Shockingly, 46% of small businesses are spending $0 on SEO. What a mistake! A zero-dollar SEO budget brings zero return. Fail to invest in SEO and you’re failing your business.

Of course, this brings up additional questions. Does SEO cost thousands of dollars? How much should a small/midsize business invest in SEO? How do you know when you’re paying the right amount?

These are some of the most common questions for EverEffect when it comes to digital marketing. You need to know whether you’re spending your SEO money wisely to drive plenty of traffic to your brand without blowing your budget.

Let’s start with a quick review of SEO basics, then take a closer look at how companies budget most effectively for SEO spending.

What Exactly is SEO?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is an essential aspect of digital marketing that helps your company attract attention from the world’s online giants like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. This, in turn, brings in a much bigger human audience. 

SEO isn’t traditional advertising, which is a classic “push” strategy. Rather, SEO uses the “pull” strategy of enticing people to interact with your brand organically, sans paid search. People arrive at your digital doorstep because Google views you as a trusted and relevant source of high-quality information.

The “optimization” aspect of SEO involves tasks like improving website design, identifying keywords, and refining your digital marketing strategy to meet your company’s goals. The world’s savviest SEO strategists are carefully crafting their content to resonate with the specific target audiences they want to reach.

How Do I Know If I’m Paying the Right Amount for SEO?

Now let’s get down to dollars and cents. It’s smart to ask questions about pricing before paying for SEO to make sure your budget will stay on track.

Below is a summary of monthly SEO spending among U.S. businesses in increasing order of dollars budgeted.

• 54% have no future SEO budget
• 17% spend $1 to $99 per month
• 7% spend $100 to $199 per month
• 10% spend $200 to $499 per month
• 7% spend $500 to $999 per month
• 6% spend $1,000 to more than $3,000 per month

You can view these statistics in one of two ways. On one hand, your company could aim to spend less than $500 per month on the assumption that the majority of the market is also spending the same or less. Or you could take the opposite view, which is that spending more than $500 or more per month will easily beat most of your competition!

Supercharging Your SEO

The best way to know whether your company is paying the right amount for SEO is to connect with a digital marketing agency. Request an SEO scan and/or site audit that shows your current SEO status, plus the potential for driving additional traffic and profitability.

Ask plenty of questions about pricing. A reputable digital marketing expert should be able to answer your SEO questions with no hesitation or uncertainty.

Helpful questions to ask about SEO pricing:

• What SEO services do you provide?
• Do you charge hourly or by some other method?
• How will you be spending my money each month?
• How do you maximize the effectiveness of my SEO dollars?
• What kinds of metrics do you use to measure success?

Digital marketing agencies typically charge an hourly rate or a blended rate that covers their time plus certain added services. For example, if you primarily need a fresh website redesign but also want to make sure it’s fully SEO-friendly, the right SEO agency can quote you a price that incorporates both goals.

EverEffect: Your Superior SEO Partner

Searching for the perfect SEO partner? You’ve found us! EverEffect is an Indianapolis-based digital marketing agency and cares about getting to know your brand and understanding your specific mission. We’re SEO experts who have the skills it takes to help you achieve success. 

We’ll continuously monitor your SEO strategies to ensure everything is working according to plan, making any adjustments as needed, and always staying right on budget. If you aren’t satisfied, we aren’t satisfied. Contact us for a free site evaluation today! Or give us a call at 888.506.2183.