Search Engine Optimization is a discipline that combines skills in the realm of tech, marketing, and social engineering. A particular set that is not easy to come by. Most of the time, whenever you need SEO solutions for your online content your best bet is to hire an SEO/ Digital Marketing agency. Other options are hiring a freelancer/consultant to help you out, or learning to do it yourself.

By going with an agency, you’re instantly benefitting from several key advantages that dramatically improve the chances you’ll get the best possible service and the results you want.

By hiring an agency, you get to skip out all the time, effort, and harsh lessons you need to go through when learning to do so yourself. On top of that, you get to start benefitting from the improvements made to your content in a shorter timeframe.

SEO & Digital Marketing agencies tend to be divided into departments. Each focused on different tasks that come together to form a solid SEO strategy that works to your needs. Not having to depend on a single person to take care of it all makes the process much smoother.

When dealing with agencies, you get more tools to gauge quality and legitimacy. Most reputable agencies will have an ample portfolio of clients with references, and samples of the work they’ve already handled, which will give you a reasonably good understanding of what they can do for your business before you even seal the deal.

Your second option is to go with a freelancer or a consultant.

Most people who decided to go this way do so because they think the service will be more affordable. And while it might appear so on the outset, an unprepared or unqualified freelancer, incapable of handling your project might end up costing much more in the long run.

Freelancers are ideal for smaller projects, or to complement SEO efforts you are already handling yourself as an extra source of information and assistance. Most popular freelance sites, like Upwork, have an SEO section where you can contact people offering their services in the field.

The two major drawbacks being that gauging the actual expertise the person has might be difficult (particularly if you are on a budget and can’t afford the ones more established,) and that depending on the size of your project, a single person might not be able to take it all on effectively.

Lastly, several of the most essential SEO techniques and strategies can be learned by someone with basic tech know-how and implemented effectively to some extent. The main issue is that, just like learning any other complex skills, this route requires a lot of time and efforts, and might not be sustainable in the long run.

Whether you decide to go with an agency, a freelancer, or take on your SEO needs yourself, you need to be aware of scams and overpromises. There’s a lot of valuable information and reputable sources out there that can help you get the results you are looking for out of SEO, but there are many others that might cause more problems than they solve. A keen mind is essential in the process of choosing your SEO source, so you can get the results you need.