Cost is the most painful issue when it comes to Internet marketing services. Because search engine optimisation is such a popular service to offer, there are numerous choices. Be careful, though, the price nearly always reflects the quality of the service. And when I say nearly, we take into account professionals from countries where living costs are considerably lower than in countries with strong economies. Their rates will therefore be much more competitive and can offer you better value for money.
The general rule, however, is that professional services cost a lot. It doesn't matter whether they elaborate or carry out search engine strategies or do both, you're paying for the knowledge that brings you a return on your investment as well as for the results.
It is nearly impossible to give even ballpark figures of the costs of a SEO strategy for an average business as fees in this industry can vary from several hundred pounds to tens, even hundreds of thousands of pounds.
SEM Service Packages
Search engine companies charge differently. Some offer package services at fixed costs. These packages can range in price from several thousand to hundreds of thousand pounds or more, and usually the SEO company will have based that around an estimated average number of hours.
While that may be enough to perform the services you have both agreed on, sometimes extra hours are needed to complete certain tasks or iron out delicate situations - check that your SEO company is willing to supply extra hours when necessary, either within the contract or at extra charge.
This approach offers much less risk though – you are guaranteeing that the company will always be available and will secure that they always put your interests first – such as not working for a competitor.
Hourly Rates
You can hire a SEO that charges by the hour. Hourly rates can vary significantly as most individual consultants charge a lot less than companies do, although there are exceptions to the rule. Most SEOs will let you know roughly how many hours each service requires. This pricing structure is more flexible, but also much more risky - will the company be available when you need it?
Most businesses owners want to know exactly how much SEM services will cost them before actually thinking of hiring a company. While that approach is completely understandable you should remember that price should be just a single factor in your decision, and often should not be the most important one. In SEO the quality of services is what you should be primarily looking at, otherwise your money is completely wasted. You should also remember that you are not just paying for results or expertise, but you'll also be paying for the reputation of the company you are hiring and their proven abilities.
What Should and Shouldn't Cost in SEO?
This article was first published on 15 August 2004 and does not necessarily match current events or the current opinions and views of bigmouthmedia ltd.
