How much should SEO cost?

Search Engine Optimization has rapidly grown into a specialization. However, there still is no uniformity over how much effective SEO should cost. SEO costs range from free services to a few lakhs of Rupees. So how does one know what is justifiable pricing for an SEO service that will achieve results? Here’s an attempt at finding a few answers…

Why is there no standardized pricing?
For starters, Search Engine Optimization is a service and not a commodity. Like most services, pricing varies depending on what seems profitable and viable for the service provider. Service providers range from standardized ‘tools’ based SEOs to customized services. The amount of time, effort and personal attention a service provider gives a client ultimately determines the costs.

SEO costs will depend on your business
Besides the service provider, your business also has an impact on how much an SEO service provider will charge. This is because of a number of factors like:

How competitive is your market on the Internet? If you are a niche operator in a not-so-competitive environment, it might be easier to get your website to rank high in search results. However, making the market aware of niche service offering may require other search marketing and online advertising. While SEO itself may be easy and less expensive, it may need to be supported by comparatively expensive marketing and advertising. This is because, if your market doesn’t know of your service and doesn’t search for it, ranking high may still not drive traffic to your site.
How common, popular and competitive are the keywords you want your website to rank for? Very common and popular keywords normally have a large competition. This means, if people are looking for something, chances are that many websites would be trying to capture the market. Ranking for keywords in a highly competitive space would require greater time and effort. This is bound to make it more expensive to rank for common and popular keywords.

How old and established is your organization? Normally, old websites with robust content are favored by search engines. As a result, it may be easier (and less expensive) to make an established old website with good content SEO compliant and achieve high ranking in search results.

How large and dynamic is your website? This is a tricky area. Normally large websites mean a lot of rich content. This should make it easier to achieve SEO compliance and high ranks in search results. However, large sites also mean more pages to optimize. This in turn means more time and effort. Also, search engines prefer websites that are focused. So a large site that has just one offering will rank better than a large site with multiple offerings. So, besides the size of your website, its complexity and degree of focus will have a direct bearing on how affordable SEO services for your website are.

Technically speaking, is your website simple or does it use complex internet technologies? Search engines prefer simple, HTML websites. However, business need and the need for aesthetic appeal may require the use of complex technologies. However, this result in making your website harder for search engines to index. Optimizing a site that is not search engine friendly would require more effort and hence may cost substantially more.

What search marketing services do you need?Different SEO service providers define the scope of search engine optimization differently. Achieving ranks on search engines requires a multi pronged effort that includes optimizing your websites, link building, social media optimization and other forms of making your website popular on the internet. How well your website is networked with relevant websites has a direct impact on search rankings. Ideally, you should be asking for both on site and off site SEO services. The extent and scope of services you opt for will have a bearing on the cost of SEO.

The SEO firm you choose
As an emerging industry, Search Engine Optimization has attracted many firms. SEO firms range from serious, established SEO consultancies that offer quality service to fly-by-night operators trying to make a quick buck in a booming industry.

If you are an established firm with large scale operations, it may be most prudent to go to a large full-service search marketing agency that can serve effectively you across your internet marketing needs. While this will be costlier than boutique SEO firms, it will be worth the additional investment. There are a few business models that are being followed by SEO consultancy firms across the world.

Multi-national, full service agencies: The scale of operations of full service search marketing agencies is usually large and they will not find small business attractive. They may also be prohibitively expensive for small and medium size business enterprises. Many firms are venture funded and need to operate at a large scale to be viable business ventures. This also results in an escalation of SEO and SEM costs.
Fly by night operators offering freebies and cheap SEO: Many firms have taken the route of developing tools that automate the SEO process. Others try and create an impact by offering ridiculously low cost SEO services. However, the effectiveness of this is questionable and argued by many experts. While some firms offer free or extremely low cost SEO because of a standard tool based approach, it has often led to disgruntled clients that end up spending much more trying to rectify the damage done. Ask yourself a simple question…does the fee seem logical and reasonable? More often than not, what seems fantastic is either a scam or unreliable.

Boutique SEO firms & SEO Consultants: Between the two extremes is an emerging niche of boutique SEO firms and SEO consultants. With small scale operations, lean teams, a flexible structure and low overheads, they are able to offer highly competitive pricing for their SEO services. Many times, this also means a higher degree of personalized attention and better results. VTech-SEO is one such firm that comprises of professionals from the SEO industry offering very personalized and focused SEO services for small and medium sized business ventures around the world.

Select the firm that best suits your business scale and needs. There is no one solution for all circumstances. A good firm will not give pat answers but will work with you towards achieving your business goals. Beware of scams and frauds, be wary of dubious sounding certifications and trust your instinct while discussing your needs with a prospective SEO service provider.