Ask any company that has tried outsourcing to the Philippines and they will tell you that it was the best decision they ever made. That doesn’t mean, though, that they do not have an anecdote or two (or worse, a horror story) about their experience. Why do companies continue doing it then? Because even with all the gnarls they need to comb out with their outsourcing partners, companies get more value with outsourcing to the Philippines. SEO outsourcing is just like any other business relationship. There are nuances that you really need to take care of to make it work.
The first thing that you need to know if you want to do SEO outsourcing is that the outsourcer you are working with is just like you—a company out there trying to make money. Its goal is just like yours. This isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it’s a good thing that your goals are aligned. A competitive outsourcer is a good partner. They are easier to manage because they understand your need for a competitive offshore team.
How do you have a good outsourcing experience?
1. Maintain control, but give your outsourcer some of the keys to your kingdom.
Sure, you give them a job order, evaluate performance based on your standard, tell them to get certain kinds of specialists, and specify how many in the team will do SEO article writing. However, you need to allow your outsourcing company to practice its own recruitment techniques. You also have to give them the freedom to control and govern their employees.
2. Give metrics.
If you give your offshore team carte blanche, they will have no idea of what kind of output you expect from them. Don’t be surprised if you don’t get the results you want. If you make your metrics clear and reasonable, your offshore team will know when to step up or relax, making your relationship better.
3. Till death do you part, but?
SEO outsourcing is give and take. You give instructions and detail out how your team is to be run, but you also have to understand that you must also respond to your outsourcer whenever there are questions about the metrics you set or a job order you sent. SEO outsourcing is not a precise science. If you demand a certain page rank on a certain date and your outsourcer feels that it’s an impossible task, you should be able to explain yourself.
If you feel, however, that your outsourcer is making too many excuses for underperformance or job refusal, then it may be time to cut the relationship and move to a different SEO outsourcing company that can satisfy your requirements.