authority. Strong off page SEO is an important component of your overall SEO and can generate significant authority through 'link juice' - blogs, press releases, social networking, newsletters and the like can all prove powerful SEO tools.

If you feel that your organisation has the capabilities to handle SEO effectively then you might want to consider doing SEO yourself. It's worth remembering though - SEO is acquired skill - a craft. As well as commitment and expertise it takes a great deal of specialisation and experience to really master SEO to a level that will deliver consistent and rewarding results.

If you lack the time, resources or inclination to do your SEO in-house and are interested in outsourcing it or even part of it to generate more traffic, leads, conversions and sales then here are some important points you need to consider when searching for your perfect SEO partner.

Top Tips For Outsourcing Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

1. Key words and keyword phrase research - What thinking, what tools and what methodologies does the company apply for search term analysis and definition? Ideally they'll test a range of terms and is their approach compatible with the way you see your company and your business objectives?

2. Campaign-wide SEO integration - Be sure that any prospective partner appreciates the holistic nature of SEO. Successful SEO weaves multiple threads of Internet marketing applying multiple disciplines and angles.

3. High quality content - It's all about great content. Crafted content that addresses key search terms and ensuring that it has genuine value and interest to both real people robots is mission critical. Ideally you will partner an innovative and imaginative SEO company able to offer input on content, graphics, video, widgets, copy.

4. In for the long haul - An SEO company will create content on an ongoing basis, inspire new links continuously and analyse trends and competition.

5. Link building - Directories, blogs, articles, press releases, new letters, competitive analysis, social networking etc are important sources of high quality inbound links. Check samples of their link building campaigns.

6. If you can't measure it, it's rarely worth doing - What metrics does your prospective partner propose applying? Leads, online sales, phone calls generated? Other mertrics include PPC metrics we deal with include conversion rates, Return-On-Ad-Spend (ROAS), Cost-Per-Acquisition (CPA), Cost-Per-Lead (CPL), or Click-Through-Rate (CTR).

7. Gather References - SEO is a results business. Establish the credentials of prospective partners by referring to clients who've benefited through with increased sales, leads, profile brand awareness.

8. You tend to get what you pay for. Avoid selecting an SEO company just because they offered you the lowest price. Be sure the SEO consultancy is ethical and won't risk your organisations web presence with deceptive practices. Do your homework thoroughly.

For more information on how outsourcing your SEO and our highly effective optimisation strategies, Contact us NOW on Tel: +44 (0)1242 227876 for more information on
blog creation, blog curation and blog management as part of your SEO.
Author - Chris Horner