In part two of this series on in-house SEO, we talked about whether to build an in-house SEO team or outsource the work. Incidentally, this would be a very important consideration in determining your optimization budget as well.
However, because SEO is not a one-size-fits-all situation, there are several other factors that will play in to cost. In this post, we are going to take a closer look at the dynamics that will likely affect your budget.
The Nature Of Your Project
From one-off assignments to ongoing work, there are different types of SEO projects. One-time undertakings are going to incur a single lump sum expense. Ongoing projects usually involve a monthly retainer fee, particularly if you are outsourcing optimization work.
On the outsourcing side, research shows that most SEO firms charge on a per-project basis. There aren’t many experts or businesses that charge by the hour.
With an in-house team, the work is most likely ongoing, and a predetermined salary may be more appropriate.
One of the challenges of an in-house team is that their creativity will be tested. However, in addition to the unwanted costs of hiring and re-hiring, starting and stopping SEO projects will not get you the best ROI possible.
Ideally, you want to begin by hiring people that are both passionate and effective at their work. Though this won’t necessarily curtail creative drought outright, if your employees feel like they’re contributing and making a difference, they will deliver great work on a recurrent basis.
Arguably, it’s best to leverage the strengths of both your in-house team and outside consultants. Therefore, it’s a sensible idea to plan for recurring costs as well as occasional expenditures to develop a balanced marketing plan.
Your Audience
How competitive is your niche, the keywords you’re trying to rank for, and ultimately, your target demographics?
If you are trying to cut through the noise in a crowded market, SEO is going to cost you more. If you are trying to promote your small business on a local level, you will likely have fewer competitors. In short, the more competitive the market, the greater the resources you are going to want to invest into optimization.
What will it take for you to reach your audience? It’s important to conduct market and keyword research to understand what you need to do to stand out in your industry.
Your Team Size
In general, bigger SEO firms with 50 to 100 employees tend to provide fairly generic services. It’s a good idea to work with these companies if you are running a small business on a budget. Smaller SEO firms with 5 to 30 employees tend to be more specialized and offer customizable services tailored to a company’s needs.
In other words, even as it pertains to in-house teams, bigger isn’t always better. It’s fair to assume that you will be paying more for a bigger team, but they are likely to be more effective on a macro level, painting the canvas with broader strokes, if you will. A smaller team will be more focused on the micro level, paying attention to the smaller details that could lead to big returns in the long run.
However, neither is wrong or right. In fact, you may have to adapt your strategy depending on the situation. Either way, the size of your team will factor into cost.
Conclusion
To review, some of the most important considerations with setting a budget for SEO are:
- Outsourced, in-house or both
- The nature of the project; temporary or ongoing
- Your target market; local or global, niche or general
- The size of your SEO team
Whether you are building an in-house team or outsourcing work to an outside firm, remember to work with people that you trust and like. Preferably, you should hire people that have experiences in optimizing for your industry.
Monthly retainers for SEO work are commonly in the $251 – $500 range, but the $1,501 – $5,000 range is not uncommon either. For one-off projects, the $2,501 – $5,000 range is quite popular. Hourly rates often start at about $76 and run upwards of $150.
Ultimately, you should work towards developing a customized plan that best suits your needs. Build a team of passionate, enthusiastic people, and create a strategy to help you stand out in your market.
Photo Credit : Chung Ho Leung/ Flickr Image
Editor’s Note: This is the third article in an in-house SEO series. Please read part one, and two here.
