SEO Consulting Price: The Average Cost of SEO Services in 2021

Published on: 19 July 2021 Last Updated on: 10 January 2025

As more and more people purchase online for safety and convenience, it’s no wonder why search engine optimization or SEO is becoming popular. The internet is growing fast, and ranking high on search engines like Google is now more important than ever.

If you’re searching for an SEO agency to trust with your website optimization, you must first get familiar with what is an SEO consultant or specialist. Before you delve into the price, check what SEO services you can get from your investment.

What Is an SEO Consultant?

A “consultant” is an expert in optimizing websites for search engines. They’re paid to give advice on how you can get higher rankings, more targeted traffic, and more profits for your business. If it’s your first time and you just want to try things out, try to look for an SEO consulting price with a “no strings attached” monthly agreement.

SEO Costs and Pricing

SEO pricing is messy and all over the place. How much SEO packages cost depends on their payment model. But on average, the cost in 2021 ranges from $5,000 to 30,000 for every project, $750 to $2,000 monthly, or $80 to $200 hourly.

According to Ahrefs’ SEO Industry Statistics, the most popular pricing tear for monthly retainers is $501 to $1,000 per month. A retainer package is a recurring pricing agreement that makes it easier for an agency to target long-term digital marketing goals. It’s ideal pricing to make consistent progress towards your marketing goals while optimizing your marketing budget.

Pricing Models

Whether you avail of an affordable monthly retainer SEO from another country or a local SEO agency, there are different SEO pricing models you can choose from. Here are the most common:

a. Packages

If you simply want a specific number of links or a one-time SEO audit, getting a package may work. For business people who don’t have any background in search engine marketing, SEO agencies charge and offer packages like Bronze, Silver, and Gold for clients to choose from and pass all the work to them.

Packages are a convenient way for SEO agencies to get into a process and work out a client’s profit margins. However, remember that not all packages are tailor-fit to improve your website’s online visibility.

you may also like: Best Monthly SEO package for 2020

Many agencies and consultants offer monthly retainer contracts to have enough time to develop the best SEO campaign for your business without being constrained. SEO is a long-term process that impacts your website’s performance, so you can’t expect to see significant changes overnight.

A monthly retainer lets an SEO specialist strategize several months in advance, reflect on the work done and the results, then progress at least monthly. This type of SEO pricing focuses on producing results rather than delivering a certain amount of work each month. You can ensure that your partner SEO company always works on what will provide the greatest return on investment than on a mere number of backlinks.

c. Hourly Rates

If you are looking to pay per hour, it may be wise to hire a consultant instead to perform the SEO audit. Then, you can pay hourly rates for specific SEO services needed by your website. However, if you need immediate results with a website with little existing exposure, you can supplement your SEO efforts with paid advertising, like a Google Ads campaign.

Don’t fret. If your budget allows you only to employ SEO services per hour, try to talk to a consultant first and see if they can work around your budget.

How Much Should You Pay?

As you may have noticed, SEO services cost runs on different ranges. To help you find the number of what to expect to pay, ask yourself these questions.

1. What’s your goal?

A small business website won’t need as much work as one from a big corporation. If you have a small business and just want to start an ongoing SEO in-house, an hourly consultant or per project price may be all you need. However, if you want a more effective, ongoing strategy, a monthly or yearly plan is more cost-effective.

2. What’s your budget?

For a starting business, you probably don’t have room in your budget for full-service digital marketing. But still, if you want to grow your business, SEO is one of the important things to consider.

You can start working with a part-time expert, per project, or a basic package from an agency for the first few years. And once your business grows, so will your SEO needs and budget.

3. Does any of your staff know SEO?

One of the reasons why SEO consultants are valuable is because of their years of experience growing online businesses. However, if your organization is tech-related, chances are, you have people who know how to optimize your website, so you can save on the SEO cost and do it in-house. But if your business isn’t SEO-related, then it’s best to leave it to SEO professionals.

Are You Ready To Be Found?

Building a good website isn’t enough. You also need a strong SEO plan to position your business higher on search results. Doing so helps you attract the attention of your target customers and bring them into the sales funnel.

On average, SEO pricing can be expensive, but it’s because the process involves plenty of channels. Link building, keyword research, and other services — require consistent effort applied over time and skill set honed over years of experience to get good results.

Read Also:

The Challenges of E-Commerce SEO
8 Reasons Your SEO Campaigns Aren’t Showing the Desired Results

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SEO For Beginners – Which SEO Tools Are Most Recommended by Experts For SURE SUCCESS!

Without a doubt, this year brought its fair share of challenges and left businesses in an interesting spot. The rise of the pandemic caused unfortunate situations, but business owners still learned valuable lessons. It wasn’t easy, but there’s a silver lining. The year 2024 offers a clear path forward for marketing, mainly through search engine optimization (SEO). Especially when we are already recovering from the current Google March Update. More people now rely on the online space for both luxuries and necessities. As businesses fully transition online, they must address online reputation management (ORM) quickly. Quality agencies like Phoenix SEO have already given many companies a head start in 2024. For those wanting a strong start this year, using top SEO tools is essential. It’s crucial to master these tools because they’ll help future-proof any business. Here are some of the best SEO tools for 2024. Leveraging Content Marketing with Copyscape Content marketing became a priority last year, leading companies to create informative articles and blogs for their websites. However, the risk of accidental plagiarism is always present. That’s why savvy companies use Copyscape, a powerful SEO tool that ensures content originality. Given the volume of articles businesses produce, every piece must be informative and, more importantly, unique. Copyscape eliminates plagiarism concerns. General Quality Control with Serpstat While specialized SEO tools are essential, it’s also smart to have a tool that provides overall quality control. Many programs handle specific tasks, but Serpstat offers comprehensive website and SEO functions. One of its most useful features is the “missing keywords” function, which tracks competitors’ top keywords. This all-in-one tool is particularly beneficial for business owners unfamiliar with multiple SEO tools. Serpstat simplifies the learning process and offers a strong foundation for SEO marketing. Creative Strategies with SEMRush Content marketing is effective, but there are other ways to build a solid SEO foundation. SEMRush offers numerous options, including pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, where advertisers pay a small fee per click. PPC campaigns also provide valuable data that businesses can use to refine marketing strategies. SEMRush is user-friendly and favored by many professionals. Its versatility makes it a top choice for digital marketing. Keyword Efficiency with Keyword Density Checker A startup can thrive using effective marketing strategies. However, focusing on keywords can backfire if companies overstuff content. This mistake makes content unreadable. The Keyword Density Checker ensures that content includes the right keywords without overwhelming it. This tool is an excellent addition to a company’s SEO toolbox. Decoding Marketing Data with WooRank Using relevant keywords is key to improving search engine rankings. However, determining which keywords are most effective can be confusing. WooRank helps by analyzing data and providing insights on keyword relevance. This tool is especially helpful for businesses still mastering SEO strategies. Agencies like Phoenix SEO guide business owners through marketing solutions and online reputation management. By using the right tools and strategies, companies can confidently navigate 2024 and beyond. Post March 2024 -What to Do! The March 2024 Google update really shook things up in the digital world. If you were operating based on an old SEO strategy, things are going to have to change fast. It’s no longer business as usual when it comes to SEO for Google. In fact, right now, most businesses don’t have a clue about what kind of tools they can use to thrive in the new post-update environment. Using Artificial Intelligence One major way things changed is that Google will be even more reliant on artificial intelligence (AI) than ever before for search rankings. So that means if you’re not using AI-generated content or AI-enhanced optimization tools with your site pages and authority links, you cannot expect to rank. Not anything is going forward when it comes to meeting Google’s augmented E-E-A-T criteria — Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. This is why getting the right help from AI is very important. SurferSEO Tools such as SurferSEO or Clearscope have improved with AI over the update-ridden years but now have new enhancements themselves. These machine-powered editors aim not only to give less focus on the page keywords but also to focus on semantic relevance. Yes, these are actual words within websites that rank above assumed “KW density.” This tool also has on-user-intent modifiers, which drive traffic higher through index-based publication schemes. Think about User Experience But content alone won’t get you to the top. With user experience as a bigger ranking factor, you must take care of your website's performance, too. UX testing and improvement tools like PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, or Hotjar can become game changers. They will help loading speed to mobile usability. This is because Google now analyses how users are using your website, so definitely don’t forget about this “little” thing. Semantic SEO Tools And while we’re on the topic of user intent and context, semantic SEO tools were never more important than they are today. Thanks to Google’s AI ability - it is now better at understanding relations between entities, topics, and user queries. Tools such as MarketMuse or InLinks revolve around optimizing your article for entity-based search & natural language processing (NLP). They both help you craft articles that go beyond keywords but rather focus on depth and context. Therefore, there are two things that Google values even more right now. Competitor Analysis Let’s not forget about competitor analysis. The update changed how rankings work across competitive industries. That’s where competitor analysis tools like SEMRush and Ahrefs are getting smarter post-update. They’ve been tweaked to reveal what is working for your competitors. So, you can keep track of them, make changes faster than light, and get back into the rankings. SEO Is Everchanging! SEO is an ever-changing dynamic field. This means you need to explore, change, and upgrade SEO strategies sometimes. From 2020 to 2024, the change has indeed been quite the roller coaster. So, how do you stay ahead after the March 2024 update? Start by evolving with these new SEO changes. While the world of SEO may be complicated, there are tools that can help simplify things, and other marketers may not tell you about it for fear of competition. Read Also: 3 Major SEO Predictions for 2020 Improve Your Local SEO via Content Marketing The Importance of SEO Based Digital Marketing Services Best SEO Practices Melbourne Businesses Should Follow

About SEO And Link Building For Insurance Companies

SEO and Link Building for Insurance Companies Explained

Improving your website ranking in the insurance sector is challenging. As there is intense competition and high keyword difficulty. Thus, SEO and link-building play a vital role in overall digital marketing strategy. Let’s explore how SEO and link building help you rank higher on search engines and discover all you need to know for better business decisions. Understanding SEO for Insurance Companies Search engine optimization for insurance companies requires improving their visibility in search engine results. Ranking for the keywords in the insurance sector is difficult. Initially, it starts with keyword research to identify phrases. In this, we have to look for the keywords or phrases that potential customers use when searching for insurance services. In on-page optimization, we have to optimize website content, meta tags, and URLs. Lastly, in off-page optimization, we have to focus on building backlinks from reputable websites. This approach helps us to increase domain authority and improve website rankings. All you need to know about SEO and link-building 1. Link Building for Insurance Companies Link building is the process where you acquire links from other websites. It helps to redirect traffic to your website and eventually, it increases your readership. We help you in building effective links for your guest posting. These guest posts are industry-related blogs and we submit them to relevant directories. Further, we help you create shareable content to attract backlinks naturally. We make sure that you get quality backlinks from reputable websites. Our best digital marketing consultant helps you drive organic traffic to your insurance company website. 2. Challenges in SEO and Link Building We understand that SEO and link building are important for your website to show up higher in search engine results like Google. Here are some of the challenges shared by our best digital marketing consultant: There is intense competition as many websites are trying to acquire top spots in the ranking. The algorithms on search engines like Google keep changing frequently. Hence, it means what works today might not work tomorrow. Only websites with quality content rank higher on Google. Besides, creating high-quality content requires a lot of research, time, and energy. Getting backlinks from other websites becomes challenging. As it is tough to convince websites that are already established. Our experts at Profit by PPC understand the challenges. We perform competitive research, provide quality content, build quality links, and help you get more traffic on your insurance website. 3. Effective Content Strategies: Content marketing is the backbone of SEO strategy. It is important to remember that you have to have high and valuable content on your website. As it is essential for successful SEO and link-building efforts. We believe as a business owner you should produce informative articles, blog posts, and guides that help your target audience. Further, you can also share some templates and ebooks. Make sure that your content caters to your insurance audience. We know how to create engaging and valuable content, which helps your website attract more readers. In addition, we incorporate keywords naturally within the content. It improves visibility without compromising quality. 4. Local SEO for Insurance Agencies: Let’s say you have a good online presence, and your prospective client wants to meet you personally. You have only mentioned your business on your website but not on local directories. We suggest updating your information, on local directories and adding reviews and testimonials. With the help of this, you will be able to attract prospective clients who are in your nearby locations. 5. Measuring SEO Success: Just optimizing your insurance website, updating content, and building quality links is not enough. At Profit by PPC, we understand the importance of measuring SEO success. It is crucial for refining strategies and achieving long-term goals. The main key performance indicators (KPIs) such as: Organic traffic Keyword rankings Conversion rates These KPIs offer valuable insights into the effectiveness of SEO campaigns. Many insurance business owners don’t know how to leverage analytical tools such as Google Analytics. Thus, our experts help you to measure and analyze your insurance website performance accurately. 6. Common SEO Mistakes Insurance Companies Make: Every new business owner in the insurance sector makes SEO mistakes knowingly and unknowingly. It is important to make sure that you avoid making such mistakes as it may hamper your website rankings. Let’s look into the common SEO mistakes one must avoid: 1. Avoid adding keywords more than required. If your article only requires you to repeat the main keyword three times, then do that much. As overstuffing can create consequences. Your website may fall into the trap of stuffing keywords unnaturally. 2. Avoid creating thin content. It means don’t create generic content that does not have any depth or details. Always try to add more detailed information with examples and numbers. Make sure your content has depth, value, and relevance to users. 3. Do not neglect mobile optimization. A measure of the audience will be operating from mobile and reading your content. Let’s say your website is not mobile-friendly. It will not give a good reading experience. Thus, make sure your website has a good user experience; especially for mobile users. 4. Not adding enough images and infographics. Your content will look dull if it only has text and long paragraphs. Make sure to add relevant images and infographics. Also, optimize those images with SEO keywords. For example, if an image is about “types of insurance policies” then optimize your image with the same keyword. How can we help your insurance website overcome these challenges? Our experts at Profit by PPC understand the importance of SEO and link building. We help you to optimize your insurance business on local SEO, technical SEO, and on-page and off-page SEO. In addition, help you to create high-quality content, and along with that, we help you build quality links through guest post services. Eventually, your insurance business stands out from the crowd and gets more website traffic. Word of wisdom: SEO and link building are indispensable for insurance companies looking to thrive in the digital marketplace. At Profit by PPC implement effective strategies, and create quality content. In addition to this, we help you to adapt to changing trends, insurance companies can enhance their online visibility, attract more customers, and ultimately grow their business. Narendra Kumar is the Founder and CEO of Profit By PPC. In addition, he runs a successful digital marketing agency. We have a team of experts who will help you stand out from the crowd and build your brand in the insurance sector. Read Also: The Key To Success Turns Out To Get The Top SEO Services Understanding The Role Of SEO In B2B Digital Marketing: Optimising Your Website For Success Partner For Success: 7 Tips For Choosing The Best Digital Marketing Agency For Your Ecommerce SEO

5 Tips For Creating Content To Help Move The SEO Needle

Using search engine optimization to increase the visibility of your online content isn’t new. But there are businesses out there that don’t do it effectively. They’re stuffing keywords in every nook and cranny of an article, hoping Google will be kind with its ranking. SEO involves much more than sticking a particular word or phrase in a blog post or landing page, though. It’s about connecting with potential customers using content that’s relevant to solving their problems. Your SEO efforts should be centered around what your buyers’ needs are and how to meet those needs as effectively as possible. Therefore your content creation criteria should go beyond simply writing something that addresses a problem. Your content should be accessible, informed by experts, and provide a positive experience to the reader. The opportunity to improve conversions is greater for marketers who keep the user at the center of their strategy. 1. Show Your Authority Marketers’ old habit of stuffing keywords in their content willy-nilly is no longer effective for achieving higher rankings. Search engines like Google give higher priority to sites that have authority on a given subject. Expert-driven articles are much more likely to lure readers to your site. Developing content pillars is a great way to show authority and build trust with potential buyers. A content pillar strategy involves creating a robust, long-form page centered around one topic. From there you can build out sub-topics related to the main one. A content pillar does contain numerous keywords that can boost SEO ranking, but it employs them in a natural, reader-friendly way. At the same time, because the material is so comprehensive around one main subject, it builds authority. Content pillar pages not only educate the reader, but they foster trust and keep users engaged. 2. Do Your Research You might be the authority on a given subject, but you’ll lose sales if you don’t judiciously use keywords that match your customers’ search intent. You don’t want to do keyword stuff, but you do want to research and use keywords related to your expertise. For example, if you run a coffee shop, naturally your content uses the word coffee. But you’ll want to consider long-tail keywords your customers might use such as “single estate coffee” or “fair trade coffee.” Think about what your customers would want related to all things coffee and what your business actually sells. There are numerous tools you can use to do keyword research, enabling you to find words and phrases related to your main topic. Discovering how certain words and phrases relate to your region and the season can help you develop more user-friendly content. Another tactic related to your research is digging into what keywords your competitors are using. Staying on top of the most recent trends is helpful for crafting up-to-the-minute content, like what you’d find on social media. 3. Create Accessible Content Crafting thought leadership articles is a great way to utilize high-intent keywords and show authority. When your content is difficult to read, however, potential buyers are likely to leave your site quickly. Bulky paragraphs without images can be a major turnoff to readers. Make sure to break up your content using lists, bullets, and relevant visuals. As a good rule of thumb, use one image for every 300 words in a blog. SEO rankings aren’t just about the words on the page. Your content needs to be accessible in terms of how your site loads. If it takes too long for your site to load, expect readers to abandon it. Google suggests your site should take less than a half-second to load for top SEO performance. It should load just as quickly on mobile as well. 4. Develop Visual Content As noted, a blog post that includes images relevant to the topic is much more appealing to the reader. What’s just as effective — maybe more so — is short-form video. With the boom of social sites like TikTok, short videos are proving to have strong ROI. Consider producing short videos of 60 or fewer seconds and sharing them on social media using keywords. Be sure your videos are informative and engaging. Videos aren’t the only form of visual content that can move the needle. Strong infographics that tell a story and keep readers engaged can make a big impact. The technical components of visual aids like images or videos are just as important for SEO. Make sure meta tags for all visuals include keywords. That image of a coffee cup should be tagged “dark roast coffee” instead of “file123.jpg.” 5. Optimize Current Content Making use of content that already exists is an underappreciated way to increase your SEO ranking. After all, you worked hard to write those blog posts. Why not optimize and repurpose them? Refreshing old content can save time and provide new opportunities to reach potential customers. For older blogs and articles, consider their continued relevance. If the messaging is still appropriate, update it with high–search intent keywords. Remove dates from both the content and URL to make them evergreen. Update meta tags on all images. Mix it up by turning blogs into a short-form video, if that’s more appealing to your buyers. Maintaining a Customer Focus Strong content is essential to any marketing strategy. As with any part of your business, keeping your customer as the core focus is important to improving SEO. Using the keywords readers are searching for is imperative, but it’s not the whole story. Prioritizing the user experience by producing content that’s accessible, builds authority, and creates trust is what will move the SEO needle. Read Also: How To Monitor The SEO Health Of Your Website The Art Of Creating Viral Content On TikTok For Marketing Apps 4 points to consider when creating a Great Content Marketing Strategy

SEO Consulting Price: The Average Cost of SEO Services in 2021

What Is an SEO Consultant?