The Business Guide to SEO Services: Projects, Costs, and Providers

Gathering information and making decisions boil down to a single action: Google search.

As a result of buyer impulse to refer to search engines to make buying decisions, businesses have been investing more in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to appear among the top results for target search terms.

Finding an SEO firm that offers the services your business needs and that fits your budget is difficult.

Based on a recent Clutch report, choosing the best SEO services and provider for your company is broken down into five major factors of consideration:

• Cost of SEO Services by Project Type
• Pricing Structures
• Types of SEO Services
• Value of SEO Services Based on Company Needs
• Additional Factors to Evaluate for Partnering With an SEO Firm

Cost of SEO Services by Project Size & Complexity 

The cost of SEO services depends on the complexity of a campaign, such as the number of pages on a site, the company’s existing SEO efforts, and site structure.

The report lists the price ranges for SEO services according to type of campaign: basic, agency, and enterprise level.

Basic SEO Services

Approximate Monthly Cost: $300-$500

Basic SEO services are a low-cost, low-risk investment for smaller businesses and local contractors, companies with a new website, or companies with fewer SEO services demands.

The services provided in this price range are usually limited to local organic optimization efforts, such as listings on local directory pages and on Google Local Business.

Agency Level SEO Services

Approximate Monthly Cost: $1,000-$3,000 for competitive local SEO; $3,000-$10,000 for competitive local and national SEO.

Agency level SEO services are best for organizations that want to rank in search engines both locally and nationally. The cost of SEO services at this level breaks down into two main, monthly cost ranges:

$1,000-$3,000

In this price range, an SEO services firm provides:

• High-level local SEO for noncompetitive terms
• Competitive local placement for highly competitive terms
• National SEO for terms with low competition or search volume

$3,000-$10,000

SEO services in this range can provide:

• Greater visibility for searches nationally
• High-level local rankings for moderately competitive terms
• Page-one rankings for highly competitive local searches

Enterprise Level SEO Services

Approximate Monthly Cost: $10,000+

Enterprise level SEO services serve large companies, large e-commerce sites, and companies competing for hypercompetitive keywords. Firms that require enterprise level SEO services often have websites with tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of pages that require regular, high-level SEO services.

Monthly Retainers the SEO Industry Norm for Pricing Structure

Most SEO firms charge clients monthly (a monthly retainer) according to project size and contract length. Sometimes, SEO firms also have minimum terms for SEO campaigns. The industry standard is six months.

Other pricing models for SEO services include performance-based and service-based models – often in addition to an established monthly retainer.

Performance-based pricing agreements base cost of SEO services is based on project results: key performance indicators (KPIs) like keywords rankings, traffic or leads. This pricing structure is low-risk for companies since SEO firms will only charge if your campaign hits the agreed KPIs. However, performance based agreements generally have higher rates for SEO services that produce results above established benchmarks.

Service packages charge a fixed rate for one-time or short-term SEO services, such as an audit or social media marketing. Individual service packages resemble a traditional transaction (payment for an immediate deliverable) but do not produce ongoing results like SEO efforts covered under monthly retainer fees.

Full-service packages include all of a firm’s SEO offerings at a fixed rate.

Types of SEO Service Providers Offer Different Degrees of Control and Support

There are four main types of SEO service providers: SEO agencies, SEO consultants, SEO software, and digital marketing agencies. Control over your SEO strategy and the level of involvement and guidance entailed from a services partner you receive depends on the type of provider.

SEO Agencies handle all aspects of an SEO campaign for a company. Agencies specialize only in SEO services and use advanced SEO tools and software. Companies without much background with SEO benefit from the hands-on, leading role of SEO agencies.

SEO Consultants play a supporting role in a company’s SEO strategy. Consultants, like agencies, are SEO experts specialize in SEO services. Bruce Clay, who runs the consultancy, Bruce Clay Inc., describes consultants as “more mentors than doers.” Consultants work with their clients to develop an SEO strategy, and teach them how to maintain SEO efforts.

SEO software is a do-it-yourself method of SEO that companies use if they are unsure about hiring an SEO agency or consultant. SEO software automates optimization efforts, such as link auditing and keyword research.

Popular examples of software are Moz and Ahrefs.

Digital marketing agencies, while not SEO experts necessarily, offer services that impact SEO, including content marketing, social media marketing, and paid advertising.

SEO Services Explained: Initial Audit Through Analytics Reporting 

The SEO services that are valuable for your company depend on your SEO needs and the competition in your industry.

SEO firms offer five different types of SEO services: an SEO audit, on-site optimization, off-site optimization, digital marketing, and reporting and analytics. Understanding what services you need will help you determine the best SEO provider.

Start With an Audit to Determine What SEO Services You Need 

SEO campaigns begin with an audit to identify areas of opportunity for SEO. A typical audit examines a site’s:

• Load speed
• URL structure
• Code
• Design
• Content (site copy, blog)
• Information architecture (layout, hierarchy, taxonomy)
• Link profile

The audit determines whether you should invest in on-site, off-site, or digital marketing SEO services.

On-Site Optimization Makes it Easier for Search Engines to Index a Site

On-site optimization makes a website easier for search engines to index by improving your site’s UX and ensuring proper categorization of your firm in search queries.

Three main forms of on-site optimization: keyword optimization, web design, and back-end structure.

1. Keyword optimization, the main method of on-site optimization, ensures target keyword phrases are included, where relevant, in the content of your site.

2. Web design services allow search engines to more easily process the content of a site. SEO firms optimize design elements like a site’s domain name (ensuring that the domain name matches the firm’s service offerings) and site format (site menu, landing pages) to emphasize target search terms and topics.

3. Optimizing the back-end structure of your site includes editing URL structure, attributing images using target keywords (alt image attributions), adding title tags, and including meta descriptions for relevant pages.

Off-Site SEO Earns Backlinks to Support On-Site Efforts 

Offsite optimization efforts support on-site optimization by earning backlinks to a site. Every to a site from another page serves as an “endorsement” from Google. The more authoritative the page, the greater weight an endorsement carries.

Forms of offsite SEO services:

1. Link-building services acquire links from external sources like industry websites, blogs, and forums, to build authority on a topic for a site. Link monitoring and disavowal services help with building out a solid link profile for a site through ensuring that “spammy” links, or phony endorsements, are wiped from your profile.

2. Quality content marketing draws links to your site. Content assets that are comprehensive, user friendly, and align with user intent resonate with target audiences and draws traffic to your site. High site traffic and low bounce rates from content signals authority to a site.

A model for effective content marketing is Rand Fishkin’s 10X Content.

3. Social media marketing also creates a potential for links back to your site Experts disagree on the relationship between social media and SEO, but most acknowledge social media engagement increases traffic to your site and exposes your brand to a larger audience.

Other forms of off-site optimization include reputation management, influencer marketing, and public relations.

Digital Marketing Complements SEO

Digital marketing services like pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, paid media, and web design improve your site’s visibility in search engines but are distinct from SEO services.

While an SEO agency or consultant uses on-site and off-site SEO strategies to improve a site’s ranking, digital marketing agencies use SEO as part of a broader marketing strategy.

For example, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is a digital marketing service that requires businesses to bid on placement in search results based on target keywords. While PPC provides short-term returns, organic SEO improves a site’s ranking over time.

Analytics Reporting Shows SEO Campaign Progress But Depends on Communication Frequency 

Analytics reports illustrate the impact of SEO efforts: progress toward the goal of target search term rankings, impact on site traffic, and changes in click-through rates or engagement rates.

The depth and frequency of analytics reporting depend on the level of communication between an SEO firm and a company: the more often the communication, the more regular the updates. The level of communication varies by project and service agreement. Typically, the larger the project, meaning the more you pay, the more frequent the communication.

Look to Ratings and Reviews, Company Characteristics Before Choosing an SEO Services Firm 

This report guides you through the process of choosing an SEO services firm based on cost and SEO service offerings. But, it’s important to examine SEO firms beyond cost to find the best partner for your company. Thorough research during the process of selecting an SEO firm helps to avoid an unsuccessful partnership, a fate suffered by nearly 20% of companies.

Start your evaluation process by learning about SEO firms. Seek referrals and read ratings and reviews to gain insight into the type of clients firms work with and the feedback they receive for their work. Reference case studies to see if firms have provided solutions for organizations with similar needs as you.

Helpful Tool for Selecting an SEO Firm

Clutch’s process for determining the best providers of SEO services takes into account client reviews, past clients, experience, market presence, and service focus. Our content helps people choose the best firm based on cost, geography, size, and service focus.

Key Takeaways

This guide informs businesses about SEO services and informs on the most important factors for consideration when partnering with an SEO firm.

Project complexity and size determine the cost of SEO services. The price of SEO services is determined by the complexity of a campaign and the SEO demands of a particular company.

Monthly retainers are the most common pricing structure for SEO services. Most SEO firms price their services using a monthly retainer.

SEO service providers vary in the degree of control over SEO strategy they allow. SEO agencies maintain control over every aspect of your SEO strategy, while consultants provide a more supportive role and SEO software represents a do-it-yourself (DIY) option.

SEO services provide value for a business according to its individual needs. The most effective type of SEO service for a company—whether it be on-site, off-site, or digital marketing—depends on their individual SEO “pain points”.

Evaluate SEO services beyond service offerings and cost. Conduct thorough research into SEO firms before partnering with an SEO service: search for reviews, examine company characteristics, and budget accordingly.

The above article is an abbreviated version of “The Business Guide to SEO Services: Projects, Costs, & Providers”, published last week on Clutch.

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