What is Affordable Search Engine Optimization?

Affordable SEO is a relative concept – what’s affordable for a large business may be out of reach for a small one. However, the end goal is the same: to optimize SEO efforts and avoid overspending while maintaining high SEO performance.

How Much Do Affordable SEO Services Cost?

The cost of affordable SEO can vary greatly depending on the size of your business and the services you need. For small businesses, the focus is on achieving the best results within a limited budget. Therefore, finding an SEO strategy that strikes the right balance between cost-effectiveness and performance is the key to success.

When it comes to SEO pricing, small businesses should look for solutions that provide long-term value while controlling upfront costs. On the other hand, larger organizations may have larger budgets and need to invest more in a more comprehensive, multi-channel strategy to compete at a higher level.

At Art SEO, we specialize in providing tailored SEO solutions that are effective within your budget, ensure optimal performance, and are not financially burdensome. Whether you’re just starting out or have an established online presence, we can help you achieve sustainable SEO growth at an affordable price.

Art SEO: SEO Cost Benchmarks for US Businesses

Art SEO has compiled detailed SEO cost benchmarks based on feedback from US marketers. The data provides valuable insight into typical costs for one-time projects, monthly services, and hourly support for businesses of all sizes.

SEO Costs by Business Size

Key Takeaways

• Micro-businesses tend to invest modestly in SEO, focusing on smaller monthly services and projects.
• Small businesses have increased spending on monthly and project-based SEO services, reflecting the growth of their digital business.
• Mid-sized businesses prioritize robust monthly SEO programs and projects, indicating that they are taking a strategic approach to expanding their online visibility.
• Larger businesses typically maintain flexibility in project budgets, meeting dynamic needs through customized solutions.
• Businesses consistently allocate significant budgets for comprehensive SEO services to secure a competitive position.

Art SEO provides these benchmarks to guide businesses in aligning their SEO strategies with industry norms and help them make informed investment decisions.

Understanding the Affordability of SEO Services

Is SEO affordable for businesses today?

Absolutely! Whether handled in-house or outsourced, SEO is affordable for businesses. The key to making SEO work within your budget is to set realistic expectations with your leadership team, create a well thought out budget, and consistently review investments and results.

Most Affordable SEO Services

The most cost-effective SEO services usually focus on basic and high-impact areas rather than offering a full suite of services. These services are usually customized for businesses that need specific SEO solutions, including:

SEO Audits

Average cost: $650+ per professional audit
Many businesses, especially larger ones, choose professional SEO audits over self-service tools. These comprehensive audits often include implementation options for recommended changes, but may cost extra.

SEO Consulting

Average cost: $100+ per hour
While SEO consultants can be pricey, it’s crucial to manage the scope of their services. Maximize value by focusing your consultant’s efforts on the areas they’re best at, while leaving the rest to your in-house team.

Technical SEO

Average cost: $100+ per hour
Technical SEO is often a challenging area for in-house teams. Hiring a consultant or purchasing a technical SEO service package can help solve technical issues on your website and boost rankings and traffic through site-wide improvements.

Local Search Engine Optimization

Average cost: $400+ per month per location
For businesses with a local presence, investing in local SEO can be very beneficial. While an in-house team can manage certain aspects, businesses with multiple locations often opt for affordable local SEO services to increase visibility.

E-Commerce Search Engine Optimization

Average cost: $750+ per month
E-commerce businesses must prioritize SEO to ensure visibility of their online store. Professional SEO services can optimize your e-commerce platform, improve product page rankings, and follow crawling and indexing best practices.

SEO Content

Average cost: $50+ per page
SEO-optimized content is essential for ranking well in search results. Professional SEO content services can help businesses produce well-optimized content to ensure your pages rank higher and attract more traffic.

How to Develop a Reasonable SEO Budget with Art SEO
Affordable SEO can be achieved through a strategic approach to budgeting.At Art SEO, we have decades of experience helping businesses optimize their SEO efforts and avoid overspending. Here are some practical tips to help you develop an SEO budget that works for your business:

1. Align with stakeholders

Before committing to SEO, it’s crucial to have a clear understanding of what the leadership team is aiming for over the next six to twelve months. Whether the focus is on brand awareness or sales performance, these goals will influence the

• The size of the SEO investment
• Areas of focus for your SEO budget

Many businesses make the mistake of neglecting SEO, which takes time to see significant results, usually three to six months. However, starting SEO efforts now will set the stage for future growth and ensure that you’re ready when leadership sets more ambitious goals.

2. Conduct an SEO Audit

You don’t have to be an SEO expert to get started with an audit; tools like Screaming Frog and SEO.com offer free, instant audits that can point out any SEO issues on your site. These audits can answer the following important questions:

• What are the most serious SEO issues on our website?
• Are there any issues that require additional software or services?
• What resources (in-house or outsourced) are needed to address these issues?
• Where can we seize new opportunities and what resources are needed?

Utilizing Google Analytics 4 and Google Search Console also provides valuable information about website traffic, showing which pages are bringing in traffic, leads and revenue. Competitor analysis can provide additional contextual information to help you understand where your site stands in comparison to others in your industry.

3. Prioritize SEO needs

Based on the results of your audit, it’s time to prioritize your SEO efforts. Areas that typically need attention include:

• Addressing technical SEO issues
• Building a solid backlink profile
• Improving the ranking of existing pages

Scoring the likely impact of these areas to help guide budget allocation. If you are unfamiliar with SEO, consider hiring a professional to conduct a detailed audit and make actionable recommendations.

4. Allocating your SEO budget

Now that you’ve prioritized, the next step is to create a budget. Some affordable SEO services may require a longer-term commitment (e.g., six months), while others (e.g., purchasing SEO-friendly content) can be done on a monthly or as-needed basis.

Keep in mind that over-investing in SEO, especially early on, can be risky for growing businesses. While it’s important to invest in SEO, you don’t want to overstretch your budget before your efforts have fully taken root. You can increase your budget as your company grows, but overinvesting early on can result in losing the support of key decision makers.

5. Track your ROI

Tracking your ROI is critical to understanding the effectiveness of your SEO efforts. With SEO, you can see measurable results – whether it’s an increase in sales, leads, or website traffic.

Google Analytics is a free and excellent tool for tracking your progress, but if you have a larger budget, it may be worth investing in other tools for more detailed insights. Partnering with an affordable SEO agency like Art SEO can help you make the most of your marketing techniques and gain more insight into your SEO results.

Partner with Art SEO to Drive Business Growth

With a long list of client success stories, Art SEO is a trusted choice for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) looking for affordable SEO services. Our team of more than 500 digital marketing experts is dedicated to delivering competitive, results-driven campaigns that help businesses increase revenue.

Over the past few years, we’ve helped our clients generate billions of dollars in revenue through targeted SEO strategies. Let us provide you with customized, affordable and effective SEO services that will help you achieve the same success and drive business growth.

Contact Art SEO today to learn how our professional SEO services can help you grow your business and set your organization on the path to success. Contact us online to learn more, or speak directly with one of our experienced strategists to discuss your goals, budget, and business needs!