Hiring for SEO can shape your online growth. SEO freelancer vs in-house roles each offer benefits. This post will help you decide between freelance SEO hiring and permanent SEO roles based on cost, skill needs, and business goals.
What is SEO Freelancer vs In-House?
An SEO freelancer works on specific projects. An in-house SEO specialist works full-time for your company. Freelancers charge by day or hour. In-house employees earn a salary plus benefits.
Cost and Investment
Freelance SEO hiring often costs less for short-term work. A freelancer might charge £300-£500 per day in the UK or $300–$600 per day in the US. An in-house SEO manager may cost £35,000-£50,000 per year in salary, plus taxes and benefits. For a one-off site audit or keyword study, a freelancer can cut costs by up to 50 percent. For ongoing work, a full-time role may pay off after six months of steady output.
Skill and Expertise Differences
Freelancers work with several clients and stay current on tools and algorithm updates. For a site migration, a freelance technical SEO expert can fix broken links, update redirects, and test page speed within two weeks. An in-house specialist may need extra training. However, an in-house expert knows your brand voice, product line, and workflows. They align content plans with your roadmap and adjust as your business changes.
When to Use Freelance SEO Hiring
Freelance SEO hiring fits clear, short-term goals. If you need a one-time audit, link outreach, or site migration review, a freelancer can jump in quickly. In 2024, 42 percent of UK marketing teams hired freelancers for seasonal campaigns and saved 25 percent on project costs compared to temp staff.
Short-Term Projects and Audits
To launch a new landing page with on-page SEO, a freelancer can deliver keyword research, a content outline, and metadata updates in two weeks. For example, a local boutique hired a freelancer before Black Friday and saw organic traffic rise by 15 percent within a month.
Access to Specialized Skills
Freelancers often specialize in local SEO, technical SEO, or content strategy. A mid-size B2B firm needed schema markup help. They hired a freelance expert who finished in five days. An in-house hire might have needed a month to learn structured data. To find vetted experts, search on freelance platforms or SEO-only job boards
When to Hire Permanent SEO Roles
Permanent SEO roles suit businesses needing ongoing support. If you need monthly content planning, link building, and performance tracking, an in-house specialist offers continuity. A startup hired a content SEO manager in January 2025. By April, blog traffic rose 30 percent thanks to weekly content audits and A/B testing.
Continuous Strategy and Team Fit
An in-house role embeds SEO into your brand voice. A full-time SEO lead can join weekly meetings with marketing, design, and product teams. They review campaign data, adjust tactics, and give consistent guidance. A freelancer may work remotely and focus on deliverables without a full view of your roadmap. If you update your site frequently – adding services or changing pricing – an in-house expert adapts strategies immediately.
Training and Collaboration
An SEO expert on staff builds skills across teams. They train copywriters on keyword use or guide developers on site speed improvements. For example, a publishing company hired a full-time SEO coordinator in late 2024. By March 2025, the content team wrote optimized articles without extra review. The coordinator held monthly workshops and shared a content calendar, leading to a 22 percent rise in organic leads.
Hybrid Approach: Combining Both
Some businesses blend freelance SEO hiring with permanent SEO roles. You might hire a full-time SEO manager to lead strategy and bring in freelancers for specific campaigns. A SaaS provider filled an SEO strategist role in February 2025. When they launched a new feature in May, they hired a freelancer for backlink outreach. This cut costs by 20 percent and sped up the launch.
Building an SEO Team Structure
- SEO Lead (In-House): Oversees strategy, tracks KPIs, and manages budgets.
- Content SEO Specialist (Freelance): Conducts keyword research and content outlines.
- Technical SEO Consultant (Freelance): Performs quarterly site audits and performance checks.
- Link Building Coordinator (In-House or Freelance): Executes outreach, negotiates partnerships, and monitors backlinks.
A hybrid model maintains a consistent brand voice and adds fresh expertise for special projects.
Key Takeaways
Benefits of Working with SEO Staffing Experts
- Freelance SEO hiring suits short-term projects, audits, and niche tasks.
- Permanent SEO roles work best for continuous strategy, team integration, and ongoing content production.
- A hybrid model blends the stability of in-house staff with the specialized skills of freelancers.
- Compare freelance rates (£300–£500 per day) against full-time costs (£35,000–£50,000 per year) to guide your choice.
- Assess your needs: one-off tasks lean toward freelancers, while steady growth benefits permanent hires.
What does “SEO freelancer vs in-house” mean?
It compares hiring a freelance expert for specific projects versus a full-time SEO employee.
When should I use freelance SEO hiring?
For short-term needs like audits, keyword research, or link outreach.
When should I invest in permanent SEO roles?
If you need ongoing content planning, link building, and performance tracking.
Can I mix freelance SEO and in-house roles?
Yes. In-house staff cover daily tasks and freelancers handle special projects.
How do I compare costs?
Freelancers charge £300–£500 per day. In-house SEO salaries range from £35,000–£50,000 per year plus benefits.
