This is a pretty commonly searched phrase in the world of SEO as it is not a common subject that people seek to learn. There’s a wide range of opinion on what SEO is or is not. What I find is that people will often over pay for work that simply does not yield results or under pay thinking a tiny amount can somehow get them massive results.

Over Pay for SEO

There’s a lot of companies that claim that somehow their secret formula has “figured it out” or that they can write content that Google “just can’t ignore.” Often times, it’s niche SEO companies that make these claims and then over charge for writing and nice looking websites.  They are selling to their shear value and expertise.

I’m not saying that there aren’t some incredibly skilled SEO professionals. Just make sure that such an “expert” gives you ample proof of ranking. Also keep in mind that you need to get an ROI on their work. If it’s going to take years to rank and stretch your budgets to use this person, you may need to consider that it is too risky.

That also brings up the performance-based SEO consultants. They only have you pay if you start to rank. Make sure of two things- that you are clear on the words you want to rank for and that the keyword tracking is done by a third party.

Under Pay for SEO

Sometimes, you’ll see people say that their system is somehow super cheap and will rank you very fast. Keep in mind this logic, if their system provides such great results, why is it so cheap? Simple economics would tell you that this is a churn and burn operation. They only expect you to keep it for 3 to 6 months and then drop.

If it seems to cheap, it probably is.

What to Pay for SEO

The goldilocks region is a hard thing to describe. First, you will pay more to someone who has years of experience and dozens of sites to prove ranking. A newer person will cost less but that might be risky to go with the less-proven experience.

I like to have people think of it this way. Would you pay a great graphic artist or web designer around $50 per hour? If so, think of what this SEO person’s skill is worth. If they are trying to build links to your site and improve your page content, could that reasonably take 5 to 10 hours per month? If that sounds right to you then paying an SEO at $500 to get some initial traction sounds appropriate. What if your competitors are aggressive and plenty of other sites have a much higher rank than you. Would double that person’s time seem sufficient to do that work at $1000 per month or like 20 hours?

A good SEO person can definitely deliver $50 an hour of value, if not $100. Because in the long run, an organic click from Google that you didn’t pay for is almost priceless nowadays as Google ads cost jump 10 to 20 percent per year.

The most affordable audit is the free one you can do right now. Google whatever subject your site is about, the purpose of why people would come to it. If you are a lawyer in Chicago, search “chicago lawyer.” If you aren’t on the first page, that’s the most free audit you can do.

There’s plenty of tutorials online about what’s important about SEO. You do have to take those with a grain of salt, many of them weight their advice on the things they want to sell. Keep in mind that nowhere has Google said a certain percentage of what you should focus on.

Google DOES say have good content. That’s true… generally… sometimes… maybe… The funny thing is that Google is never consistent with how it ranks things. It’s likely due to the fact that this algorithm they’ve built is incredibly complex and possibly convoluted.

I can provide an affordable audit, as you see on my services page. But here’s a few things you can do yourself:

• Look at the sites ranking above you. What shows up on their site?
• Do you know if other websites are referencing you? Do you see where your competitors are being referenced?
• Do you think your website needs more content?

Those are all things you can do to review your site. Many times people make websites that might visually look good and leave very little said on the page itself. Google’s always said they want the most helpful site to rank, not the prettiest. Be more verbose, there’s a pretty good chance your site doesn’t say enough.

Many people want to have an SEO specialist they can meet in person or that understands their local market, culture, and nuances.

The simple fact of the matter is that marketing is marketing. What will work in Tulsa will work in Honolulu, especially when it comes to SEO. I have helped people near me and those a day’s drive away.

Why go with someone local?

I’m actually a big proponent of going with someone locally. Supporting local economies is key to our overall economy and that local person deserves a shot IF they are good at what they do. It’s important that anyone in SEO can give examples of how they have improved the rank of their site or the site of clients.

Go with local if you can see that they are helping other clients around you. Review systems in Google and other sites are extremely helpful but also just call their clients and ask how it is to work with them.

Why “near me” is a common search term?

Google’s algorithm and machine learning is trying to sift from what we search to our true intent. For example, if you search just “tutoring,” you will find national websites on tutoring because Google sees those as the first answer. Don’t get me started on how Google isn’t always local friendly. Personally, I think your Google profile should let you choose to emphasize local results.

In a natural response to this search mechanism, people will often search “near me” if they are looking for a nearby resource and not a national one.

Affordable here is not affordable there.

I live in north Alabama, where the cost of living is rising but still drastically lower than most areas. So someone like me is probably more affordable than a similar person in New York City. Keep pricing in mind that you are paying that person’s local rate for the most part, if they aren’t gouging you. If local doesn’t matter, it is better to choose someone from an area like me. I know the same that someone would know in NYC because the knowledge and skill to do this isn’t somehow better if you live in an expensive area.

It’s something that plagues most businesses- the balance between making something affordable and something valuable. This is also frustrated by those who cheapen any trade by offering at such low prices that an expectation comes that there has to be value in something that costs so little. Rarely is that ever the case.

So what is the best balance? I think affordable is a good start but I think the more important phrase might be fair value. Fair value represents a win-win situation.

If something is too cheap then the buyer is likely not getting much and the seller has to sell a bunch of them to get a return.

If something is too expensive then the buyer may be getting a return but the cost outweighs the gain. The seller sells less but often struggles to keep a return business.

The goldilocks zone is when something is affordable and scalable in a way that the buy gets a predictable return and the seller is compensated appropriately.

The problem with SEO, like many other industries, is that the goldilocks zone is a much rarer business geography to find yourself in. Most service providers tend to push towards one extreme to the other. Buying a bunch of cheap SEO will likely get you penalized in Google. Buying a bunch of expensive SEO may strain your budgets.

That’s why with my business, The Affordable SEO Consultant, I’ve tried to create the balance between predictable return on predictable spend. Google is not in anyone’s control and no one can claim honestly to know exactly how to rank #1 for anything. The SEO industry is partly why Google constantly updates its algorithm.

So if you are searching for “cheap link building services” or “low price seo,” remember that you get exactly what you pay for. Something people never really consider is that if something cheap actually worked well… they could charge more for it! It’s cheap BECAUSE it has little value.

So to be clear, I am not offering “cheap seo marketing services” in comparison to those who might show up on that page. I’m offering affordable SEO solutions that have a fair value. “Cheap SEO options” will only yield cheap SEO results.

People make their decisions with online search.

The number one place that people search for answers is Google. Sure, there are studies that show people use social media to search for some things but a vast majority of searches still take place in Google. While Gen Z is said to use social media for search, 60% of them still report using Google. That will likely decline as young people drop the naivety that TikTok somehow has the better interest in mind.

53% of shoppers research before they buy something. Do they go to the library? Do they call the store? Do they wait for commercials? Nope, they Google it. That number would probably be higher if the stakes were higher for many products but its unlikely that you search for toilet paper types or what is the best cucumber.

However, 93% of people use online search to find local businesses. So basically all local traffic is heavily influenced by what people search online.

Very few people understand how search works.

Just like a wide majority of people can’t code, lots of people don’t know the complexity of the searches they are making. It isn’t that they couldn’t learn. It’s that they don’t have the time!

A search consultant is an affordable way to get the help you need with ranking your website. A good consultant is someone with 10+ years of experience and a track record for ranking websites. You will see lots of consultants online running courses or selling cheap, one-time offerings with promises of #1 rankings. Both are are shorter than consultants, they are just cons.

You could learn how SEO works. You could practice and spend money and time. Or you can hire a person to do that work for you. Agencies are a great answer for many. But if you are constrained within a budget or you aren’t comfortable signing long contracts, an SEO consultant is a cheaper way to get similar results.

SEO Consultants are Contracted Professionals.

You aren’t hiring employees or bringing on a new team member. You won’t need to provide them benefits or vacation. You aren’t paying the premium of a fancy downtown office or a work vehicle. With a consultant, you are hiring a contractor to advise and/or complete the SEO goals you set mutually.

Good consultants are honest about expectations and what they can or cannot do. Given that they help lots of people, your time to talk to them might need to be scheduled. An expert in SEO is qualified and ready to get you the work that needs done in a timely and affordable manner.

This is a Long-Game Investment.

Anyone who promises you the #1 spot fast is either lying or gaming a system that will likely be penalized later. A great SEO consultant does their best to work within the confines of best SEO practices. Technically, any SEO activities outside of adding content to your site are publicly frowned upon by Google. But what they say and what they do varies widely.

Your current website will need many changes. Your consultant will advise you on how to optimize it for best performance. But the majority of why you rank is outside of your website, the myriad of signals out on the internet that communicate to Google that your website is valuable. This includes improving directories, map listings, references, and links. A great consultant not only can tell you what you need to do, they know how to actually create those signals pointing to you.

A Consultant is the Affordable Solution.

Again, an SEO consultant does not have the extra costs that you would have with an agency. While you might be able to meet an agency in person or access a large suite of marketing services, the cost to do SEO has to have a higher profit margin for them to justify. If you simply need SEO work done and are conscious of a budget or are simply smart with your money, a consultant is a smart and cheaper solution.

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