If you’ve been hounded by salesmen calling you about ranking with SEO, you’ve probably entertained a few of them on the costs and benefits of their SEO plans. If you’re visiting my website looking for an expensive SEO expert then you’re probably not happy with what you’ve heard so far or you’re sick and tired of dealing with the scams regular SEO companies run. So put an end to it!
The question about SEO and the expense of running an SEO campaign has come up so many times that I had to write an article explaining why SEO is so “expensive”! There are many reasons why an SEO campaign might be or might NOT be expensive to set up and maintain.
The most common reasons an SEO campaign might become expensive are:
- Competitive keywords
- National ranking aspirations (as opposed to local rankings)
- Extensive research and content writing
- New website with little or no SEO
- Costs of establishing a brand and presence online
The most common reasons an SEO campaign might NOT be expensive are:
- Products or services that are not wildly popular
- Previous properly managed SEO campaign
- Local search results (cities close to you)
The Cost is Relative
Of course, the term “expensive” is relative to the client. Some clients think an SEO campaign for $25,000 is a bargain. Some clients think $25,000 is more than they can spend on 25 SEO campaigns. Each site, niche, and client is different and a custom solution for each client is of utmost importance.
Though $25,000 isn’t necessarily the going rate for my SEO services, there are instances where I’ve charged this much money for a nationwide e-commerce SEO campaign. The client is one of my biggest fans because she absolutely dominates the competition on a national level.
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Explaining the expenses and efforts of a white-hat SEO Hermit like myself is a lengthy process and is best done in person, but if you take the time to read some of the points below I think you will find that SEO is time-consuming and tedious work. There’s a reason I call myself the SEO Hermit and it’s because I’m working my tail off!
SEO Takes Time
Good SEO isn’t something that is done in a week. Ideally, it’s done over a period of 6-12 months with a focus on the best keywords for the right searches to bring in the highest quality potential clients. While a shorter-term PPC campaign might be analogous to a sprint, SEO is most certainly a marathon.
There is a lot of planning that goes into a good SEO campaign that involves on-page SEO, social marketing routines, e-mail marketing and capture, and website improvements. Though we might get some good results after a month of SEO, it would only be the tip of the iceberg in relation to the goals that the client wants to achieve.
SEO Takes Research
Just like a lawyer bills a client for time spent researching his case, an SEO Hermit takes into account the time spent researching and reporting for his client’s SEO results. There are a number of baseline reports that must be evaluated.
Research involves learning about the niche market in which the client is interested in competing. It also involves learning about the “enemies” or competitors that are currently in that market. Finding the weaknesses in the competition can be the key to an SEO campaign’s success. This is one of the most important aspects of a good SEO campaign and one of the factors that drive costs up.
SEO Takes Expertise
Any SEO Hermit worth his salt is going to know a few “tricks of the trade”. These tricks are aces up the sleeve and are top-secret, proprietary tools and tricks the SEO Hermit might use to make his client’s site rank above the competitors. Different tricks might be used for different clients – depending on the client’s goals.
SEO is an art and a fine artist gets paid a fine sum for exceptional work. You can always trust that the SEO Hermit uses ONLY white-hat SEO techniques that will always benefit the client’s site in Google’s search results no matter what algorithm changes come about. The tricks used range from simple tweaks to commonly-known SEO techniques that make a big difference in the end.
Dirty Secret of SEO Companies
Most SEO companies want to charge you a monthly fee if you want to keep your site ranked in Google. Furthermore, they want to lock you into a contract so that you can’t leave once you see the company is a fraud.
It gets worse when you realize that upon leaving the SEO company and their contract you’ve lost all of your rankings for the site that you paid for. This isn’t how it should work, but it’s how many SEO companies operate.
Losing Your Rankings When Your Contract Ends
Many SEO companies BUY links with the funds you send them every month. This is against Google’s recommendation and can get your site permanently penalized. Worst of all, once you stop paying the SEO company they stop paying for the links they were buying to make your site rank. This will inevitably cause your website to fall in the rankings – wasting your time and your money.
This scam is one that is used over and over by many SEO companies. In fact, most SEO companies simply push invoices from you to a company in India or the Philippines.
SEO Doesn’t Have to Be Expensive
Don’t be scared to evaluate your options when it comes to hiring an SEO professional. Not all SEO campaigns are expensive. In fact, some clients find my services to be inexpensive compared to the typical SEO company.
We also provide a few tips for lowering the cost of your SEO / internet marketing campaign. Unfortunately, most SEO companies have given real SEO professionals a bad name with their scams, contracts, and billing tricks.
SEO can be relatively inexpensive if one looks at it from a marketing standpoint and as an investment. Consider the costs of marketing through newspaper ads, magazines, billboards, signs, trade shows, and other commonly used methods vs. the small investment of a professional SEO campaign that can literally last years.
If one spends $10,000/year on traditional marketing campaigns then one should easily factor in $10,000 for an SEO campaign that can bring in thousands of customers over several years.
SEO isn’t a one-time, shot-in-the-dark marketing strategy – it’s a long-term investment for a business and website that should be taken seriously and managed properly and professionally. If you think your SEO is too expensive then you’re not getting the right results! Contact the SEO Hermit today for a free consultation and get results you can take to the bank.
