Whether It’s Worth to Outsource Search Engine Marketing?

Marketing your business through Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the catch word of almost all businesses in the present times. In North America alone, a survey done by Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO) found that the SEO market is over $10 billion. The million dollar question now is not whether you should keep your SEM initiatives in-house or outsource it. When reviewing your options you have to keep the following issues in mind.

SEO can be divided into four major tasks - Technical SEO, content creation and social media, link building, realignment and metrics, analytics and reporting. So you need to recruit a manager, under whom people will be working in various capacities. The first group of people will be dealing with technical aspects of SEO. The second set of people will be in content section. You have to recruit some of them who will be building links. The last bunch will be those who will be dealing with metrics, analytics and reporting. So while keeping an in-house team you should recruit professional in these capacities.



A SEO manager will be a talented search engine professional who will take the entire onus of the company’s search marketing services. He will take the initiative to increase the volume of quality referrals from search engines. He has to plan and implement the search engine optimization activities for the websites. He will be a substantial part of all ongoing research to ensure best practice search techniques. He should also look into the budgetary matter pertaining to search engine optimization.

A person who will dealing with the technicalities of search engine optimization should be able to work in tandem with the manager. He should be able to analyze new keywords and also those being used by the competitors. He should know on-page and off-page search engine optimization. He should be able to bring new ideas to the department.

You will also require a content writer who specializes in writing content that best suits the search engines. You will need people who will able to analyze the results of the search engine optimization initiative.

SEO terms and rules change with the blink of an eye. A professional firm that monitors multiple accounts and stays current with trends can remain abreast of them. An in-house resources should be allocated ample time to simply stay up-to-date. A survey carried out by MarketingSherpa showed that marketers who outsourced search engine optimization saw a 110% rise in overall site traffic within six months, whereas in-house saw a 73% rise.

Keeping an in-house arrangement can cost you around $95,000/year. Beside that there are other things like time for hiring, managing and finances for equipment and ongoing training. A SEM firms charge at most $25,000 to $70,000 for a year-long campaign depending on your needs.

Looking at the issue through above parameters, it seems that in-house arrangement requires significant investment at the initial stage while in outsource services the cost is distributed over time. Therefore before you kick off search engine marketing campaign perform a cost/benefit analysis of outsourcing versus in-house.

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Recession: The Best Time to Outsource

Recession is defined as the downhill movement of the economic growth of a country. Global economic recession is now being felt all over the world. There is turmoil not only in the business sector, but also in the daily lives of people. As an effect, inflation rate is high, thus, making prices of articles higher. More and more houses are being foreclosed which results to the sudden flunk of the real estate industry. And, companies are downsizing in manpower or worst, they permanently shut down their business.

The common misconception nowadays is that this is not the best time to invest on business. On the other hand, some just closes the department of the company that is not the main priority or has nothing to do with the main product or service they are offering. But, this shouldn't be the scenario. They shouldn't spare one department because even though it is not directly related they are offering, I'm sure that it is significant to the company. They can always think of another way, for instance, outsourcing the IT department.

There are tasks that can be done by others. You shouldn't think of it as added expenses because at the end, your company will benefit from this. As a matter of fact, when you do the math, you'll find out that it will cost you less if you outsource service especially when you acquire services from Asia. It will save your company some money without compromising the quality of work because remember that what they offer is their specialty.

Here are some reasons why now is the best time to outsource:

To cope up with technology

The innovation of technology is very fast and your company should be able to go along with the changes. It is not wise to spend on this especially that you should try to eliminate extra costs considering that after a couple of years, an updated version will come out.

To share risk

With the current state of the economy worldwide, it is wise to diversify to spread out the risk. When you outsource, the company will not just rely on one particular place. So, if there is a labor dispute in one company, then it will not paralyze the whole organization because the other companies can still go on with the operations. And, countries where they usually outsource like the Philippines are not that much affected with global financial crisis.

Peak loads are easier to accommodate

When the demand from the business is at its peak, it will not matter even if the duration of the project is very short especially when it will pass by a holiday. Different countries have different holidays, therefore, even if your branch of the business is not being utilized due to holiday, the other branch can still work for the tasks.

Because there is a global economic crisis, it is best that you focus on the core objectives of your company. Do not be suppressed by the fast paced technology or the slow change of the economy due to recession.

About The Author

Victoria Phee is a contributor of Team Creatives ( http://www.teamcreatives.com ) - a Professional and Affordable Website Design and Web Development Company that also offers professional SEO and pay per click management services

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Where to Find the Most Competent and Affordable Outsourcing Company

Looking for a competent and affordable outsourcing company? As an owner of a company or a business, you want to save money as much as possible in order to profit more and let your company grow. Thanks to the internet, outsourcing your business process can be done in other countries where qualified, and experienced computer operators are widely available at a very low cost.

Countries such as India, Philippines, China and other developing countries are now accepting outsourcing as part of a very lucrative industry.



Data entry, research, writing, and SEO are just some of the things that businesses and companies today are outsourcing to lighten the heavy workload and also to do it more efficiently, faster, and more accurate.

Here’s a big example on Data entry task….First of all, before you consider this option, you have to know what data entry is all about. Data entry operations include data conversion, image and document processing, image enhancement, catalog processing services, photo manipulation services and others.

Data entry is a constant need for some organization or companies that needs to document its daily activities. So, if you need data entry jobs, you should consider outsourcing it to other companies abroad that offer quality data entry jobs at a very affordable price.

There are a lot of benefits that you can take advantage of if you outsource your data entry jobs. One is that you will be able to have your data entry jobs done at a very affordable price; two is that you will be able to get it done professionally by competent people; and three is that you will be getting rid of this extra work in your company. Meaning that you will be effectively separating your company’s work into manageable pieces.

Data entry is often used in medical billing and transcribing. It can be done by freelancers or an outsourcing company from other parts of the world. Over the past two decades, data entry companies and freelancers have been doing this work.

While it is true that data entry jobs can be done in-house, but there are certain jobs that should be done by experts rather than your staff. If you need a particularly large job in data outsourcing, it would take a lot of time and will require overtime for your staff if you do it in-house. However, if you outsource it, your company will function more normally and focus on more important work in your business.

So, if you have a time-consuming and expensive data entry jobs that your company needs to finish, you can consider outsourcing the data entry jobs to freelancers, or data entry companies that accepts outsourced jobs. For example, catalog management can prove to be very time consuming and expensive. This will involve handling and maintaining paper catalogs. By outsourcing it, you will save a lot of money and still have time for your company’s priority.

Data entry outsourcing will certainly change the way you run your company. It will let you save a lot of money, get the job done professionally, and it will allow you to effectively manage your company’s priorities and workloads.

Always remember that before you hire a company or a freelancer to outsource your data entry jobs, you should first check the quality of their work and their work experience. It is recommended that they should have at least experience in the field of data entry jobs you will be outsourcing.

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Outsourcing Marketing Strategy As An Option

Amidst increasing costs on running a business, the trend nowadays especially for those that want to rationalize operations is to downsize, re-prioritize or outsource. Without a doubt, outsourcing seems to be the most cost effective, not to mention the most practical way of running your business. From doing brochures to managing facilities, outsourcing has become an essential aspect of businesses. In fact, even the development of business strategies including its marketing function can all be outsourced.

Many companies resort to outsourcing because it allows a company to put more focus on product development and overall operations. It is also a strategy to simplify human resources’ functions like hiring and training. Many marketing consultants help companies market their products and services without extending their in-house marketing staff. They can often provide the same service as an in-house marketing department, but at half the cost.

Without your company realizing it, outsourcing helps you achieve the following:

Expertise outside core business functions – If your company is engaged in manufacturing, your core competencies would be in this field. To develop your marketing arm, you have to hire full-time staff to manage this particular function. Hiring and training requires a significant amount of time and resources which could have been devoted to other things like the function itself. On the other hand, if you outsource this particular function, you just have to be concerned with the terms of reference for you to be able to capture key measurements of results indicators. Moreover, outsourcing requires little supervision as you just monitor outputs. Your company does not need to assess individual performance because it is not your concern. Essentially, outsourcing simplifies this process.

Outsourcing likewise provides an external perspective and view point. Having been in the business or the company for quite some time is also limiting because your perspective has somewhat been influenced by your environment. Whereas, an outsider could provide you insights to things which your company might have not noticed before or plainly dismissed. Fresh insights help marketing strategies because they infuse new ways of doing things.

One of the more daunting tasks with outsourcing is how to find a good outsourcing company. While there are a number of marketing consultants, you will never know how they perform unless you engage them.

Here are a few questions to reduce the risks of getting a fly-by-night organization:

First, your provider should have the proper training and experience. Ask about what type of training and/or education is important to you. I will tell you that education is important; however, experience and hands-on expertise can far outweigh education when it comes down to success in marketing.

Second, ask for case studies, referrals, and experience in the areas that you need assistance in. Never hire a marketing consultant without contacting client referrals. We can get very excited about the sales presentation and the brochure printing we have been handed with when looking for a consultant. But the truth is that the proof is in the achieved results. If they could not succeed with other clients, what makes you think they can succeed when it comes to marketing your products and services? Call those references, it only takes a few minutes and it is worth your time.

Testimonials might be a good indicator to ensure that you get the right provider. Testimonials will also give you an idea of their notable achievements.

Finally, ask for certifications or memberships to professional organizations. This will also tell you how active they are in the marketing community, as well as if they've been certified in certain areas of marketing.

---by: Lynne Saarte

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