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SEO ServicesIn today’s digital landscape 90% of internet users use Google to find where to spend their money or how to solve their problem, so investing in SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) for businesses is essential. Whether you’re a small business owner or managing a national eCommerce brand, ranking on Google can dramatically increase your online visibility, traffic, and sales revenue.
Whether you have worked with an SEO provider in the past and feel like you have been overcharged, or you’re just starting out with SEO, this article will help you understand the prices of SEO services in Australia.
There are a lot of common questions we receive at Design Point Digital from clients who want to take up SEO for their business, it mainly revolves around pricing. Which makes sense, when you’re investing in your business, you want to know how SEO will impact your business. Some of the questions we get asked include:
- How much does SEO cost in Australia?
- How much does SEO cost per month?
- How much does SEO cost for a small business?
- How much will SEO cost per year?
- How much does SEO cost per hour?
- Why does SEO cost so much?
Whether you’re just starting with SEO or need your website optimised, this guide will help you get an idea of when to expect when it comes to SEO pricing in Australia, from different pricing models and factors that influence the cost when looking at an SEO proposal.
What is SEO?
Before we talk about SEO pricing, it’s important to understand what SEO is and why it’s crucial for your business.
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation and is the process of optimising your website to rank higher in search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing. The aim of SEO is to increase your online visibility and organic traffic to your site by appearing higher in search results.
There are many factors that go into a successful SEO campaign, including keyword research, on-page optimisation, technical fixes, link building, content strategy, off-page optimisation, and more. It’s an ongoing process that requires continuous implementation and monitoring based on the search engine algorithm updates and based on ongoing user behaviour.
How much does SEO cost?
The cost of SEO services in Australia can vary from different agencies or providers, starting from $1,200 per month to $10,000+ per month based on the industry, scope of work and individual business goals. A once-off setup for SEO can cost anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000+ depending on the scale of your website and the keywords that are being targeted.
How much should you spend on SEO?
When it comes to SEO pricing, there is no fixed number that you should be paying for to get the best results. Some businesses may spend less than $1,200 per month and see great results, while others may need to spend more to receive a greater impact.
SEO agency pricing will vary depending on their expertise, credentials, team size and the quality service they have delivered for their clients. SEO agencies that have a larger team with a proven track record of success will generally charge more than smaller companies with limited knowledge and experience.
What is the average cost of SEO in Australia?
The average cost of SEO in Australia can range from $1,200 per month to $10,000+ per month based on the client’s business needs.
Most SEO agencies or providers will charge a monthly retainer based on the ongoing optimisation services to a website each month, whether it’s technical updates, on-page efforts, link building, content management and content marketing.
When it comes to one-off SEO projects, it can cost anywhere between $2,500 to $10,000+ depending on the size of your website, how many web pages and target keywords that’s being optimised for. A website SEO setup is designed to mainly focus on the on-page optimisation and technical fixes of SEO. An ongoing SEO campaign will focus on additional resources, the foundation of SEO four key areas, on-page, technical, link building and content strategy. It is important to remember that good SEO results come from the four pillars of SEO mentioned.
Here is what you would expect as a benchmark for SEO cost:
Small business SEO (local service providers, small eCommerce stores) cost – $1,200 to $2,500 per month
Medium-sized business SEO (multi-location businesses, B2B companies) cost – $1,500 to $5,000 per month
Large organisation SEO (nationwide brands, large retailers, government departments) cost – $2,500 to $10,000+ per month
Enterprise SEO (ASX-listed companies, fortune 500 brands, multinational companies) cost – $6,000+ per month
The above prices are only for indicative purposes and all prices are exclusive of GST and are an average cost to expect of SEO in Australia. The exact cost of SEO in Australia will depend on your business needs, the competitive market, geographical area and the keywords you’re looking to target.
What is the hourly rate of SEO in Australia I should expect?
The average hourly cost of SEO services in Australia will depend on the provider, but you can expect ranges from $120 to $180 per hour, depending on the SEO specialist’s experience and knowledge of the space. The majority of SEO professionals in Australia will quote and charge differently depending on the scope of work rather than the hourly rate.
At Design Point Digital, we’re an SEO agency that generally do not charge by the hour but charge by the scope of work. The reason for this is because we have a range of SEO experts in the team that have different areas of expertise working on a single task. This can range from development, technical SEO, off-page strategies and SEO content marketing which all plays a role in completing each project for our clients. This turns out to be more affordable and easier to quote the entire project.
What factors affect SEO costs in Australia?
The amount that you spend on SEO services will depend on a number of factors. Here are a few common factors that will influence your cost of SEO in Australia:
Scope of Work
The scope of SEO services impacts the pricing:
- Basic SEO may include on-page optimisation, basic keyword research, limited content creation, minimal backlink building, which works out to be less expensive.
- Full SEO will include depth analysis of your technical SEO, content marketing, increased link building work, ongoing strategy refinement, which works out to be more expensive.
Industry Competition
When it comes to high competitive industries, this requires a more intense SEO strategy:
- Low competition will be easier for you to rank in search results, requires a less aggressive strategy, which works out to be a lower cost.
- High competition requires more advanced SEO techniques and higher quality content, which will include a higher cost.
Experience & Expertise
The experience and credentials of the SEO provider will impact the pricing:
- A junior SEO specialist will charge lower pricing but will bring in less experience to your SEO strategy.
- An established SEO agency with years of experience and a proven track record will charge a higher price for your SEO.
Local Vs National SEO Targeting
The geographical target scope will impact your SEO campaign:
When you’re targeting your Local SEO this will be less expensive and will focus only on ranking in your local community area.
National SEO requires more resources due to a broader national area to compete with which results in a more expensive strategy.
Website Size
Larger websites that include more web pages will require additional SEO work:
- Small websites (less than 20 web pages) will be a lower cost for website optimisation.
- Larger websites (more than 100 web pages) will be a higher cost due to an increased amount of optimisation required.
Current SEO Status
Do you have current optimisation work in place or are you starting from scratch? Your current SEO health status will impact the pricing:
No previous SEO work being done on your website will require additional work and higher startup costs.
Having existing SEO strategies in place may require less initial work but ongoing optimisation and monitoring.
Final Thoughts
When looking for the cost of SEO support for your business, look at the value proposition – not just the pricing. What will you get out of the proposed SEO work? We see many businesses take up SEO based on the dollar amount but not seeing what work is being delivered. Before you pay for SEO services, you should understand what is included in your monthly package.
To learn more you can contact us to speak to an SEO specialist at Design Point Digital and see how our SEO services compare, how much it will cost and what’s included for your unique business needs.
Don’t risk it with an inexpensive or low-cost provider – invest in a quality SEO agency and get more than your money’s worth in building your organic search presence.