How To Outsource SEO: The Ultimate Whitelabel Guide For Agencies

Outsourcing SEO sounds like the ideal way to grow an agency.

You can sit back and relax while somebody else does the work.

But it’s not that easy.

When you start to outsource, you quickly find out that there are a bunch more tasks that you need to keep on top of. And you need to find the right people for the right price.

It’s a great way to scale your agency, but it needs to be done properly.

We’ve been working alongside marketing agencies that outsource SEO for their clients for over 10 years now, so we know a thing or two about doing this successfully.

And that’s what we’re going to reveal in this guide.

We’ll cover:

• The benefits of outsourcing SEO
• Which SEO services to outsource
• Who to outsource to
• What to look for in an SEO reseller
• How to outsource SEO (step-by-step)

What Is SEO Outsourcing?

SEO outsourcing is the practice of hiring external specialists to handle search engine optimization (SEO) tasks for your agency. That could include everything from keyword research and content creation to technical SEO and link building.

External service providers can help you scale up your capacity without expanding your in-house team. They can also bring the experience and expertise you need to deliver better SEO results for your clients.

If you’re just starting a digital marketing agency, this is particularly helpful as it really lets you focus on client acquisition and retention while the deliverables handle themselves.

The Benefits of Outsourcing SEO

Outsourcing SEO services offers several key advantages for marketing agencies.

“Outsourcing the at least part of the deliverables part of our campaigns, things like links, content and video, allows us to stay lean and grow without massive overheads. We’ve used FATJOE for this over the years and it’s the perfect structure for agencies.”

Adam Collins, Ignite SEO

Access to Expertise

First, outsourcing allows you to access talent that you might struggle to recruit in a full-time role.

In a recent survey for Search Engine Journal, competition for talent was ranked as the biggest shift in the SEO industry over the last year:

When you outsource, your SEO deliverables are handled by professionals with specialist knowledge.

They perform the same tasks every day, and they get really good at them. They know how to achieve the best results.

Cost Efficiency

Building an in-house SEO and content marketing team can be expensive. Outsourcing is a much more affordable way to enhance your agency’s capabilities.

A survey by Deloitte found that cost reduction was the number one outsourcing objective:

Outsourcing is a way to offer high-quality SEO services without long-term salary commitments and training costs.

Scalability

You can scale your services up or down based on client demands without hiring or laying off staff. It makes managing costs and catering to your client’s needs much easier.

If you take on a new client project, you can quickly scale up your outsourcing to meet the demand.

Focus on Growing Your Agency

A comprehensive SEO strategy involves a ton of technical and time-consuming tasks.

Handling these tasks in-house can distract you from the core activities that will help you grow your agency.

The most profitable marketing agencies insource strategy and outsource deliverables.

— Joe Davies (@fatjoedavies) January 3, 2023

If you’re bogged down with keyword research and blogger outreach, you won’t have the time to focus on managing client relationships, attracting new clients, and expanding your service list.

Which SEO Services Can You Outsource?

Some services are more suitable for outsourcing than others. Here’s a breakdown of what you should look to outsource:

Off-Page SEO

Link Building

You need high-quality backlinks to rank high in search results.

However, link building is one of the most challenging SEO tasks. It takes time and skill to secure links that really move the needle.

That’s why link building is consistently voted as the most difficult part of SEO:

Image Source

You can hire specialists to handle every aspect of your link building campaigns.

Many providers already have established relationships with reputable websites. They can secure backlinks and keep your client’s link profile looking natural.

Digital PR Campaigns

Digital PR campaigns can be a super effective way to build website authority and boost online visibility.

You can outsource everything from content creation and media outreach to digital PR specialists. They can secure dofollow links and coverage on some of the most authoritative publications online.

Want to see the types of links you can get when you outsource digital PR?

Check out an example campaign report.

Directory Submissions

Local citation building is essential for local SEO. It’s also one of the most time-consuming.

Instead of manually submitting your client’s business details to each directory, you can outsource to an SEO reseller. They will find the appropriate directories, manage submissions, and ensure NAP consistency.

Competitor Backlink Analysis

Spying on your competitors can be an excellent way to identify new websites to target in your link building campaigns.

Instead of researching each competitor, you can outsource to a link building specialist.

They can analyze where your competitors are getting their backlinks and provide a list of opportunities where you could secure new links for your client.

On-Page SEO

Keyword Research

Keyword research is the foundation of an effective SEO strategy. You need to know which terms your target audience uses when searching for relevant information online.

You also need to know if you can rank for the search term.

With a white label keyword research service, you can get actionable reports that prioritize which terms you should target first based on relevance, search volume, competition, and search intent.

Content Creation and Optimization

Content creation is one of the tasks many agencies choose to outsource.

You can get a professional writer with experience in your client’s niche to create engaging content.

However, your content also needs to be SEO-optimized. In a recent HubSpot survey, optimizing on-page content around target keywords was ranked as the most effective technique to rank high in search results:

An expert SEO content provider can ensure you use target keywords naturally, optimize your headings, and increase your content readability.

Internal Linking

A smart internal linking structure helps spread link equity throughout your site. It can make a significant impact on your search ranking.

An on-page SEO specialist can help you implement an internal linking strategy that prioritizes key pages. They can also eliminate orphan pages and other issues affecting SEO performance.

Technical SEO

Website Audits

A technical SEO audit should be at the top of your to-do list when onboarding a new client.

You can outsource this task to a technical SEO specialist. They can analyze aspects like site structure, crawl errors, and indexing issues that could impact SEO performance.

They should also provide actionable recommendations on how to handle any issues.

Site Speed Optimization

Page speed is a verified Google ranking factor. Here’s how it’s described on the Google Search Central blog:

A technical SEO specialist can analyze the speed of your client’s website and look for opportunities to reduce loading times. This could include compressing images, minifying CSS and JavaScript files, leveraging browser caching, and more.

Schema Markup Implementation

Adding schema markup helps search engines understand your content. It also increases your chances of landing a rich snippet for relevant search queries.

But implementing and validating schema markup can be technical and time-consuming. That’s why it’s one of the most popular technical SEO tasks to outsource.

Canonicalization

Canonical tags help you avoid duplicate content issues and give Google instructions on which pages you want to rank in search results.

However, it’s a technical SEO task that can cause serious problems if you get it wrong.

Outsourcing to a specialist is a good idea if you’re not confident in your in-house capabilities.

Who To Outsource To

When it comes to outsourcing SEO, you have two options: individual contractors/freelancers or an SEO reseller agency.

Using individual contractors or freelancers has its benefits.

For example, a freelancer is a good option if you need ongoing technical SEO support but don’t have the demand to justify hiring an in-house employee.

They can provide the flexibility and specialized skills you need to perform standalone tasks like technical SEO audits.

However, partnering with an SEO reseller agency tends to be a better option for deliverables like content creation and link building.

An agency can consistently deliver high-quality SEO work. You don’t have to manage multiple freelancers or worry about inconsistent availability and turnaround times.

For example, FATJOE has built relationships with thousands of bloggers for our blogger outreach services.

We have also recruited a huge team of trained writers for our content writing services.

With all of our services, we have built teams, processes, and technology to deliver them efficiently and in large volumes.

What To Consider When Choosing An SEO Reseller

Here’s what you need to consider when comparing SEO agencies and freelancers:

Flexibility

You want an SEO partner that can scale their services up or down based on your needs.

If you land a big client or if one of your existing clients decides to ramp up their SEO, your reseller should be able to cope with the increase in demand.

Many agencies and freelancers require you to sign up for a monthly retainer. That can work well if you know that your clients require regular SEO services.

However, an ‘on-demand’ service is much more flexible. You can order as many services as you require as and when you need them.

This approach is often more scalable and avoids the hassle of losing money if a retainer is not utilized or if non-refundable service plans are canceled.

Transparency

Transparency is vital when you’re working with a freelancer or SEO agency.

You need to be able to trust your outside partners to deliver work that won’t damage your client’s online reputation or even result in a Google penalty.

Make sure your provider uses ethical white-hat SEO practices. These tactics deliver sustainable, long-term benefits.

This is super important for outsourcing link building.

Get a full report of any backlinks secured, along with information about the link placements and referring domains. You won’t get that if you buy 500 links from a shady seller on Fiverr.

If you’re thinking of buying links, make sure you check out our tell-all guide on how to buy backlinks the right way.

White Labeling

White labeling can save you a ton of time.

When you receive reports from your SEO reseller, you want them to be non-branded.

That way, you can add your branding and keep everything looking consistent- your clients will never know that the services are being outsourced.

This helps maintain brand consistency and trust with your clients.

Customer Support

This one is more important than you may think.

Does the provider offer any customer support? Are they easy to contact and supportive in answering your questions?

There is usually a big difference between freelancers and agencies when it comes to customer support.

Freelancers tend to be a bit hit or miss. They manage everything solo and juggle multiple projects.

Agencies typically have dedicated support teams.

For example, here at FATJOE, our support team monitors the online chat and phone lines, ready to answer any queries our clients may have – no automated robots here!

We also offer scheduled calls where you can book some time with a member of our team to ask any questions you have about the outsourced services.

You should be looking for this level of customer support with any SEO reseller.

The Ability to Monitor Orders & Campaigns

If your client wants an update on their SEO campaigns, you need to be able to quickly and easily provide an answer.

Check whether the SEO agency or freelancer you’re considering will send regular updates about your orders.

Dashboards are also great for monitoring the progress of your campaigns.

At FATJOE, you get an intuitive dashboard that provides live updates, expected completion dates, and reports.

Trials & Comparisons

Place a trial order with the service provider to ensure that the service meets your expectations. This will allow you to evaluate their responsiveness and quality of work.

You can try out a few different freelancers or agencies to see how they stack up against each other.

How to Outsource SEO Services

Here’s the step-by-step process for outsourcing client SEO projects:

Decide What to Outsource

First, you need to decide which projects to outsource.

Take a good look at your current team’s expertise and available resources. The goal is to understand your strengths so you can identify which SEO tasks you would benefit most from outsourcing.

It’s a lot easier to rank higher if you build quality backlinks. But if you’re good at the content side of SEO, you can outsource your link-building and focus on what you’re good at.

— Chris M. Walker (@cmwalker) February 27, 2022

This assessment will help you make sure your SEO outsourcing complements your agency team.

Set Goals and KPIs

Clear goals give your SEO outsourcing strategy direction.

If your main aim is to increase brand awareness, your SEO goals might focus on improving rankings for more informational, top-of-funnel keywords.

If you want to increase sales, you might focus more on buyer-intent keywords and local SEO improvements.

Your goals should also be measurable.

Identify the KPIs that are most relevant to your SEO efforts. It could be increased organic traffic, higher keyword rankings, or improved conversions.

Choosing the right KPIs will help you measure the success of your outsourcing.

Define the Scope of Work

You need to establish what tasks the SEO provider will handle, the expected deliverables, and the timeline for completion.

This is all part of the scope of work. It reduces the risk of misunderstandings and sets a baseline that you and the provider can refer back to.

Break the project down into milestones and assign deadlines for each. This will help you track progress and keep the delivery of work on schedule.

Depending on the size of the project, you may need to allow room for adjustments to the scope of work. You might want to switch up your strategy based on results.

Make it clear how changes will be handled and the budget for any additional work.

Create SOPs

Standard operating procedures (SOPs) can be a game-changer for outsourcing.

They are written instructions that detail exactly how a task should be performed. SOPs help maintain consistency and quality in the work done, no matter who’s doing it.

This is super important when outsourcing work to someone outside your core team.

For example, you could create an SOP that outlines your agency process for keyword research. It could include instructions for using specific SEO tools and identifying target keywords based on search volume, relevance, and keyword difficulty.

Having SOPs can really streamline staff training and onboarding, too.

Measure Results

Once you’ve received work back from your SEO provider, it’s time to measure the results.

First, you want to assess the short-term results. This is the quality of the work provided.

Did the provider follow your SOPs and meet the specifications outlined in the scope of work?

Long-term results are all about the impact on SEO performance.

Are you noticing an improvement in search rankings? Is organic traffic increasing?

It can take time to see the full impact of the work provided. For example, a recent survey found that 49% of SEOs believe it takes 1-3 months to see the effect of link building on traffic and rankings:

To judge the quality of a backlink, you can look at the Domain Rating (DR) and relevance of the referring domains.

However, it will take some time to see the impact on SEO metrics that your clients really care about.

That’s why you also need to know how to secure some SEO quick wins.

Maximizing the Benefits of Outsourcing SEO

Outsourcing can enhance your agency’s capabilities without the expense and commitment of expanding your in-house team. It’s an excellent solution for growing agencies.

But it’s not all about how it can benefit you. The end goal of your SEO outsourcing should be to provide your clients with the best possible results.

That’s how you strengthen client relationships and boost your agency’s reputation.