Your business is growing through online customer acquisition; however your marketplace is increasingly competitive online… At what point do you choose to invest in a Search Marketing company?
When it comes to promoting business online people are keen to see results, but often their decision hinges on whether to attempt SEO, PPC and content production in-house or invest in a Search Marketing Agency like ourselves. There are lots of reasons you might be looking to invest in Search Marketing, not least of which, you want to promote your website to build your business.
The question we are frequently asked is ‘How do I decide what value Search Marketing has for my business?’.
What this question is really about is risk.
Search Engine Optimisation, Pay Per Click advertising, News Content Marketing, Social Media activities have one thing in common… results are not guaranteed. As a consquence the perceived risk is high and the question then evolves from the ‘value’ of search to its ‘worth’. (And as a marketer myself, let me just say how soul crushing it is to always bring what you know has value back to a question of cost, sigh…)
How to decide… In-house vs Search Marketing Company
- Cost. Will you hire in an expert or will the task of search maintenance fall into another existing role? Paying a full time salary of someone qualified and accredited to deliver Search Marketing is significantly more than the typical investment with an agency.
- Time. How much time will be dedicated to the task of SEO, PPC or Content Marketing? In house the pressures on staff to perform other roles is great so concetrated efforts on Search Marketing may start with the right intention, but lapse over time. An agency will guarentee the efforts they invest in your campaign. A good agency will ensure that campaigns are managed daily to ensure rankings, adwords and content articles are performing at their best for optimum achievement.
- Control. This is a significant issue for many companies we speak with. Because of the 3rd party nature of search marketing i.e. no one controls the search engines, no guarentees and promises are really valid. Businesses can feel compelled to retain control in house in order to keep a closer eye on results. A good agency will enable clients to have full transparency of their account at every stage of the campaign. A good agency will operate with their clients to deliver a strategic plan that achieves real results.
- Resources. Agencies are set up for the daily task of search marketing. For fully managed services, there are processes, technologies and best practice that simply can not be replicated in-house with serious investment of years, people and money.
- Team. A sole employee can do a good job to increase your conversions, your traffic or your content within the confines of their role. But a dedicated campaign manager, working as part of a team that performs the task everyday can increase those results immeasurably.
If you are building a business case or want to simply read more download our help guide – ‘Im Not Sure About Search…’
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