Why Would You Outsource?

As a business operating in the United States of America and appealing to an English speaking audience, it may not be in my best interest to farm my SEO or any other development out to an offshore company.

Why would I be so brazen as to say that? Read on and I'll share some offshore outsourcing experiences that I, my clients, and my prospects, have encountered over the past 13 years in this industry.
Language Barriers

The very first thing you will be faced with are language barriers. They do exist and can be a major challenge when communicating requirements. It is a MUST that you provide a complete IBSD (Internet Business Specifications Document) to the Offshore SEO team. If you don't have it in writing, you're going to be plagued with miscommunication issues, I guarantee it, unless of course there is an English speaking intermediary (Project Manager). That puts the onus on them to handle the communication issues and takes some of the language barrier issue out of the equation.
Knowledge Barriers

I don't know about you, but there are certain Offshore SEO's that reside in specific parts of the world who appear to be operating under the premise that it is 1999 again. For many, links are the only SEO they know and that is what I find most Offshore SEOs providing, some form of link development.
Commodity SEO

I classify most Offshore SEO as a commodity. Based on what I see being produced, it is being treated as a commodity by those in certain parts of the world. I'm sorry, but SEO cannot be commoditized like that. You don't take a client's money and then sit there and submit to hundreds of directories that you may own and/or partners within your network may own. If that is what you call SEO, you've missed the boat.
SEO Sweat Shops

You've heard the term "Sweat Shops" before haven't you? Well, that is what I equate Offshore SEO to, a sweat shop. When you have people making $1.00 per hour working on your SEO, do you really feel comfortable with that idea? Do you really think that someone making $1.00 per hour is working in your best interests? Do you feel comfortable supporting someone else's economy while our own suffers?
Time Zones

Without a U.S. based intermediary or one that operates within your normal working hours, you will be faced with various challenges. There may be a 24 hour delay in getting things done, depending on which country your Offshore SEO resides in and the type of service plan provided. Come Friday morning here in the U.S., the weekend has already begun for many SEOs offshore. So, out of the box, you lose one day of the work week. In most cases, you'll have Monday through Thursday for communications and those will usually be delayed based on time zones.

Add to that the normal time frames for work to be performed and you'll find in many instances that it will take a bit longer to get things done. Remember, this is all relevant to the Offshore SEO and their methods of operation. This does not apply to everyone but does appear to apply to the majority.
The Bottom Line

You get what you pay for! I communicate with many Offshore SEOs on a daily basis while participating at various fora and social media outlets. I have great respect for my offshore peers, those who are operating as professionals and operating in the year 2008. I don't have any respect for those who think it's 1999 and are producing the garbage that they are. You know why? Eventually that prospect may contact me, or one of our SEO Consultants Directory members. From the very first contact, that prospect will be on the defensive because they've been burned by an Offshore SEO and now the onus is on us to undo what you did.

Disclaimer: For my offshore SEO peers, don't take this personally. This is business and you know your business better than anyone else. If you fall within the description above, then by all means, do take this personally. Otherwise, take a look around you and look at what your peers are producing. I do the same thing every day.

Article Source: http://www.seoconsultants.com/seo/outsourcing/