Who should you hire—an agency, an SEO specialist on staff, or a freelancer?

We figure out who and what tasks are more profitable to entrust - a full-time specialist, a freelancer or an agency.

When it comes to website promotion, sometimes it is more profitable to outsource several tasks to a freelancer rather than hiring an entire agency team or looking for a full-time employee. This decision depends on the goals and scope of work. In this article we will tell you who can be entrusted with what tasks - a freelancer, a full-time employee or an SEO agency.

Specialist on staff: tasks and costs

An SEO specialist on staff will solve all problems related to the constant promotion of the site in search engines. However, such a specialist is not suitable for all companies, since it will not always be possible to fully employ him for 40 hours a week.

For small companies that are just starting out with SEO, an in-house specialist is ideal. He will devote a lot of time to the project and ensure stable growth. Also, such an employee will have the opportunity to deeply study the specifics of the business and niche.

For medium and large businesses, such a specialist can also be useful, especially if a clear strategy and responsibility for results are needed. Ideally, an in-house SEO specialist can manage external contractors, such as marketers or agencies, to handle more tactical tasks.

The cost of a full-time specialist in Moscow with 1 to 3 years of experience varies from 80,000 to 150,000 rubles per month. A lower bid usually means lower quality work.

However, it is important to understand that an SEO specialist will need additional resources such as editors, copywriters and analysts. Otherwise, his recommendations will not be implemented properly, which increases the total budget for SEO promotion to 300,000 rubles or more.

Freelancer: tasks and costs

A freelancer is a specialist who works on projects part-time (maximum 3-4 hours a day). Typically, freelancers solve one-time tasks, such as compiling a semantic core or preparing technical specifications for an SEO article.

Freelancers do not always delve deeply into the project, do not engage in long-term strategies and are not focused on the final result. Often such specialists take on small and tactical tasks without covering the entire project as a whole.

Some freelancers may work full-time, but this is rare. They don't always have the necessary project management skills, which can lead to delays and unfinished tasks. Also, freelancers cannot always provide consistent quality, since they do not have teams at hand to perform various tasks.

The cost of freelance work depends on the complexity of the task. For example, a website audit can cost from 500 rubles, while more complex projects can cost 100,000 rubles and more. On average, freelancers charge from 20,000 to 40,000 rubles for project management or from 2,000 to 5,000 rubles for one-time tasks. Hourly pay for mid-level specialists starts from 1,000 rubles.

Agency: tasks and costs

An SEO agency provides a full range of services, including website optimization, content creation, launching contextual advertising and setting up analytics. In addition to SEO specialists, agencies employ copywriters, editors, designers, layout designers and analysts. Agencies also provide access to specialized tools and services that can be expensive to purchase individually.

Agency employees will not always be able to immerse themselves in a project as deeply as a full-time employee, but due to diverse experience and knowledge sharing within the team, their expertise increases significantly. Agencies can offer effective solutions due to their experience working with various projects.

Agencies are suitable for companies that already have a stable business and want to use SEO as an additional tool. At the same time, SEO in agencies often becomes not the only tool, but part of a comprehensive strategy.

The cost of agency services varies. Small agencies start from 30,000 to 70,000 rubles per month. Larger companies with extensive experience can request from 50,000 to 100,000 rubles, and well-known and large agencies - from 100,000 rubles and above.

Comparison table with pros and cons

For ease of understanding, we have collected the main criteria for comparing different options - full-time specialist, freelancer and agency. The cost is approximate and does not include promotion costs (for example, purchasing links).

The ideal way to work with SEO is when the company has a full-time specialist who develops the strategy and directs its implementation through external contractors. This approach ensures a balance between internal and external resources and allows you to effectively solve problems.

If you want to check how things are going with SEO on your site, leave a link to the site and contact information, and we will provide a brief analysis. If you have any questions or need help with SEO, write to the SEO studio "SEO COMPUTER" with any questions at email info@seo.computer.

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