If you have looked into search engine optimization (SEO), you have probably heard that SEO is one of those areas where pricing really depends on the specific situation. For example, optimizing a site that wants to sell goods online will be different than a site that needs to drive local foot traffic to a location. The second consideration is whether you are trying to get a new site to show for the first time, an existing site that has never shown well, or trying to fix a site that once showed well but is slipping. That said, looking at the industry in general, there are three high-level categories.

How Much Should SEO Cost?

The first category is the cheapest and usually involves some sort of software package that scans the site and generates a report of minor issues to fix. You can find companies or individuals that will run the scan and offer to fix it for a couple hundred dollars or less. This isn’t what we do so it will sound self-serving to bad mouth this option but if you look into it you see this really doesn’t address the overall strategy and many of the items flagged aren’t really a key to what Google says is important. Here is a great SEO resource from Google.

The second category is getting an actual human to audit the site and create a punch list of recommendations for you to implement. This should involve an initial discovery, an audit, and have at least a couple of hours dedicated to strategy and looking at competition. Because the scope of work is fairly limited, these projects can be priced out at a set price with a short-term deadline. Prices will vary but it makes sense to be leery of anything below $300 or anything above $1000 for a small business website. A quote below the low end means either they aren’t putting in much work or are somewhat new and don’t yet know how much work it will actually take. A quote above the high end is excessive and you should expect more than this scope of work.

The obvious advantages to the second category are that you get some input from an expert on strategy. The tradeoff is that you will need to do the work. Some of it may involve lightly technical work and items may be along the lines of “create a page targeting XYZ.” The latter assumes that you have at least basic copywriting skills or can outsource that to a copywriter. This category is a good option to lay the foundation for SEO and to fix high-level problems that might be holding you back.

Think of it like getting a home inspection – you will at least get a handle on what needs to be done.

The third category is more like an ongoing relationship. The process should start similar to the second option but be more involved, starting with in-depth discovery session covering goals and expectations. There should be an audit and then an SEO professional reviews the findings and implements changes. In other words, the SEO would do the work of creating and changing content to align with the initial audit. The key point is that this is an ongoing process of monitoring analytics, making changes, and creating new content.

An website optimization program for a small business website typically requires an initial $2000-$3000 fee for the strategy/audit/implementation and then anywhere from $500 to $2000 a month for ongoing optimization and content creation.

This is obviously the most expensive option but also is the best one for long-term ranking. But the key point is that is a long-term process.

The key question is whether the company expects to be able to generate enough business to cover the cost and make a profit. In some cases, it doesn’t make sense.