Are You Unsure About SEO Prices & How Much You Should Be Paying for an Effective SEO Campaign?
Most small business owners or companies that I have come across have either been stung by a previous SEO experience or know someone who has been burn’t by a supposed SEO expert.
This happens all the time and has left a really bad taste in the mouth of the business community regarding search engine optimisation. I don’t blame them, I hear horror stories daily and they keep getting worse.
More often than not, they were tricked or scammed into signing up for a lengthy SEO contract, with poor ranking results, and absolutely no accountability. They often refuse to accept that they did anything wrong and are unable to fix those terrible SEO rankings.
This has fueled industry-wide distrust amongst the business community, who may potentially engage a search engine optimisation company.
The rule of thumb here is that you should pay a fair and normal price for an SEO service. Cheap, quick and speedy results JUST DONT EXIST – you have to pay normal prices to see measurable & successful SEO results.
It’s it OK to Engage the Services of a Cheap SEO Company?
In short NO!
This is a massive mistake and will only land your website in a Google penalty. This is a certainty.
Related article: Google penalty help.
Bargaining the SEO price down and expecting to pay a small SEO price places huge and very unrealistic cost restrictions on SEO services.
Cheap SEO budgets will mean that SEO service providers will cut corners, implement dodgy inorganic link strategies and completely ignore basic SEO principles, which should lay the foundations for your internet marketing.
As this is a relatively new industry, the market has been flooded by cheap SEO service agencies offering bargain deals, which put simply, cannot be met.
Paying as little as $300 per month for SEO is just not on and it’s SEO companies like these that are tarnishing the good name of SEO firms like Hopping Mad Designs.
If you are serious about your online rankings and Google is the only way you can get business, then YOU NEED TO HAVE A REALISTIC SEO BUDGET FOR THE YEAR.
Giving cheap SEO companies business only adds to the problem and encourages them to keep ripping people off – it’s time to wake up, and understand that they are nothing more than con artists.
Also read: 5 Ways To Tell That Your SEO Team is Ripping You Off.
What Should SEO Cost & What is a Fair Price to Pay for an Ethical + Proven SEO Company?
If you want to go down the path of paying $39 per month for your SEO then you should not read any further. SEO is based on a number of factors and is it these following variables that help determine the fair price and cost that you should be paying:
Reputation
First, reputation must be earned, and it is this reputation that takes time and many hours of expertise to implement. Not many companies can say that they have invested thousands of hours in learning and studying SEO principles. It is this background and knowledge that earns them their great SEO reputation. The better the reputation the more these companies should be able to charge. For example, Hopping Mad Designs has been in the web and SEO business since 1998 – we, therefore, feel that we are able to charge a fee that reflects this longevity.
Startup SEO businesses with no reputation or credible working history will not be able to charge as much as their peers. SEO companies that can prove their worth and show that they are able to rank their own website, MUST be able to charge accordingly.
If you are thinking about using one of these cheap SEOs, you will find that you will be treated in a production-like manner, and your work will more than likely be undertaken by someone with little or no SEO experience. Even worse, outsourced with no strategy or goals in place. Again, don’t expect any results. Be prepared to be treated poorly and be given every excuse known as to why you are not ranking!
Experience, Knowledge and Reputation all Mean a Higher SEO Fee.
Service
Next, an SEO company is a business and will have typical daily running expenses. These include: research, educating staff as well as working on your SEO (that is project management).
As an SEO client, you should be asking yourself:
> Do you expect answers to questions immediately or are you happy to wait, perhaps never get an answer or even lied to?
> Do you expect reports – what have they been doing for you?
> Do you expect an above-industry standard, speedy, quality service?
If all of the above is expected, then you will be paying for this.
If you want below-average experience, with poor results, then you do not need to factor the above in determining your SEO payments.
If you are serious about maximising your online performance then you will need to pay a realistic SEO fee. For more information please call us on 02 9360 8514
Education
All credible SEOs spend most of their downtime keeping current on all changes in the SEO landscape. Google makes roughly 450 changes to its algorithm each year, with hordes of engineers inventing ways to improve the search experience.
SEOs must be up to speed on these changes and this all comes at a price. Sure you can pay next to nothing for your SEO but don’t expect your suppliers to know the latest Google updates. They will keep on implementing old SEO tactics with little regard for the algorithmic updates that occur. This is dangerous and can lead to online penalties.
SEO is a continued and evolving process. Nothing stands still and the landscape created by Google is continually changing. Ultimately, you will have to pay for this knowledge.
THINK ABOUT THIS WHEN IT COMES TO SEO PRICING!
If an airline offered you a seat from Sydney to Perth for $15, but could not guarantee you a time for departure or arrival, with no customer service, would you buy the ticket? Or, would you prefer to pay $500 for a ticket and know exactly when you would be leaving and arriving, plus a meal was thrown in? The same logic applies to SEO and its pricing levels.
Basically, you get what you pay for; that is a certainty. The certainty that you will be working with a company that knows the ins and outs of SEO and has PROVEN and TANGIBLE RESULTS.
At Hopping Mad Designs you might pay just that bit more for your SEO, but we will GUARANTEE you results that can be backed up by over 18 years in this industry.
SEO is Worth the Investment & the Return Can Be Huge.
The price you pay for SEO must be seen in the light that it is a long-term proposition. It is not a tap that can be turned on and off. It is a continuous process that will only add value to your business. Therefore, when considering the cost of SEO for your marketing, think of it not as a cost/burden but as an asset.
PLUS the return on investment, once you are ranking is going to be massive. See for yourself, try it out, measure the performance and look at how great SEO can be for your business.
You should really ask yourself the following questions:
1) How would 1000 visits a month to your website change your perception of SEO costs? So 1000 visits, 20% will make an enquiry ( and this can be increased if your landing web page has been designed properly). This equates to 200 leads. If you are able to convert roughly 15% of these into clients, you would have 30 sales. This number can be increased if you are able to find an SEO company that has web experience.
2) Is my current advertising working and where do I currently advertise to get new business? In the past, the Yellow Pages was the place to advertise your business. Have you looked at the Yellow Pages lately? It’s gone from a huge 2 book directory to a thin paper napkin-size book.
Google has sucked its market dry and the money you were traditionally spending on the YP should now be diverted into an online SEO strategy. If you find that you have no other advertising options on the table, then SEO is your answer.
The power of being on page 1 of Google for your main keywords is enormous. If you currently have your website there you will know what I mean.
Taking this into account the pricing for SEO can be a relatively cheap proposition.
The best part concerning the cost of SEO is really this: if your business grows by 1000%, your SEO costs will remain the same. Your investment in SEO will not change (unless your strategy does), so your return on the SEO investment will have been multiplied many times. This will cover your costs and more!
SEO is NOT a One-Off Fee.
If you want to maintain your rankings then you must pay monthly for your SEO. Some people may consider this monthly SEO fee as a bit pricey, but if it is bringing in the business, then it should be thought of as a GREAT business investment.
A start n stop approach to your SEO campaign will only affect your rankings long term – so if you are going to commit to this type of marketing, you really need to stick with it for the long haul – the DIVIDENDS will pay…you just need to give it a bit of time.
ONE LAST THOUGHT.
Google your main keywords, for example, if you are a lawyer who specialises in conveyancing type in ‘conveyancing services’ and sees who is on page one. Getting your business to that position is not impossible and it is totally achievable.
As far as SEO PRICING is concerned, you will be more than surprised by what Hopping Mad Designs can do for your online digital marketing.
To learn more about our SEO pricing packages, and to get your website on page 1 of Google contact us at 02 9360 8514.