Should you hire an SEO freelancer, agency, or coach?

Maybe your rankings dipped, or your site never ranked to begin with.

Either way, you’re just about ready to take every founder/marketer’s least favorite step: hiring outside help for SEO.

Why do I say “least favorite?” Because SEO can be complicated, and there is no shortage of options for help, there is also a massive sliding scale when it comes to quality.

One of your first steps will be to determine if you want to hire a freelancer, agency, coach, or something in between. In this guide, I’ll walk you through your top options when it comes to hiring someone for SEO help so you can make the right decision for your business.

Your options for hiring SEO help

This isn’t an exhaustive list, but it does cover the options available to most businesses. Those options are:

• A freelancer
• An agency
• A coach
• A fractional SEO

I’ll walk through each of these.

SEO freelancers

For many companies, their first foray into hiring someone for SEO will be a freelancer. SEO freelancers can usually be found through:

• Networking (in-person or online)
• Online forums and communities
• Job boards like Upwork or Fiverr

I’m not going to knock SEO freelancers. I began my career freelancing, so I’m not one to say that you can’t find a great SEO freelancer who can provide impactful help at a fair price. That said, I started as a freelancer, but I would not consider myself a freelancer now (more on that later). Many (I won’t go so far as to say most) SEO freelancers will be newer to the trade, and while they may come cheap, you definitely get what you pay for.

If you decide to hire an SEO freelancer, make sure that:

• You properly vet them
• They can provide guidance/instruction
• They are capable of reviewing their work and holding them accountable

SEO freelancers can be a cost-effective way to find help, but they will have a wide range in quality that you need to be prepared for.

SEO agencies

For those burned by freelancers, agencies may add a dash more professionalism and experience that your business craves.

SEO agencies range from small shops with a subcontracted team to larger organizations with layers of account managers and practitioners who do the work. SEO agencies have a few advantages over freelancers: scale and a track record. While SEO agencies still come with a sliding scale in quality, if one made it far enough to hire a large team and grow consistently, then chances are they get a few things right here and there.

With that confidence in quality comes higher fees. SEO agencies charge for their track record, and they charge to cover their overhead. You’re not just paying for SEO work; you’re paying for the account manager, sales rep, and SEO experts doing the work.

If you decide to hire an SEO agency, make sure that you:

• Interview and vet them thoroughly
• Understand where your spending is going
• Hold them to

SEO coaches

Unlike a freelancer or agency, an SEO coach will guide you through SEO rather than do it for you. A good SEO coach will take time to assess your knowledge, skill level, goals, and needs and work out a plan to support you while you work toward reaching your goals.

I’ve offered SEO coaching services, both one-on-one and in a group setting.

SEO coaching often comes in cheaper than an agency and can be a great value add, but only for the right person/team. You may be tempted to work with an SEO coach because it comes with a lower price tag, but be warned: SEO can be a time-consuming endeavor, so if you do not have time to implement what your coach advises you, then you are unlikely to make progress.

As written above, I’ve offered SEO coaching services in the past and still do through my “done-with-you SEO sprints.” BUT, I only offer this to teams that have a full-time marketer or a marketing team. I’ve had founders in the past hire me as a coach, and I find that they often have too much on their plates to make SEO work for their businesses.

Fractional SEOs

Like a freelancer, a fractional SEO will often work alone, but they are often quite different than your average Upwork hire.

A fractional SEO is similar to a consultant, but with one key difference: it allows you to hire an SEO expert on a flexible basis - usually part-time or project-specific.

Okay, that’s a bit vague. I’ll explain further.

Fractional work is gaining popularity, but it’s not a new concept.

CEOs, CMOs, CTOs, and CFOs have all offered their services on a part-time (fractional) basis. This allows the business to benefit from years of experience without the burden of hiring and managing an extra employee (and a high-level one at that).

These fractional hires are typically more senior and will need much less direction than your average SEO freelancer or consultant. In fact, they likely led teams before or have years of experience in consulting before lending their services on a fractional basis.

Which is best for you?

While I’ve made certain decisions around how I choose to work, don’t let my bias cloud your thinking. Ultimately, what you choose should match your:

• Goals
• Needs
• Budget

While I may personally feel that a senior fractional SEO is a better investment than a freelancer, hiring that senior SEO can cost a lot more and is not the best investment for everyone. To help you, here are some guidelines I’d recommend following:

When to hire a freelancer

Freelancers are often your cheapest option, so this may be driven by your budget over anything else. I recommend hiring a freelancer if budget demands it and if you have the time/ability to closely monitor and evaluate their work while providing clear directions. Freelancers are often best at executing your direction and vision rather than coming up with a strategy from scratch. Some can, but it’s not guaranteed.

When to hire an agency

If you have the budget and a more robust set of needs beyond SEO (say, PPC and social media), then an agency may be a good bet. Agencies are often the most expensive option due to the overhead of paying for an account manager and team, so make sure you have ample budget should you go this route.

When to hire a coach

If you have a marketing team that has the time and bandwidth to own the SEO strategy and implementation, then a coach may be a good investment. As I wrote above, SEO coaching can be a great (and cost-effective) option, but only if you have the bandwidth to put what your coach tells you to practice. Because a coach will not do the actual work, it’s important you have the support needed on your own team.

When to hire a fractional SEO

If you want the seniority that comes with hiring an agency without the overhead and added expense, then a fractional SEO may be a good option. While a fractional SEO will be more expensive than a freelancer, they are often cheaper than an agency and a more cost-effective hire as a result.

With a fractional SEO, you often get the following benefits:

• It’s cost-effective compared to a full-time hire
• You get access to premium expertise
• It provides a uniquely strategic approach

Ask these questions so you can make the right hire for your company

Don’t interview your next SEO agency or freelancer without asking them these key questions. Like I said, these are the questions I WISH someone would ask me, because these are the questions that reveal the actual quality of the person you are speaking with.

SEO gets a bad rap because bad actors try to obfuscate and hide behind complexity, and they rely on you not asking the important questions. These questions (and answers) will help you correctly evaluate the person you are speaking with and make the best hiring decision possible.

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