How Much Does Search Engine Optimization Cost?

Why is there so much variability in SEO pricing?
Can you just accept the lowest bid?
Why should you avoid bogus one-size-fits-all SEO packages?

SEO Is Only Worthwhile if It Generates More Revenues

How much should you pay for search engine optimization services? This question baffles most business owners who are new to online marketing. The answer is complicated, due to the wide range of prices charged by SEO companies. You’ll see offers from bogus providers or novice freelancers who offer their services for as little as $49 a month while promising you the moon. Some web design firms, probably including your current company, claim that they can provide you an add-on service for $400 a month. There are also consultants who charge $2,000 – $5,000 a month or $500 per hour. Naturally, this broad price range raises some questions:

Which SEO service company should you consider?
Which specialist can actually deliver increased profits?
How much new business does it take to break even?
How can you realistically justify the cost?
How can you avoid being ripped off by unethical agencies?

Search Engine Optimization Cost Minneapolis St Paul

Cheap Services Cause Long-Term Harm

Low-ball SEO offers, such as $49 a month, are nothing but scams. Can you get a prime time TV commercial for $100 per minute? Can you buy a radio advertising campaign for $50 a month? All of these low-priced search engine optimization packages use software-automated techniques to generate junk. Such bogus services do more harm than good, and inevitably lower your website’s Google rankings. There are no cheap shortcuts to online marketing success. When you have problems with these bogus service providers, there’s not even a real person to talk to. Search engine optimization is an extremely complicated process. Only true professionals with real-world experience can get it done right. Don’t waste a penny on these cheap offers.
Can Add-On SEO for $300 per Month Increase Your Revenues?

Effective SEO starts with an in-depth analysis of your business, your competition, your web design, and most importantly, your keywords. Then, a considerable amount of work is done both on and off your website. No software tricks can substitute for the education, experience and creativity of a highly trained optimizer.

SEO should never be a one-step “add-on” service offered by your web design company. In truth, most web designers have no training or experience in search engine optimization. Web designers are graphic artists who don’t think in numbers and algorithms. SEO and web design require very different skill sets. Cheap SEO packages don’t have any value. They’re just a way for a web design company to plug in some search keywords and phrases mindlessly. Google, Bing and Yahoo’s ranking algorithms are far too sophisticated to be taken in by such approaches. This type of service cannot produce top placement in competition with services that are based on research and experience. Effective optimization needs to be built into the architecture and content of the website.

A company that is best known for web design or development services almost never has a real SEO specialist on staff. These companies might charge you from $100 to $1,000 per month to improve your Google rankings, but most business owners who bought such services ended throwing hard-earned money away. Some web design companies even employ old, discredited techniques like doorway pages and keyword stuffing. Those are guaranteed to lower your rankings in the long haul. The bottom line is that the weak performance of these add-on packages can’t create enough new business to offset the cost. You gain nothing, except empty promises.
Rely on Time-Tested SEO Services

Is a $500 per hour or $1,000 per hour SEO consulting rate fair? If they can deliver top search rankings and increased business that generates real profits, absolutely yes. Top search engine optimization firms are hard to find and their services are in high demand. How can you tell if an SEO company is worth the cost? Here are several ways to make a good evaluation and select the best choices:
- Find SEO Experts on Google – Enter keywords relevant to search engine optimization, along with your location, and see which websites rank near the top of Google results. If an SEO company can’t get its own website ranked at the top, it can’t possibly do anything for you.
- Explore Websites – Go to the websites of top ranked SEO companies you find on Google. Do they have multiple examples of successful projects? Can you find plenty of useful information on their website that addresses your concerns? Can you tell if they specialize in web design?
- Check References – Satisfied clients will be happy to tell you their success stories. Ask any company you’re considering to refer you to clients for references. If they can’t or won’t, be suspicious.
- Get an Evaluation of Your Website – Any search engine optimization company worth its salt will be happy to evaluate your current website at no charge. You should expect a report on the findings and a free initial consultation and price quote.
- Ask for Real Information on Results – A successful SEO company will be happy to show you actual rankings, conversion and site analytics data for their clients. Insist on seeing their accomplishments. If they’re successful, they’ll be happy to show you.
- Get a Solid Proposal for Your Business – Ask what the firm will do for you, in detail. Expect more than vague promises. You need specifics about the proposal and projected results you can expect. Ask questions and expect answers you can understand and believe.

How can you afford to pay $5,000 a month for SEO on top of all your other marketing costs? Many business owners simply think they can’t afford it. When we look at many marketing strategies, however, we often find that these companies are flushing money down the drain by spending tens of thousands of dollars every month on much less effective media like the Yellow Pages, direct mail, magazines, newspapers, billboard, and TV commercials. Compared to the cost of traditional advertising, search engine optimization is much more cost-effective, with the lowest cost per customer acquisition. Your business doesn’t have to spend additional money – all you need to do is re-allocate your marketing dollars from old-school strategies that no longer work and invest them in SEO.

Proven Professional SEO and Web Design – Minneapolis St. Paul, MN

The online marketing team at Site Revamp has been busy since the beginning of the internet. We have helped local Minnesota area and national clients achieve outstanding Google rankings and increased revenues through our well-optimized websites. We’re always looking for new clients who own or manage businesses with over $1 Million in annual revenues and who want powerful internet marketing success. We encourage you to contact us for a free, no-obligation evaluation of your current website. We’ll be happy to show you what we have accomplished for our many clients. We’ll give you a competitive price quote for a revenue-building search engine marketing plan designed for success.