How to determine the prices for SEO solutions?

[Survivor]

How to decide upon the pricing policy? If some client approaches for getting SEO work done or wishes to get a website for his business, what are the standard rates?

[derekmichael]

Typically depends on their client value.

For example, a lawyer's typical client is worth anywhere from $500 - $1500 on average.

You can charge them $1,000 a month, because you only have to generate 1 or 2 clients to get them ahead.

[Kevin Biz]

Standard rates go anywhere from $45 - $100 / hour. However, before you hire an SEOer make sure you know the right questions to ask. I honestly would spend a few hours researching SEO just to make sure you can talk their language and ask the right questions.

These are the first things that I would do:

1.) Have them look at your site analytics to see if they can identify any low hanging fruit improvements you could make.

2.) Determine whether or not your website is structurally capable of becoming optimized? Do you have a programmer in-house? Who and how are you going to implement some of the suggestions from the SEOer?

When you finally choose an SEOer, before you let them loose have them devise a step by step plan of what they are going to do to optimize your site. Have them order each strategy/plan by priority and get an estimate for each step. Also, have them provide you with a list of action items that you can do internally. For example, one common SEO strategy is to submit your website to online directories. If that's part of their plan then have them give you the list of directories so you can add your listing yourself. (DMOZ, Google Places, Yahoo Directory, Yellowpages, CitySearch, etc)

I hope that helps