Comments on: Should I Work In-House or at an Agency? [10 For/Against]

By: Ruth Burr

Ruth Burr — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 17:17:48 +0000

In reply to Michael.

Thanks Michael – never a dull moment!

By: Ruth Burr

Ruth Burr — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 17:16:54 +0000

In reply to Nancy.

Good point! I certainly hope so 🙂

By: Michael

Michael — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:10:36 +0000

I get a little bit of both worlds by working as an in-house SEO/social media marketing manager for a company and doing marketing consultation freelance on the side.

To be sure, it’s tough to strike a balance between a full-time job, freelancing and a social life, but it feels great to get two “paychecks” in one week!

By: Nancy

Nancy — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 19:07:33 +0000

I am currently working in house. You are right about most people not having an idea on what I do. So far, I am not yet tired of explaining my work to them. I am actually having fun especially that I am very passionate with what I do. But with the type of work’s increasing popularity in time I am sure I will do less explaining.

By: Ruth Burr

Ruth Burr — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:21:37 +0000

In reply to Brian Greenberg.

Hi Brian, I appreciate your comments. A lot of SEOs do run their own side businesses and sites, it’s true. I’ve made a personal decision not to as part of my commitment to my family and to a healthy work/life balance. Since I never try any SEO tactics that I wouldn’t try on an employer’s website, I’m able to really give each site I work on my all, and that site gets the full benefit of my ongoing testing and learning.

By: Ruth Burr

Ruth Burr — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:20:03 +0000

In reply to Thomas Hickey.

Hi Thomas, I’d really encourage you to be looking at SEO requirements now, before your site is fully up – it will save you so much money down the line. An SEO engagement can be anything from a one-time audit to a full-time employee, so I hope you’ll be able to find a solution that works for you within your budget. Best of luck!

By: Ruth Burr

Ruth Burr — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:18:14 +0000

In reply to Marios Alexandrou.

Marios – I so agree! I think like any industry, the best thing we can do is take the best part of each position to the next one, and learn what we do and don’t want along the way.

By: Brian Greenberg

Brian Greenberg — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 05:30:40 +0000

This is a really well done post Ruth. While I think the pros and cons you listed are very comprehensive… I’m left wondering why you don’t run a business on the side. To really test your abilities, you should try running your own sites. This will keep you current with new things, and make you even more valuable in your day jobs. You can start simple with some affiliate products.

By: Thomas Hickey

Thomas Hickey — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 05:16:52 +0000

Thanks Ruth for this very nice post and insights on SEO. I am contemplating on outsourcing the task and it is nice to see the pros and cons coming from an industry expert. While the site is still on the works and budgeting is scarce, I feel that it would be better to outsource the workload. However, I feel that my knowledge on the matter sets me back. I have read much on the new software available and is thinking about outsourcing the labor to populate the process.

By: Marios Alexandrou

Marios Alexandrou — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 02:41:03 +0000

Once you get past the basic agency vs. in-house debate, you can actually slice up the situation even more. Within in-house positions there’s quite a lot the differs between an ecommerce business and a publishing business. On the agency side, there are significant differences between big agencies that do everything and small agencies that focus. It’s taken me a while to figure out what’s right (for me).