Search engine optimization
fees - what will SEO cost you?
A frustration to many organisations
considering search engine marketing is the extreme variance in prices
charged by firms. Pricing is literally all over the map, making objective
comparison exceedingly difficult.
How can you be sure you're comparing apples with apples?
This issue is highlighted in the
Buyer's Guides to SEO Firms & Paid Search Ad Agencies, a report which profiles over 180
search engine marketing firms. The report, by MarketingSherpa, points out that quotes for
the same work can range from several thousand to hundreds of
thousands of US dollars!
To illustrate...
Fredrick Marckini, a recognised pioneer of search engine marketing & CEO of top SEO firm iProspect, recently wrote an article about search engine budgeting in Clickz. Here's part of what he said -
"SEM firms typically bill monthly. They manage your PPC search advertising and paid-inclusion spend. For core professional services, which include complete SEO, expect to spend from $90,000 to $240,000 per Web site annually for a full-service SEM firm or $50,000 to $90,000 for a solo consultant or smaller SEM company."
And he's talking USD!
Now you've picked yourself up off the floor don't discard SEM out of hand because of iProspect's rates. They are a top US SEO firm with rates at the extreme end of the scale - (regretably!) few in the industry are able to charge like this.
Our fees are substantially lower and priced for New Zealand
businesses.
Whilst the report mentioned above is primarily focused on US search engine marketing
firms it is still well worth getting, irrespective of where you are.
Reading it will give you the knowledge to confidently select a
search firm satisfied that you are getting value for money and
making a sound marketing investment. You can the report from
MarketingSherpa in print format or as a downloadable
PDF.
Search Engine
Submission Fees
In addition to professional
consultancy fees, you need to be aware charges are now levied by many
of the key search engines and directories.
Whilst many listings are free of charge, there is an increasing trend
for search engines and directories to charge fees. These are either
to expedite the submission process or to guarantee a directory will
review and consider your site for inclusion.
What you'll need to pay will depend on the search engines and directories
submitted to. More information can be found here about search
engine inclusion fees.
Another form of charging by search engines is performance-based and
on a pay per click basis. More information can be found here about
pay per click.
Viz Marketing's Fees
Are Competitive
Our fees compare very favourably
with those of other New Zealand online marketing consultancies specialising
in search engine marketing. By international standards they are very
low due to low overheads and currency exchange rates.
Fees for analysis, optimisation and submission start from NZ$6,000. Please contact us
to discuss your search engine marketing requirements.
Next topic: How to calculate a search engine marketing budget & ROI
