If you run a network of sites consisting of dozens, or even hundreds of sites, you are probably struggling on the same issue: Web business management. Which route you prefer? Outsourcing or automation?

A business contact shared that he is managing 4 blogs and they are giving him quite a headache. I personally manage 50+ sites and I don’t think I suffer headache more than him. How so?

The answer to the question: Outsourcing and automation.

Outsourcing

Outsourcing is basically hiring others to handle one aspect (or many aspects) of your web business. Outsourcing can be done by hiring freelancers or offshore companies to help you manage your business (and life.)

The main advantage of outsourcing is due to the fact that it is better than hiring full-time staffs, in term of cost and management ‘hassles,’ that may include hiring/firing employees, wearing many hats in running your web businesses, etc.

As a main disadvantage, quality control is an issue – it can drains resources in such a way that you are probably better off not to do outsourcing. However, once you have found the right outsourcing partners, your business can greatly benefit from it.

Automation

Automation is basically what every webpreneur should pursue. You and I need to develop a system (can take in the form of software, scripts, web tools, business processes, and/or business operations) that can help you do multiple things in a short period of time; this is a huge advantage of automation.

An example: For blogs and web sites using WordPress as a CMS (content management system), my favorite tool is WP Robot – a WordPress plugin allowing you to automate your own post or grabbing articles, Amazon products, eBay auctions, etc. and post them on your blog/site automatically.

If you think such autoblogging capabilities only create junk content and worthless sites, think again. I have several autoblogs that are PageRank 4 (and one PageRank 5) and receiving quite an attention from some advertisers.

Other tools involve push-button SEO Tools, custom scripts, and many more.

Automation is not without disadvantages. The main disadvantage is that you will become system-dependent. If the system broke down, your business is struggling. Unfortunately, no system is perfect – so you would probably need to spend countless hours fixing things occasionally.

Outsourcing or automation?

My answer would be a bit ‘diplomatic,’ but I would go for both. The reason is simple: Both can add value on its own to the web properties I have in different ways, and doing both means less and less work on my side.

But if you insist me to choose one, I’d go for automation. Here is my reasoning:

• Outsourcing can backfire: Outsourcing involves real people, and real people’s work quality has to be managed – poor quality means more work on my site; so, not only I spend money to pay for their service, I also waste more time due to this.
• Automation involves creating a system that works on its own – I or my team will create a system and I know what kind of stuff I add into the system; so, it’s faster and less resource intensive to handle in the long run.
• Automation allows me to find out my own ‘trade secrets’ and replicate what works; outsourcing ‘leaks’ my trade secrets and allow a bigger risks of stabbing behind my back, stealing my ‘secret recipes.’

Those being said, I still see outsourcing as one of the most effective ways to do less work and more fun (or any other endeavor, including business, you might have.) Tim Ferriss of the 4-Hour Workweek literally outsources his life so that he can travel the world and pursue his personal endeavors without worrying about his business 95% of time.

A dream come true, indeed!

Ivan Widjaya
Outsourcing vs. automation