Emily leads the FX content team, along with strategy, implementation, and evaluation for WebFX’s key revenue channels. She holds an M.S. in digital marketing, and her work has been featured by Social Media Today, Campaign Monitor, Reader’s Digest, and more. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, road trips, and exploring new cities. @emcarter16
Can you do SEO yourself?
Yes, you can handle some SEO tasks yourself! Things like basic keyword research, optimizing on-page content, and setting up tools like Google Analytics are all doable with a bit of learning.
However, more technical aspects — like site speed optimization, structured data, or complex backlink strategies — can be challenging without experience. In many cases, partnering with an SEO agency can save time and deliver better results.
Can you do SEO on your own? Absolutely — but with a few caveats.
There are plenty of SEO tasks you can tackle in-house with the right tools, some time, and a willingness to learn. In fact, many SEO professionals got their start with DIY SEO by optimizing websites step-by-step and building hands-on experience.
That said, not every part of SEO is easy to manage on your own. Some areas — like technical audits or link building — are more complex and often more effective when handled by a dedicated SEO agency.
In this guide, we’ll break down which SEO tasks you can confidently take on yourself, and which ones are worth outsourcing to the pros!
🎥 DIY SEO Strategies for Higher Rankings
Can you do SEO yourself?
While you can certainly do some SEO tasks yourself — there are some more technical SEO optimizations that we recommend seeking professional help to implement.
If you’re considering DIY SEO, here are a few tasks you can get started with, as well as some you may consider outsourcing.
You can DIY keyword research by using free tools to find high-volume, low-competition terms that align with their products, services, and customer questions.
You can tackle on-page SEO by writing keyword-rich title tags and meta descriptions, organizing content with clear headings, and naturally incorporating target keywords on site pages.
You can create SEO-friendly content in-house by regularly publishing blog posts or service pages that answer customer questions, naturally use SEO keywords, and align with your brand voice.
You can manage your Google Business Profile by keeping business details up to date, sharing posts, and actively responding to reviews to boost local visibility and trust.
You can set up Google Analytics and Search Console to track traffic, keyword performance, and site health, helping you make smarter SEO decisions over time.
1. Keyword research
Keyword research is the foundation of effective SEO. It helps you understand what your audience is searching for so you can align your content with those needs. By targeting the right keywords, you can drive qualified traffic to your website and increase your chances of ranking in search results.
How to do keyword research yourself
Use tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, or KeywordsFX to find keywords with high search volume and low competition. Focus on terms that match your products, services, or audience questions.
On-page SEO ensures that your content is easily understood by both users and search engines. This includes optimizing title tags, meta descriptions, headers, and image alt text, along with naturally placing keywords in your content. Proper on-page optimization improves both your visibility and user experience.
How to do on-page optimization yourself
Create keyword-rich, compelling title tags and meta descriptions for each page. Use clear headings (H1, H2, etc.) to organize your content and include target keywords naturally throughout the text.
Creating valuable, informative content is one of the most effective ways to improve SEO and engage your audience. Blog posts, service pages, and FAQs help you rank for more keywords and answer customer questions. With in-house expertise, you can craft content that reflects your brand and builds trust.
How to do content creation yourself
Start a blog and regularly publish helpful articles that answer common customer questions or explain your services. Use keywords naturally and make sure each piece of content has a clear purpose and call to action.
Managing your Google Business Profile (GBP) is key for local SEO success. It helps your business appear in local map results and boosts visibility when people search for services in your area. Keeping it updated with accurate info, photos, and posts also builds trust with potential customers.
How to do Google Business Profile management yourself
Claim your profile. Then update your hours, services, and photos regularly. Post updates weekly and respond to customer reviews to improve engagement.
Tracking your website’s performance is essential for understanding what’s working and where to improve. Tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console provide insights into your traffic sources, user behavior, and keyword rankings. Monitoring this data helps you make more informed decisions about your SEO strategy.
How to do basic analytics set up yourself
Set up a free Google Analytics and Search Console account, then link them to your website. Check in weekly to monitor traffic trends, top-performing pages, and any site errors or keyword drops.
Since following SEO tasks require in-depth knowledge or technical expertise, we recommend working with an agency or experienced professional on these SEO tasks.
Expert insights from
Trevin ShireyWebFX VP of Marketing
Working with an SEO agency saves you time, and you get to work with a team of people who have already tackled whatever digital challenges you’re facing. They’ve seen what works, what doesn’t, and know exactly what to expect as opposed to DIYing your SEO and trying to figure all of that stuff out for the first time.
Outsourcing technical SEO ensures experienced professionals catch hidden issues and implement fixes efficiently using advanced tools you may not have in-house.
An agency can execute link-building campaigns faster and more effectively thanks to established relationships, proven strategies, and a deep understanding of Google’s quality standards.
With an agency, you can trust that your schema markup is implemented correctly, reducing errors and increasing your chances of earning rich results in search.
Agencies provide continuous strategy, competitor tracking, and data-backed adjustments to keep your SEO efforts ahead of the curve and aligned with your goals.
1. Technical SEO audits
Technical SEO involves optimizing behind-the-scenes elements that affect how search engines crawl and index your website. This includes site architecture, broken links, redirect chains, mobile usability, and more. Many of these issues can be hard to detect without the right tools or expertise.
Why outsource technical SEO?
Agencies use advanced audit tools and have trained specialists who know exactly what to look for — and how to fix it. They can uncover hidden issues that might be holding your site back and implement solutions quickly and correctly.
Backlinks are a key ranking factor, but getting quality ones requires more than just asking for them. Effective link building involves research, content promotion, relationship building, and knowing what strategies are safe and effective. It’s time-intensive and highly competitive.
Why outsource link building & outreach?
Agencies have existing relationships, proven outreach strategies, and the experience to build backlinks that actually move the needle — without putting your site at risk for penalties. They also save you from the time-consuming grind of outreach and follow-ups.
Google uses page speed and user experience signals like Core Web Vitals as ranking factors. Optimizing for these often means compressing code, adjusting servers, optimizing images, and fixing complex front-end issues. It requires both technical knowledge and performance tools.
Why outsource page speed and CWV optimization?
Agencies have developers on staff who can fine-tune your site without breaking it. They also stay up to date on the latest performance standards, so your site not only loads faster — but stays optimized over time.
Structured data helps search engines understand your content better and can unlock rich results in the SERPs (like stars, FAQs, and product details). But it requires writing or editing code in a specific format (JSON-LD) and validating it properly.
Why outsource structured data implementation?
Agencies are experienced in implementing schema correctly and safely. They’ll ensure your structured data is accurate, validated, and strategically placed to improve your chances of enhanced visibility in search results.
SEO isn’t a one-and-done project — it’s an ongoing process that requires strategic planning, trend monitoring, and adapting to algorithm changes. Competitor analysis, keyword gap analysis, and performance reviews are essential for staying ahead.
Why outsource ongoing SEO & competitor analysis?
An agency brings a fresh, objective perspective backed by industry experience and data. They’ll build a long-term roadmap tailored to your goals — and adjust it as the landscape shifts, so your strategy stays effective month after month.
SEO in digital marketing stands for search engine optimization. Search engine optimization is the practice of optimizing your website to appear in relevant search results, like on Google or Bing. When you do SEO yourself, you use multiple skills, like research, writing, coding, and even collaboration.
On-page SEO: On-page SEO involves elements on your site you control, like the title tag and meta description that show up in the search results and the text and multimedia content throughout your site.
Off-page SEO:Off-page SEO involves your website’s reputation on the web. Attracting backlinks from other reputable sites (especially reputable sites in your industry) signals to search engines that people trust your website, which can improve your rankings in search results.
Besides these three types of SEO, there are a few specialized SEO types:
Local SEO:Local SEO focuses on your presence in localized search results, like “pizza near me.” If you do SEO yourself, you’ll concentrate on claiming and optimizing local listings, like Google Business Profile and Bing Local, and creating localized content for your site.
Ecommerce SEO:Ecommerce SEO focuses on your product listings, helping them reach (and convert) more shoppers online. Some ecommerce SEO tactics include optimizing site architecture, eliminating duplicate content, and improving product multimedia.
Voice SEO:Voice SEO focuses on attracting more voice search traffic to your site. If you optimize your site for voice searches, you’ll often optimize existing content to better answer questions concisely.
How difficult SEO is to do on your own depends on multiple factors, including:
Your website’s size
Your website’s existing SEO
Your SEO experience
Your SEO budget
Your available time for SEO
And more
If you have a large website and multiple responsibilities, SEO can become difficult to do on your own — not because you don’t have the skills, but because you don’t have the time to optimize, maintain, and grow your site.
In comparison, if you have a small website and an SEO-focused role, SEO can become easy to do on your own because you have the time and skills to optimize your site’s off-page, on-page, and technical search engine optimization.
When deciding whether it’s time to partner with an SEO agency or continue doing it on your own, think about your business and online performance — based on your current results, do you think an agency would be able to increase your success significantly?
There are a few different routes you can take when deciding to hire someone for SEO — you can hire an agency, or you can hire a freelance SEO. Both have their pros and cons, but the biggest difference between the two is their capabilities.
A freelance SEO is usually one person, while an agency gives you the backing of a whole team of SEO professionals. In the end, it’s all about choosing which option is right for your business.
Want to learn more about in-house vs. freelance vs. agency SEO? Check out the table below!
DIY SEO
FREELANCER
AGENCY
Skills & Expertise
Skills and expertise are limited to your own knowledge or that of your internal SEO team.
One well-rounded individual with expertise in one or more aspects of SEO.
A team of experienced marketers with various skills and in-depth knowledge of SEO best practices and strategies.
Flexibility
Flexibility is extremely limited — as the master of your own SEO, you can choose to work on it outside of normal business hours, but you’re doing this on top of running your own business.
Have some flexibility in terms of when they can help you beyond usual office hours. May not have established processes since they work alone and can sometimes not be as organized (compared to agencies).
Operate during specific working hours, so not entirely flexible in terms of helping outside of working hours, but extremely reliable during normal business hours. Have established processes in place and can streamline various tasks for efficiency.
Resources & Technology
Resources are limited to your team’s network, which is likely smaller than that of a freelancer or agency. Technology is limited to what your team invests in and ultimately, what your budget can afford.
Since they work independently, freelancers often have fewer resources or marketing tech than digital agencies, though they have a vast network since they’ve worked for various other businesses.
Regularly invest in SEO tools and technology to help their clients. As marketing professionals, they also have a vast network and are consistently staying on top of the latest SEO and marketing trends.
Communication
Communication is based on however you normally touch base with your team. If you’re doing SEO solely by yourself, communication issues are virtually nonexistent.
Businesses can communicate directly with freelancers, and any feedback can be given right to them as opposed to speaking to a team through a project manager.
Communication with your digital marketing agency team is streamlined through project management tools, and having a dedicated project manager.
When it comes to day-to-day tasks, these are some estimates for DIY SEO projects:
SEO audit: Four hours
Keyword research: Two hours
New content: Six hours
Link building: Four hours
If you’re just getting started with doing SEO on your own, you’ll likely require more time to complete SEO tasks. That’s okay! As you get more experience, you’ll complete these SEO projects faster for your site.
Whether you pay for SEO or embrace DIY SEO, results from search engine optimization will take several months. Expect to invest in SEO for six months (or more) before seeing your rankings, traffic, and conversions increase.
SEO doesn’t have to be all or nothing. You can start by tackling simple, high-impact tasks yourself while leaving the more technical or time-consuming work to the experts.
Whether you’re ready to dive into DIY SEO or looking for a trusted partner, the key is to just get started. Want a quick win? Run a free SEO audit today and see where your site stands.
If you’re ready to find an agency partner to help you run further and faster, our experts are standing by with your custom proposal!
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Craft a tailored online marketing strategy! Utilize our free Internet marketing calculator for a custom plan based on your location, reach, timeframe, and budget.
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Emily leads the FX content team, along with strategy, implementation, and evaluation for WebFX’s key revenue channels. She holds an M.S. in digital marketing, and her work has been featured by Social Media Today, Campaign Monitor, Reader’s Digest, and more. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, road trips, and exploring new cities.@emcarter16
