This is a tough one. Remember that you get what you pay for. The more established SEO firms or freelance consultants will charge between $3,000 and $10,000 per month. The newer or less established firms/consultants will charge as little $250 per month. Beware of anyone that offers you a one-time charge for permanent optimization. There is no such thing as a permanent SEO “fix” that will yield lasting results. Search Engine Optimization is an ongoing process.
When I started out I would charge an initial consulting fee of $250, then roughly $250 to $500 a month for optimization. As my portfolio has grown I have been able to increase my hourly rates. Now I charge a $500 initial consulting fee and no less than $1,500 per month with a 12 month guaranteed contract for ongoing optimization. This is a bargain when you consider that most medium to large corporations employ full time search engine optimization specialists at a cost of $30,000 to $100,000 annually.
If you play your cards right, you may be able to find a legitimate and up and coming firm or freelancer that is eager to prove his/her worth and build his/her portfolio and will charge less than $500 per month. However, if you have the budget, find a more experienced and accomplished firm. Even if you have to spend between $1,000 and $2,000 per month you’ll still be spending well below the industry average for a full time in-house SEO employee.
Should I ask for a guarantee?
While it is technically impossible for an SEO consultant to guarantee results, (unless he/she is a majority share holder for Google or Yahoo!) it is not unreasonable to ask for reference information from your prospective consultant.
Ask for some examples of work, and more importantly, ask for the contact info of one or more of their existing clients. A vote of confidence from a satisfied customer is probably worth more than any empty “money back” guarantee.
A parting thought: if you have been “going it alone” in terms of optimizing your site, you have a distinct advantage over the typical newcomer to SEO. You most likely know the basic do’s and don’ts of optimization. Use that knowledge to your advantage. A truly legitimate SEO consultant enjoys working with a knowledgeable client, as opposed to working with someone who is completely ignorant as to how a search engine works and has unrealistic goals as to how long it will take to obtain solid results.
(This article originally appeared in the January 2005 issue of Plug-in).
Search Optimization 
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