Anyone else here tired of the cost of good SEO going up and up?

These days, it feels like life gets more and more expensive.

College tuition. Groceries. And don’t even get me started on the topic of home mortgages.

But what do you do when an essential tool for your business (i.e., your search engine optimization) becomes so expensive that it eats away at your profit?

The balance of quality and affordability is getting trickier for everyone.

As Google algorithms evolve, the job of formulating and implementing a good SEO campaign becomes more challenging, requiring more time, more expertise, and (you guessed it)…more money.

So if we’re all stuck in the same leaky SEO boat, what are people doing about it?

In this article, we’ll look at some strategies for finding an affordable SEO service that delivers quality as well. (Yes, this is possible).

How Much Does Quality SEO Cost?

Some companies have opted to do their own SEO, since, as with most things, the DIY route can save money.

But, just like your haircut or your living room renovation project, the result of a DIY effort may be fine, but unless you’re already an expert, it won’t be up to the standards of a professional.

Another solution is the time-honored “cheap SEO” route. But it’s not a route we’d recommend.

What’s The Problem With Cheap SEO?

Cheap SEO firms are not hard to find. They’re everywhere.

Simply typing the words “cheap SEO service” into Google yields a wealth of results. These all make similar claims: for a minimal one-time payment, they promise that your website will land on the first page of the Google organic search results.

If you’re serious about saving money, you can even take a look at a site like Fiverr to find a freelancer to do your SEO for you. Some offer their services for as little as $5.

But what do you get when you contract with one of these low-cost SEO firms?

You may be better off not knowing.

What many have found is that cheap often translates to poor quality. In the long run, this can cost you more money than it saves.

Most freelancers have a limited skill set. That’s because it’s rare for one person to have the money or the time to acquire the full range of skills involved in good local SEO.

And the frequent changes to Google’s algorithms exacerbate this problem.

According to Moz, Google changed its search algorithms over 3000 times in 2018 alone.

And they’re still going strong, as you can see from this chart from SEMRush, one of the top traffic analysis tools, showing SERP volatility changes for just a few days in March.

Because of these changes, there is no guarantee that a site can stay on the first page of the results once it lands there. Not without keeping it up-to-date.

This is why good local SEO is an ongoing investment of time and money, rather than a one-time project.

It’s kind of like grocery shopping or cleaning the house that way.

Another problem with cheap SEO is that since they’re lacking the right skill set, many cheap SEO services resort to black-hat tactics like keyword stuffing, cloaking, and poor-quality or duplicate content.

These sneaky, time-saving techniques can come back to bite you.

The Google Webmaster Guidelines explicitly state that the search engine penalizes websites for things like automatically generated content, unoriginal content, and cloaking: all the hallmarks of cheap SEO.

To sum up? The cheaper it seems, the more it can cost you.

What Does a Reasonable (Yet Still Affordable) SEO Company Cost?

Quality SEO shouldn’t cost you an arm and a leg. But in general, paying a bit more for a quality but affordable SEO package delivers the biggest bang for your buck.

A 2019 survey by Backlinko found that those respondents who spent more than $500 per month on an SEO campaign were 53.3% more likely to report themselves “extremely satisfied” than those who spent less than that.

If we take a closer look at what goes into a quality but affordable SEO package, these numbers make total sense.

According to the US Department of Labor, the median pay for skilled copywriters in 2019 was $63,200 per year or $30.39 per hour. Web developers typically earn $73,760 per year and an hourly wage of $35.46.

What this means is that if you want to hire someone who has the true skill set to do the work, you have to compensate them at a rate that is comparable to what they could earn elsewhere.

If you find a professional SEO service or freelancer whose rates are less than this, it is a red flag that they may not have the skills or practices that you need for quality SEO techniques over the long term.

What Does Quality SEO Look Like?

For an example of quality and affordable SEO techniques in action, take a look at this case study.

An unnamed company had worked with some mediocre SEO services which failed to deliver long-term results. This left them with a hefty investment in pay-per-click to increase their traffic.

In the hands of HigherVisibility, the quality of content dramatically improved.

SEO specialists performed strategic keyword research, removed duplicate content and broken links and replaced them with relevant backlinks and quality content.

As a result, they experienced a 1321% increase in organic traffic.

How To Find an Affordable SEO Company

So as a business owner, how can you too experience this kind of dramatic, long-term improvement in your SEO without breaking the bank?

First, be clear about your goals.

Yes, we know it sounds like generic advice from the business class you took in college but good goals get good results.

Here are a few ideas:

• Multiply organic traffic by x%. This is truly a win-win, because not only does it bring more potential customers, but it also signals your value to Google.
• Improve your link profile. Regarding backlinks, it’s all about value. You want to link to credible, authoritative sites.
• Increase your featured snippets. What kind of snippets are likely to earn high rankings? Effective use of snippets is a good way to grab more organic traffic if you do it the right way.

Align SEO goals with your company goals, and make sure they reflect what you need from your website.

Most companies use their website primarily as a digital marketing tool. So it’s a good idea to align your goals with your marketing efforts.

And realistically, this is the area where you’re likely to see the biggest results. According to Hubspot, you’re 13 times more likely to improve your ROI by prioritizing marketing efforts.

Take a look at this visual from Equinet Academy outlining the formation of SEO and marketing strategies.

(Image Source)

If you are a construction company, for example, you might want to set a goal of more qualified traffic, those who are more likely to contract for your services.

If you’re a realtor, you may consider optimizing your site for real estate searches.

Once you’re clear on goals, you can communicate them more clearly to an SEO service, resulting in a more satisfactory outcome.

Safari Digital found that 82% of those who implemented an SEO strategy were successful: a testament to the power of clear planning and goal-setting.

It also helps you match those goals more precisely with the right SEO service… one that has proven results in meeting your end goals.

Once you have an affordable SEO service that is on board with your goals, it leads to more trust and transparency.

After numerous bad experiences with low-quality SEO, Allied Van Lines was able to build such a relationship of trust and transparency with HigherVisibility. A technical and competitor audit along with weekly status calls kept them on the same page as we dove into more strategic deliverables.

The result was a 30% increase in organic visibility and an 11.97% increase in organic leads.

So when you look for an affordable SEO agency, it’s worth asking whether they’ll maintain ongoing communication and alignment (or realignment) with your company’s SEO goals.

What Do Affordable SEO Packages Include?

With such an array of services on offer, it can be tricky to hone in what you need in an SEO package.

To some degree, this will vary depending on your industry and your company/digital marketing goals.

But no matter what, there are three essential elements that you should look for.

1. Quality Content Creation

No matter the industry, content creation is the surest path to increased engagement and conversions. Content creation is 3 times more effective in generating leads than outbound marketing.

Good content is substantive, authoritative, and relevant. It establishes you as an expert and aligns neatly with the needs of your audience.

Of course, as with everything else in digital marketing, the definition of quality is kind of a moving target.

It changes to adapt to the changing needs of a digital audience, as reflected by evolving search algorithms.

An expert will be able to deliver content that is consistently high quality and to tweak it as necessary to meet algorithm changes and evolving reader demands.

2. Technical SEO Strategies

Do users enjoy visiting your website? Does your keyword strategy guarantee that people can find you easily through voice search? Does your site load quickly via mobile? Do you have click optimized Title Tags?

All of these technical elements are critical for your site to rank.

In February 2019, Google announced that even a one-second delay in loading your page can reduce conversions by 20%.

Here’s a graphic that shows the casualties of page loading time in more detail.

(Image Source)

In today’s digital world, voice search and mobile experience are key technical elements of any good website. So it’s important to find an affordable SEO agency who can deliver these.

But, keep in mind that while voice search and mobile experience are crucial right now, this again could change, and a new set of technical strategies may be necessary for the future.

Take a look at this graphic illustrating the changes in good SEO consulting from the early 2000s until today.

Just in the last ten years, we’ve seen an evolution as content became more important, and black hat strategies like keyword stuffing gradually lost their effectiveness.

So of course, there is no telling what technical strategies may be important a few years from now.

A quality but affordable SEO consultant will be nimble in adjusting to these evolving technology needs.

3. Quality Backlinking

High-quality backlinks to authoritative sites are a clear signal of your trustworthiness.

Quality backlinks are such a clear signal of value that they are one of Google’s top three ranking factors.

You absolutely can’t afford to ignore them, and neither can your SEO consultant.

The Importance of Customized SEO Packages

Varco Pruden Buildings (VP) experienced firsthand the importance of choosing the right SEO package.

After performing a full analysis of their website, Higher Visibility created and implemented a digital marketing strategy just for them.

Far from the one-size-fits-all approach employed by less reputable SEO consulting services, they tailored their approach to VP’s needs.

Ultimately, the package that worked for them included internal linking, content development, and quality link building.

The result was dramatic.

VP increased their organic traffic by 700% and rose to page 1 of the search rankings.

As you can see from this example, the money spent on quality SEO consulting can directly impact the amount of money you make.

Conversely, any amount you pay to a cheap, low-quality SEO consulting service can end up counting as a loss, because it won’t bring in results, and may even harm your bottom line.

Remember the time that you paid a cheap, freelance surgeon to perform your knee surgery?

Neither do we. Not only would it be painful, but ultimately, very costly.

In Conclusion

So is the price of professional SEO services still going up?

The short answer is yes.

But in the long run, professional SEO services are still more affordable than cheap SEO.

Why?

Because only an SEO expert can deliver high-quality content, technical expertise, and trustworthy backlinks. And these are the elements that have consistently proven to drive organic traffic and, ultimately, conversions.

Just like a good surgeon, a qualified SEO expert will spend time talking to you about what you need and helping you set realistic goals.

Because in the long term, there is nothing more affordable than a good investment.

The post How to Find an Affordable SEO Company Without Compromising Quality appeared first on HigherVisibility.