How familiar are you with SEO pricing? This pricing can be complicated, as the cost for such services isn’t standardized. Hence, agencies are capable of charging whatever cost they want.
Nevertheless, the most important thing is for clients to figure out who offers real value for money. Investing in a campaign of this kind is indispensable for businesses, as most people stop at the first results page on Google. Nearly thirty percent of people click on the first link that appears in the results, while fifteen percent click on the second.
If interested in investing in such a campaign, the following pricing guide might help.
Pricing models
Chicago SEO agencies provide various services and offer different pricing models, depending on their experience and expertise. There are three main pricing structures offered by these providers, per hour, month, or project. For instance, an hourly rate is usually charged by independent contractors and freelancers offering their assistance to small clients.
Moreover, the hourly rate is rarely used by online marketing companies and agencies. The name itself explains that the fees are based on the number of hours the agency spent working on a project. Clients are advised to request a breakdown of the work they have done to see if they are billed properly. The average SEO hourly rate is between $100 and $250.
In contrast, per-month fees are usually charged by larger marketing and SEO agencies. It means paying a fixed fee for using their services while the team carries out ongoing work on your business website. These monthly packages include a set of services, like competitor research, content writing, keyword research, link building, technical audits, technical consultation, etc.
Furthermore, certain agencies allow clients to devise a custom plan with an agreed price. The average cost of SEO monthly retainers is a minimum of $10,000 a month.
The last pricing structure employed by SEO agencies when charging for their services is a one-off fee for a project. The needs and goals of clients are discussed prior to agreeing on the scope of the project and the overall cost. It means this structure enables greater customization.
On average, the cost for project-based services is between $1000 and $1,000,000. Small businesses usually spend approximately $1,000 on a project per month, whereas enterprises should expect to pay up to a million. Click here for a couple of useful tips for small businesses to finish the year strong.
SEO types based on price
There are multiple SEO types based on price, including cheap, mid-range, high-end, and enterprise models. Cheap optimization tends to be temping for small companies, but in most cases, these deals sound too good to be true. Given the labor-intensive nature of these campaigns, agencies offering extremely low prices should be suspected of cutting corners.
The usual prices for cheap SEO in Chicago range between $200 and $500 per month. Agencies that charge so little aren’t likely to invest plenty of time in creating content of high quality. Creating high-performing blog content requires lots of time and building relationships with external sites for authority building.
Apart from wasting your money, these agencies can damage your site. Some of them use corner-cutting strategies like black-hat SEO, which boost rankings in shady ways. Such techniques include unnatural links, keyword stuffing, hidden text, etc. Nevertheless, Google’s algorithms are wise enough to detect these kinds of practices by handing out penalties, such as reducing their rankings, which results in a drop in organic traffic.
There are many differences between black-hat and white-hat tactics. For example, black-hat SEO is known for duplicate content, link farming, keyword stuffing, cloaking text, irrelevant backlinks, blog comment spam, etc. In contrast, white-hat SEO is popular for relevant content, high-quality backlinks, relevant tags and titles, optimized image labels, natural keyword density, updated content, etc.
While cheap services aren’t worth the risk, mid-range packages are much safer, provided you check the credentials of each agency. Mid-range campaign prices range between $4,000 and $8,000 per project or per month. This form of optimization is focused on fixing the existing problems of a site, like adapting content optimizing the website’s architecture.
Mid-level SEO is appropriate for sites where competition levels are low. Mid-range Chicago agencies at the upper market end provide a content marketing strategy by producing new content, updating the existing one, and building backlinks. While the content of mid-range packages is suitable for satisfying some business needs, it isn’t engaging or long-lasting.
High-end SEO is the right fit for businesses with ambitious goals and large budgets. These specialists offer the expertise and infrastructure necessary at each stage of the journey. High-end assistance is usually hired for large e-commerce sites in booming industries. Find out about the top booming industries of 2021. High-end agencies are in charge of fixing technical problems, resolving the negative effects of Google penalties, optimizing analytical tools, etc.
Furthermore, high-end SEO professionals in Chicago provide premium content that’s specific to the audience of the client. If you decide to collaborate with such a provider, you will sign up for a long-term custom plan to meet your goals.
Ultimately, enterprise SEO is entirely different from the above-mentioned types. It requires more accountability and expects users to spend $30,000 per month. Enterprise optimization is all about vision and expertise. These companies create funnel strategies that deliver long-lasting results. Such strategies include high-authority digital PR, unique content, link building, paid search, in-depth optimization, etc.
How to determine your budget?
When planning your campaign budget, you should think about your momentary budget restraints in relation to your future growth. Businesses should be aspirational but also rational when planning their goals. You shouldn’t be too optimistic about the results in the first few months, as these campaigns take time. Most SEO consultants, such as Chicago SEO Scholar, offer competitive pricing. You should discuss your ROI expectations and see the predictions of the agencies based on their past results.
Final word
Choose the right pricing structure that fits your budget and needs!