The main topic of this article is the cost of search engine optimization - what it consists of, how much it should cost, and what should be considered before purchasing services. With search engine optimization, potential customers can find your company through organic search engine results at any time of the day, from anywhere in the world. The higher you rank on the results pages, the more clicks and traffic your website receives. This is the goal of search engine optimization, or SEO.
In addition to the sheer volume of web traffic, the purpose of search engine optimization is to enhance its quality, which helps achieve the ultimate goal of optimization; increasing sales. Since search engine optimization improves the user experience of the website, customers are also more likely to become repeat buyers.
Sounds nice, but at this point, of course, the question arises of what this fun costs and what the price of search engine optimization consists of in general. Unfortunately, there is no single answer to this, as the price of search engine optimization varies depending on the company's goals, the condition of the website, and the provider.
Whether you are a local entrepreneur or an online retailer, after reading this article, you will know all the factors that affect the cost of search engine optimization and what kind of expenses you can expect for yourself.
Why should a company invest in search engine optimization?
Let's start by explaining why it is worth investing in search engine optimization in the first place. As we mentioned above, search engine optimization helps increase website traffic and brand awareness through organic, i.e., non-paid, search engine results.
Search engine optimization is a highly cost-effective marketing method, as while your competitors spend fortunes on paid web traffic, with search engine optimization you can get quality web traffic to your site without paying for it directly.
Of course, you can still purchase advertising space to further boost sales, but if your budget is tight, you should definitely start marketing your business with search engine optimization of your website. This is due to a couple of reasons.
Search engine optimization improves your site's visibility and customer experience.
Firstly, search engine optimization positively affects the user experience of the site. Succeeding in user experience is an essential part of success in e-commerce, because if your website is even slightly slow, difficult, or otherwise annoying to use, a potential customer will not see it as worth the effort and will simply leave the site.
Your competitor with better websites will surely thank you for all the business you practically give to them.
Secondly, search engine optimization affects how well paid advertising, and especially Google ads, work in general. Google examines the technical features of websites when determining their search engine rankings, as it also wants to provide the best possible user experience for site visitors. (And if your potential customer doesn't get it, you won't make sales again.)
At this point, the loading speed of the website becomes a particular focus, but other features of the site, such as structure, linking, content, and code, also play a role in how search engines and customers perceive the user-friendliness of your website.
All of these things are aimed to be improved through search engine optimization.
Why isn't the price of search engine optimization listed anywhere?
The aforementioned matters are thus aspects of search engine optimization that are refined to prime condition during optimization.
The initial state of your website determines what actions need to be taken to improve the site's condition and achieve the search engine optimization goals. The condition of your website can practically range from poor, really poor, excellent, "just okay", and good, but with some room for improvement.
For this reason, it is almost impossible to set a fixed price for search engine optimization that would be the same for everyone.
What does search engine optimization usually cost?
The cost of search engine optimization varies. Generally, however, it is a matter of thousands of euros, and depending on the provider, the price can be significantly lower or higher. It is advisable to compare search engine optimization prices when looking for a suitable partner.
When planning your marketing budget, it is worth considering that choosing the cheapest option can become costly later on, when poorly executed search engine optimization does not yield the desired results and actions that have already been performed need to be corrected again by another expert.
Therefore, it is especially important to choose a professional as a partner who truly knows their field. (You will find more tips on choosing the right professional for you at the end of this article.)
Since search terms and the criteria set by search engines are also constantly changing, search engine optimization is never completed in one go. Therefore, search engine optimization should be continuously developed to ensure that customers can find your website now and in the future. The best approach is to view search engine optimization as a monthly investment that creates a strong foundation for all other marketing.
In addition, there are different pricing models for search engine optimization.
At Growly, we aim to deliver the best possible results for our clients, so our search engine optimization pricing is determined by the amount of time our experts need to spend on it. The price of search engine optimization by Growly varies depending on the company's needs and goals, ranging from a few hundred to thousands, always in accordance with the client's budget and pre-agreed terms.
Since our mission is to help businesses of all sizes grow, including small ones, we mention here that at the time of writing, we offer search engine optimization at a promotional price as low as €329 - €699 /month.
The most accurate price can be determined by scheduling an assessment with us or another company in the field. However, if you want to get an idea of what optimization might cost in your specific case, keep reading. Next, we'll go through the factors that affect the final price of search engine optimization.
The Cost of Search Engine Optimization - Factors That Determine the Price of Optimization
The cost of search engine optimization depends on the type of work your website needs to increase visibility.
To maximize the benefits from the marketing budget, the search engine optimization expert customizes the services according to the company's goals, the strategy aimed at achieving them, and the website being optimized.
All websites are different, but the biggest difference in search engine optimization pricing is caused by the following services and factors:
Technical search engine optimization
Initial state of the website
The algorithms of search engines and the criteria set for websites are constantly being updated, meaning that what worked on websites a couple of years ago may no longer work today.
In addition to search engine optimization, every website is required to meet certain basic criteria, which many companies nevertheless fail to fulfill. Examples of this include a website loading speed of under two seconds, scalability for mobile devices, optimized structure, and a seamless user experience.
If your website's technical condition needs an update, you can expect the cost of search engine optimization to be on the higher side. In that case, technical search engine optimization is performed on the site, which, as the name suggests, covers all aspects related to the site's technology.
The main goal of fine-tuning the technology is, of course, to improve the user experience. This is done so that Google would classify your site as worthy of recommendation and so that visitors would actually do what you want them to do on the site, such as making a purchase or contacting your company.
If the website is in really poor condition, it is often faster and cheaper to completely renew the site.
If the technology of your website is already in order and your search engine ranking is already good, maintaining and improving that situation will cost less than starting the work from scratch.
Keyword research
Keyword research helps determine what search terms your target audience types into search engines when they are looking for companies like yours and the products or services they offer.
The content of the website is optimized based on keywords so that your site appears in search results containing those keywords. For this purpose, it is necessary to identify the exact keywords and key phrases that your potential customers use and create content that matches these searches.
At the same time, the search engine optimizer checks the competition situation of search terms and analyzes which keywords or terms can best improve your site's search engine visibility. Thorough keyword research is therefore the foundation of all search engine optimization.
Often during keyword research conducted by a professional, it also becomes apparent that the company's website is not reached with the same keywords that the entrepreneur might have assumed or planned.
For these reasons, keyword research is invariably conducted in conjunction with every search engine optimization.
Internal search engine optimization
Website content
The amount and quality of content on an already existing website affects how much search engine optimization will cost you. And contrary to common belief, internal search engine optimization involves much more than just adding keywords to the text.
Among other things, optimization of images and videos, page titling, internal linking, and reviewing the site for conflicting or missing metadata and other content (as these negatively affect search engine ranking), are all part of internal search engine optimization.
Some of the online content, such as texts, you can certainly produce yourself, but then you cannot be completely sure whether that aspect of search engine optimization has been done correctly.
At Growly, we are able to guide and assist our clients in continuous content optimization, for example, whenever updating websites. However, even then, the search engine ranking of the site's content is ultimately determined by Google.
External search engine optimization
Site return links
Backlinks have long been one of the most important factors that search engines use to determine the search rankings of web pages.
The higher quality your backlinks are, the higher your site will appear in search results containing the targeted keywords. This is because high-quality backlinks indicate to Google and other search engines that your website is, for example, trustworthy and relevant.
Since building backlinks can take some time, this task also contributes to the final cost of search engine optimization.
The quantity and level of competition
Since you are competing for search engine rankings with other companies in your industry, the cost of search engine optimization may be influenced by what your competitors are doing online, depending on the situation.
At the beginning of search engine optimization, you should conduct background research on your competitors and consider how often they publish quality content, how much of it is already available, and how well your competitors are engaged with their target audience.
The answers to these questions can either facilitate or complicate the growth of your website's visibility, as if your competitors are at a high level, the goal of your website's search engine optimization will be to reach the same situation and ideally also surpass it (which may not necessarily be an easy task).
If the level is conversely weak, you can achieve a higher position in organic search results and increase your brand awareness faster than usual.
Website size
In order for organic visibility in search engines to grow in the long term and for the website traffic to increase to the desired extent, search engine optimization should focus on the entire website rather than, for example, parts of it or only half of all pages.
This means that the larger your website is, the more likely it will require more man-hours and increase the cost of search engine optimization.
In addition to performing search engine optimization, planning and research also take time.
For example, creating a comprehensive action plan and reviewing which pages need to be updated during search engine optimization will take more or less time depending on the size of the website.
Goals and Planning of Search Engine Optimization
Since well planned is half done, some time should also be spent on planning search engine optimization.
The design work begins at the start of the collaboration by mapping out the goals of the search engine optimization to be performed and the means by which the goals will be achieved in accordance with the client's budget. The more ambitious the goals are, the more actions need to be taken to achieve them, and naturally, this affects the price of the search engine optimization.
A search engine optimization plan is created based on the needs and goals of the client company. To make the search engine optimization as effective as possible, the partner performing the optimization should also take the time to familiarize themselves with the client's business.
The practical implementation of search engine optimization begins with defining keywords that support the client's business. These can also be brainstormed together with the client. After this, the search engine optimizer conducts a comprehensive keyword research, which serves as the foundation for the search engine optimization to be performed.
If a proper plan is not made at the beginning of the operation, the entrepreneur may very well wake up to the fact that the original price of search engine optimization has skyrocketed in the middle of the process, because not all necessary measures were taken into account.
No one hopes to end up in this kind of situation, and that is why a professional search engine optimizer must know how to plan and organize the entire process from start to finish before beginning the actual optimization. To avoid adjustments and misunderstandings, it is also important that communication between the client and the executor works well. For this reason, it is particularly important to choose a competent and suitable executor for search engine optimization, rather than necessarily the cheapest one.
Analysis and Development of Results
The analysis and development of results is part of search engine optimization whenever you have outsourced website maintenance and ongoing search engine optimization to your partner.
Without data analysis and results development, it is not possible to achieve long-term search engine optimization results. Only when analytics are monitored regularly can we understand what kind of results the performed search engine optimization yields for you and how the results can be improved.
Based on the data, decisions are made regarding new measures aimed at increasing your website's traffic and conversions (which can be, for example, sales or inquiries) from previous levels.
If you leave the data unutilized, you can never know which actions work on your website and which do not, meaning where it is not worth spending more time and money. In other words, the fact that your partner spends time analyzing your website's data saves on search engine optimization costs in the long run and improves the results obtained from it.
How to choose the right SEO expert?
Now that you know all the factors that affect the cost of search engine optimization, you might be wondering how you can choose the right partner for yourself.
Choosing the right service provider is particularly important, as errors resulting from, for example, lack of expertise, lack of planning, and inadequate communication often have to be paid for by the entrepreneur out of their own pocket.
In addition to a marketing agency, you have the option to seek help from a skilled freelancer or consultant in search engine optimization. In such cases, it is advisable to thoroughly investigate the areas of expertise of these individuals and the components included in the package.
From a freelancer, you may not necessarily receive all the search engine optimization services that marketing agencies, on the other hand, offer. You can always hire a marketing freelancer skilled in a few different areas, but then you will also take on the role of project manager.
If you choose to seek the help of a consultant, first determine whether search engine optimization is included in the price or if you have to perform it yourself, and in this case, whether you have to pay separately for each piece of advice in addition to the initial consultation. Often, a consultant is happy to take care of the website optimization, but if the situation is the latter, you may end up paying more for advice than for search engine optimization performed by a reputable marketing agency.
Tips for Those Considering Search Engine Optimization Services
Let's conclude with a few tips that an entrepreneur should keep in mind when searching for or selecting an SEO specialist:
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Does the service provider have references and proof of expertise, for example in the form of customer cases and reviews? Check that they are available or inquire about experience if the references seem insufficient.
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Does communication with the partner proceed smoothly? If misunderstandings seem to recur from the outset or for some reason you do not trust the operator, it is advisable to consider changing the provider before things progress further.
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Does each party definitely know what the service provider's role in search engine optimization is and what you might want to do yourself? Ensure that these matters are addressed, for example, in the request for proposal or the assignment agreement.
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Approach with caution all those entities that claim search engine optimization or any other marketing measure to be a quick fix for every problem in your business and promise results in a suspiciously short time or for a small amount.
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Beware of large advertising agencies with constantly changing staff. The results of search engine optimization can stagnate and even suffer if the person executing it changes frequently and your business needs to be familiarized with repeatedly.
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However, remember that you do not necessarily need an SEO specialist who is specifically focused on your industry. This is because those specialized in a particular industry often do the same things for all their client companies, which does not help you stand out in search results – quite the opposite.
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If you choose a larger company as your partner, instead of the project manager, find out the experience of the individuals working on your project and, if desired, the time spent at the company.
As a recap, we have listed all the factors that affect the cost of search engine optimization:
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The initial state of the website, i.e., the need for technical search engine optimization
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The need for page content, i.e., internal search engine optimization
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Linking or the need for external search engine optimization
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The size or complexity of the website
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Partner's pricing model
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The amount and level of competition online
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Continuity and Development of Search Engine Optimization
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Keyword research
Hopefully, with this information, you can now form at least some understanding of what the search engine optimization of your own website might cost, and you can choose a partner that is suitable for your company.
And as we mentioned earlier, the best way to determine the cost of search engine optimization is to boldly contact a company or two in the field. If you need professional help with search engine optimization, you can book an assessment here. During the free assessment, we will look at your goals together and how to achieve them according to your budget.
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