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Peter Stevens

Peter Stevens is an SEO expert providing services for SEO in Charlotte. He has experience working with several small to medium sized businesses in North Carolina. Feel free to connect with him on LinkedIn.

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How Much Does SEO Really Cost?

Peter Stevens

July 24, 2017


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The first thing people want to know when hiring an SEO agency is how much it will cost for them to get the service. Different companies have different payment models that they use. Some will even charge their clients more for simple services simply because they have more experience or they have a good reputation. When searching for SEO services, it is imperative that you take the time to understand the actual cost of getting the service you need before you hire a company.

One point you need to understand is that the costs are not the same across the board. There are so many factors that determine how much you end up paying for search engine optimization services. The purpose of this post is to help you understand the key factors that will determine the overall cost of getting the SEO services that you need.

Payment model selected

The main thing that determines the cost of SEO is the payment model that you select. There are basically four payment models you will need to choose from: monthly retainer, contract services at fixed prices, project-based pricing and hourly consulting. The option you go with will determine the overall cost of the service.

  • Monthly retainer

On average, you will pay between $750 and $5,000 per month with the monthly retainer. The amount you end up paying will depend mostly on the size of your business as well as the number and type of services that you will need. The more the services you need per month, the more you will end up paying. It is also good to note that it is cheaper to work with smaller SEO agencies that are new to the business. Business with more needs fall on the upper range of the payment spectrum. In general, most businesses end up paying between $2,500 and $5,000 per month with the retainer payment model.

  • Contract services at fixed prices

With this option, the price is variable. This option is preferred mostly by businesses that are testing the SEO waters. This is the entry-point option. The typical services will include SEO copywriting which costs somewhere between $0.15 and $0.50 per word, site content audit which costs $500 to $7,500, social media site setup which will cost about $500 to $3,000 and link profile audit which costs between $500 and $7,500. As you can see, the cost will depend on the services for SEO in Charlotte that you need.

  • Project-based pricing

The prices vary here too. Considering there are many projects, the price range also varies. The price starts mostly at $1,000 and can go as high as $30,000 or even higher.

  • Hourly consulting

The rate here is between $100 and $300 per hour. The cost will depend on the number of hours the SEO agency works for you.

It is very important that you select a payment model carefully.  Weigh your options keenly.

 

Size of project

The second thing you need to consider is the size of the project. Needless to say, when the project is huge, you will definitely end up paying more. This happens mostly when there is a lot of work that needs to be done to get your website higher ranking. It is always a good idea to get quotes from different companies before you settle for one company. Doing so will ensure that you never get overcharged.

 

Number of services you need

The third thing that will determine the cost of SEO services is the number of services that you need. Most of the SEO agencies will have different packages. The basic package is the most affordable whereas the custom package will be more expensive. The reason for this is because with the custom package, you get to handpick the services that you need. The more services you include in your package, the more work the search engine optimization company will have to do, hence the more money you will end up paying them.

 

SEO agency you are working with

The SEO company you choose to work with will also have a part to play in the overall cost of SEO. As aforementioned, most reputable companies tend to charge more for their services. The reason for this is because they know that they are in high demand and that clients trust them. They therefore leverage on this when pricing their services. It is for this reason that you need to see how much different companies are charging for the services you need before settling for one.

 

There is no way to know exactly how much SEO services will cost. It all depends on the choices you make right from the company you choose to work with to the payment methods you select. Never be in a hurry to commit to a service provider.


                   



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