So you need SEO for your business strategy, but you’re not sure whether you want a consultant or an agency, and what is the difference between them anyway? Trying to figure out and understand what will be exactly right for your business can be difficult.
So here we will break down what each one is and what they mean, and the advantages and disadvantages of both so you can make an informed decision for you and your business.
What is an SEO Consultant?
An SEO Consultant refers to an expert in SEO. They know everything there is to understand to improve your site’s SEO. They do this by first auditing your current strategies and then developing a tailored SEO plan for your company to follow.
SEO Consultants don’t always do this plan for you; it depends on the individual. They give you and your business the advice you need on how to improve and sometimes train your team on how to do it successfully. They are there to show you what you need and how to do it better. Many consultants also offer retainers, so they will work with you to implement the strategies you discussed.
What is an SEO Agency?
When it comes to SEO agencies, there are so many you can choose from, there are some small SEO agencies that are there just to tackle your SEO problems and improve them, and that’s it. Or there are full-service SEO agencies that typically offer a wide range of strategies for all necessary parts of your business, including your SEO.
Both SEO Agency types consist of expert teams that have bounds of knowledge that they will not only advise you but can also implement the work if needed.
When looking for an SEO agency, you may not want to be included in the day-to-day SEO implementation strategies that go on, so this is something these agencies can provide and relieves you of the pressure of recruiting and hiring an in-house SEO team.
What are the Pros of Choosing an SEO Consultant?
If you are looking to build your online business, an SEO Consultant could be your first choice. Here are some advantages to having an SEO Consultant by your business’s side:
Greater Access
Having an SEO Consultant gives you a more personal experience. They can have more flexibility with their time, and you can reach them directly through a call, text or email. You have an overall greater awareness of who is working on your SEO, rather than having multiple people who may have miscommunicated or have different ways of working.
In-Depth Advice
An SEO Consultant can take time out of their day to answer any of your questions and can give you in-depth answers and advice to your questions. With an SEO Consultant, you have their undivided attention without worrying about other opinions or voices getting involved.
Lower Overall Cost
Between an agency or a consultant, the advantage of going with an SEO consultant is that you will be paying a lower rate overall because, with an agency, you have to pay a premium to cover wages etc. You spend less paying for one person’s time than two or three.
What are the Cons of Choosing an SEO Consultant?
Nothing is perfect, so although there are many advantages to hiring an SEO consultant there are also some cons that need to be considered. Such as:
There is Only One
When hiring an SEO Consultant, you are just dealing with them, so if for some reason you don’t get along, you can’t ask to change account managers or switch the person you are talking to because there is only one. So then the disadvantage is you would have to go through the hassle of finding another consultant.
You may not be able to scale as rapidly as you can with a full agency team
If you have one person handling or going through everything, you may find that scaling is often a struggle. Personally, whilst I brand myself and this site as an SEO consultancy offering, I do have a UK-based team behind the scenes who assist myself with certain core aspects of ongoing SEO campaigns.
What are the Pros of Choosing an SEO Agency?
Although hiring an SEO agency is more of a commitment than choosing an SEO Consultant, there are advantages to why having an SEO agency is a good idea:
More People = More Knowledge
Instead of having one brain looking at all of your issues, why not hire multiple? The more heads you have looking at your business SEO strategy, the more knowledge and ideas you will have to float around and the faster you will see your SEO results.
Quick & Reliable
Working with an SEO Agency means that you have a group of experts ready and willing to help, so if you need a question answered, you can get that done faster. You have a reliable team that can handle all aspects of your SEO.
They DO Your SEO
An SEO Agency has dedicated teams that help you put their advice into practice and will help you through every single step, not only guaranteeing a higher success rate but also building a larger foundation of trust and loyalty between business and agency.
What are the Cons of Choosing an SEO Agency?
There are pros and cons to SEO agencies, like anything in life, so what are some of the cons of working with an SEO agency?
Too Many People
Some businesses may find that having an SEO Agency filled with many knowledgable opinions may be too much. Figuring out who is responsible for what and getting to know everyone and their roles can be a stressful ordeal, which you don’t face by just working with the one SEO Consultant.
Higher Fees
A disadvantage to hiring an SEO agency is the higher fees. Due to the number of people working on your strategies and the workload, costs will increase with an agency rather than a Consultant. With an SEO Agency, look at the quality of work vs that work’s cost before committing to those larger monthly payments.
Finding the Culprit to An Issue
Unless your SEO Agency has you working with specific people, if something goes wrong, sometimes with an SEO agency, it can be hard to pinpoint exactly whose fault it is and where it came from. Whereas, with an SEO consultant, you can deal with the issue head-on without back and forth.
Final Thoughts
Now you have seen the pros and cons of working with either an SEO Consultant or an SEO agency. We hope that this article will help you make an informed decision that will work best for you and your business.
Remember, not every SEO agency is the same, nor is every SEO consultant, so do your research and find one that fits you.
