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SEO & GEO

How Much Do SEO Services Cost?

Actuate Media TeamMay 10, 20235 min read
How much do SEO services cost?
How much do search engine optimization (SEO) services cost? Great question, right? If you listen to various SEO pitches, you will notice the price is different across the board. What makes them so different? Well, there are a few things. The most important thing to know is that there are different SEO services. To make this easier to understand, I will try to keep this simple. There are SEO services, advanced SEO services, eCommerce SEO services, and local SEO services. Thus, knowing what you are getting for the cost is essential. Let's start with local SEO since it tends to be the least expensive.

How much do local SEO Services cost?

While local SEO can have some onsite components (i.e., Local Business schema), most local SEO companies focus heavily on business listings like Google My Business (GMB). Their efforts here could range from GMB optimization for $99/mo to GMB optimization & posting, review generation, and directory updates for up to $350/mo. We all know that GMB brings a ton of value for local searches, so this package usually focuses on location-specific types of businesses. I want to point out that for any ongoing SEO services, it's vital to ensure that, at minimum, you are getting monthly keyword reports (GMB rankings are included in SEMRush reports) to confirm your investment is successful. If you're not getting your monthly SEO report, then you may simply be paying for a one-time update, which doesn't bring much value.

How much do SEO Services Cost?

Generally, SEO services include more research, on-site components, content optimization, and local SEO than Local SEO services alone. Research may consist of elements like identifying the most relevant and valuable keywords. Reviewing keyword difficulty to set keyword priorities. Researching your competition to see where they rank and what they are doing. All great things when focusing on building a solid SEO strategy. On-site components generally include title tags, meta descriptions, header tags, URL structure, Alt tags, image optimization, site speeds, schema markup, and more. Depending on your website's build, the level of optimization varies. For instance, websites built on WordPress have many in-depth SEO plugins, such as Rank Math and Yoast. Whereas websites built on Wix, Weebly, WebFlow, and Squarespace, have limited options here. While they can still be optimized, they may not have all of the features WordPress websites have. We will discuss eCommerce SEO services later (i.e., Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce). Content optimization is one of the most important components of SEO. This involves creating high-quality, unique, relevant information content for your target keywords. If you're not careful, this is where you could be tricked. For instance, duplication of content is NOT unique. Even worse is the mass duplication (called duplicate content) of website content to generate hundreds or thousands of pages. Thus, if an SEO agency promises to expand your website quickly, you might want to understand better how they will do that. Are they customizing each page or simply duplicating pages and changing a few components (title name and location)? The difference is significant. These services can range from $500/mo to $1,000/mo. However, one must consider the cost vs. quality of SEO services. For instance, in the $500/mo range might want to question what you might be missing. For example, perhaps you're getting canned content and page duplication versus quality and unique content. This could hurt your SEO versus help it. Value and ROI should be reported monthly using tools like SEMRush, Google Search Console, Google Analytics (GA4 in July 2023), and other SEO reports. Understanding how your website responds to your SEO services regarding visibility, keyword position, and overall website traffic and conversions is vital to your ongoing SEO success.

How much do advanced SEO Services cost?

The difference between SEO services and advanced SEO services, in general, could be minimal. Advanced SEO services are generally more comprehensive, based on the client's needs, and performed by an SEO Agency. Think more content, more markets, complex websites, and a higher level of service are required to get the desired results. These packages run around $1,000/mo to $5,000/mo or higher. Furthermore, some clients want to move faster, and generating more unique and quality content can do that, but this comes at a higher cost.

How much do eCommerce SEO Services cost?

SEO for eCommerce stores can differ slightly from local businesses or service-based websites. First, content management systems (CMS) are usually different. Many companies opt for platforms like Shopify or BigCommerce versus WordPress. While WordPress does have WooCommerce. Shopify typically provides a better all-around experience. Some eCommerce websites represent local businesses, so the SEO package may still have a local business component. On a technical side, much of the same on-site components apply, as discussed above. That said, in some cases, eCommerce sites have significantly more product pages and can require more time to optimize appropriately. These pages can range from $1,000/mo to $5,000/mo, depending on the size and complexity of your store.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the cost of SEO services varies greatly depending on the service type and the complexity level required. Local SEO services tend to be the least expensive, while eCommerce SEO services can be the most expensive due to the complexity of optimizing many product pages. It's essential to understand what you're getting for the cost, as lower-priced services may not provide the same level of quality as higher-priced ones. Additionally, regular reporting and analysis of SEO efforts using tools like SEMRush, Google Search Console, and Google Analytics are crucial for measuring the success and ROI of your investment. Ultimately, finding the right SEO Company or Digital Agency that understands your business and its unique needs can make all the difference in achieving your online marketing goals.
Written by the Actuate Media team · Reviewed by
Brad Holly, MBA · Partner, Actuate Media

20+ years in performance marketing across paid search, paid social, and analytics. LinkedIn

Last reviewed: May 10
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