How do you keep SEO outsourcing projects on budget and schedule?

1 Define your goals and expectations

Before you hire an SEO agency or freelancer, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and how you will measure success. Do you want to improve your organic traffic, rankings, conversions, or brand awareness? What are your target keywords, audiences, and markets? How will you track and report on the SEO performance? Having a well-defined scope and deliverables will help you avoid misunderstandings, scope creep, and unrealistic expectations.

2 Choose the right SEO partner

Finding the right SEO partner is crucial for the success of your outsourcing projects. You need to do your research and vet potential candidates based on their experience, reputation, portfolio, and communication skills. You also need to check their references, reviews, and testimonials to see how they have handled previous projects and clients. Look for an SEO partner who understands your goals, industry, and audience, and who can offer customized solutions that fit your budget and timeline.

3 Communicate regularly and clearly

Communication is key to keeping your SEO outsourcing projects on track and on budget. You need to establish a clear and consistent communication channel with your SEO partner, whether it is email, phone, chat, or video call. You also need to set up regular meetings, updates, and feedback sessions to monitor the progress, resolve issues, and align expectations. You should also use a project management tool or platform to keep track of the tasks, deadlines, and milestones, and to share documents and files.

4 Review and approve the work

Before you launch or implement any SEO work done by your outsourcing partner, you need to review and approve it carefully. You need to check the quality, accuracy, and relevance of the content, keywords, links, and technical aspects of the SEO work. You also need to ensure that the work follows the best practices and guidelines of SEO and your industry. If you find any errors, inconsistencies, or gaps, you need to ask for revisions or corrections as soon as possible.

5 Evaluate and optimize the results

Once your SEO outsourcing projects are completed and launched, you need to evaluate and optimize the results. You need to use analytics tools and metrics to measure the impact and effectiveness of the SEO work on your website performance and business goals. You also need to compare the results with your expectations and benchmarks, and identify the strengths and weaknesses of the SEO work. Based on the analysis, you need to optimize and improve your SEO strategy and tactics, and communicate with your SEO partner for future projects.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?