SEO specialist or agency: which fits your business
SEO specialist or agency: an in-house specialist fits a business that needs someone inside the team every day and can hire and manage that person. An agency fits a business that needs the full set of skills without building a team. Below, the two routes compared: what each gives, what each costs and when each fits.
The two routes at a glance
| In-house specialist | trueSEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Works for | Only your business | Your business, from outside the team |
| Skills | What one person has | The full set of SEO skills |
| Cost | Salary, employer's costs, tools, management time | 2,000 GEL a month, the same for every client |
| Hiring | You find, hire, equip and manage | No hiring |
| Day to day | Inside the team, at hand for quick changes | We need your knowledge, access and a contact |
| Accounts | Keep them in the business's name | Stay in the business's name |
What an in-house SEO specialist gives
An in-house SEO specialist works only for your business. The specialist learns the business and its people day to day and is at hand for quick questions and daily changes.
One person brings the skills that person has. SEO spans technical work, site structure, content, links, AI visibility and measurement. One person has to cover all of these, or the business hires more people.
The business also finds, hires, equips and manages the specialist. When the specialist leaves, much of what they knew can leave with them.
What working with trueSEO gives
With us, you get the full set of SEO skills under one monthly fee, with no hiring. You do not search for, equip or manage a person.
We work from outside your team, so we need three things from you. We need your knowledge of the business, access to your accounts, and someone on your side who answers our questions.
- Google Search Console
- Google Analytics
- Your site's admin panel
Every account stays yours.
What each route costs
A salaried hire costs the salary and the employer's costs, paid tools, and the time spent finding, training and managing the person. With us, the cost is a fixed monthly fee.
Our fee is 2,000 GEL a month, the same for every client: a fully managed plan with all five directions. The page on what SEO costs with us lists what the fee includes.
Which route fits when
An in-house specialist fits when SEO is a daily part of a large team's work and the site changes every day. It also needs a business that is ready to hire, equip and manage the person.
Working with trueSEO fits when the business needs the full set of skills without building a team. With us, that set is technical SEO, site structure, topical expertise, links, AI visibility and reports. It also fits a business that wants to start without a hiring process.
Combining the two routes
The two routes can be combined. An in-house marketer or specialist can work alongside an agency.
A business can also take the plan and carry it out itself. Our 1,500 GEL consultation hands over a topic map, the site structure, a page plan, keyword research and a 90-day plan, explained on a call. The 1,500 GEL is credited in full to month one when monthly work starts within 30 days of the plan call.
Who makes the changes on the site
Someone has to make the changes on the site itself, whichever route you choose. With trueSEO, we make them ourselves, with access to the site's admin.
Your own developer can take our tasks instead. Our page on which SEO tasks go to a developer lists them.
What to check if you choose an agency
Before you sign with an agency, check the price and what it includes. Check the written terms: the length, how you can stop and what happens to your accounts. Check that the reports read your own Search Console data, that you get a written plan, and who makes the changes.
Our full guide to choosing an agency explains each point and the questions to ask on the first call.
Questions about an SEO specialist or agency
Which is cheaper, a specialist or an agency?
It depends on the business. Compare the full cost of a hire, meaning the salary, the employer's costs, tools and management time, with a fixed monthly fee. Our fee is 2,000 GEL a month for the full set of work.
What happens if the specialist leaves?
Much of what the specialist knew can leave with them. Whichever route you choose, keep Search Console, Analytics and the site's admin in the business's own name, and give the specialist or the agency access.
Can we start with an agency and move SEO in-house later?
Yes. With us, your accounts and data stay yours and you can stop any time, so an in-house hire can take over from there.
Does an agency need someone on our side?
Yes. Working with us needs access to your accounts and a person who knows the business and answers our questions. With us, we make the site changes ourselves, and your own developer can take our tasks if you prefer.