Published on March 24th, 2016 | by Guest

SEO Pricing: How to Price Your Services

So, you’re about to close a deal with a potential client for your SEO services, but before you can finalize anything, your client wants to know one more thing: how much is this going to cost? Pricing an SEO project can be a challenge for both agencies and individual consultants, especially when you consider all the different factors that go into determining the cost. This post will provide a brief and general guide to pricing your next SEO project in a way that’s simple and accurate.

Factor in Your Costs

Logically, you’ll need to start by figuring out how much this SEO undertaking is going to cost you. After all, there are different tools and resources you’ll likely need to use in order to conduct your relevant project research and deliver the best results. One of the most common costs you’ll incur is that technology tools, such as Moz and Raven, which can range anywhere from $100 per month to tens of thousands of dollars per year.

If you’re going to need SEO content created for your client, you may also need to factor in the costs of hiring that out (assuming you’re not writing it yourself). The prices here can range greatly depending on the type of content you need (blog posts, white papers, etc.) and the quality of the content.

Other costs you may or may not need to consider when pricing your SEO project include:

Continuing education
Sales material development and maintenance
Staff hours

Consider Competition and Scope

In pricing out your SEO endeavor to a client, it’s extremely important to consider the scope of the project and what your competition may have to offer. This includes knowing the specific market or industry for which you’re providing your services while also being aware of your margins and bottom line. It also means taking the time to research your potential competitors. What is their pricing structure like, and what additional value can you provide?

Choose the Right Pricing Model

Depending on the type of work you’ll be doing and the company for which you’re conducting it, you’ll also want to choose the right pricing model for your services. For example, if the scope of the project is limited, then you might consider pricing your services as a one-time project. This is where pricing appropriately is so important, as this project will not be an ongoing source of profit. Here, your one-time price may vary depending on the scope of the work. For example, conducting keyword research for a small business will be less expensive than conducting a link-building campaign for a larger company.

On the other hand, if you anticipate that this client will need ongoing work from you, then you might want to consider pricing by the hour. A lot of times, this is an ideal approach for smaller businesses that may need to change the scope of the work they order from you based on their evolving budgetary needs.

Retainer pricing and package pricing are a couple more options to consider presenting to your client. Ultimately, the best way to decide which pricing choice is right for you and your client is to consider the scope of the work and the potential longevity of the project.

UpCity’s Local SEO Pricing Tool

Still not 100% confident when it comes to determining pricing for your next SEO project? Consider trying out UpCity’s local SEO pricing tool, which automatically factors in industry and location to help you determine your required hourly input.

Now that you have a better idea of how to price your work, you can close your next deal with confidence. If you’d like to learn more, check out the full blog post on how to price your SEO services here!

Tags: business, marketing, price, pricing, promotion, SEO, services