This decision can significantly impact your roofing company's growth trajectory and marketing effectiveness. As a business owner, you're faced with weighing the benefits of building an in-house team against partnering with a specialized roofing SEO company.
Let's examine both approaches to help you make an informed decision.
Building an in-house SEO team offers certain advantages. You gain dedicated resources focused exclusively on your business, direct oversight of daily activities, and potentially better alignment with your company culture.
However, this approach comes with significant challenges:
Expertise acquisition and retention - Hiring qualified SEO specialists is expensive and competitive. For comprehensive SEO, you'll need multiple specialists:- Technical SEO expert for website structure and performance
- Content strategist who understands roofing terminology
- Link building specialist with established relationships
- Local SEO expert for Google Business Profile optimization
- Analytics professional to track performance
Technology investment - Professional SEO requires substantial tools:- Enterprise-level keyword research tools ($3,000-$5,000 annually)
- Technical SEO audit software ($1,500-$3,000 annually)
- Competitor analysis platforms ($2,000+ annually)
- Content optimization tools ($1,000+ annually)
- Rank tracking software for multiple locations ($1,500+ annually)
Continuous education - Google makes 500-600 algorithm updates yearly. Your in-house team must constantly:- Stay updated on algorithm changes
- Adapt to new Google search results features
- Learn evolving best practices for roofing digital marketing
- Test new strategies without risking your rankings
In contrast, partnering with a specialized roofing SEO agency offers immediate advantages:Industry expertise - Specialized agencies have already:
- Optimized dozens of websites
- Tested which strategies work specifically for roofing companies
- Built relationships with relevant industry publications
- Identified the most effective keywords across different markets
Comprehensive resources - Established agencies provide:
- The full team of specialists at a fraction of in-house hiring costs
- Enterprise-level tools already in place
- Established processes for the website optimization
- Content writers familiar with roofing terminology and customer concerns
Proven methodologies - Experienced roofing SEO agencies bring:
- Case studies from similar roofing firms
- Benchmark data from across the industry
- Tested templates for content that ranks
- Established off-site SEO networks relevant to roofing
Risk mitigation - Professional agencies provide:
- Accountability through regular reporting
- Adaptation to algorithm updates as they occur
- Scaling of resources during peak seasons
- Continuous optimization based on performance data
For most roofing companies, the specialized agency approach delivers better ROI than building an in-house team, particularly when considering the total cost of employment, tools, and the learning curve involved in roofing marketing.
The exception might be very large roofing operations with multiple locations and substantial marketing budgets that can support a complete in-house digital marketing department.
Many successful roofing companies opt for a hybrid approach: partnering with a specialized
SEO agency while maintaining an internal marketing coordinator who serves as the liaison between your business objectives and your agency partner, ensuring alignment with your overall business strategy.