• Home
  • /
  • Blog
  • /
  • The Average Cost Of SEO Services

The Average Cost Of SEO Services

In 2019, the global digital advertising expenditure was approximately $325 billion. Despite its brief decline due to COVID-19, the online marketing budget is expected to increase to $389 billion in 2021.

You’ll probably contribute to that value with your search engine optimization (SEO) budget. But how much should you pay for SEO services?

Even though online marketing is a primary advertising channel for many companies, lots of business owners and online marketers still struggle with budgeting for it.

In the end, everything comes down to positioning - how does your site compare to your competitors’ sites? Your current position in the marketplace, and how quickly you want to progress, are significant factors in determining a search engine optimization budget. To learn how search engine optimization works, click this link.

Common SEO Pricing Models

There are many digital marketing firms and SEO agencies, all offering a variety of SEO services. Their goal is to increase your site’s organic traffic by improving its ranking in search engine result pages (SERPs). They do this through keyword research, content creation, and link building.

Each SEO agency or SEO expert has a slightly different SEO pricing model, which means you should double-check what’s included. Primarily, there are three common SEO pricing structures:

SEO Rates By The Hour

SEO services might be charged to you at an hourly rate. This pricing model is common among freelancers or independent contractors providing SEO services to smaller clients and is less popular among online marketing companies and SEO agencies.

The cost is based on how many hours a freelancer spends working on your project. But it’s crucial to see a breakdown of what has been done in that time. The average cost of SEO per hour is $100 to $300. Here, the price varies depending on whether you hire a small team or an individual SEO consultant. The SEO consultant’s experience in the field is also a factor in determining their rate.

Paying For SEO Per Month

Larger digital marketing agencies and SEO companies charge a per-month rate. You’ll sign up and pay a fixed price to retain their SEO services.

Often, monthly SEO packages include a specific set of SEO services, such as audits of your content marketing, SEO content writing, and social media setup. However, some SEO agencies may allow you to create a custom plan and set a monthly fee.

The average cost for monthly SEO services ranges between $2,000 to $15,000. This pricing structure is popular among digital marketers looking to implement an ongoing SEO strategy and use SEO services on an as-needed basis. The primary benefit to this pricing structure is that you can build a relationship with an SEO agency, and they’ll build your website’s SEO over time.

Average Cost Of SEO Per Project

An SEO company might charge a one-off rate for a specific SEO project. Here, you’ll start by discussing your SEO needs and goals before agreeing on the project’s scope and the total cost. This pricing model allows for more personalization.

The average cost for project-based search engine optimization services can range between $5,000 to $50,000. The total cost ultimately depends on the timeframe, project scope, and level of expertise.

What Determines The Cost Of SEO?

The following factors influence the cost of SEO packages:

● The SEO agency or consultant’s pricing structure

● The SEO agency or expert’s experience

● The objectives of the SEO campaign

● The timeframe of the SEO campaign

● The software, resources, or tools needed to execute the SEO campaign

When you’re looking at SEO costs, don’t forget that it’s an investment. SEO helps you set your website up for success by making it visible to search engines, which ultimately helps your company get more traffic and generate more sales.

Compared to other online marketing strategies, such as pay-per-click (PPC) marketing, SEO is a long-term investment in your business’s success. So, when you’re looking at the cost of search engine optimization, you should focus on working with an experienced partner rather than the cheapest SEO provider available. Low-cost SEO may do more harm than good by getting your website removed permanently from Google search results. To learn what SEO stands for in marketing, click this link.

So, what is the average cost of SEO? The average cost of search engine optimization isn’t nearly as much as the traffic, brand awareness, and revenue it yields. However, the right SEO budget will depend on your business’s needs, goals, and what you can afford.

Kyle Roof

About the author

Kyle is best known for revealing the “secret” hidden in plain sight: Google’s algorithm is an algorithm. In other words, it all comes down to one thing - Math. Kyle demonstrated this by ranking number one in Google with a page consisting of gibberish text and only a handful of target keywords. Google actually punished him for exposing their algorithm by de-indexing 20 of his test sites and creating a rule in an attempt to de-value his efforts. Kyle has spent the past several years running more than 400 scientific SEO tests to better understand Google's algo. The combined results of those tests became the backbone of the popular SEO tool, PageOptimizer Pro, and they are implemented within his SEO agency on client sites. Kyle also shares his techniques in podcasts, at conferences around the world, and within the platform he co-founded, IMG, a sort of Netflix for SEOs with an active community aspect.