7 lessons switching from agency to in-house SEO

If you’re reading this, you’re likely an SEO aficionado like me. I’m a seasoned SEO with 10+ years of agency experience.

Being on the agency side gave me deep SEO expertise, exposure to top industry talent, and experience working with some of the world’s most well-known brands.

I did a bit of everything on the agency side — from technical SEO to content marketing to new business.

Working at an agency is nothing like working in-house. After a long run on the agency side, I moved in-house for the first time. Here are seven things I’ve learned since making the switch.

1. Owning performance changes how SEO is evaluated

On the agency side, when performance drops, you know the drill: a frantic message hits your inbox — traffic is down — and the client needs a report on what’s happening by yesterday.

You then spend the next few hours in the SEO trenches analyzing search trends, tracking ranking changes, and digging through Google Search Console to find your answers. You cross your T’s. Dot your I’s. You beautify that report a bit. And — finally — you fire it off to your client. 

After sending the report, you may get a few questions from the client. A little back and forth, but for the most part, your job is done. The fire drill is over. You’ve done everything you can from the agency perspective. On to the next client on your roster. 

This situation looks a lot different on the in-house side. 

From my new perspective, receiving that agency report is just the beginning. Now, I’m the one on the hook for translating that analysis, figuring out how to socialize it, and turning it into a concrete action plan to turn performance around.

I always knew my clients were under a lot of stress. I figured their bosses were the ones catching the dips and asking difficult questions, leading to that inevitable frantic message in my inbox. But, boy, it hits differently when you’re the one getting asked those difficult questions.

When you’re in-house, you aren’t just reporting on a dip in performance — it feels like you’re defending your entire SEO strategy. The way you frame that data can make or break the projects or the direction you’re taking the program.

It’s a lot of pressure — and it’s different when you’re responsible for the results.

2. Execution matters more than deliverables

On the agency side, the deliverable is the destination. You spend hours researching, analyzing, and refining a beautiful slide deck. Each slide flows, tells a story, and looks pristine. I mastered this — and did it fast.

Now that I’m in-house, I’ve realized the deliverable isn’t the destination anymore.

It’s all…