Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 10 years, you likely know that search engines dominate the marketing game. If you want customers to find your physical or digital storefront, you need to appear in organic search results.
In other words, every brand needs to prioritize search engine optimization (SEO).
This is the practice of optimizing online content, including your website, to enhance its visibility in search engine results. In turn, this should help increase your non-paid, organic traffic.
There’s a lot that goes into SEO – keyword research, content creation, and link-building, just to name a few. Chances are, you’ll need an expert to help you launch and monitor any kind of successful SEO campaign.
This brings us to the question you’re probably thinking about: how much does SEO cost?
There’s no straightforward answer to this, but we can tell you that every modern business needs to budget for SEO services to beat the competition. If you want to rank well in search results, now’s the time to start evaluating SEO pricing models and agencies.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. In this blog post, we want to help you understand average SEO costs, as well as the true value of working with a reputable SEO agency.
Let’s take a look.
How Important Are Local SEO Services?
Before we start diving into SEO pricing, we want to make sure you understand the immense value of SEO, particularly for your average local business.
It doesn’t matter if a searcher is looking for a nearby pediatrician or a dog toy store – nowadays, they do so by turning to search engine results pages. In 2022, 87% of consumers used Google to evaluate local businesses, up from 81% in 2021.
If most businesses are to succeed, they need to target highly competitive keywords through the latest (and most effective) SEO strategies. When you optimize for search engines, you move beyond paid ads in an effort to reel in organic traffic, directly to your website.
Local SEO campaigns are arguably the most important ingredient when it comes to increasing your business’s online sales, as well as in-person transactions.
That’s why we say it’s critical to budget for SEO services, even if you’re a small local business. Failing to prioritize SEO work will put you at the back of the pack when it comes to reaching your target audience via search engines.
But this brings us to the next topic in this post: SEO prices.
How Much Does SEO Cost?
The truth is that the average cost of SEO depends on many factors: the scope of the services, the competitiveness of your industry, the size of your company, etc.
To determine what level of service you need, most SEO companies will first conduct an audit. This will help them understand your current setup, including details such as your location and local competition.
Common Types of SEO Packages
How much you spend on SEO also depends on the pricing model you select. Most SEO professionals offer a range of packages tailored to meet different clients’ needs and budgets.
Starter SEO Packages
In most cases, the agency will offer a “beginner’s” package that includes basics such as keyword research, on-page optimization, and rudimentary content recommendations. This can be a great option for a company that is just looking to build an SEO foundation with a minimal budget.
These starter packages can vary in price but typically cost anywhere from $500 to $2,000 per month.
Comprehensive SEO Packages
Most SEO agencies also offer more comprehensive packages. These tend to offer more advanced elements such as competitor analysis, backlink building, content creation, and regular performance monitoring.
Although the price of packages like these vary significantly depending on what’s included, you’re likely looking at between $2,000 to $10,000 per month.
Monthly Retainer
Another common option is a monthly retainer in which the client pays a fixed fee for ongoing SEO services. This ensures a consistent effort to optimize and maintain a website’s digital presence and often results in the longest-lasting success.
These monthly retainers can vary dramatically in pricing, and many operate on hourly rates of $75 to $100 per hour.
Not sure what kind of SEO prices you’re looking at for your needs? As we mentioned earlier, start with an SEO audit. This will help you explore various packages to determine which one best suits your situation.
What to Expect from Your SEO Investment
If you’re going to pay for services from SEO specialists, you understandably want to know what you’re getting out of the transaction. What do SEO services typically include, and how do they directly improve your business’s online presence?
First, let us clear something up: you’re not going to see an immediate boost in website traffic after investing in SEO. This is a long-haul game, so if any agency promises an overnight improvement… they’re overpromising.
Positive changes on search engine results pages can take anywhere from several weeks to several months or more to appear, depending on the competition in your industry and the current state of your online presence.
What’s Included?
To help you better understand what’s happening behind the scenes, SEO involves a three-pronged approach: on-page SEO, off-page SEO, and technical SEO.
When you partner with an SEO agency, they’ll get the ball rolling through a series of important movements, including…
- A complete audit of your existing SEO strategy and website
- Setting up your Google My Business profile
- Research and analysis of target keywords
- Adjustments to your website to help pull in organic traffic
- SEO-focused content creation – web pages and blogs
- Link-building (both on and off-site)
- Creating high-quality content for other relevant websites (guest posts)
Another thing to keep in mind is that SEO “success” isn’t just about search engine rankings and increasing your organic traffic. Ultimately, the goal is to drive quality traffic to your company’s website, drawing in people who are genuinely interested in your services or products.
You’ll also want to consider that organic search algorithms are constantly changing, which makes continuous SEO services all the more valuable. SEO agencies perform ongoing adjustments to keep their clients’ websites ahead of the curve in search results.
How to Set Up Your SEO Budget
Building a proper budget for SEO services requires a complete understanding of your business objectives, target clients, competition, and the current state of your online presence. You’ll want to strategically distribute your funds among various SEO package components, including…
- Content marketing
- Keyword research
- On-page optimization
- Off-page optimization
When you partner with a professional SEO company, they will take a deep dive into your standings and determine the best course of action. Most businesses benefit from a comprehensive approach at first, then learn to fine-tune their SEO costs as they progress.
If you’re not really sure what your company needs, talk to your SEO provider. They’ll be able to advise you on building an effective budget to target the most relevant, lucrative search results.
Adjust Your Strategy As You Go
Just like every other element of marketing, search engine optimization requires ongoing assessment and adjustment. From your targeted keywords to your webpage graphics, every piece plays a role in the SEO equation – and you’ll need to stay on top of search engine algorithms to succeed.
Moreover, as your business grows and its priorities shift, so should your SEO strategy.
Periodic reassessment is essential to ensure that your optimization efforts align with your current business objectives. This may involve refining keyword strategies, updating content to reflect industry developments, or adapting to new technologies and platforms.
That’s another reason to work with SEO agencies, rather than taking care of SEO in-house. The professionals will conduct regular assessments to ensure your SEO efforts are keeping pace with both algorithmic changes and your business’s growth.
Beware the Hidden Costs of Cheap SEO
Ever heard the saying “If something seems too good to be true, it probably is”? Well, that sentiment couldn’t be truer than when it comes to SEO companies.
How much SEO costs depends heavily on the quality of the services. If small business owners pay for cheap SEO, they’re likely going to receive cut-rate services that seem effective at first, but that eventually result in subpar results – or even worse, a damaged online reputation.
In the worst-case scenarios, cheap SEO agencies may even resort to “black hat SEO” tactics, such as keyword stuffing, spammy link-building, or low-quality content. These shortcuts almost always lead to penalties from Google’s search engine algorithm.
The result can potentially be lower search rankings or even total removal from search engine results pages altogether.
Another issue is that lower-end SEO agencies often lack a customized approach, which usually fails to account for your specific SEO needs and goals. You don’t want a one-size-fits-all SEO package – you want one that was built for your brand.
Getting More Traffic, But Not More Conversions?
If you’ve hired an SEO company and seen an increase in website traffic, but not an increase in sales or conversions… that’s an issue. This means that although you are ranking in search engine result pages, you’re not pulling in the right visitors.
In other words, any cheap SEO campaign can get more people to your page, but only high-quality SEO companies and strategies can your target audience there.
The initial savings from cheap SEO prices can quickly be overshadowed by the missed revenue from a poorly optimized website – or worse, penalties from shady tactics. Moreover, many businesses pay to fix these problems later on, which still results in higher SEO costs overall.
The bottom line? If you want stellar, long-lasting results, hire a reputable SEO agency from the get-go, rather than trying to save money upfront.
Can You DIY Your Local SEO Strategy?
This isn’t really a question of can you, but should you.
Many business owners try to cut costs by keeping their SEO efforts totally in-house, but in doing so, they miss out on the vast benefits provided by experienced, dedicated SEO professionals.
On paper, SEO is not objectively difficult. Anyone can learn the basics and take on the fundamentals of an SEO product – but does your team really have the time and expertise to do so at the same level as an SEO consultant?
Your SEO plan isn’t something you can throw on the back burner and leave to simmer. It requires constant supervision and adjustment – and that’s best left to a committed team of SEO experts, including technical specialists, strategists, content creators, editors, and analysts.
We’ve seen a great number of companies try to avoid SEO costs and stick to a low online marketing budget. They start by managing their SEO campaign in-house, but most quickly learn that truly profitable results require a consistent effort from trained professionals.
Unless you invest serious time into familiarizing yourself with the latest digital marketing strategies, every week, the DIY route will likely lead to more harm than good. SEO is a full-time job, from keyword research to link-building strategies.
Make Your SEO Costs Worthwhile
Search engine optimization is a series of large, never-ending tasks for most business owners. Depending on your industry, the competition can be intense, and it’s not always easy to understand how much to invest in your SEO.
The good news is significant results aren’t necessarily tied to how much money you throw at an SEO package. Yes, we do recommend avoiding overly cheap options, but that doesn’t mean you need to throw tens of thousands of dollars at every campaign.
An SEO agency with experience in your particular field will know exactly how to stretch your budget and help you get the results you need. As you research partners, look for ones that will help you unlock your website’s potential – without overcharging.
Contact Our Experienced SEO Agency
At Design Staff, we specialize in local SEO services and digital marketing – and garner impressive results through a reasonable pricing model. From monthly SEO services to one-time SEO projects and keyword research, our SEO agency offers it all.
However, we don’t just handle SEO work for small businesses. We’re also here to assist with general content optimization, website structures, and brand awareness. Tell us your marketing budget and we’ll help you pick the best services for your business.
Schedule a FREE strategy call with our digital marketers today to learn about our pricing model for local SEO, content creation, and other essential services. Together, we’ll find the perfect SEO plan for your needs.
