Buying Search Engine Optimization Services - Pricing for SEO Services
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When considering what you should pay for SEO services, there are a few rules to follow:
Don't even consider $500 services, or anything less than $3000 for that matter. Really good SEO experts won't work until you meet their minimums. Those minimums vary depending on the number of clients, projects and finances each SEO has. Usual minimums are $3,000 - $10,000. If you hear anything less than that you're simply talking to the wrong company. They either have not reached the level of expertise that allows them to command a high price, or they are desperate for clients. Remember, good professionals are always in demand.
"You get what you pay for" is as true here as anywhere else.
Types of SEO Payments
Expect to pay an initial sum with on-going monthly payments. The initial sum covers the project itself, including the details of onsite and offsite SEO, while ongoing payments keep the site in the search results and protect against algorithm changes. Once SEO gets you the rankings, there's no guarantee you'll have those rankings forever. Google tweaks its algorithms all the time, so sites go up and down. To maintain the site on the first page, SEO professionals must constantly tweak it. This takes time, and most companies charge a monthly maintenance fee. This fee depends on the company. Some charge a percentage of the initial contract.
On the Topic of Ethics
As you read articles on the web, you will hear a lot of talk about "ethics," "paid links" and other search engine optimization issues. You have to realize that many SEO professionals -- even some that are apparently effective -- buy links, rent links, and engage in other "black hat" practices. You will need to ask companies about their practices, and decide whether you can afford to take the risk. They can be pretty serious -- even to the point of getting banned from the results of the major search engines altogether.
Look for SEOs who know the rules, and who know which practices break those rules. You need a professional who understands the field, and knows white, grey and black hat practices -- because you need to know what the black hat techniques ARE in order to avoid using them accidentally. Some say that if you work with "ethics evangelists," you'll limit your results and potentially your profits; they claim that in certain situations, white hat SEO is not enough. Even Aaron Wall has said (my rephrase) that "companies play the "ethnics" cards while working for corporations that profit from sweat shop labor in the third world."
Think carefully before you let an SEO company use black hat practices on your site, however. Is the business you could gain worth the risk of losing all traffic from the search engines when they find out?
Next: Some Risky Search Engine Optimization Practices to Avoid >>
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