Creating a marketing budget for your company can be a difficult process. First, you will have to take factors like paid advertising, marketing tools, and website expenses into account. In addition, you may also consider hiring an agency to help you create and execute your SEO strategy. Many SEO agencies offer fixed-price packages that are charged on a month-to-month basis. Are these packages really worth the price?
In this article, we will learn about fixed-price SEO packages, as well as customized options. We will also discuss the typical factors that affect SEO services pricing. Lastly, we’ll talk about how you can find the right SEO service package for you and your business.
How Much Does SEO Cost?
While it’s true that many SEO strategies can be done at low or even zero cost, these methods require a lot of time and effort. This is why many companies consider hiring an SEO agency to manage their strategies for them. There are tons of different payment structures and packages available and these vary from company to company. According to one recent survey, 87% of SEO services offer monthly fixed-price packages, 65% charge an hourly rate, and just 15% offer performance-based pricing.
In 2021, the cost of SEO services can range anywhere from $25 to $30,000 depending on the service type, contract length, and frequency. For example, SEO can cost $25 to $200 hourly, $750 to $5,000 per month, and even up to $30,000 for project-based pricing. The average monthly cost of SEO services is typically between $2,000 to $5,000 per month. There are many separate factors that help to determine SEO cost. In the section below, we’ll discuss a few of the most important factors.
How is SEO Pricing Determined?
SEO pricing can vary widely and depends on a number of different factors. Factors that can affect SEO cost include:
- The consultant, contractor, or agency’s experience level
- Your location
- Pricing model (monthly, hourly, etc.)
- The size of your business
- SEO strategy scale
- Existing SEO strategy success
- Your individual marketing goals
When choosing the right SEO service, you’ll need to consider the features you want, your budget, and your marketing goals. You will also need to decide if a fixed-price monthly plan is right for you, or if you need a more customized package. While custom packages can vary based on what the consumer needs, fixed-price packages generally offer a pretty similar host of features.
What to Look For in a Monthly Service Package
While the SEO packages that each company will offer are unique, there are a few key services that fixed-rate packages should always include. The list below features some of the most important features you should look for in an SEO service package.
Content Creation
Content is one of the most critical factors in your SEO strategy. Well-made content can help search engines like Google to understand your website. It can also help you to engage and connect with your target audience. This means that any SEO agency that you hire should be able to provide you with useful and compelling content that increases traffic to your site.
On and Off-Page SEO
Effective SEO makes use of both on-page and off-page methods. On-page SEO refers to anything you do to optimize your site from within. It encompasses things like keywords, UX design, and internal linking. Off-page SEO focuses on everything that can be done outside of your website, such as building backlinks and monitoring customer reviews. A good SEO service will offer you a combination of both methods.
Technical SEO
Technical SEO is another very important factor for your overall strategy. It focuses mainly on improving the technical aspects of your site, like page loading speed and mobile access, which can have a big effect on user experience. When choosing the best SEO service, you should make sure that they are willing to offer you help with the more technical aspects of improving your website.
Local SEO
If applicable, local SEO can produce great results for your business. Local SEO strategies involve optimizing your business’s local listing and making sure all of your information is correct. Local SEO keywords can also help your site to rank higher in local search results. If you want to make use of local SEO strategies, make sure the company you choose includes local SEO in their fixed-price packages.
Updated Strategy
SEO is an industry that is constantly changing and evolving. Your SEO service should too! SEO strategies that worked a few years ago may be completely obsolete today. Make sure you choose a service that is keeping up with changes and consistently switching up their methods to see what works best.
Monthly Reports
One final benefit that all fixed-price SEO services should provide is monthly reporting. A detailed monthly report will help you and the agency you hire to see what strategies have been working and which have not. Monitoring the success of SEO strategies is crucial to improving your search results rankings. Choose a service that keeps track of important analytics and adjusts accordingly.
What to Avoid With SEO Fixed-Price Packages
In addition to researching the best SEO services pricing, you will want to make sure that you thoroughly look into the company you are considering working with. When searching for the best SEO service, there are a few red flags that you should be watching out for. These include:
Prices That Are Too Good to Be True
If the price that they are offering seems too good to be true, chances are it is. As with any service or product, companies that offer much lower SEO pricing than their competitors will usually provide you with lower-quality service. If the price is very low, make sure you do adequate research before you consider hiring a service.
Promising Immediate Results
Any good marketer knows that quality SEO strategies take time to work. SEO methods, on average, take about 3-6 months before they offer any major results. If a company is offering “instant results,” this means that they are either a) overselling their abilities or b) willing to use strategies that violate search engine policies. These kinds of strategies can actually harm your site and may even earn you a penalty in search rankings.
Promising Top Ranking for Every Keyword
SEO is a complicated process. This is especially true for things like relevant keywords. Be wary if an SEO service promises that all of your keywords will be high-ranking. With so many companies investing in SEO, it is impossible to claim that you will be able to rank for all of your keywords, especially if you are in a very crowded industry.
Guarantees
Lastly, it is good advice to avoid any SEO service provider that guarantees results. It’s fine if the company can give examples of great work they’ve done in the past, but they should never be guaranteeing success. SEO is a process that is constantly changing and evolving. As a result, no one can ever truly guarantee that their efforts will be 100% successful.
SEO Design Chicago’s Custom and Fixed-Price Packages
If the SEO service you choose can provide you with all of the features and support that you need, then a fixed-price package can really be worth it for your website. However, fixed-price packages are not the only option. If you would like more flexibility with the services that you need, there are custom options available for you. The best SEO companies will offer you both fixed-price and custom options to fit your specific needs. Custom packages can be built depending on the individual services that you need, as well as your budget and the goals you have for your marketing plan.
In addition to a wide variety of fixed-price packages, SEO Design Chicago offers a host of custom packages. These packages can be customized for businesses of any size, from start-ups to enterprises. They also vary by location. We work with clients on the local, regional, and even national level. Packages range from Starter/Basic to Comprehensive/Advanced and can be upgraded to include paid search campaigns. Although the features vary, all packages use an integrated approach of content creation, technical updates, and monthly review reports. In addition, each package includes a dedicated account manager, to make sure that you are getting the support that you need.
Choosing the Best SEO Service Package
Fitting the right SEO service into your marketing budget can be a difficult task. SEO agencies offer a variety of packages with different prices and services included. Choosing the right option for you will take some research. It will also depend on your individual budget and goals. If you are looking for an SEO agency that offers a wide variety of packages, check out SEO Design Chicago. With both fixed-price and customer packages available, we can help find the best option for you.
FAQ:
- How much does SEO cost?
- What is a fixed-price SEO package?
- Are fixed-price SEO packages worth the cost?
- How do I choose the best SEO service?
- What features should an SEO package have?
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