6 Ways to Do SEO (And Which One Fits Your Business)

There is no single way to do SEO. There are six distinct approaches, each suited to a different situation, budget, and internal capability.

1. Full-service managed retainer

An agency owns strategy and execution. You state a business goal, they audit, build a roadmap, and adapt monthly. Best when nobody internally is qualified to direct the work and you want someone accountable for the outcome.

Typical cost runs $1,500 to $10,000 monthly. The main failure mode is an agency that bills for activity rather than outcomes, which is why revenue-tied reporting matters more than any other contract term.

2. In-house team

You hire an SEO manager, possibly with a writer and developer. Best for businesses where organic is the primary acquisition channel and the volume justifies dedicated headcount.

The economics only work past a certain scale. Below roughly $50,000 in annual SEO spend a good agency usually delivers more than a single mid-level hire, simply because you get access to specialists rather than one generalist.

3. Consultant plus internal execution

A senior consultant sets strategy and audits quarterly while your existing marketing team executes. Highly cost-efficient when you have capable people who lack SEO-specific direction.

This is the most underused model. It works well because most SEO execution is not difficult once someone competent has decided what to do.

4. Buying execution units

You know what you need and buy it as fixed deliverables: links, content, technical fixes. No strategy layer. Best for agencies and in-house SEOs with a plan who need capacity rather than direction.

Cheapest per unit because you are not paying for thinking. The failure mode is buying units without a strategy, which produces activity without direction.

5. Productised packages

Fixed monthly scope at a fixed price. Predictable and easy to budget, but the scope does not adapt to what the data shows. Works well for smaller sites in stable niches, poorly for competitive markets.

6. DIY

Genuinely viable for small local businesses. Google Business Profile optimization, basic on-page work, and consistent content will outperform most competitors in low-competition local markets.

It stops being viable the moment you are competing against anyone who has hired professionals, which in most commercial categories is immediately.