Many businesses are asking this question because they want an SEO or online marketing solution, but they don’t know where to start. How much can a SEO consultant handle and when should you use a big company? As an SEO consultant (I know it may seem biased), some small businesses ask me this question so I would like to answer, “I can handle any campaign”. The truth is, as a consultant I act as a general contractor similar to a home construction contractor. I am hands-on and I handle all of the important tasks for my clients. I have partners that help me where and when I need it so I can scale up or down, depending on the projects demands and the number of tasks I have. I also have a home office that makes my overhead for my business very low. That savings is passed on to clients because the big SEO firms need to pay rent for their big, cozy offices, big salaries for their management, and that cost gets passed along to the client by higher fees for services. I operate efficiently with technology doing many of my business tasks while I focus on my clients and making them successful.
Big firms often times only have one SEO expert (some have none) and a pool of low paid SEO associates that have limited experience in online marketing and business in general. They often work off of templates and guidelines that the SEO company gives them. This business model for big firms is necessary, but it doesn’t allow for much customization, competitive strategy, and new, fresh ideas that may reap huge rewards. Am I saying that big SEO firms strategies don’t work? No, I am not saying that at all, I am saying that they aren’t as efficient both economically and operationally as an SEO expert working with his own team because you might be assigned to a team with an SEO expert and you may not. What if you get the team without one, which is very likely? You aren’t receiving any value by putting the stewardess in the cockpit to fly the plane instead of the pilot. Ever been a client of a big SEO firm and you called and asked a question about SEO and you talked to three different people with three different answers?
I believe that the SEO industry should be made up of consultant professionals heading their own teams, not big firms because the big firm structure doesn’t offer the client any value because online marketing is different than offline/traditional marketing. In a traditional marketing firm you can delegate tasks better because you have people that are better trained from college, etc. With SEO, there are very few college programs or any educational programs to groom future SEO experts, so many of the experts today have learned by being successful. To become successful you need experience and finding real SEO talent is a hard thing (as many companies know) since many of them leave big firms because they become over qualified for them, and they become SEO consultants and work for non-internet marketing companies. As internet marketing grows, there will gradually be more and more qualified SEO experts.
When you have an SEO expert not only as your contact person for your campaign, but also the one updating the code, creating the strategy, and educating you about SEO; you have the best value for your marketing dollar. When you have that first meeting with an freelance SEO consultant, you know that person will be completing your campaign tasks, not some other low-skilled worker down the line that you will never see or talk to. I think that gives clients piece of mind and a sense of the client being a part of the team.
So if your company is looking for an online marketing solution or search engine optimization solution, look for a local small business SEO consultant [http://www.websiteop.com/internet-marketing] that is an expert and has a track record. You will save money, time, and you will receive results, an education, and a marketing partner you can call and they will actually know the answers to your questions.