Good news: affordable SEO agency pricing does exist! You just need to know what to look for and what’s a reasonable price tag.
So, how much should you budget for SEO? Here’s all you need to know about SEO strategy cost and what you should spend on SEO services to know you’re getting quality work—without getting ripped off. This article will help you make an SEO budget and set the right expectations for your SEO strategy.
Need more guidance? Check out another article with specific tips on how to hire the best SEO agency for your small business. We also have resources for you to make a marketing budget and content marketing budget for your business.
Finding Affordable SEO Agency Pricing: How Much You Should Budget for SEO
Before we jump into specific SEO costs, know that you should budget for an SEO audit once per year, and before you launch a new website. If your goal is more organic traffic, you also need to reserve marketing budget for ongoing monthly content to your blog—publishing at least one blog per month. Website optimizations will also be necessary to ensure your site stays in compliance with SEO best practices like mobile responsiveness and page load speed.
Now, let’s get into the nitty gritty. The following list of affordable SEO agency pricing information reflects average SEO costs in 2023. Of course, you’ll always be able to find cheaper or more expensive options, but the following pricing is what you should shoot for to ensure you get high quality SEO work without overspending.
SEO Consulting: $100–$300/hour
If you’re marketing on a budget, you can hire an SEO consultant to give you overarching advice on how to improve your website’s Google ranking. This is the most cost-effective way to get SEO help without spending a ton. However, you’ll still have to figure out how to implement the suggestions your SEO consultant provides, which will either cost you DIY time or money.
SEO Audit: $2,000–$3,000
An SEO audit is by far the best way to spend your SEO budget! That’s because an SEO audit provides the foundational optimizations your website needs to rank at the top of search engines, help potential customers find your business, keep customers on your website, and complete sales.
An SEO audit from an agency like Charm School includes keyword research, competitive research, meta data implementation, and tons of SEO content ideas. You 100% need to invest in an SEO audit before you launch a new website—and as annual maintenance.
Organic SEO Optimized Blog Content: $400 per blog
Investing in an SEO audit is step one. After that, you need to appease the search engine algorithms by publishing blog content regularly on your business blog. Ideally, you’ll publish a post to your blog once per week, but at minimum, once per month.
A premium SEO audit, like the ones done here at Charm School, will give you months-worth of content ideas your audience actively searches for. Writing posts around these blog titles and focus keywords will bring traffic to your website. That’s how you found this blog from us: savvy SEO strategy! We practice what we preach because organic SEO works.
Website Copy: $500 per web page
Your SEO audit will enlighten you to the core website content your business needs to rank on the first page of search results. Then, you’ll need to optimize your website copy with SEO data. This will be on the front end and back end of your website pages.
Often times, SEO audits also provide new website page ideas to create for optimal SEO value. Creating this content is vital to your Google ranking and digital visibility with customers. Expect to pay a little more than you would per blog, since website content is a bit more strategic and creative.
SEO Product Descriptions: $150/hour
If you sell products online, you need to invest in SEO optimized product descriptions! A knowledgable SEO agency will know how to weave your brand voice and SEO keywords together to speak to customers and search engines.
Link Building: $100 per high domain link
Link building will always be a valuable SEO tactic. That’s because backlinks from credible sites tell search engines to rank your content highly. Naturally, link building is a high value, high price tag SEO endeavor. Expect to pay at least $100 per high link with an 80–100 DA (domain authority.
Do NOT skimp and save money here by using a link building farm. You’ll rue the day you did when your site gets flooded with black hat SEO and spammy links you have to spend time disavowing.
Website Development: $150/hour
An SEO audit’s job is to provide insights into your overall SEO. This includes website performance. You’ll walk away knowing what’s working, and what isn’t, on your website. Most times, you’ll need to make website optimizations to stay in compliance with SEO best practices.
This includes site speed, mobile responsiveness, and fixing 404 errors. The cost of website development will vary depending on your exact SEO issues. However, you’ll want to hire a reputable website design agency to help. Beware of website development freelancers as they make up for their low price tags with massive headaches.
Hire Charm School, An Affordable SEO Agency!
Charm School is a 100% woman-owned SEO agency and full service boutique marketing agency. We offer competitive SEO pricing with a content strategy focus. The result? A website that’s functional, fashionable, and totally ready to kick ass in the SEO department. After all, that’s how you found us! We practice what we preach and fully believe in the power of organic SEO.
Get in touch today to set up a free consultation. You’ll be glad you did.
