Four ways to get SEO done, and each one suits a different team. I work alongside agencies every week, so this comparison comes from inside the model rather than a guess from the outside.
In short, fractional SEO gives you a senior lead for set days each month. An agency gives you a team working to a scope. A freelancer gives you hands for defined tasks. An in house hire gives you a person every day, once you’ve recruited them.
If you’re still working out what fractional SEO actually involves, the guide covers the basics. Here’s how the four options stack up side by side.
| Fractional SEO lead | SEO agency | Freelancer | In house hire | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WHO YOU DEAL WITH | One senior lead | An account manager, with a team behind them | The person doing the tasks | Your own employee |
| SENIORITY | Senior on every call | Varies by account | Varies by person | Whoever you can recruit |
| WHAT YOU PAY FOR | Set days each month | A retainer set by the contract | Hours or projects | Salary, employer costs and benefits |
| STRATEGY OR DELIVERY | Strategy first, with delivery by your team, an agency or me | Delivery to an agreed scope | Mostly delivery | Both, if you hire well |
| GETTING STARTED | A free consultation, then a written plan | A pitch, then a contract | A brief | Recruitment first |
| SCALING UP OR DOWN | The days follow the work | Renegotiate the scope | Book more or fewer hours | Harder to scale down |
| BEST FOR | Teams that need senior direction and have people to do the work | Businesses that want several channels under one roof | Well defined tasks with someone to direct them | SEO big enough to need someone every day |
Agencies are the right call when you need six channels under one roof. For SEO on its own, you’re mostly paying for the roof.
Some businesses use both. A fractional lead sets the priorities and checks the output, and the agency delivers. It works well when the agency is good but nobody on your side can judge the work.
The line is blurry. A freelancer is usually booked for tasks. A fractional lead is hired for the outcome and owns the plan.
I do both. On harryboxhall.co.uk I work as a freelance SEO consultant. Here the job is leadership, set days each month with the whole plan on my desk.
An in house head of SEO makes sense once SEO needs someone every day of the week. Before that point you’re paying a full salary through the quiet months, and recruitment comes before any work starts.
A fractional head of SEO covers the gap and can help you hire when the time comes. Fractional SEO pricing explains how the days are quoted.
Sometimes, not always. You pay for a senior person’s days rather than a team’s overheads, but the total depends on how many days you need. Compare like for like, a named senior person against whoever the agency would put on your account.
Yes. The fractional lead sets the priorities and checks the output, and the agency delivers. I work alongside agencies every week.
Not quite. A freelancer is usually booked for tasks. A fractional consultant owns the plan and answers for progress month after month.
When SEO needs someone every day of the week and you can wait for recruitment. Until then, a fractional lead gives you the seniority without the full salary.
Book a free consultation and I’ll tell you honestly, even if the answer is an agency.