Comprehensive SEO Service Guide ℹ️ Tools, Tips, and Pricing

SEO Service Guide: See a part of an example report of an SEO Optimization Process and Results conducted by an imaginary SEO Agency. If the results look familiar to your website, you’re on the right track because You know how to optimize content for SEO.

Welcome to the SEO Service Guide!

No matter your job, if you are – or want to be – active online, it is inevitable to encounter SEO and some SEO services, whether paid or unpaid. All this is vital since you need to know the criteria and processes used by search engines and based on which they rank your website. What do you need to know, and how much is this process expected to cost? This is what I want to write about. Let’s start with a quick overview of SEO and SEO Services!

What is the Goal of SEO and SEO Services?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a digital marketing technique that involves optimizing a website to improve its visibility and ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs). Simply put, SEO is a process that helps websites rank better on SERPs such as Google, Bing, Yahoo, and Yandex (and many others). In other words, the role of SEO is to make search engines aware of the content on your site, informing them of any changes on time – and the role of SEO agencies and companies is to successfully carry out all the background work that your clients entrust to them.

The SEO Service Guide website was created to help those who want to achieve better SEO results, whether individuals or companies do their own SEO optimization or commission it from other companies, by identifying, analyzing, and publishing opportunities.

The content of this page (& navigation also):
A. How much should you pay for SEO? ⬇
B. How much does using an SEO Service or hiring an Agency cost? ⬇
C. When must you pay for the chosen SEO Service or Agency? ⬇
D. Finally, which SEO Service should You choose? ⬇
E. Just another question: How much can we trust SEO Services? ⬇
F. How do you optimize SEO? ⬇
G. What else should we pay attention to in SEO? (Warnings) ⬇

A. How much should you pay for SEO?

Almost every business or individual considers how much to spend promoting their business or website. The tangible facts available today also prove that some Internet marketing is necessary for our businesses to survive in today’s web-driven world.
What’s more, it may even profit us. Online shopping has become increasingly popular, so we must take advantage of this opportunity. Creating the right business strategy can be very profitable for small businesses. It all depends on the return on investment (ROI).

But how do we do this?

The most obvious would be offering a product that people know and are aware of and that they should look for on our website. For this, our website should have an attractive look and should be known to our prospective customers. They only know about us if the search engines display our website in a high position in terms of SERP, and if possible, we are included in the first ten results.

To be among the first search results, we need to use an SEO technique that makes our product visible on the Web, i.e., we need excellent SEO technology. That’s no question. However, not all SEO tools are at our disposal: even if we can create beautiful websites and know the necessary SEO parameters, we still cannot perform various analyses independently. We need some SEO Service (or agency to help) for this.

Back to TOP ⤒

B. How much does using an SEO Service or hiring an Agency cost?

I want to discuss this in the following. When money may need to be spent, you must pay attention to the details.

There are several types of SEO payment methods.

1. Monthly Retainer:

As the name suggests, the agreed monthly fee must be paid to the SEO Service. A report is prepared monthly on the tasks assigned and performed and the results achieved in the agreement. The topic of the agreement can be, for example, the definition of a measurable unit, such as link building, number of appearances on social media, etc. This is also the standard retail model because, according to experience, it provides the highest ROI (Return On Investment).
What does it depend on, and how much can the Monthly Retainer cost?
The cost of the Monthly Retainer varies widely, depending on the size of the client’s business and the services provided by the chosen SEO service.
Smaller agencies probably offer a limited service package, but if several companies cooperate, they can also undertake a full range of services. Depending on this, the cost can currently be $251-$5000/month in America.

2. Contractual or Project SEO services at a fixed – recommended or negotiated – price:

These services can depend on many parameters. Many offer an SEO audit in which the existing strengths and weaknesses of the client’s website (and websites), its presence on the Internet at that time, and the keywords that have a good impact on ROI are highlighted.
What does it depend on, and how much can the cost of contractual SEO services be?
Given that it is a contract or the fulfillment of a set process, the prices may change accordingly. However, some of the limits I see are presented as a starting point: Nowadays, it is trendy to prepare a complete setup of social media, which, depending on the content, can be $500 or even $5000. If, for example, a site content or link audit is needed, all of these can be between $500-$7500. Or we can ask for SEO-friendly copyright text ($0.15-$0.50/word). However, a complete project can cost up to $30,000. Everything depends on the specified, detailed tasks and deadlines, i.e., the entire agreement.

3. Hourly consultation prices:

These consultation rates may differ from SEO Services, costing $72-$200 /hour.

(I took some of the data from SEO Pricing: 600+ Agencies Share Costs of Services & Pricing Models https://moz.com/blog/seo-pricing-costs-of-services ⬈.Warning: Prices are for information only! They can show considerable differences in each contract.)

Back to TOP ⤒

C. When must you pay for the chosen SEO Service or Agency?

This is an essential question. Once again, I could only say that everything depends on the concluded contract, i.e., your decision, since you approve it. However, some service providers only ask you for money, i.e., they cause your costs if the goal or goals stated in the agreement are met.

What goals could these be?

Example 1: If appropriate, the SEO Service Agency will ask you for consideration ONLY IF your website appears on the first page of the Google search results page (SERP) within three months. He does not ask for anything if the condition is unmet since he has fulfilled the goal. If the individual contract has been fulfilled, the service can be continued with a contract.

Example 2: It offers service(s) that allow review and learning about them before entirely using them. These SEO services usually have specialized tools that enable a complete SEO audit to be performed at a specific time or without a time limit. To achieve these goals, many service providers offer a FREE Trial for a specified time or the first period (usually one week) for only $1, and if you like it, then the full monthly or another periodic amount.
Fees may differ for monthly or annual payments. Below is a genuine (2022) SEO service offer from SiteChecker.Pro.

Example 3: Special offers for non-profit companies. Some SEO services offer special services for non-profit companies, e.g., SiteChecker Pro (Sitechecker provides unique conditions to non-profit organizations. Contact us for more information!).

After getting acquainted with the actual prices of SEO Agencies, the following question may arise:

Back to TOP ⤒

D. Finally, which SEO Service should You choose?

SiteChecker-Pro Monthly Pricelist in 2022 – The Prices may vary depending on the year

Is it necessary to contact an SEO agency, or can we also do the work required?
As I have already described, we know how to create a website at a certain level, establish a relationship with social media, edit videos, write texts, etc., but this is only based on our knowledge.
However, we CANNOT prepare a complete SEO audit independently, such as keyword analysis and several backlinks. Our ranking is on the Web, and I could list more. You need to use some SEO service or agency for these, whether it’s Google, Bing, MOZ, or anything else. We can’t avoid them. The basis of the decision is how much the SEO Service or Agency will cost us and how much profit it promises (ROI), i.e., is it worth it?

As I mentioned before, many SEO Analytics Services are out there. My goal is to present one of them, the SiteChecker.
(The displayed prices may vary depending on the year you read this article! Monthly rates are usually higher than annual ones. Compare it with other SEO Services, too!)

Back to TOP ⤒

E. Just another question: How much can we trust SEO Services?

There are a few parameters that we need to review carefully before signing the order. See the requirements for trust:

1. Guarantees for excellent SEO results.

Besides, anyone can be trusted at first glance, but this may not be true near the end. Be sure to ask the service provider for a performance guarantee. If he doesn’t give, then DON’T make a contract with him.

2. The promise of quick SEO results (or Instant Results)

Although some SEO tactics may bring quick results, we should not rely on this! Due to their advanced technology, today’s search engines know almost every element of today’s tactics. Accordingly, if they find tools that they don’t like or that are illegal (so-called black SEO), the website will not only be promoted but can even expect to be punished. Therefore, if we are also webmasters, we should be aware of the contents of the webmaster guidelines.

3. Link-building strategy – backlinks, off-site SEO strategy

For example, what quality backlinks does the SEO agency offer, i.e., are they durable (applicable for a long-life project), and do they come from verified, quality sites? To learn more about off-site SEO, visit Off-Site SEO – SEO Expert UK.

4. Be suspicious if some SEO Service or Agency offers the #1 Google Rank for a selected keyword.

Although this sounds good and is quite promising, it is achievable. But I believe only one Agency can promise this and hand it to you.

5. Don’t believe the offer that seems too cheap in the first minute.

As you know, SEO is quite time-intensive, human energy-intensive, and knowledge-intensive. Based on experience, it seems to me that a complete SEO project can’t fit into, for example, only $200. Although, it depends heavily on the size and quality of a particular project.

Back to TOP ⤒

F. How do you optimize SEO? (on-page & off-page, technical, content)

SEO aims to increase a website’s visibility and organic traffic by improving its search engine ranking. SEO services can include a range of tactics such as keyword research, content creation, link building, technical SEO, and more. The objective of SEO is to make a website more attractive to search engines, which in turn can drive more organic traffic, leads, and sales.

In summary, SEO services can include various tasks, such as:
– on-page optimization (visit   SEO in Page Title, Meta Tags, Descriptions, Keywords, Content HTML, Image Alt Tags ⬈ page on this site),
– off-page optimization (e.g., link building, social media presence),
– technical SEO (e.g., website structure, mobile responsiveness), and
– content creation and optimization.

Many companies and individuals offer SEO services, ranging from large agencies to small freelancers. When selecting an SEO service provider, it’s essential to consider the company’s experience, services, approach to SEO, and results for past clients.

The success of an SEO campaign depends on various factors, such as the relevance and quality of the website’s content, its authority, the number and quality of links pointing to the website, and its user experience.

If you start your online activity, be prepared to know that SEO is a long-term investment that can significantly impact a website’s traffic and visibility. Still, consistent effort and attention are required to achieve and maintain good results. Consequently, choosing a reputable and trustworthy SEO provider who can help you achieve your goals in the long run is essential. According to my experience, unfortunately, we cannot do all the analysis on our own without a reliable SEO service provider (see, e.g., the free Google Search Console for Performance, Pages, Sitemap check, and so on; Google Analytics for analytical purposes and more), or other practical tools given by a specialized, mostly paid SEO agency. This is a fact.

So, let’s begin to work!

G. What else should we pay attention to in SEO? (Warnings)

Don’t forget that not only us but SEO is also constantly changing. For example, in the worst case, a website leading yesterday may not even appear in search results today. The one-and-done or drag-and-drop SEO tactic doesn’t work anymore because of constantly changing algorithms. Therefore, we must continuously improve our site to stay at the forefront. How? By keeping the basic principles formulated by Google, i.e. valuable context, relevant content, only white SEO, i.e., application of appropriate and reliable link-building structure.

Conclusion:
I want to say another: SEO results after one month do not appear, no matter what you do. Based on my experience, I can say that it takes at least 3 months of active SEO work to be noticeable based on the results. SEO is a long-term activity and, therefore, an investment. But if you sell good products or services, you will most likely be successful after some time.
Finally, I hope I have been able to help answer your questions, i.e., How to optimize SEO and find the best SEO service.

Thanks for reading!

Note: This topic consists of 3 parts:

Part 1. On this page: How Much Should You Pay for SEO? Is SEO Worth it for Small Businesses? (this page)
Part 2. Following page: What Knowledge is Required to Choose the Best SEO Service (part 2, next page) ⬈ 
Part 3. Following page: Impact and Interaction of AI on SEO Services and Agencies (part 3, next page) ⬈