How Much Does an Effective Search Engine Optimization Campaign Cost?

The cost of SEO services doesn't have a definitive answer. This is because SEO pricing can vary depending on the scale of your business, your goals, your requirement for seeing results and the status of your search presence, among many other variables.

So pricing points will differ, and what is a steep rate for one business could be easily affordable for another.

Although it's crucial to know what you're going to be spending for marketing your business, it shouldn't dictate or limit your decisions. Because this is an investment toward commercial growth and not a cost.

People find businesses with a mere search online. A successful SEO campaign can deliver hundreds of extra leads per month and boost ROI. On top of that, SEO leads convert 750% higher than traditional outbound leads.

How Much Does Good SEO Cost?

A full SEO campaign may cost you at least $800 a month. The rate can increase depending on the services your project may require, like content production, link building and Google My Business management, among a host of others.

If $800 per month sounds steep, you could still get professional SEO work for under that.

A Backlinko analysis reveals small businesses tend to spend under $500 a month. Of course, the difference between an $800 service and a $500 is results; the same report shares a correlation between higher satisfaction from SEO services that cost more versus ones in the $500-mark.

SEO rates also differ between agencies and freelancers; the former tends to get paid more because they're likely to have more resources and further capabilities. The beauty of letting professionals, agency or freelancer, do search optimization for your business instead of the DIY approach, you'll have options on how to pay.

SEO Pricing Models

SEO packages and services are structured differently. It all depends on your industry, size, goals, duration of the campaign, and other specifications.

Here are the different pricing models you may encounter.

Per Hour
These are commonly seen from SEO consultants and freelancers.

Hourly rates can average from $100 to $250 depending on what you require from the SEO. Highly skilled and more experienced specialists could charge higher rates for their services. If your SEO needs don't require too much work and you don't have much cash on-hand yet, this payment structure could be ideal.

Project-based

Project-based are campaigns where SEO work isn't recurring. For example, your business is holding a special promotion for only a month. In this case, project based SEO might be for you.

Prices for project-based SEO range between $800 to thousands of dollars or more depending on the complexity of the campaign and resources needed. Price will vary depending on the popularity and experience of the agency. For small businesses, it's best to find agencies that have the experience but are reasonably priced for your budget.

Monthly Retainer

Monthly packages are a common setup for SEO agencies. If you visit a professional SEO website, you'll see that this is mostly referred to as an SEO package.

The average cost of full SEO campaigns can range from $800 to $5,000. SEO companies that have been in the industry for a long time could be more expensive.

This is the most popular pricing model when it comes to SEO because your agency isn't limited by time. Therefore, they can focus on getting you the best results possible.

SEO Pricing Factors

You must be wondering how these companies decide how much to charge you. Well, there are SEO price factors that they consider and this comes after they have evaluated your website.

Some of these price factors are:

• The number of keywords you want to rank for
• How difficult it is to rank for your chosen keywords
• You current ranking for those keywords
• Your level of competition
• The amount of work required to rank for those keywords

Why Cheap SEO Won't Work

We've established that hourly rates from experienced consultants, freelancers, and solo agencies can average from $100 to $250. If an agency charges you $700 for a full SEO campaign, that means you're just getting less than 7 hours of work done on your website, per month.

That isn't even enough time to write 3 landing pages, or 3 blogs, or even optimize three landing pages. You're spending money on services that is likely:

• Not using white hat tactics, risking your site from getting a Google penalty,
• Not going to deliver the results your business needs, and
• Not going to protect your brand's integrity.

You may think you're saving money by going with a freelancer or agency that promises big results for a cheap price, but you'll end up spending more in the long run if your website loses visibility or is put in a bad light.

SEO Company Red Flags to Watch

SEO is cost-effective, however you're still spending money so it's best to do so wisely and in a company that will deliver results.

Here are six red flags to watch out for when looking for an SEO agency.

1. They're not ranking for any keywords for their business
2. They don't offer or provide monthly reports
3. They don't have case studies and reviews on their website
4. They're difficult to reach and they don't try to contact you
5. They favor quantity over quality
6. You have a hard time grasping their processes and their system

Good SEO Agencies

Good SEO agencies take pride in what they do and regard SEO at a high standard. They will look at your business and your website as a whole, and do extensive research in order to pinpoint weaknesses, strengths, opportunities, and threats within your industry and business.

Here are some ways to spot a reputable SEO company.

1. They are ranking on search results
2. They have an engaging website
3. They have reviews and case studies available to you
4. They have testimonials on their website
5. They are easy to contact
6. They can provide a clear answer to your concerns
7. They practice what they preach; if they promote white hat SEO, they follow it

You can always reach out to the SEO company first and try talking to them. You're going to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on SEO so it's best to learn about the services you're getting and what the company could offer. Consider this as an interview. You can gauge how experienced an SEO agency is by meeting with them either by phone or video conference.

Invest in Good SEO

Increased rankings means more visibility, increased brand awareness, more website traffic, more organic or unpaid traffic, and more clicks. All these can mean an increase in leads and sales.

As a business owner or marketer, you need to be sure that SEO will deliver results and put money back into your business.

Google receives over 5 billion searches every day. Those searches mean people are looking for information and are interested in finding products or services that will fulfill their needs. Your website needs to be seen by these users and it needs to appear on search results. However, not all search result positions are equal.

The number one spot on Google receives an average of 31% of all clicks. When we take the top five organic results on Google, that's 67.60% of all clicks. Meanwhile, the second page of Google, along with the rest of the pages gets just 25% of the clicks. So if your business is on the second or third page, you're as good as invisible.

Good SEO ensures your business is in plain sight on search engines.

But good SEO is not magic that happens overnight. It's a long process that includes countless strategies, skilled professionals and innovative tools that provide insights. Although the services you pick need not be expensive, never base your decision on price alone. Consider the value that price can deliver for your business. And make that investment for the future of your brand.

Itamar Gero is the founder of SEO Reseller, a global digital marketing solutions provider that empowers agencies and their local clients all over the world. When he isn't working, he's traveling the world, meditating, or dreaming (in code).