How to outsource SEO: a step-by-step guide

Step 1: decide what to outsource

You do not have to hand over everything. Common splits are:

• Everything. Strategy, technical work, content and links. Best when you have no SEO staff.
• Execution only. You keep strategy in-house and outsource content, on-page work and link building.
• One specialism. Only technical audits, only link building or only content writing.
• White label. You are an agency and resell the work under your own brand. See white label SEO.

Step 2: set goals you can measure

"Rank higher" is not a goal. Pick numbers you already track:

• Leads or sales from organic search per month
• Organic visits to service or product pages
• Positions for a short list of keywords that bring customers
• Pages indexed and errors in Search Console

Write down today's numbers before work starts, so there is a baseline.

Step 3: set a budget

Monthly SEO from an outsourcing company usually costs far less than a full-time hire in the US, UK or Australia. Sitesetu's plan for clients outside India is $159 a month, with AEO and GEO at $99 each. Budget separately for content if you need many new pages, and expect four to six months before competitive rankings move.

Step 4: shortlist three providers

Look for a provider that publishes its prices, shows sample reports and explains how it builds links. Be careful with anyone who guarantees a number one ranking, promises hundreds of links a month, or will not tell you who does the work.

Step 5: ask these questions before you sign

1. Who will work on my account, and can I talk to them directly?
2. Can I see a real monthly report with the client's name removed?
3. How do you build links, and will I receive the full list each month?
4. Will content be written in my market's English, and do I approve it first?
5. Which accounts do you need, and will I keep ownership?
6. What notice is needed to stop, and what happens to the work when I do?

Step 6: run a one-month trial

Use the first month to judge the provider on things you can see: the quality of the audit, the keyword map, the first fixes and how quickly they reply. A good provider will show useful work within 30 days even though rankings take longer.

Step 7: keep ownership and review monthly

• Create Google Search Console, Google Analytics and Google Business Profile in your own name, then add the provider as a user.
• Keep the domain, hosting and website logins in your name.
• Review the report every month: work done, links built, traffic and leads.
• Spot-check a few links and articles yourself.

When to bring SEO in-house

Outsourcing works well up to the point where SEO needs someone inside the business every day, for example a large ecommerce catalogue or a content team publishing daily. Many companies then hire one in-house lead and keep the outsourcing partner for content and links.

Outsourcing SEO to India

India has a large pool of SEO specialists, and the time difference means work can be done overnight for clients in the US and UK. The risks are the same as with any provider: spam links, weak writing and poor communication. The questions above filter those out. See how we work in SEO outsourcing.