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Running a business is hard. Late nights, crunch times, and so much coffee that your blood may as well be made of the stuff.
Every aspect of a venture, especially in the early years, is a new adventure and a new challenge. Eventually, you may find the need to outsource some of these challenges, like SEO for example.
And when that time comes, selecting the right SEO experts to help you grow is an entire project in itself. This can easily become confusing and frustrating.
Who should you hire? Should you take on the project in-house or find an agency to help you? How much should you be spending on SEO services as a small business owner?
Since you’re reading this article, we’ll assume that you’re already aware of how critical SEO is to business success in 2023. But every business has a budget, and learning more about SEO pricing can help you make the best investment possible for your business.
How Much Should You Actually Be Paying for SEO in 2023?
The big question: how much is an SEO campaign going to cost me? Like so many things, the answer is a little complicated: it depends.
SEO specialists come in many forms and at many different price points. Depending on your needs, goals, and the cost of SEO services can range from under $100 an hour to thousands upon thousands per month, with the average rate spent coming in around $500 each month.
Now that is obviously a huge range. But what makes an SEO agency worth thousands of dollars per month? What differentiates a budget-minded SEO freelancer from a powerhouse SEO company?
To put it simply, with SEO you get what you pay for. That’s why businesses that invest more are often much happier with their SEO services. Exactly how much you will pay for SEO services depends on:
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The scope of work that you are looking to have done
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The level of expertise that your contractor or agency is bringing in to help you, and
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Your industry and competition level.
What Are the Different SEO Pricing Models?
If you work with an agency or an SEO contractor, they should be able to help you understand these factors in greater detail and explain their pricing methodology to you. The truly great specialists will also help you understand why they choose certain pricing models. They will give you realistic predictions and measurable KPIs that generate real value for your business.
Pricing scales for SEO can also be a variable. For example, SEO professionals can charge for their services by the hour, by the project, or on retainer. Each of these options can be beneficial depending on your needs, goals, and budget.
By far the most popular and wide-spread pricing model is through monthly retainer fees, which is employed by as many as 78% of SEO specialists. More than likely the SEO agency or the freelancer that you are working with will already have a pricing system in place. It’s then up to you to decide whether that pricing system works for you or not.
Setting SEO Budget Expectations
When budgeting for SEO services, it’s important to consider both the short-term and long-term costs and benefits. In general, search engine optimization is not well-suited for quick growth or short-term gains. There are definitely ways that SEO can help with immediate visibility and sales—such as through keyword research, link-building, and guest posting efforts.
In general, however, an SEO strategy is more geared towards sustained long-term growth. That means that you need to be ready to build SEO into your overall marketing strategy, and your marketing budget should reflect that. The biggest scams that come from SEO emerge when business owners try to use SEO to see immediate or short-term results. What SEO does offer is brand building.
Using SEO to help build and promote your company’s brand and reputation is much more aligned with the strengths of SEO. But building brand authority takes time. So whatever price you agree on for SEO, make sure that it is a price you can sustainably afford.
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Common SEO Scams to Watch Out For
In the world of SEO it can sometimes be difficult to decipher the genuine from the fraudulent. Sometimes it’s clear cut—a rogue email with a subject line in all caps “OPTIMIZE YOUR SITE FOR ONLY $99 A MONTH – SEE INSTANT RESULTS!!!” (Rule of thumb: if there’s more than one exclamation point in a subject line, be cautious). Avoiding these pitfalls can be as easy as emptying your email’s trash bin.
Other scams, however, can be sneakier. Their claims align their results with those of high-quality SEO firms. But often the actual KPIs fail to measure up to the initial promises. Alternatively, the measurements that they are showing you may demonstrate success but those measurements do not translate into actual sales, leads, and profit for your business.
For example, someone may come to you claiming that they can guarantee you a number one spot on relevant SERPs, but the keywords they target are low hanging fruit with minimal traffic. So you end up on the front page of search results, but with very few (if any) leads to show for your months of investment.
Remember, the goal of SEO is always to help generate and nurture traffic and leads for your business. If your SEO specialist is showing you results but those results do not translate into increased traffic and revenue, it may be time to take a hard look at the metrics and at who you are working with.
SEO Is Alive, and It’s an Investment
2023 is lining up to be a year of volatility for SEO, but then that really is just par for the course. So as a business owner, what are your plans for navigating such difficult waters? Start by treating it like what it is: an investment in the long-term growth of your brand and your business.
Scrutinize your budget and prepare to play the long game. Look for professionals who explain not only what they are doing for you, but why they are doing it. Don’t be afraid to ask questions of your SEO professional, and watch carefully that their metrics are translating into real growth for your organization.
And if you’re ready to set up your business for long-term, sustainable growth through search engine optimization, UpCity has you covered with our directory of top-rated SEO service providers in your area based on verified user reviews.