How Much Should I Spend on SEO Per Month?
This one’s tricky, because well, it depends.
I’ve been working in search engine optimisation for over 4 years and have managed accounts that spend £200 per month to just cover local SEO and some that have a full-fledged strategy across all areas of SEO for £4000 per month.
Why Some Businesses Need More, Some Need Less
Most SME’s that I’ve managed decide on a package between £500 and £1000 per month, this achieves growth and doesn’t break the bank. That being said, spending the same amount of time on one account may offer far better results than on another - something often overlooked.
You might go into SEO hearing about huge growth from businesses, and while this is great, how fast you grow depends on:
The state of your website going in
Your service/product quality
Price
Competition
Whether people know the service/product exists
For example, if you’ve invented a completely new product, SEO probably isn’t for you - if people don’t know what to type into Google to get to you, what keywords would you target? And for these keywords you target, how many people are typing this into the search engine?
Another classic example is going for a high-competition keyword without a larger budget - ‘dress’, for example, is a tricky one.
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
However, if you go for a longer-tailed keyword, something more specific like ‘turquoise silk dress’…
Much easier to achieve. Fair enough, the volume (amount of searches per month) is far less, but you’re far more likely to bring your listing to the first page. In my eyes, this is better than being buried in the seventh page of the SERP’s (search engine results page) for ‘dress’!
Minimum Amount to Spend on SEO Per Month
If you’re a small to medium sized business and want to grow, I would say don’t go any less than £500 per month. If you cant afford this, then it’s probably advisable to do what you can yourself until you can afford it. SEO requires a lot of regular work and the right type of work. For SEO specialists, half the job is in the research - there’s no point in optimising a page without doing keyword research, competitor research and looking at the website's own metrics. There might only be a few changes that will make a huge difference, but we need to be sure the right changes are being made. That’s why it’s important to spend a little more on SEO - while agencies charge less, they won’t be taking a full examination of your website and what you’re paying for will be more ‘upkeep’, not growth. If you’re looking for upkeep and want it to stay in the same position on the SERP, that’s great - and don’t get me wrong this is what a lot of people are after, but growth requires more time.
What are SEO Packages?
Most SEO freelancers and agencies will offer some sort of package deal. Sometimes this will include all services, with the monthly work including only what is needed in that month, other times you may pay for something more specific and only focus on one area of SEO like backlinks.
There are pros and cons to both and if you know what you need, going for something more specific might be right for you. My freelance services cover all aspects of SEO and I put focus into what my client needs that particular month, I find this doesn’t restrict my work. Nonetheless, you will know what’s right for your business, so I advise speaking to your top three agencies or freelancers and making a decision from there.
