Should I Work At an SEO Agency? Summary of Episode #6
The ever-pleasant (and quite knowledgeable) Nick Leroy joins the podcast to talk about the pros and cons of working for an SEO agency:
Who is agency life for?
Is an SEO agency conducive for growth and advancement?
What working for an SEO agency can mean for your family life!
Resources:
The Pros and Cons of Working for an SEO Agency and When to Go Out on Your Own
Nick LeRoy spent the majority of his SEO life working for an agency. Until one day, he won't off on his own. This means Nick has a unique take on life at an SEO agency.
Nick's outlook on SEO agency life begins with the level of dedication needed to rise up in the SEO world. That is, folks who spend the extra time after hours trying to learn as much as they can about SEO and are a part of the SEO community tend to naturally make greater "SEO strides."
The problem is, according to Nick, is that on the agency side you might not see immediate rewards for that dedication. It might take quite some time until you start to move up. So while agencies are a wonderful place to start and to learn SEO you might hit a wall according to Nick.
As you grow at an agency you often end up in a role training others to be at the same level as you are. That means you might be doing a lot less SEO. This can also hinder your own SEO growth and role within the industry overall.
On the other hand, Nick says going out on your own obviously offers you a great deal of control. So, if you flourish in a situation where you don't want to be second-guessed or where you're trying to impress your boss, agency life might not be a good fit.
That's really the point, working at an SEO agency can be good if you want that structure.
It's not as if there are no positives to working at an SEO agency.
For example, Nick says that if you're the kind of SEO who likes doing SEO but it's not your "life" or passion then maybe an SEO agency is a good fit for you. If you are an SEO who is perfectly fine with clocking in at 9 AM and clocking out at 5 PM so you can spend time on your hobbies then agency life might your best option.
Nick warns SEO agencies not to dismiss these kinds of employees. He says they can be great employees as long as everyone is on the same page as far as expectations go.
There's also the quality of life aspect of being a consultant vs. being at an agency. Nick points out that there can be a lot of extra hours that go into working at an agency. Forget the 2-hour commute each way (pretending COVID-19 doesn't exist). But when you work a lot of hours and then have to commute you're gone for a long time and with a family that is not easy at all.
There are also all sorts of social events that go along with working at an agency. While they might be wonderful, Nick said it was hard to balance his work/social life and being available for his family.
The biggest upshot Nick says of going independent is that it allows you to create a better family life for yourself.
So to all you youngsters out there... enjoy the agency life now before it becomes a burden on your family life!