The Real Cost of Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Every client I meet now will ask, “Can you make my website #1 on Google?”. Or they will request, “I’d like my website to be #1 when customers search [keyword]“. Whenever I hear all this, is it the rage? Or is it the real demand for a honest and reliable SEO provider?

As much as I’d like to say; “Yes, we will do our best to position you there”, I’ll be lying if the underlying problem isn’t getting there but can they afford to pay the cost for a search engine optimization (SEO) service. Have you ever wondered what is the real cost behind such a service?

So how much are you paying today to your proclaimed qualified SEO specialist? RM1500? RM5000? RM10,000? More? Less? And mind you, these are monthly figures.

Did you know in the US, the SEO specialist are charging a minimum RM10,000 through a retainer contract? The highest is…well, let’s just say you could look at investing RM1000 per hour. Yes, an hourly SEO consultation fee of one thousand. Ridiculous as it may sound, if I asked for RM10,000 per month with a guarantee your company will consistently be positioned #1, will you not pay?

So what is it these SEO gurus or specialist could be charging for?

• Site Review + Consulting
• Hands-On Editing of Pages/Code
• Manual Link Building Campaign
• Keyword Research Package
• Monthly Retainer for Ongoing SEO

Are you getting any or all of that right now? Why not? Ever tried asking your provider?

In addition to that, I would like to inform everyone submitting your website isn’t a purely paid service. The big 3 (Google, Yahoo and MSN) offers their website submission service for free. Therefore, be careful to not be taken in by the excuses like; “Need SEO? Don’t worry! For RM500, we’ll help you submit your website to search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN.”

Here’s another thing; did you know bad SEO techniques can position you behind in the search engines? One of the more common techniques I’ve found some local specialists using are:

• Hidden text (select all and ye shall see..)
• Keyword flooding (content written not understood by a human)

So what are you really paying for in SEO? Well, the time to constantly monitor and update your website to optimize its performance in search engines. The labor hours committed to editing your website. The McDonalds of the specialists monitoring your website.

Therefore, start investing in real search engine optimization (seo). But how much will you pay for a monthly SEO service which includes:

• Site Review + Consulting
• Hands-On Editing of Pages/Code
• Manual Link Building Campaign (Advertising & Social networks)
• Keyword Research
• Monthly Retainer for Ongoing SEO
• Monthly report (digital and verbal)

[tags]SEO, Seach engine optimization, SEO cost, SEO price, SEO investment[/tags]

Comments

Have something to say? Leave a comment