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View Full Version : Keyword search ranking cost?



BillR
09-22-2008, 02:15 PM
I'm formulating plans for a few things right now.

Let's say I have a website (which I don't, but that's in the future) that has everything I want copy/content wise.

Let's also pretend I have identified a number of unique phrases and such that would put me higher in the search rankings if I got them into my copy.

What would I have to pay one of you knowledgable folks to help me do that as well as coming up with an effective plan to constantly improve the content each month with the goal of becoming #1 in those ratings within a year (pretend I have the budget and the terms are unique enough to allow that to happen).

vangogh
09-22-2008, 02:35 PM
Sent you a PM

BillR
09-22-2008, 03:30 PM
Thanks - I got a few actually.

I am a consultant. I am an owner in a consulting company. I frequently scope projects and write requirements so I do understand everyone who said "We need more information to give an exact quote..." and that's fair.

Let me phrase it a different way - for a startup company with decent funding what do you expect a reasonable budget for this sort of thing would be during the first year? Or, can you give examples of what other people have typically done to promote themselves?

This is NOT an e-commerce venture but rather a corporate website detailing service offerings, etc.

theGypsy
09-24-2008, 04:36 PM
Thanks - I got a few actually.

I am a consultant. I am an owner in a consulting company. I frequently scope projects and write requirements so I do understand everyone who said "We need more information to give an exact quote..." and that's fair.

Let me phrase it a different way - for a startup company with decent funding what do you expect a reasonable budget for this sort of thing would be during the first year? Or, can you give examples of what other people have typically done to promote themselves?

This is NOT an e-commerce venture but rather a corporate website detailing service offerings, etc.

Sure, a few days late... but for those lurking, why not;

Each market, each website and each set of target terms will vary greatly for SEO programs. So it is pretty hard to say without a realistic idea of these tidbits of info...

Furthermore, not too many SEO companies go on pay-performance in the sense of we get you 'X number of terms in the TOP 5' as not only does personalized search affect rankings, but geo-graphic elements, browser/OS type all seem to come into play. Point being that it's often a moving target.

Most of the time these days we do a lot of monthly contracts and reports...

Reports include site audits, keyword/phrase research and targeting, content management (development and repurposing) programs, link building programs and so forth.... which can start at $300 and up with folks I talk to...

Monthly is more of a set rate for X amount of hours.... and from peeps I know these run $400/month and up....

So, I am not so sure if you would budget X$$ for the start up or program as much as I would X$$ for initial analysis and reporting and then X$$/month. Like any form of marketing there is always work to be done in SEO....

Not only do links age, thus rankings do, but the competition often is doing more SEO work and keeping existing rankings generally take maintenance...

..so when peeps talk about more info, it is because each site/market is unique and thus priced differently in many cases.... no one size fits all.

vangogh
09-25-2008, 05:27 PM
Speaking in general terms, I'd agree with everything Dave said. There's definitely an 'it depends' thing going on as far as how much everything will ultimately cost.

You can find people charging across the board as far as rates and whether they charge per hour, per month, or on some kind of performance based pricing. There is likely going to be a very strong correlation between what you pay and what you get. Someone telling you they'll seo your site for $100 is someone to run away from.

I think you can find someone who knows what they're doing for less than $400/hr, but that $400/hr person may be delivering a lot more return.

You can also go to different companies for different aspects of SEO. For example as a web designer/developer I put more focus on the on-site aspects of SEO. You could come to me to build or rebuild your site and I'd make it as search friendly as I could and offer consulting to developing a strategy. You might then go to someone like Dave and have him research keywords and build links into your site. You might even hire both of us from the outset so we can work together. Dave might then spend time researching keywords, which he'd then send to me so I can incorporate them where approptiate in the site design and structure.

What I see mostly with pricing is that what you're willing to spend tends to be the limit more than what you can get. Every website can be imrpoved no matter how well it's curretnly performing. I know I have clients who will pay me monthly for X hours, but if they wanted I could certainly work X+5 hours or 2X hours.

theGypsy
09-26-2008, 09:31 AM
I work with more SMBs than big corps. like most of my contemporaries...and that's how I like it. Even before my days of online business I was a small business consultant in the off line world for B&Ms. Big corps have red tape, with SMBs I tend to work with the owners/principles... which makes effecting my concepts much easier...

As for SEO, I did once upon a time have plans that included getting certain terms into the top 5 etc... top 10 yada yada... the pricing based on what I felt each term was worth and time involved (third party costs not included). So to a certain extent it was pay-for-performance....

These days? Mostly consulting work in the form of analysis and reporting (KW research and targeting, site audits, on-page recommendations, link building programs etc..) - many have staffers that they have me train for the actual legwork stuff... fine by me...

Other than that we have packages for hourly starting at $400/month. I don't control the search engines - thus hourly is the 'new' rankings he he.... Hopefully the data I am collecting on rankings/personalied search (cough cough) will shed some light on the whole 'value of rankings' debate....





I think you can find someone who knows what they're doing for less than $400/hr, but that $400/hr person may be delivering a lot more return.



Yikes, while I know some of my cohorts and peeps I know charge the big bucks, but I wonder how valuable the info would be? Are you paying for their branding of information? Can't think of many SEOs I'd pay that kind of money for... hell, I am too cheap to even go to conferences...he he....




You might then go to someone like Dave and have him research keywords and build links into your site. You might even hire both of us from the outset so we can work together. Dave might then spend time researching keywords, which he'd then send to me so I can incorporate them where approptiate in the site design and structure.

Man, wonder if you'd still love me? I am entirely anal about the whole KW research phase as I believe it is the most important aspect - target the wrong terms and the rest of the process of SEO becomes a waste of time and money ;0)

I also supply huge lists of semantically related phrases and concepts to create content with as I am also big on those types of on-site SEO dominance hehe.... I even use the lists for the link builders - did a recent post on 'Using KW research in link building'

Anyway, rambling now.... he he... gotta get the day started here...

vangogh
09-26-2008, 12:18 PM
Funny. I think I'd still be able to deal with you. I'm with you on the importance of keywords and it's something I see people wanting to skip all the time, thinking the handful of words and phrases they brainstorm is all they need to do. I try to get people to see that's only the start of the process, but sometimes it isn't an easy thing to convince.

BillR
10-02-2008, 04:38 PM
Thanks for all the responses. This is good information.

I personally tend to price things on the quality scale and not the "I want it cheap" scale. This gives me some realistic expectations.