When your customers search for businesses like yours, showing up near the top of the search results can make the difference between winning the sale or being overlooked. That’s where SEO (Search Engine Optimization) comes in — helping more people find you on Google, Bing, and other search engines.
Some businesses decide to take the risk of trying to do SEO themselves. However, that often can be more than what a marketing director business owner originally bargained for. Here’s a breakdown of what needs to be done for SEO and how it can take a toll on your business’s bandwidth, even with the most well-intentioned approach.
What Is SEO & Why It Matters
SEO is the process of making your website friendly to Google and other search engines so you will show up when someone searches for something you do. The higher you rank when those searches happen, the more website visitors, leads, and sales are likely to come your way. If you’d like a more detailed explanation, we break down the basics in our comprehensive guide to SEO.
For now, let’s focus on the real question: should you take the risk of trying to do SEO yourself or call in the professionals?
DIY SEO: Does It Actually Save You Money?
For startups and small businesses, it’s tempting to take SEO into your own hands. The appeal is obvious — if you do it yourself, you don’t have to pay anyone.
For example, here are some of the points you might be making in your head as you consider doing SEO yourself:
- Cost Savings: You could potentially save some money upfront by avoiding agency fees.
- Full Control: You manage your strategy and can make changes whenever you like.
- Learning Opportunity: You gain some knowledge about how search works, which could come in handy later on.
That said, DIY SEO isn’t always as cost-effective as it seems because your time isn’t really free.
Here are some things that may not have first come to mind:
- Steep Learning Curve: SEO is complex and constantly changing. It takes time to get it right, and mistakes can hurt people’s ability to find you on Google and other search engines.
- Time-Consuming: Effective SEO is not a one-and-done project or a ‘set it and forget it’ approach. It requires continuous work and monitoring, which can pull you away from running your business.
- Limited Tools and Insights: Many advanced SEO tools that professionals rely on are expensive, and free tools often only scratch the surface of what you should be doing.
Benefits of Hiring a Professional SEO Company
If you’d rather focus on running your business and leave SEO to the experts, partnering with an SEO company can be a smart move, especially if you want more reliable and durable results.
Here are some reasons why many businesses choose to enlist professional SEO services:
- Specialized Expertise: SEO agencies live and breathe this stuff, keeping up with Google’s constant updates and algorithm shifts so you don’t have to.
- Better Tools and Data: Agencies have access to advanced tools that provide deeper insights and allow for more developed and refined strategies.
- Comprehensive Approach: Professional SEO covers more than just keywords: It includes technical audits, content optimization, link building, and more.
- Saves Time: By outsourcing SEO, you free yourself to focus on sales, service, and business growth.
A Real Example: When Professional SEO Pays Off
One of our nonprofit clients, a housing and federal government contractor, came to us after struggling with their website’s performance. Their content wasn’t ranking, important pages were buried in search results, and a costly mistake — deleting a page with over 140 valuable backlinks — sent their organic traffic into a tailspin.
Uptick stepped in and implemented a comprehensive SEO strategy, including content updates, technical fixes, and improved indexing. The results spoke for themselves:
- Daily clicks increased nearly 4X, jumping from 115 to 430.
- Pages that were complete non-starters in search the year before started driving thousands of clicks the year after.
- Click-through rates steadily improved, showing that the content we optimized was generating more interest.
This type of turnaround isn’t unusual when businesses invest in experienced SEO professionals. For businesses that need strong visibility to get more leads, hiring the right SEO partner can provide the return on investment they’ve coveted for some time.
How to Decide: DIY or Professional SEO?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer: It all depends on your business’s unique situation. Here are a few key factors to consider:
- Time: Do you have the time (or bandwidth) to research, conduct, and monitor an ongoing SEO strategy?
- Business Goals: Do you need a lifeline to your website traffic and lead generation, or are you willing to take the hit and risk it yourself?
- Current Knowledge: Do you already understand SEO, or would you be starting from scratch?
- Budget: How much can you afford to invest in SEO? Like most anything else in life, the more you’re willing to put into it, the more you’re likely to get out of it. But even some budget is better than nothing.
SEO is a big hill to climb. You can’t really do it justice if you’re just trying to wing it yourself, especially if your plate is already fully loaded. If you want reliable and long-lasting results — especially if you’re in a competitive industry — hiring a qualified SEO company is 100 percent worth the investment. It helps bring in traffic to your website and, more importantly, quality leads to your sales pipeline.
Closing Thoughts
So, is hiring an SEO company worth it? For businesses that rely on online visibility to generate sales or leads, the answer is a resounding yes. SEO is a long game, and having experts by your side can help you avoid costly mistakes, adapt to algorithm changes, and build sustainable organic growth for your business.
The key is choosing a partner you can trust: one that takes the time to listen to you and understand your goals, your customers, and your challenges.If you’re ready to explore whether professional SEO is right for you, let’s talk. Schedule a free fact-finding meeting with Uptick, and we’ll help you assess your situation and recommend the best path forward for your budget and goals.
