In-house SEO or an agency: define the work first.

SEO may involve research, writing, technical diagnosis, implementation, reporting and coordination with legal reviewers. One person may cover several tasks, but the brief should not assume that every required skill comes with the job title.

Identify who can approve website changes, professional claims and legal explanations. An external agency cannot remove those responsibilities from the firm.

For paid-search responsibilities, use the separate in-house versus agency Google Ads guide. It covers account access, media spend and campaign reporting.

For an internal role, include employment costs, recruitment, tools, management time and access to any additional writing or development support. Use your own figures; a generic salary average will not define the actual role.

For an agency, separate the included work from tool charges, development, paid media and optional projects. RankMyFirm’s pricing page gives our current SEO range and terms, while the cost guide explains how to compare scope.

Before expanding a relationship, agree one useful set of work and its acceptance checks. A page improvement or technical review can reveal whether communication, approvals and handover function as expected.

Ask for relevant work evidence from any candidate or supplier. Sector familiarity is useful, but a specialist label alone does not prove implementation quality. The agency selection guide provides questions for that assessment.