There’s no denying the fact that SEO remains one of the top strategies for driving traffic and leads to your website. But you may be asking yourself: how much does SEO cost?
In the search engine optimization (SEO) industry, there’s no definitive answer to this question, as the cost of SEO services varies based on an individual company’s goals and budget. That said, in this blog post we’ll cover all the factors that determine SEO pricing and provide you with a guide to SEO pricing so you can make an informed decision when it comes to investing in SEO services.
The cost of SEO services depends on the size and complexity of your website. In general, businesses can expect to pay anywhere from $1500-$5000 per month for professional SEO service packages.
How Much Do SEO Services Cost?
When discussing the cost of SEO services, it depends on a variety of factors and will vary from one provider to another. Generally speaking, businesses can expect to pay anywhere from $500 to upwards of $5,000 each month. According to research from HubSpot, the average cost of SEO services falls in the range of $750–$2,000 per month for small or local businesses that are operating on a limited marketing budget. While this is helpful for most companies, for some businesses with bigger budgets, this may represent only one piece of an overall digital marketing initiative (i.e., deploying search engine advertising campaigns, paid media campaigns, social media ads).
This is why increased costs can be expected as more is done beyond keyword optimization and link building activities. Larger businesses that have more complex needs — such as enterprise-level companies — will likely require significantly more time, resources and budget investment to make sure their SEO efforts are successful. Here, monthly costs could reach five figures depending on what is needed.
Whatever the case may be — whether you’re a mid-sized business looking for basic SEO support or an enterprise-level company seeking comprehensive SEO solutions — it’s important to understand the market rate for each individual service required and compare pricing among various vendors in order to find the best value for your money. Having a clear understanding of how much SEO services actually cost will help you create an effective plan for your business and prioritize wherever necessary.
Overall, it’s important to keep in mind that when it comes to the cost of SEO services many variables come into play which makes it difficult to provide an exact figure. With that being said, having an idea of what’s available on the market will help you make better decisions when investing in or expanding your current SEO strategy. Now that we’ve discussed how much SEO services typically cost let’s move on to exploring which factors play a role in affecting pricing.
- A study by Ahrefs in 2019 found that the average monthly cost for basic SEO services is $750 per month.
- According to a survey conducted by SEJ, small businesses typically spend between $1500 – $3000 per month on SEO services.
- The majority of respondents in a Bright Local survey reported an increase in the budget allocated to SEO services, with 41% increasing their budget and 33% maintaining it.
Factors that Influence Costs
Having discussed how much SEO may cost your business, it is important to consider the various factors that can ultimately determine that cost. The main variables that have the potential to influence pricing include a company’s size and budget, the nature and sophistication of their website, and the degree to which they are already engaged in search engine optimization activities.
For example, a recently-established start-up working with a smaller budget may require fewer resources to achieve SEO success than an established corporation with more complex web architecture spread across multiple domains. In this case, it is likely that the start-up’s SEO requirements would be more achievable on a restricted budget.
Likewise, if a business has been successful in driving organic traffic or has some existing search engine rankings, then there may be less work required to improve its visibility online compared to those starting from scratch; therefore the cost of services may be reduced. Similarly, if a website is built properly – without any major design flaws – then this too will reduce overall costs as less time will need to be spent cleaning up code or redirecting links.
All these elements demonstrate how it is crucial for businesses to closely analyze their SEO costs and identify exactly what services are required for attaining their desired outcomes. By mapping out their goals against service essentials such as technical audits, on-page activities and link building efforts, companies can create an accurate picture of what needs to be done and determine how much they are willing to spend.
Types of SEO Services Offered
The types of SEO services offered by a marketing agency typically depend on the size and goals of the company. When considering how to approach SEO, businesses can choose from dozens of services to fit their budget and needs. Between technical SEO, link building, content optimization, and more, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for achieving success with SEO.
At the highest level, some companies may opt for comprehensive services from agencies like an one-time audit or ongoing campaigns with monthly retainer fees. Depending on the scope of work being done and the expertise being hired, these types of packages may include content optimization and creation, keyword research and analysis, technical website audits, link building projects, performance tracking and reporting, and general strategy consulting.
In addition to specific strategies tailored towards optimizing a website’s organic search ranking, there are also types of SEO services that facilitate other priorities such as social media growth or monetization via advertisements. This can include anything from creating PR campaigns to boost awareness online to targeting highly competitive keywords in order to drive traffic.
Whether you need full-scale SEO solutions or focused campaigns tailored towards specific results, there are many types of SEO services available that can be scaled to fit any budget. By understanding the objectives of the business in advance, digital marketers can create custom plans that use a variety of tools and approaches in order to achieve optimal performance at optimal costs. With careful planning and educated decision-making, companies can get the most out of their investment while helping their website rank higher on search engine results pages.
Fortunately for businesses on a tighter budget who may not be able to afford comprehensive suites of services from agencies, there are still plenty of options for ensuring your website remains optimized for searches without overspending.
Questions to Ask Before Investing in SEO Services
Once you have determined a fee structure for your business, it is time to take the next step and start looking into investing in SEO services. Before proceeding further, it is important to ask yourself (and potential vendors) key questions that can help guide the decision-making process.
First, you should evaluate your objectives. What are your long-term goals? Do you want to improve visibility in search engine results? Increase sales or leads? Build brand recognition? Knowing the answers to these questions can help determine which type of services may be best for you.
Another important factor to consider is how much expertise and resources are available in-house. If your team lacks technical skills, then it might make sense to outsource some or all of the work to a third-party provider. On the other hand, if there are skills gaps that need to be filled internally, then hiring someone with specific SEO knowledge is an option worth considering.
In addition to skillset considerations, budgetary constraints should also be taken into account when evaluating potential investments in SEO services. Carefully analyze the costs associated with each service and assess its value relative to your overall marketing budget. Decide what level of investment works best for your business and do as much research on competing services as possible before making a final commitment.
Finally, it is essential that prospective partners understand your target audience and business goals. Ensure that they can articulate a strategy that aligns with your unique needs, including timelines and expectations for results. Ask them about their approach to tracking success metrics – this will demonstrate whether they are focused on optimizing the user experience or just optimizing their bottom line. Once satisfied with their response, make sure any contracts include a discussion of measurable results in order to hold partners accountable should something go wrong.
By asking yourself these questions and conducting thorough research on vendors, you can gain more clarity around how much SEO cost and how best to invest in SEO services for maximum return on investment.
