what is a reasonable price to pay for SEO?

[Mac]

if I'm gonna find a company to do SEO for my website what should I expect as a reasonable monthly cost?

[Web Programmer]

There is not a simple answer as there are many factors that would determine the cost.

You would need to consider how many keywords you want to target and then how competitive these phrases are to rank. The harder to rank, the more expensive it will be.

There are many types of SEO too.
One page optimization - where you address the code and content right on your page.
Off page optimization - where you address issues not directly on your websites - like link building, article submissions.
Social Marketing - through sources like Facebook, Twitter, Linked In...
Pay Per Click Advertising...

I would determine a monthly budget that you are willing to spend and then research companies (and freelancers) that fall within this budget.

[CmsBuffet.com]

It is a complex question, as mentioned by other answers.

here is the mathematical concept that must happen. within 1 year, you should make more profit, from your added sales, than the SEO company.

lets say you have, before SEO, 10,000$ in profit, per month. this is from 50,000$ in sales.
the SEO increased the sales to 60,000$
this increases your profit by 2,000$.
12 months makes it 24,000$

your SEO price must be less than 24,000.

[g1cajun]

On site SEO? Nothing. It's so easy now you should be able to do it yourself. It's reactive. Not such a mystery anymore. Have someone teach you.

Off Site SEO takes much more time. It is also easy but, takes hours a day. you should be willing to pay an employee to work your off site SEO for at least a few hours per day.

I hope this helps.

[SEOFactor]

Hey Mac,

Yours is a valid question, but it may be a bit more helpful to first identify your needs. SEO prices range quite a bit depending on your current site's progress online, your competition, the industry you are in, and your target audience.

If you need a full, robust campaign; it might cost a little more than it would if you were to need just a little hand-holding while you implement the efforts yourself. There is also a difference in cost regarding the scope of the market (locally or nationally).

As was said before, there are a lot of avenues we take to promote websites, so it can depend on that as well. For example, you may only need link-building, or have decided that you wish to start with on-page efforts first.

You'll also find large differences in pricing when it comes to the type of SEO you hire. Freelance SEOs usually cost a little less, but it can be a bit tricky to sift through the unqualified to find the right one. And though a larger firm may be more expensive, it doesn't always translate to better service.

I'll link to a decent post by seomoz (they are something of leaders in our industry). It's a little old, but I think it still applies.

A warning though. If you find yourself looking at an SEO offer for $89.95 a month, it's not a good offer. This stuff does cost a bit of money, so you have to consider what it will be worth to you and your business.

To give you an idea of our prices, our local SEO services range between $300 and $1200 a month. These are usually with 6 or 12 month contracts. These prices are about the norm. Our custom SEO services get a bit more expensive than that, usually hitting the 4k to 10k a month mark. But there aren't many clients that need that sort of attention from us.

And if anybody quotes you before they even look at your site, you're at the wrong place. Your potential SEO or firm should be asking almost as many questions as you do.

[Malika Edeline]

You didn't specify how much profit your website generates. IMO, you should do SEO yourself. It's way cheaper and effective than hiring SEO company.

I have hired many companies and freelancers, and NOONE was able to improve my rankings, but after I started doing SEO for my websites, I quickly got a hang to it. Invest some time and learn how to do it yourself. You won't be disappointed.

[Albert Henderson]

Really depends on what you want done .... and if the work is GUARANTEED to to get your site on PAGE ONE of Google! You can view a good video about this at:
http://www.websitetrafficbuilders.com/we...oogle.html