• Search Engine Watch , Tuesday, March 4, 2008 12:45 PM

It can be hard to decide whether to continue handling search in-house or hire a consultant or search firm--so Carrie Hill offers food for thought for small and medium (perhaps even large?) business owners who are facing this decision.

"You didn't grow your business to what it is today by not being passionate about what you're doing," Hill says. "The same applies to being passionate about search. If you don't have enthusiasm for search marketing, and enjoy the time spent diverting you from other parts of your business, you may be better off hiring someone who does."

But that doesn't mean handing over the keys to the Web site and the entire online marketing strategy--nor does it mean incurring a new major monthly expense in the form of commissions or fees. Hill says that if the business owner likes creating content or developing social media campaigns, then she can just outsource paid search--or vice versa.

Read the whole story at Search Engine Watch »