SaaS SEO Agency vs. Freelancer: Which is Best?
Choosing between a SaaS SEO agency and a freelancer is an important step in scaling your software company. Get it right, and you'll skyrocket your organic reach, reduce your customer acquisition costs, and build sustainable revenue.
Get it wrong, and you'll burn through the budget—fast.
The truth is, there's no universal "best" choice. But there is a best choice for your specific situation, budget, and growth stage. I've worked both with agencies and as a freelancer throughout my career, and I've seen firsthand how each approach can either accelerate or hinder a SaaS company's growth trajectory.
In this guide, I'll walk you through everything you need to know to make an informed decision. We'll examine what each option truly offers, when each makes sense, and how to avoid the common pitfalls that trip up SaaS companies when investing in SEO.
Understanding SaaS SEO requirements
Before diving into the agency vs. freelancer debate, it's crucial to understand why SaaS SEO differs fundamentally from traditional SEO approaches.
Why SaaS SEO is different
SaaS companies face unique challenges that generic SEO strategies simply can't address.
Your buyers typically have longer decision-making cycles, often researching for weeks or months before committing to a trial or demo. This means you need content at every stage of the buyer's journey—from awareness-stage educational pieces to bottom-of-funnel comparison pages.
The technical complexity is another differentiator. Many SaaS products have app subdomains, extensive API documentation, knowledge bases, and multiple product tiers. All of these need to be properly indexed and optimised without creating duplicate content issues or confusing search engines.
With great complexity comes great power—68% of all website traffic starts with a search query, making organic search the largest and most dominant marketing channel. For SaaS companies specifically, this presents both an opportunity and a challenge.
Key priorities for SaaS companies
When it comes to SaaS SEO services, your priorities should align with your business model. Organic traffic isn't just about volume—it's about attracting the right visitors who will actually convert to trials, demos, or paid customers.
Your SEO strategy also needs to integrate seamlessly with product marketing and customer success. The content you create should support free trial signups, demo bookings, and ultimately, paid conversions while reducing your overall customer acquisition costs.
What is a SaaS SEO agency?
A SaaS SEO agency is a specialised firm that focuses exclusively on search engine optimisation for software companies. Unlike generalist marketing agencies, these teams understand the nuances of B2B SaaS content marketing and the unique challenges of long sales cycles, technical products, and competitive search landscapes.
Services offered by agencies
SaaS SEO agencies typically provide comprehensive services across the entire SEO spectrum. This includes in-depth technical audits that examine everything from site architecture to page speed, competitor analysis that reveals content gaps and keyword opportunities, and strategic SEO content strategy development.
Beyond strategy, agencies handle execution:
Creating blog posts, landing pages, and comparison content
Building high-quality backlinks through digital PR campaigns
Providing detailed analytics and reporting
Most importantly, they assign dedicated account managers who serve as your primary point of contact and strategic partner.
Team structure and expertise
One of the key advantages of working with an agency is access to a multi-disciplinary team. Rather than relying on a single person's skill set, you get specialists in each area: strategists who understand SaaS SEO best practices, experienced content writers, technical SEO specialists, and dedicated link builders.
These teams typically have years of industry-specific experience across multiple SaaS companies and verticals. They also maintain access to premium SEO tools and software that would be cost-prohibitive for most individual companies to purchase independently.
What is a freelance SaaS SEO specialist?
A freelance SaaS SEO specialist is an independent professional who provides SEO services on a contract basis. Unlike agencies, we work directly with clients without the overhead of a large team or infrastructure. Agencies often work with freelancers to accelerate content production for large client accounts.
Services offered by freelancers
Freelance specialists typically offer tailored SEO strategies and hands-on implementation across various disciplines. As a freelance SEO content writer and strategist, I often tackle many aspects of a client's SEO plan—from developing their content strategy and writing blog posts to optimising high-intent landing pages.
Some freelancers are highly flexible. You can engage them for precisely what you need, whether that's ongoing content marketing services or a one-off project. Others specialise in niche areas, such as technical SEO for Shopify websites, allowing you to bring in best-in-class expertise for specific challenges.
Experience and skill sets
Quality freelancers often have extensive portfolios demonstrating their work with previous SaaS clients. Most of my experience comes from writing and editing B2B SaaS content. I've developed deep expertise in creating content that converts software buyers, but it's important to recognise that any individual will have limitations.
Whilst freelancers excel in their core specialities, they're ultimately limited to one person's capacity and skill set. Some freelancers subcontract work outside their expertise, which can be either an advantage (accessing additional specialists) or a disadvantage (losing direct quality control).
SaaS SEO agency: Advantages and disadvantages
Let me be direct about what you're really getting when you hire a SaaS SEO agency—and what you're not. I’m not here to tell you that agencies are terrible and freelancers are amazing. Each serves a different purpose, and understanding their pros and cons will help you make the right decision for your business.
Advantages of hiring an agency
Comprehensive expertise across all SEO disciplines. When you work with an agency, you're not betting on a single person's knowledge. You get strategists, technical specialists, content creators, and link builders—each bringing their specific expertise to your campaign.
Scalability for ambitious growth. Agencies can handle multiple large-scale projects simultaneously. Need to launch 20 new landing pages this quarter whilst maintaining your blog schedule? An agency has the bandwidth to execute.
Established processes and frameworks. Good agencies have refined their methodologies over dozens or hundreds of client campaigns. They know what works for SaaS companies, how to avoid common SaaS SEO mistakes, and how to navigate algorithm updates.
Premium tools and resources included. Enterprise SEO tools can cost thousands monthly. Agencies spread this cost across clients, giving you access to platforms you might not be able to justify purchasing independently.
Team redundancy ensures continuity. If your account manager goes on holiday or a writer leaves, the agency has backup. Your campaign doesn't stop because one person is unavailable.
Disadvantages of hiring an agency
Significantly higher costs. There's no getting around it—agencies are expensive. You're paying for their infrastructure, team salaries, and profit margins on top of the actual work delivered.
Potential for impersonal service. You might feel like just another client among many. Account managers often juggle multiple clients, and the person pitching you might not be the person doing the work.
Communication layers slow things down. Want to speak directly with the person writing your content? You'll probably need to go through your account manager, who then coordinates with the content team. This adds friction to feedback loops.
Risk of junior staff doing the work. Agencies often use junior team members for day-to-day execution, reserving senior talent for strategy and client-facing work. The expertise you're paying for might not be directly applied to your content.
Longer contractual commitments. Many agencies require 6–12-month minimum contracts. If the relationship isn't working, you're often locked in longer than you'd like.
Freelance SaaS SEO: Advantages and disadvantages
Having worked as both a freelance specialist and with agencies, I can provide an honest assessment of the freelancer model. While it lacks many of the resources agencies have in abundance, working with a freelancer has significantly fewer risks and costs.
Advantages of hiring a freelancer
Cost-effectiveness for limited budgets. Freelancers have lower overhead than agencies, which translates to lower rates. For early-stage SaaS companies in particular, this can mean the difference between affording SEO or not.
Direct communication with the person doing the work. No account managers, no project coordinators—you work directly with me or whoever you hire. Feedback gets implemented immediately, and there's complete transparency about who's creating what.
Flexibility to scale based on needs. Need to pause for a month due to budget constraints? Most freelancers understand the realities of startup life. Want to ramp up for a product launch? We can usually accommodate that without renegotiating contracts.
Personalised attention to your project. When you're my client, I'm deeply invested in your success. Your project gets my focused attention rather than being one of dozens that a large agency is juggling.
Agility in execution. Need to pivot strategy based on a competitor's move? Want to capitalise on a trending topic in your industry? Freelancers can typically move faster than agencies with their approval processes and internal coordination.
Disadvantages of hiring a freelancer
Limited capacity constraints. One person can only write so many SEO articles, optimise so many pages, and build so many strategies in a given month. If you need to scale rapidly, a single freelancer will hit capacity limits.
Single point of failure risk. If your freelancer is ill, on holiday, or dealing with a personal emergency, your project slows down. There's no backup team to step in.
Potential skill gaps outside core expertise. I specialise in B2B SaaS content writing and strategy, but I'm not a technical SEO engineer or a link-building specialist. You might need multiple freelancers to cover all SEO disciplines.
Resource limitations. While freelancers often maintain subscriptions to key SEO content writing tools, they might not have access to the full suite of enterprise platforms that agencies use. This can occasionally limit analytical depth.
Balancing multiple clients. Most successful freelancers work with several clients simultaneously. While I prioritise delivering quality work on schedule, I'm not exclusively focused on your company the way an in-house employee would be.
When to choose a SaaS SEO agency
Based on my experience working with and observing dozens of SaaS companies, agencies make sense in specific scenarios.
Choose an agency when:
You have a substantial monthly budget (£5,000+) and need comprehensive, full-service SEO coverage across strategy, content, technical optimisation, and link building.
You're operating in highly competitive SaaS verticals where you're competing against well-established players with strong domain authority.
You need fast scaling and execution–you're preparing for a fundraising round, launching in new markets, or supporting multiple product lines simultaneously.
The agency model particularly suits companies whose teams lack internal SEO expertise. If you don't have the knowledge to evaluate SEO work quality or direct strategy, an agency's established processes and reporting provide structure and accountability.
When to choose a freelance SaaS SEO specialist
Freelancers typically make more sense for companies at different growth stages or with specific needs.
If you're working with a limited budget (under £5,000 monthly) but still recognise SEO's importance, a skilled freelancer can deliver substantial value. You're getting expert-level work without agency overhead costs.
Freelancers excel when:
You need deep expertise in a specific area rather than broad coverage. Perhaps your technical SEO is solid, but your content strategy needs work, or you've got strategy nailed down but need someone to execute your content marketing services plan.
You prefer hands-on, personalised collaboration. If you want to be deeply involved in strategy discussions, provide detailed feedback on content, and iterate quickly, working directly with a freelancer facilitates this better than agency structures.
You want more control over your SEO strategy. Freelancers are typically more open to direction and feedback. And if you’re looking to scale faster, you can always hire more freelancers and retain that control instead of submitting to an agency’s authority.
Early-stage startups testing SEO as an acquisition channel often benefit from freelancers. You can validate that organic search works for your product and market before committing to larger agency retainers.
Alternative approaches worth considering
The agency vs. freelancer dichotomy isn't your only option. Several hybrid approaches can provide the best of both worlds.
Building an in-house SEO team
For growth-stage SaaS companies with consistent revenue, hiring a full-time SEO manager or director can make sense. They can provide strategic direction whilst managing a mix of agencies and freelancers for execution. This approach typically requires £60,000–£100,000+ annually in salary costs but gives you dedicated, company-specific expertise.
Combining agency and freelancer support
Many savvy SaaS companies use agencies for strategic planning and comprehensive audits while engaging freelancers for ongoing execution, like content creation. This leverages agencies' big-picture thinking and freelancers' cost-effective output.
Alternatively, you might work with an agency for your primary SEO strategy while bringing in specialist freelancers for specific projects—perhaps a technical SEO audit or a content refresh of underperforming pages.
SEO consultants and fractional leaders
Some experienced SEO professionals offer consulting or fractional leadership rather than full execution. They'll develop your strategy, train your team, and provide oversight whilst you handle implementation internally or through other partners. This can be an excellent middle ground for companies with some internal resources but lacking senior SEO expertise.
Making your decision: Key questions to ask
There's no universal "best" choice between a SaaS SEO agency and a freelancer—only the best choice for your specific circumstances right now. As you scale and your budget grows, transitioning to an agency or building an in-house team with freelancer support often makes sense.
Regardless of which path you choose, prioritise expertise in the SaaS sector specifically. SaaS SEO requires understanding long sales cycles, technical products, and conversion-focused content. Generic SEO experience won't translate well to the unique challenges of software companies.
Before choosing between an agency and a freelancer, honestly assess these critical factors:
What's your realistic monthly budget? This often eliminates one option immediately. Under £5,000 monthly typically means freelancer territory. Over £5,000 opens up agency possibilities.
What's your timeline for results? If you need aggressive growth quickly, agencies' parallel execution capability might justify the premium. If you can be more patient, freelancers can deliver excellent results over a slightly longer timeframe.
Do you have internal marketing resources? Companies with strong internal teams can effectively direct freelancers. If you lack SEO knowledge, agencies' structured approach and proactive recommendations may be necessary.
Which SEO disciplines need the most attention? A single skill gap (like content creation) suits hiring a specialist freelancer. Comprehensive needs across strategy, technical, content, and links typically require an agency or multiple freelancers.
How hands-on do you want to be? If you want to be deeply involved in every decision, freelancers accommodate this better. If you prefer to delegate and receive periodic updates, an agency’s account management structure works well.
Take time to vet candidates thoroughly. Review portfolios, check references, and have detailed conversations about their approach to strategy, content quality, and measurement.
Most importantly, remember that SEO is a long-term investment. Whether you choose an agency or freelancer, commit to at least 6–12 months before making major strategic changes. Quality SEO takes time to show results, but the compounding returns make it one of the highest-ROI channels available to SaaS companies.
Work with an experienced SaaS SEO specialist
If you're looking for a freelance SaaS SEO specialist who understands the unique challenges of software companies, I'd be happy to discuss your needs. I specialise in helping B2B SaaS companies develop and execute content strategies that drive organic traffic, qualified leads, and revenue growth.
My approach focuses on delivering measurable results whilst maintaining the flexibility and personalised attention that only a freelancer can provide. I've helped SaaS companies at various stages—from early-stage startups validating SEO as a channel to growth-stage companies scaling their organic acquisition.
Ready to build a cost-effective, personalised SaaS SEO strategy? Get in touch to schedule a free consultation where we'll review your current situation, identify opportunities, and discuss whether working together makes sense for your goals and budget.
