Three major factors determine what quality SEO costs for a given customer. The first is the market category. The category of a business’s product or service and its relation to its surrounding competition heavily influence the amount of work and spend needed to achieve high ranking. For example, competition for a heating company in Arizona would most likely be slim due to the region’s hot climate. However, a heating company in Idaho would likely need to spend a greater amount on SEO to stand out from the competitors in its market.
Next, the size of market location has a significant influence on the cost of SEO. Businesses looking to rank in smaller, rural markets with scanty competition do not need to spend as much on SEO. Larger, more urban markets with heavier competition require a greater SEO spend simply because beating that competition is a bigger job.
The larger the area targeted for ranking, the more SEO will cost. Local businesses looking to target an area outside of their actual location also need to spend more because it takes more extensive work to convince Google of the business’s relevancy to that targeted location.
Lastly, the cost of SEO depends on the number of keywords desired for ranking and the competitiveness of those keywords. More keywords for ranking require more SEO time and, therefore, more SEO spend. It’s important to note that not all keywords are equally difficult or easy to target. Some keywords are harder to rank for than others, and some are difficult for certain businesses, but not for others. Not all keywords and not all businesses are created equally, so steer clear of SEO companies that base their prices entirely on keyword count. Most SEO companies operate on a basis of a flat rate, plus an hourly rate for the actual SEO work. Any reputable SEO company considers the market, the size of the market, and the number of keywords when determining cost for the SEO work needed to achieve results.
At Boostability, we carefully consider each of the three contributing SEO cost factors to create a budget that is just right for our customers. We neither overcharge for SEO efforts nor underfund targeted goals. To determine how much you should invest on a monthly basis for SEO to achieve the rankings you want, click here for your free quote.