Why Outsourcing Search Can Be More Effective Than Keeping It In-house

04/09/2009

SEM, or search engine marketing, is quite possibly what’s going to keep you and your staff employed for the next three years. It may be hard to believe that something that can be perceived as glorified classified ad is going to save your business, but it’s true. SEM is precision driven ROI, and in a recession like the one we are currently experiencing, the advertising forms that are the most direct are going to be the last to get cut. SEM is very much what gives the entire internet advertising industry credibility.

When is it Time to Outsource?
Whether or not to outsource your search engine marketing is never going to be a black and white issue. Most of the time the answer to this question will be, “it depends.” One thing to keep in mind however is that if you do not truly understand how it works, it is not a good idea to outsource it because you’ll have great difficulty managing the outsourced relationship. If you do feel that it is time to outsource your SEM, consider hiring a consultant to help guide you through the process.

Why not build it in house?
Basically, if you build your search engine marketing system in house, you will never have the same amount of expertise, and more importantly, money to invest in custom technology for optimization, that a company specializing in SEM does. When trying to build your system in house you will find that your technology can become obsolete overnight. Or possibly worse, you’ll build a program that needs so much upkeep and modification that maintaining it will become practically impossible.

Why is Outsourcing Important?
Search engine marketing technology continues to grow and has already far exceeded the technology of Google bidding systems. As it continues to evolve, your company will never be able to invest enough money in your system in order to keep up. The truth of the matter is that if you are trying to sink money into updating your internal SEM program, you’re simply wasting resources that may be better allocated elsewhere. You are not in business for SEM; you are in business to sell your product or service. It is always best to focus on what you do best.

Who Should You Outsource To?
Just as there are many different ways to run your search engine marketing program, there are many different companies available to provide the services you need. When you begin to work with these different companies, you’ll find that some will be wonderful and others horrible. SEM providers come in all shapes and sizes, with various technology capabilities and with different service levels. You should look for a company that has a track record of delivering real results and has an edge when it comes to SEM technology.

In Conclusion
Even while outsourcing, you will find it very important to keep some internal employees that understand SEM. You will need someone that can manage the relationship and knows how the search engines and technology work. Once again, it’s never a good idea to outsource something you do not truly understand. Even if you have the best technology available, you will not solve your problems if you don’t have people who can use the technology at both a functional and strategic level.

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