Outsourcing SEO can be the fastest way to grow organic traffic without building a full in-house team, but only if you pick the right model and manage it well. This guide covers what you can hand over, the four main ways to outsource SEO, what each one really costs, and a step-by-step plan for the first 90 days.
What is SEO outsourcing?
SEO outsourcing means hiring people outside your company to do some or all of your search engine optimization. That can be an SEO agency, a freelance SEO specialist, or a dedicated remote specialist who works only on your site. You stay in charge of the goals and the budget; they bring the skills and do the work.
Most businesses outsource SEO for one of three reasons: nobody in the team has the time, nobody has the skills, or hiring a full-time SEO manager is too expensive at their stage.
What you can outsource, and what to keep
Almost every part of SEO can be done by someone outside the business:
- Technical SEO: site audits, page speed, indexing problems, redirects and structured data.
- Keyword research and content: finding what your buyers search for, writing briefs, and creating or updating pages and blog posts.
- On-page SEO: titles, descriptions, headings and internal links.
- Link building and digital PR: earning mentions and links from relevant websites.
- Local SEO: your Google Business Profile, reviews and local listings.
- Reporting: tracking rankings, traffic and leads, and explaining what changed.
Keep these in-house: your business goals, final approval of anything published under your name, your brand voice, and ownership of every account. Your SEO partner should work in your Google Search Console, Google Analytics and website accounts, not in accounts they own.
Four ways to outsource SEO
| Option | Best for | Control | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEO agency | Businesses that want a full team and a done-for-you service | Medium: you work through an account manager | Higher monthly fees and long contracts |
| Freelance SEO specialist | One clear project, such as an audit or a site migration | High, but only for the agreed scope | Limited hours, and availability can change |
| Dedicated remote SEO specialist | Ongoing SEO with someone who learns your business | High: they work in your tools and report to you | You need to set priorities and review the work |
| White label SEO | Agencies that resell SEO under their own brand | Depends on the provider | Quality control, because your clients see only your name |
If you run an agency, see how white label SEO works with a dedicated DigiWorks specialist.
How much does it cost to outsource SEO?
Prices vary a lot by model, experience and country. Ahrefs surveyed 439 SEO providers (updated August 2024) and found:
- Monthly retainers: $501 to $1,000 a month was the most common range, and the average was $2,917 a month.
- Hourly rates: $75 to $100 an hour was the most common, with an average of $111.
- Projects: $2,501 to $5,000 was the most common fee for a one-off project.
- Agencies vs freelancers: agencies averaged $3,209 a month, freelancers $1,348.63.
- Country: 85.7% of SEOs based in India charge $30 an hour or less, far below US and Canadian rates.
To compare fairly, add up everything you would pay for an in-house hire: salary, payroll taxes, benefits, recruitment, equipment and SEO tools. A dedicated remote specialist usually costs a fraction of that, because you are not paying for office space or local salary levels.
How to outsource SEO in 7 steps
1. Set business goals first
Start with what SEO should achieve for the business, such as more qualified leads or more sales from search, not with rankings. Then pick a few numbers to track: clicks from searches that don’t include your brand name, leads or sales from organic search, and the number of target keywords on page one.
2. Decide the scope
List what you need now: a technical audit, new content, link building, local SEO, or all of it. A clear scope makes quotes comparable and stops you paying for work you don’t need.
3. Choose the model
Use the table above. A one-off fix suits a freelancer; ongoing growth usually needs either an agency or a dedicated specialist who stays with your business.
4. Vet candidates with Google’s own questions
Google publishes a list of questions to ask before you hire an SEO, including:
- Can you show me examples of your previous work and share some success stories?
- Do you follow the Google Search Essentials?
- What kind of results do you expect to see, and in what timeframe?
- Will you share with me all the changes you make to my site?
Add a practical test: ask for a short review of one of your pages and what they would change first.
5. Give access safely
Add your SEO partner as a user in Google Search Console and Google Analytics, and give them their own website login with only the permissions they need. Never share your main password, and test bigger site changes on a staging copy before they go live.
6. Run a 90-day plan
- Days 1 to 30: audit the site, fix the technical problems that block Google, and agree on the target keywords.
- Days 31 to 60: improve the pages that already rank on page two, and start new content for the most valuable keywords.
- Days 61 to 90: add internal links, start earning links from relevant sites, and set up a monthly report.
7. Review every month
Each month, check the numbers from step 1 against the month before and against the same month last year. A good partner explains what moved and why, and what they will do next.
Red flags when choosing an SEO company or freelancer
- Guaranteed rankings. Google says it plainly: “No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.”
- A “special relationship” with Google or “priority submit” offers.
- Cold emails promising to fix your rankings.
- Cheap link packages, link networks or thousands of directory submissions. These break Google’s spam policies and can hurt your site.
- No access to your own data, or reports that don’t say what was changed on your site.
Outsource SEO with a dedicated DigiWorks specialist
DigiWorks matches you with a remote SEO specialist who works only on your business, in your tools and on your schedule. You interview candidates and choose who joins, and DigiWorks handles the contract and payments. See how to outsource SEO services with DigiWorks, or hire an SEO specialist for a specific skill such as technical or local SEO.
Frequently asked questions
Is it worth outsourcing SEO?
For most small and mid-sized businesses, yes. You get skills you don’t have in-house without the cost of a full-time hire. It works best when you set clear goals, keep ownership of your accounts and review the results every month.
How long does outsourced SEO take to show results?
Technical fixes and better titles can show up within weeks, but steady growth in traffic and leads usually takes several months. Ask every candidate what results they expect and in what timeframe, as Google recommends.
Should I hire an SEO agency or a freelancer?
Choose a freelancer for a defined project and an agency when you need a full team and want a done-for-you service. If you want ongoing work with more control, a dedicated remote specialist sits in between: one person who learns your business and reports to you.
Can I outsource only part of my SEO?
Yes. Many businesses outsource the technical work or link building and keep content in-house, or the other way around. Just make sure one person owns the overall plan so the pieces work together.
What should an outsourced SEO report include?
The work done that month, changes made to the site, movement in your key numbers (non-brand clicks, leads, target keywords), and the plan for next month. Rankings alone are not enough.
