How much does an SEO strategy cost It's a broad question, and if you thought SEO was free, that's an illusion! SEO covers all techniques for a website's organic ranking. It's often called free search as opposed to SEA, which refers to paid search (Google Ads campaigns).
However, the expression is inaccurate, because organic search has costs: SEO audit, purchase of web articles, link building… The SEO investment will also depend on your marketing objectives and the complexity of your website.
So, what is the cost of an SEO strategy? Here are in detail all the SEO services needed to increase your visibility on the web and the different fees that make up a solid SEO strategy.
How much does an SEO strategy cost: all services
To properly understand SEO pricing, you must first be aware of the different services related to SEO (organic search).
A comprehensive service should include 5 key points:
SEO audit
All SEO strategies begin with an SEO audit of your site. It will highlight all the friction points that prevent you from reaching the top Google search results.
The analysis will therefore enable:
- Study the competition and the most promising keywords in your industry.
- To take stock of the strengths and weaknesses of your actions across the three main SEO areas:
- Technical optimization (URLs, page load speed, UX design…).
- On-site SEO (optimized content, markup, internal linking…).
- Off-site SEO (backlinks, online reputation…).
- To identify the actions to implement so that your site ranks properly for its topic.
- To determine your marketing objectives: increased sales, online visibility…
- To draw up a comprehensive strategic plan to reach your goals and an implementation schedule.
Support from an SEO expert
Monthly support by a SEO consultant or an SEO project manager is essential. Their role is crucial, as they are responsible for ensuring that the audit recommendations are properly implemented and for monitoring your rankings in the SERPs.
Web content writing and optimization
The writing and SEO optimization of your content (blog posts, product pages, web pages…) can of course be done in-house by your web writers or by hiring freelance web writers. In that case, the SEO consultant's job will be to optimize your content and to propose a relevant editorial schedule.
If you don't have any writers, most SEO agencies like Redacteur.com have their own team of experienced writers.
Going through the Redacteur.com platform offers many advantages:
- These SEO copywriting professionals deliver custom, high-quality content ready to be integrated into your CMS.
- All content is unique and checked with CopyScape.
- Each piece of copy is optimized to meet your audience's queries and Google's SEO criteria.
- You no longer need to manage your site's editorial side, freeing up time for more important tasks.
- The turnkey writing service finds the most relevant topics for you to publish content that precisely matches your audience's search intent.
Link building
A mark of authority with search engines, acquiring inbound links is part of SEO services. The work of natural referencing experts therefore consists of obtaining backlinks for your website.
Know that a good link building does not rely on quantity, but on quality. The links pointing to your site must necessarily come from trusted, authoritative sites within their field of activity.
Normally, high-quality content is enough to earn inbound links, but if you operate in a highly competitive sector, resorting to buying links often proves necessary.
But beware, buying a backlink is a practice sanctioned by Google. If you purchase so-called “unnatural” backlinks, make sure they appear as natural as possible to the search engine.
SEO agencies know the risks of a Google penalty and the techniques to make your inbound link look natural. Hence the need to call on netlinking experts!
The SEO expert may also need to clean up your link profile. If you have low-quality backlinks or over-optimized anchor text, you'll need to disavow those toxic links before any netlinking actions.
A monthly report
Final point of an effective SEO strategy: the monthly reporting.
Each month, the SEO expert in charge of optimizing your site will provide you with a comprehensive report on:
- The evolution of your webpages' SEO positions for the targeted keywords.
- The actions taken and the results achieved.
- Proposals for the coming month.
- Monitoring competitor websites…
This review is essential to identify areas to improve, define the actions to take, and calculate your ROI (return on investment). It should be based on recognized tools like Google Search Console, Semrush, Ahrefs…
How much does an SEO strategy cost: average rates
Of course, all these techniques come at a cost! Optimizing an e-commerce site or a showcase site requires SEO skills and substantial professional expertise. However, don’t judge an SEO specialist’s ability solely by their price. High prices are not always a guarantee of quality…
In the field of SEO, several billing methods are possible:
Hourly SEO rates: they are perfect for one-off needs or for companies and startups that are getting started.
Monthly rates: they are better suited for a long-term strategy.
SEO packages: these correspond to a specific need. For example, if you only need an SEO audit or a netlinking campaign.
Don’t hesitate to ask several quotes from SEO agencies or freelance SEO specialists.
To help you determine the average cost of an SEO strategy, here is a price range applied in 2022:
- SEO audit: between €500 and €10,000.
- SEO support + reporting: daily rate between €300 and €1,000.
- Content writing: between €20 and €100 per 1,000 words.
- Link building: between €30 and €500 per link.
So, on average, plan for a SEO budget of €1,000 to €2,000 per month, but other factors can affect the price and the bill and make it much higher!
What influences the price of SEO services?
It's difficult to say exactly how much an SEO strategy costs, because several factors will influence the rates proposed by SEO providers.
Your site's complexity
Obviously, the SEO support for an e-commerce site with 2,000 product pages will not be the same as for a brochure site with around thirty URLs! Your choice of CMS also affects the time spent on optimization. While a WordPress site can make the SEO specialist's work easier, that's not the case for all CMS software…
The quality of textual content
You will find everything in terms of web copywriting: from underpaid Malagasy writers to premium writers, the price per word can range from €0.02/word to €0.10/word. If you plan to publish a lot of content, the bill can quickly rise and push you to invest in low-cost writing. However, don't forget that while quality content can sometimes be expensive, it guarantees a good user experience and solid web SEO.
Your backlink needs
Obtaining quality links also has a cost and some referring sites charge very high prices for their backlinksCount on about €30 for a directory link and more than €500 for a premium link. If your site has a low Trust Flow score, the portion of your SEO budget devoted to buying links will need to be substantial.
Optimizing a new site
Optimizing an existing site does not require as much work as creating a website. The former is already known to Google, so results will be faster and consequently the bill will be lighter!
The provider's experience
The rates offered by the provider will of course depend on their level of expertise. A junior SEO's pricing will be more affordable than that of a senior consultant.
Competition and your location
The SEO budget will not be the same if you operate in a highly competitive sector, and it will also depend on your catchment area. If you want to rank on a highly contested national market, the investment will necessarily be greater than for local SEO in a niche market.
Your SEO goals
Finally, the more ambitious your SEO goals, the more work the SEO agency will have to do and the higher the bill will be!
How to choose the right SEO partner?
You are beginning to have a clearer idea of what SEO support entails. You now know how much an SEO strategy costs. All that remains is to choose the right agency or freelance SEO consultant. Except that today, offers are multiplying online and it is increasingly difficult to sort them out.
Here are some tips for choosing the right SEO provider:
Check your provider's references
Online reputation is a good indicator of an SEO consultant’s expertise.
- Check providers' online presence and whether they are active on social networks. While not necessarily a guarantee of quality for a freelance provider, lack of online activity is a negative signal for an SEO agency.
- Check customer reviews posted on their website and don't hesitate to ask for client case studies.
- Ask the consultant or agency about their methodology and the SEO tools they use.
- Finally, get several SEO quotes so you can take the time to compare the different offers.
Prefer agencies that assign a single point of contact
If you choose to outsource your SEO to an agency, make sure you have only one point of contact. Communication should be easy, and you must be able to ask at any time for the status of your project and explanations about the actions being taken.
Choose turnkey packages
Of course, you can perfectly hire a different provider for each item mentioned above. Especially if you have time and money to waste!
Turnkey packages are the solutions to favor, for several reasons:
- You have a dedicated project manager who supports you from A to Z.
- There are enough web writers to find the most experienced professional(s) for your topic.
- You save valuable time by consolidating all SEO services.
If you use the services of Redacteur.com for the implementation of a SEO strategy, 3 turnkey packages are available to you:
- A Starter SEO package including a semantic audit, analysis of your site's structure and opportunity research, as well as 15 SEO pieces of content.
- An Explorer SEO package that includes an advanced semantic audit, structure analysis, opportunity research and creation of the semantic cocoon, plus 30 SEO texts and one pillar page.
- A Booster SEO package including a comprehensive semantic audit, structure analysis, opportunity research, creation of the semantic cocoon and study of thematic silos, as well as 60 editorial pieces, three pillar pages of 2,500 words each, and internal linking of the texts.
You benefit from a dedicated SEO expert and the expertise of professional copywriters. The SEO content production team finds the most relevant content topics for you by targeting the most searched keywords.
How much does an SEO strategy cost: beware of SEO scams!
Many so-called SEO companies have rushed into the SEO gold rush. To avoid pitfalls, here are some tips:
Free SEO doesn't exist!
As the saying goes: "If it’s free, you are the product", so be wary... Avoid ads that promise a free audit. In fact, flee as soon as you see the word "free." SEO requires time and expertise, and a true SEO professional is expensive. It is indeed an investment, but if the SEO work is well done, it is very profitable.
Low-cost pricing
We are all tempted by low prices, but in natural referencing as elsewhere, quality has a price. Never lose sight of the fact that SEO is a long-term investment, not a pointless expense. Acquiring inbound links and writing your content are two areas where you must absolutely not try to cut costs.
SEO promises you the top spot in search results
Guaranteeing that you will appear on the first page of Google in record time is complete nonsense. First because competition for the top positions is fierce and, unless you are in a low-competition niche, SEO work will be lengthy.
On the other hand, because SEO is only one part of the strategy needed to reach the top of the SERP. You will also need to invest in paid advertising and optimize your Google My Business listing in particular. Not to mention that no one fully masters Google and its algorithm 100%!
Of course, the number one position is every entrepreneur’s holy grail: it attracts many visitors and significantly increases your click-through rate. However, it takes time to earn Google’s trust, and how long it takes to rank your site well will depend mainly on its age, its popularity, the competition, and the relevance of your posts.
There is no no miracle with SEO, results are only achieved by doing rigorous work!
The provider uses paid advertising
Is your SEO provider using Google Ads to increase your visibility? While a SEA strategy can complement an SEO strategy, the approach is absolutely different and will even cost you far more in the long run! Especially since the solution isn’t sustainable: once the paid campaign ends, you disappear from the search results.
The agency automates its SEO services
Even though automation software is becoming increasingly effective thanks to Artificial Intelligence, nothing replaces the quality of human work. Remember that a low-quality backlink or piece of content will inevitably harm your SEO. You simply risk having your site penalized and driving your prospects away.
Final tips for a healthy collaboration with your SEO provider
You now know how much an SEO strategy costs and how to choose your SEO consultants wisely. Finally, here are a few tips to ensure your collaboration goes as smoothly as possible!
- Always keep in mind that organic SEO only bears fruit after about 6 months, sometimes up to a year depending on your needs and goals. Be patient and let the professionals do their work. The Trust is essential for a good collaboration.
- Don't worry about possible fluctuations in your results. A change in Google's algorithms or a surge from a competitor can sometimes be enough to drop you in search rankings. Your SEO expert will know how to adapt their strategy to these perfectly normal variations.
- Provide your SEO collaborator with all necessary information and encourage your team to do the same so their mission can succeed.
Our tip
As you know, an effective and high-performing organic search strategy will bring you qualified traffic and boost your conversion rate. However, the right question is not: " How much does an SEO strategy cost ?", but rather: "What is the return on investment of my SEO spending?".
Keep this in mind when you hire your SEO expert: SEO takes time, but it is never a wasted expense!
And if you are only looking for a web copywriting professional, your future web writer is waiting for you on Redacteur.com !
