Often when I speak to potential clients, I am asked, “How much does SEO cost”? I have also received many requests asking for a proposal before I even talk to the potential client about their needs. Search Engine Optimization and online marketing costs should never be a specific set rate offered by any marketing company, ever.
Most people want to know what they are going to pay before investing the time discussing their needs only to find out that the cost is above their budget. I understand this as I often want to know the price of services as quick as possible as well. However, marketing pricing is a hot topic, and I thought it would be beneficial to share some information with anyone who is in the market for online marketing.
As an online marketing expert, there are a lot of things that I need to review before I can offer anyone a price. I use several tools to complete a full analysis of a website or social media platforms. I may find that everything looks great and only needs a little bit of work. However, are times where I have found a site saturated with “spammy” links that will eventually trigger a penalty from Google if it hasn’t already. The process of fixing that can be time-consuming and, therefore, would need to charge extra. There are many factors that SEO’s should be looking at including your sites current performance, your competitors rankings and the competition of your keywords.
Other factors that SEO professionals should consider is whether the marketing need is local, nationally or internationally. A small mom and pop store is going to be less expensive than a franchise or business owner who may have a few locations. A law firm is going to be more than an individual lawyer.
Always remember, you get what you pay for. If you have SEO’s offering you a marketing campaign at $500 per month, be very cautious. I strongly encourage you to run even if you have a very small business. In addition, if a marketing professional is guaranteeing you results like being able to get you on the front page of Google within a month, turn the other way. No one can ever be sure of how long it will take to rank someone’s website on the front page of Google. A brand new site could take up to six months or longer to reach the top of Google’s front page.
Always keep something in mind, search engine optimization and online marketing is an investment. It may seem pricey, but the amount of ROI (return on investment) will surpass your initial costs. While at times our services may seem high, it is much more involved than most potential clients realize.
If you have a need for online marketing services, Virtual Surge, my company, can provide you a free website analysis. Go to the home page of our site and fill out the discovery form and I will be happy to assist you.