Owners and founders of small to medium-sized digital marketing agencies in Australia, the USA, and the UK often face a repeating pain point: hiring skilled in-house SEO staff is expensive and difficult. The result is stalled growth, uneven client delivery, and time drained by recruitment and training. This article breaks down what matters when you compare resourcing approaches, looks at the common path of hiring full-time SEOs, examines alternative models, reviews other viable options, and finishes with a practical decision guide and an interactive self-assessment you can use right away.
3 Key Factors When Evaluating SEO Resourcing Options
Before comparing routes, clarify three practical dimensions that determine whether an approach will work for your agency.
- Cost vs. value: Total cost does not mean only salary. Include recruitment fees, benefits, equipment, onboarding time, software licenses, and the lost margin during ramp-up. Compare that total to realistic output: links built, technical audits completed, content produced, and revenue attributed. Time to capability: How long until the person or team consistently delivers profitable SEO results? Junior hires may be cheaper but take months to be productive. Even senior hires need time to understand your processes and clients. Risk and control: How critical is direct oversight? If your agency depends on tight quality control and client-facing consultants, an in-house hire gives control. If you can accept some variability, external partners can reduce fixed costs.
Keeping these three factors front and center prevents being seduced by headline salary numbers. Now we’ll look at the most common approach: hiring in-house SEO talent.
Hiring Full-Time In-House SEOs: Pros, Cons, and Real Costs
Many agencies default to hiring full-time staff because it promises ownership and control. Here’s what that route actually looks like in practice.
What agency owners expect
- Immediate expertise across technical SEO, content strategy, outreach, and analytics. High reliability and alignment with company culture. A single point of accountability for client delivery and internal processes.
What often happens
- Recruitment timelines stretch: sourcing, interviewing, and reference checks often take 6 to 12 weeks or longer. Market competition drives salaries up, especially for mid-to-senior talent with proven results. New hires rarely match every skill you need. Agencies end up hiring for the generalist SEO role, then paying external specialists for gaps.
True cost breakdown by market
Region Typical Senior SEO Salary (annual) Recruitment + Onboarding + Overheads (first year) USA $80,000 - $130,000 $25,000 - $50,000 UK £45,000 - £75,000 £12,000 - £30,000 Australia AUD 90,000 - AUD 140,000 AUD 25,000 - AUD 45,000These ranges include base salary, payroll taxes, basic benefits and software. Recruiters, advertising jobs, paid tests, and extended onboarding push the upfront cost higher. On top of money, factor in time lost while the hire ramps up: one to six months before they generate acceptable profit.
Pros and cons, at a glance
- Pros: Strong alignment with agency vision; easier to iterate on client strategy; perceived stability for clients. Cons: High fixed cost; risk of mis-hire; slower to scale up or down; limited skill breadth for all client needs.
In contrast, let’s look at alternatives that many growing agencies use to reduce cost and increase flexibility.
How Outsourced SEO and Remote Specialists Differ from Full-Time Hiring
Outsourcing covers a spectrum: hiring freelance specialists, contracting a boutique SEO firm, using managed SEO platforms, or engaging nearshore teams. Each reduces fixed cost but shifts trade-offs in timing, control, and quality.
Freelancers and contractors
- Pay-per-project or hourly; no payroll taxes or benefits. Quick to hire if you already have vetted contacts; slower if you must test them first. Best for clearly scoped tasks like technical audits, content briefs, or link outreach.
In contrast to full-time staff, freelancers can be expensive per hour for senior operators but cheaper overall because there’s no long-term commitment. Quality varies widely, so agencies need a vetting process and trial projects.
Specialized SEO agencies and boutique providers
- Offer end-to-end service and predictable deliverables. Can scale capacity up or down without your agency hiring. Higher margins per client, but lower internal management load.
Outsourcing to a specialist can speed time to capability and avoid recruitment risk. On the other hand, you trade daily control and must manage client handoffs carefully.
Nearshore and offshore teams
- Lower hourly rates compared to local markets; useful for repetitive tasks like outreach and content production. Requires robust process documentation and quality checks to maintain standards.
Agencies often mix local senior strategists affordable local seo services with offshore execution teams. In contrast to hiring solely in-house, this hybrid reduces fixed costs and lets senior staff focus on strategy and client relationships.
Other Viable Options: Internal Training, Tools, and Hybrid Models
Beyond the binary in-house vs outsourcing choice, several practical options can be combined to reduce cost and increase capability.
Train existing staff into SEO roles
- Upskill account managers, developers, or content leads who already know your clients and processes. Lower recruitment cost and faster alignment with culture. Requires investment in training, mentoring, and time for practice.
Training internal people can be cost-effective when the agency has stable client volume and a senior person who can mentor. In contrast with hiring senior external hires, this approach trades immediate depth for longer-term loyalty and lower cost.
Create a small, highly focused internal SEO core plus external specialists
- Keep 1-2 senior strategists in-house for client relationships and strategy. Outsource execution tasks to vetted freelancers or small agencies. Gives clients continuity while keeping fixed costs manageable.
This hybrid often hits the sweet spot for agencies that need quality control but cannot afford multiple senior hires.
Invest in better processes and tools
- Use project management, content workflows, and SEO platforms to increase productivity per person. Automation can reduce repetitive work, freeing staff to handle higher-value tasks. Tool subscriptions add recurring cost but often pay back by reducing headcount needs.
Similarly, documented processes lower the risk of mis-hire because new people can be onboarded faster and perform more predictably.
Choosing the Right SEO Resourcing Strategy for Your Agency
No single approach fits every agency. Use the short checklist and the self-assessment quiz below to make a pragmatic decision based on your situation.
Quick checklist before deciding
- How predictable is your client volume over the next 12 months? Can senior staff absorb a mentoring role, or is leadership already overloaded? How critical is day-to-day control and client communication for your brand? Do you have the cash buffer to cover recruitment time and failed hires? Are there local hiring constraints or salary pressures in your market?
Self-assessment quiz: Which resourcing route fits your agency?
Score one point for each "yes" answer. Total the points at the end to get recommended options.
Do you have predictable, steady SEO revenue for 12+ months? (Yes/No) Is there an internal senior staff member who can mentor a junior SEO? (Yes/No) Can you accept variability in delivery while quality controls are established? (Yes/No) Do you have experience managing freelancers or external vendors? (Yes/No) Is speed to deliver new client work more important than tight daily control? (Yes/No)Score interpretation:
- 4-5 yes: Consider hiring at least one in-house senior strategist and using external teams for execution. The hybrid model will give you strategic control while keeping costs flexible. 2-3 yes: Outsource execution to trusted freelancers or boutique firms, and gradually train or hire one junior in-house as revenue stabilizes. 0-1 yes: Outsource core SEO delivery and focus internal hires on account management and client growth. Minimize fixed headcount until volumes improve.
Practical steps for implementing your choice
If hiring in-house, define the role narrowly. Hire for core strategic skills and culture fit, not an impossible full-stack SEO skillset. If outsourcing, run a short paid trial project to validate quality and communication before committing to long-term retainers. Document processes and KPIs irrespective of the model. Good processes multiply the productivity of every resource type. Use performance-based contracts where possible - tie some payments to deliverables like audits, new content, or traffic milestones.On the other hand, if you decide to train internal staff, set clear milestones for competency and limit the number of clients they manage while training. Similarly, if you take a nearshore route, allocate resources to daily QA to avoid rework.
Final Practical Comparison Table
Option Typical Cost Profile Time to Full Capability Control & Quality Full-time in-house senior High fixed cost, high overhead 3-6 months High Freelancers / Contractors Pay-as-you-go, variable 1-8 weeks (per task) Variable - depends on vetting Outsourced agency Medium to high recurring cost, scalable 2-6 weeks Medium - good for standard processes Hybrid (core in-house + outsourced execution) Moderate fixed + variable 4-12 weeks High - with clear roles Upskilling existing staff Low to moderate upfront, lower long-term 3-9 months Medium - increases with trainingIn contrast to the simplicity of "just hire one more SEO," this comparison shows multiple ways to meet client demand while managing cost and risk.
Takeaway: Which route avoids the biggest hiring pain?
For most small to mid-sized agencies in Australia, the USA, and the UK that are struggling to scale SEO delivery, the hybrid model offers the best balance. Keep a lean internal strategic core to manage client relationships, process, and quality. Outsource repeatable execution to vetted specialists or nearshore teams. If your cash flow and client mix allow, gradually convert high-performing external roles into in-house hires after clear KPI achievement.
Finally, remember that improving hiring success is not purely about money. Better role definition, realistic expectations about ramp-up, documented processes, and short paid trials for external providers will reduce risk and cut overall cost over time. Use the quiz and checklist above as a first step to decide which path to test this quarter.