Because it comes up so often, I thought I’d share a couple of thoughts and links around the topic of SEO pricing. Perhaps the first thing any prospective client wants to know is: how much does SEO cost?
Sigh. Such a difficult question to answer — and prospects hate to hear, “it depends.” Luckily, several other authors have already covered the topic.
JaysonDeMers, in his article from late last year on Search Engine Watch (How Much Should You Spend on SEO Services?), walks the reader through a very comprehensive list of things they need to consider before determining what to spend for SEO. His advice is dead-on, and a lot of it is the same spiel I give a part of my public presentations around SEO topics.
A worthwhile read for anyone who is just beginning to understand that just because you have a beautiful company website doesn’t necessarily mean your business is going to take off — or even that prospective customer will be able to find it. The search engine game changes constantly, and unless you have the time and technical expertise required to tend to your website (and other online properties), you cannot expect to marketing your services with some outside help.
From the Entrepreneur blog on Forbes.com, an article by Joshua Steimle simply titled, What Does SEO Cost?, accompanied by an infographic twice as long — and half as clear — as the article itself. Bless you, Mr. Steimle, for this paragraph:
Bigger is not necessarily better when it comes to hiring an SEO firm, just as McDonalds isn’t better than your local fine steakhouse by virtue of having more locations. […] Small SEO firms, meaning those with 5 to 30 employees, tend to offer high-end, customized services. If SEO is a critical ongoing piece of your marketing strategy and you value hands-on, personalized service, more than likely you’ll end up working with a smaller firm.
Truly — I wasn’t joking about the infographic — the data is old now, too, so you can really skip it. Instead, read the article. Steimle’s auto mechanic analogy is the best we’ve heard yet to illustrate the nature of SEO.
Having a mechanic you can trust is to live with your mind at peace. But finding a good mechanic can be a nightmare. One mechanic will look at your car and give you one price, and another will give you a price that is twice as much. It would be easy to choose the cheaper one, but then you start wondering whether that guy knows what he’s doing, or if he’s using cheaper parts that are going to break and land you back at the repair shop the next week.