How Many People Should I Hire for SEO: A Practical Guide for Business Owners

Key Takeaways:

• Small businesses typically need just one experienced SEO specialist who can handle strategy, technical basics, content direction, and analytics
• Mid-sized businesses benefit from 2-4 people covering technical SEO, content creation, link building, and reporting
• Enterprise companies require dedicated SEO teams of 5-10+ specialists working across all SEO functions
• One senior SEO professional often outperforms a fragmented team of inexperienced hires
• Outsourcing to an SEO agency or freelance consultant avoids recruitment costs, training time, and tool subscriptions
• The right hiring model depends on your budget, SEO goals, and how central organic search is to your business
• Filipino SEO specialists offer a cost-effective alternative with strong English proficiency and deep expertise

Your business finally has budget for SEO. The problem is, you’re not sure how to spend it. One consultant quoted you $2,000 a month. An agency wants $5,000. And a job posting for an in-house SEO specialist is pulling in resumes asking for $80K salaries. You just want to know what actually makes sense for a company your size.

Here’s the thing. The answer depends on your business size, goals, and how much work needs to get done. But the good news is that you don’t always need a massive SEO team to move the needle. Sometimes, one experienced SEO specialist can handle what an entire team would at a larger company.

Let me walk you through what goes into this decision so you can figure out the right setup for your business.

Why Hiring for SEO Feels Complicated

Many business owners struggle with this question because SEO covers so much ground. You’ve got technical SEO, content creation, link building, keyword research, and analytics. Each of these could technically be its own role.

But here’s what most people don’t realize. A skilled SEO professional can wear multiple hats. The real question isn’t how many bodies you need. It’s about what skills and bandwidth your SEO efforts actually require.

Search engine optimization isn’t a one-time project. It’s an ongoing process that compounds over time. Search engines like Google constantly update how they rank websites. Your hiring decision should reflect that reality.

💬 Not sure where to start? Send me a message or book a discovery call and let’s talk about how we can simplify your marketing and get you back to focusing on what matters—your business.

Understanding What SEO Work Actually Involves

Before you can answer “how many people should I hire for SEO,” you need to understand what an SEO team actually does. Different SEO goals require different skill sets, and knowing what work needs to happen helps you hire the right people.

Keyword research is where everything starts. It identifies what your target audience is searching for on search engines. This shapes your content strategy, informs your on page optimization, and guides your overall SEO strategy. An SEO strategist or SEO consultant typically handles this by digging into search volume, competition, and user intent to find the competitive keywords worth targeting.

Technical SEO focuses on your website’s backend. This includes fixing broken links, improving site speed, handling mobile optimization, and making sure search engines can crawl your pages properly. A technical SEO specialist runs website audits using tools like Google Search Console and Screaming Frog. They spot issues that hurt your search engine rankings and fix them before search engines penalize your site.

Content creation is the fuel that powers SEO. Blog posts, service pages, and landing pages all need to be written with both readers and search engines in mind. This meanscreating content that targets relevant keywords while actually being useful to your audience. Search engines reward content that genuinely helps users. On page optimization handles the details like title tags, meta descriptions, headers, and internal linking. Your SEO specialists should coordinate content creation efforts even if they don’t write everything themselves.

Link building remains one of the strongest ranking factors for search engines. It involves reaching out to other websites and earning links back to your site. Search engines view backlinks as votes of confidence. This requires relationship building, content promotion, and sometimes creating link-worthy assets. It’s time-consuming but critical for competitive keywords.

Analytics and reporting close the loop. SEO without measurement is just guessing. An SEO analyst tracks your organic traffic, monitors search engine results pages, and identifies what’s working. Tools like Google Analytics show how users interact with your site. This data informs future SEO activities and helps prove ROI.

How Many People Should I Hire for SEO Based on Business Size

Now that you understand the work involved, let’s talk numbers. The right team size depends on where your business stands today and where you want it to go.

If you’re a small business or startup, one SEO professional is usually enough. But that person needs to be experienced enough to handle multiple responsibilities. Look for an SEO expert who can manage keyword research, basic technical SEO, content strategy, and reporting. They don’t need to write all your content themselves, but they should know how to direct it. For many small businesses, hiring an SEO agency or working with a freelance SEO consultant makes more sense than bringing someone in-house. You get specialized expertise without the overhead of a full-time salary. When you need to hire one specialist, make it count.

Mid-sized businesses usually need to hire more firepower. Your SEO needs might include regular blog posts, ongoing technical optimization, and active link building campaigns. A team of 2 to 4 SEO specialists can cover these bases. You might need to hire one person focused on technical SEO, another on content, and a third managing link building and outreach. An SEO manager or SEO strategist should oversee the team and keep everyone aligned with your business goals.

Large enterprises often need to hire dedicated SEO teams of 5 to 10 or more. These companies typically have thousands of pages, multiple product lines, and complex technical requirements. At this level, you’ll need to hire specialists for each area of SEO. Technical SEO experts, content teams, link builders, and analysts all work together under an SEO manager. Enterprise SEO also involves coordinating with other departments, so you need to hire people who can work alongside marketing, development, and product teams.

The Case for Hiring One Experienced SEO Specialist

Here’s something the competitors don’t always mention. For many businesses, especially those in the small to mid-size range, one senior-level SEO specialist can deliver excellent results.

Why? Because an experienced SEO specialist understands how all the pieces connect. They can build an effective SEO strategy, handle technical audits, direct content creation, and track performance. They also know when to bring in additional support. Need 20 blog posts this month? They can coordinate with content writers. Complex site migration? They can loop in a developer.

This approach gives you strategic thinking and hands-on execution without the cost of building a full in-house SEO team. A solid SEO strategy executed by one capable person beats a fragmented approach spread across multiple inexperienced hires. If you’re weighing how many SEO specialists you need, consider whether one well-qualified SEO professional might be your answer.

In-House SEO Team vs. Hiring an SEO Agency

Another way to think about “how many people should I hire for SEO” is whether those people should be employees or external partners.

Building an in-house SEO team gives you full control over priorities and processes. Your team develops deep understanding of your business and stays available for meetings and collaboration. The downside is higher costs from salaries, benefits, and tools. Recruitment takes time, and you risk knowledge gaps in specialized areas. An in-house SEO team makes sense when SEO is central to your business model. If you’re an ecommerce company or content publisher, having internal SEO specialists gives you a competitive edge.

Hiring an SEO agency works well when you need comprehensive SEO services but don’t want to manage a team. A good SEO company brings experience from working with multiple clients across industries. You get access to a full team of SEO specialists with scalable support based on your needs. The tradeoff is less control over day-to-day work. SEO agency quality varies, so choose carefully. The best SEO agencies have transparent processes and clear reporting.

Working with an SEO consultant or freelancer offers a middle ground. You get senior-level expertise at lower cost with flexible engagement and direct communication. The limitation is bandwidth. A single consultant may need to supplement with other resources for larger projects. Many SEO specialists who work independently have agency backgrounds and bring that experience to smaller engagements.

This is where my SEO services come in. Instead of managing multiple hires, you work with one specialist who handles your SEO as a complete system. From technical fixes to content planning and performance tracking, nothing falls through the cracks. If content or scale is needed, I can pull in trusted specialists without you managing a full team.

SEO Hiring Costs: What to Expect for In-House, Agency, and Freelance Options

Budget plays a major role in how many people you should hire for SEO. Here’s what you can expect to pay across different hiring models.

In-House SEO Salary Ranges

Bringing SEO in-house means adding to your payroll. Salaries vary based on experience level, location, and the scope of responsibilities.

These are US figures. Hiring SEO specialists in other markets may cost less, which is why many businesses look to outsource to regions like the Philippines or Eastern Europe for cost-effective talent without sacrificing quality.

Beyond salary, factor in benefits, tools, and training. SEO tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz can run $100-$500 per month. Add health insurance, retirement contributions, and paid time off, and your actual cost per employee increases by 20-30% above base salary.

SEO Agency Retainers

Monthly retainers for SEO services vary widely based on agency size, reputation, and scope of work.

SEO agency pricing often reflects overhead costs like account managers, office space, and multiple specialists working on your account. You’re paying for access to a team rather than one person’s time.

Freelance SEO Consultant Rates

Freelance SEO consultants typically charge by the hour or on a project basis. Hourly rates range from $75 to $300, depending on experience and specialization. Project-based pricing varies widely based on scope and deliverables.

Many business owners find that hiring an SEO agency or freelance SEO professional provides better value than building a team from scratch. You avoid recruitment costs, training time, and tool subscriptions. A good SEO agency includes these tools in their retainer, which saves you money. Learn more about thecost of outsourcing marketing.

Another option worth considering isoutsourcing to SEO specialists in the Philippines. You get access to skilled professionals with strong English proficiency and deep SEO expertise at a fraction of US or UK rates. The time zone difference also means work can happen while you sleep, which speeds up turnaround on content and technical fixes. Many global agencies and businesses already use Filipino SEO talent to scale their operations without blowing their budget.

If you’re exploring this route and want to understand what it would cost for your specific situation,book a discovery call with me and we can talk through your SEO goals and what kind of support makes sense.

Building Your SEO Team: A Step-by-Step Approach

If you’re still asking “how many people should I hire for SEO,” here’s a practical framework.

Start by auditing your current situation. Before hiring, understand where you stand. Do you have any SEO efforts in place? What’s your current organic traffic? Which pages rank well and which don’t? A website audit reveals the gaps. This tells you what skills you need to hire for.

Next, define your SEO goals. What do you want SEO to achieve? More website traffic? Better search engine rankings for competitive keywords? More leads from local SEO? Clear business goals help you hire the right people. Your SEO strategy should align with these objectives from day one. Without defined SEO goals, you can’t measure success or hold your team accountable.

Determine your budget realistically. Hiring an in-house SEO team is expensive. But underfunding your SEO efforts won’t produce results either. Consider whether outsourcing makes sense for your situation. Many established businesses find that hiring an SEO agency or working with a freelance SEO professional provides the best return.

Start small and scale. You don’t need to hire everyone at once. Start with one experienced SEO specialist or partner with an SEO company. See what results they produce. As your organic traffic grows and SEO proves its value, you can expand your SEO team. Many successful SEO specialists started as solo practitioners before building larger teams.

Set up systems for success. Whoever you hire needs the right tools. Subscriptions to platforms like SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Google Analytics enable effective SEO work. They also need access to stakeholders. SEO requires input from developers, content teams, and business leadership.

Is It Worth It to Hire Someone for SEO?

After everything we’ve covered, here’s my honest take as someone who’s been in this industry for over a decade.

Yes, hiring for SEO is worth it. But only if you do it right.

SEO drives more organic traffic than any other marketing channel. And unlike paid ads, the traffic doesn’t stop when you stop paying. The compounding effect of good SEO work builds an asset that keeps delivering value for years.

The real question isn’t whether to invest in SEO. It’s how to invest wisely.

Many business owners try DIY SEO first. They watch YouTube tutorials and read blog posts about keyword research. But SEO theory differs from execution. An experienced SEO specialist knows what actually moves the needle and what’s just noise.

Here’s my advice based on what I’ve seen work for businesses across different sizes and industries:

If you’re a small business with limited budget, start with one senior SEO consultant who can own your entire SEO strategy. You’ll get better results from one experienced professional than from a cheap agency spreading junior staff across dozens of accounts. Look for someone who can handle strategy and execution, not just reports.

If you’re a mid-sized company ready to scale, consider a hybrid approach. Bring one SEO professional in-house to own the strategy and coordinate efforts. Then supplement with agency or freelance support for content creation and link building. This gives you control without the overhead of a full team.

If you’re an enterprise with complex needs, invest in building a dedicated SEO team. At your scale, the ROI justifies the investment. But hire strategically. Start with a strong SEO manager who can build and lead the team rather than trying to hire all roles at once.

Whatever path you choose, remember that SEO is a long game. Give your hires time to show results. Set clear SEO goals from the start so everyone knows what success looks like. And make sure whoever you bring on has the authority and resources they need to succeed.

The right SEO investment pays for itself many times over. The wrong one just burns budget. Take your time, hire smart, and focus on finding partners who understand your business goals as well as they understand search engines.

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