When it comes to growing your website through SEO, one big question always comes up: Should you hire an agency or build an in-house team?
It’s a decision that isn’t always straightforward and the right answer really depends on your business goals, resources, and long-term vision.
I’ve worked both agency-side and in-house during my career, so I know firsthand the advantages and challenges of each path. That’s why I wanted to put together this honest guide to help you figure out what’s right for your business, without any bias or sales spin.
I’ll walk through the real pros and cons, hidden costs that often get missed, and practical questions to ask yourself before making a decision.
Agency vs. In-house: A Quick Snapshot
Here’s a simple overview to get us started:
| Area | SEO Agency | In-house SEO |
| Expertise | Access to a team of specialists | Depends on who you hire; often a generalist unless you build a full team |
| Cost | Monthly retainer, flexible contracts | Salary, benefits, tools, training |
| Speed of Setup | Fast, start immediately | Slower, recruitment and onboarding needed |
| Scalability | Easy to ramp up/down | Harder; requires hiring/firing decisions |
| Control | Less day-to-day control | Full control internally |
| Brand Knowledge | Takes time to build | Immediate |
| Risk in Uncertain Times | Lower (contract flexibility) | Higher (employee obligations) |
When Hiring an SEO Agency Makes Sense
Hiring an agency can be the right move when:
- You need specialist expertise: SEO isn’t just one skill. It’s technical audits, content strategy, link-building, and digital PR and each of those areas is changing constantly. Good agencies bring dedicated experts across all specialisms.
- You want flexibility: If budgets tighten, priorities shift, or projects change, it’s easier (and faster) to adjust an agency contract than go through a lengthy redundancy process.
- You want access to enterprise-level tools without the price tag: Top agencies invest heavily in tools like Ahrefs, Screaming Frog, Semrush, Sistrix, Accuranker, and more. Working with them gives you access to that tech stack without the subscription costs.
- You need to move quickly: Agency teams are usually ready to start almost immediately. Building an in-house team from scratch takes time and recruitment alone can take months.
When Building an In-house SEO Team Makes Sense
Going in-house is a smart move when:
- SEO is mission-critical for your business: If organic search drives a significant chunk of your revenue, there’s a strong case for having SEO embedded fully into your day-to-day operations.
- You need closer collaboration with other teams: An in-house SEO can work directly with your developers, product managers, sales teams, and leadership speeding up decision-making and ensuring SEO is woven into the bigger business picture.
- You have budget for multiple hires: One person doing all of technical SEO, content strategy, analytics, outreach, and CRO is rare and exhausting. If you can build a small but mighty in-house team, you’ll have tighter control and deeper brand knowledge.
Hidden Costs People Often Miss
Whichever option you choose, it’s important to look beyond the surface costs.
If you’re building in-house, you’ll need to budget for:
- Salaries
- Pension contributions
- Holiday pay, sick pay, parental leave
- Equipment (laptops, monitors, phones)
- SEO tools and software
- Ongoing training and conference attendance (which, in SEO, is vital to stay ahead)
- Support from freelance specialists (e.g., for outreach, technical audits, or migrations)
If you’re hiring an agency, watch out for:
- Extra project fees (e.g., outside of retainer scope)
- Contract notice periods (flexible, but still worth checking)
- Potential onboarding time (they’ll need to learn your business, products, audience)
- Being clear on the full picture means fewer surprises later.
The Hybrid Approach: Best of Both Worlds?
A growing number of brands are choosing a hybrid model, building a small in-house SEO team and using agencies or freelancers to plug specific gaps.
For example:
- Your in-house SEO focuses on strategy, internal training, and stakeholder alignment
- You use an agency for technical audits, content scaling, or Digital PR campaigns
- This approach gives you the strategic control of in-house, combined with the firepower and flexibility of agency support when you need it.
- If you have the budget and SEO is a core channel for you, it’s definitely worth considering.
Final Thoughts: What’s Right for You?
As with most things in SEO…it depends.
Here’s a quick checklist to help you figure it out:
- Is SEO critical to your revenue model? (If yes, in-house or hybrid might be best.)
- Do you have the budget to build a team properly, not just hire a solo generalist?
- Are you moving fast and need expert support now? (If yes, agency support could help.)
- Are you clear on the real costs beyond just the salary or retainer figure?
- Are you prepared to invest in SEO for the long term? (Because real results take time.)
Whatever you choose, make sure you’re clear on goals, expectations, and how success will be measured, whether that’s with an in-house team or an external agency partner.
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