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Google Places Pricing & Guarantees

by Frankie B Frank
16 replies
I've been having good success with google map listings however I am still a little unsure what to be charging and what to guarantee over a 12month period.

I've got everyone in the 7 box, however its only been the past few months I've been doing it so I dont have long enough behind me to work out what I should guarantee (by "guarantee" I mean the client would receive £X back if I do not make my guarantee).

Would really appreciate information on any pricing structure and guarantee/contract you may have.

Thanks in advance
#google #guarantees #maps #places #pricing
  • Profile picture of the author jkstam3
    I have been wanting to do the same thing, but having trouble deciding on a pricing structure as well.

    I hadn't thought about doing a guarantee though- my plan was to do what I said I would (get them higher up in places) and have my work end there. If they want to guarantee they stay there, they could pay for my services monthly as an "upkeep" type deal. You could charge 50-200 a month for this service based on the amount of work you do and whether or not this work significantly increases traffic/referrals each month.

    I feel as if it would be risky offering a guarantee because you cannot control what their competitors are going to do- what if 8 of his competitors follow suit, hire an SEO consultant and increase their ranking in places pushing your original customer back down. SEO to me is not something you do once and forget, it needs to be maintained...and you should be paid to maintain it.

    However, if you feel like you should offer a guarantee then base it on the competitors...do you feel as if it would be easy to keep your client in that spot? If it's going to be very competitive charge more, ect.

    This is just my .02 cents, I'm not an expert and have not done much of anything yet so be kind.
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  • Profile picture of the author Chad Heffelfinger
    Guarantees can be tricky, I wouldn't do one like you are saying out 12 months and give money back if you drop out, that just seems to be putting you on the risk side more than anything.

    You could guarantee that you will get them into the box or a certian spot in it if you feel you can do that, but keeping them there as the other poster mentioned is dependant on a lot of things you can't control. That would be where the monthly fee would come into play.

    What you charge could depend a lot on what type of client it is and what the "value" that you are bringing them is. If one extra customer a month could bring them $2,000 for a higher end type biz then is it worth an extra $200-300 per month for you to keep them there? Different busines types with different customer values can vary on what you charge them for your services.
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    • Profile picture of the author BrashImpact
      Originally Posted by Chad Heffelfinger View Post

      Guarantees can be tricky, I wouldn't do one like you are saying out 12 months and give money back if you drop out, that just seems to be putting you on the risk side more than anything.

      You could guarantee that you will get them into the box or a certian spot in it if you feel you can do that, but keeping them there as the other poster mentioned is dependant on a lot of things you can't control. That would be where the monthly fee would come into play.

      What you charge could depend a lot on what type of client it is and what the "value" that you are bringing them is. If one extra customer a month could bring them $2,000 for a higher end type biz then is it worth an extra $200-300 per month for you to keep them there? Different busines types with different customer values can vary on what you charge them for your services.
      Chad...Well put Brother, It takes money to make money, one fee to get them there, and a monthly to stay there...Just like Google Organic..

      You Rock my Man...
      Regards,
      Robert
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      • Profile picture of the author WikiWarrior
        I've also had success with Google Places listings in the past 2 months and have been charging a one-off $123. I don't guarantee anything other than putting their business on the map and trying to get them as high as possible. At the moment it's pretty easy to get clients into the top 10 because the people who have done their own generally have no idea about SEO, so 100% of customers so far have been thrilled with the results.

        I'm going to try threading the idea of a monthly maintenance fee into my sales spiel from now on because the more I think about it, this is just like any other SEO, even though people can do their listing and SEO for free, all my clients and probably most of my potential clients have absolutely no interest in doing any of this themselves, so I think it's worth a try. I intend to secure the listing sale first though and then suggest a monthly maintenance fee.

        I don't know what I would charge for this, I guess it depends on the client but I'll probably start off pitching it at $20 - $25/mo and work my way up from there.
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        • Profile picture of the author pa2phoenix
          [QUOTE=YOUniversityLife;2737903]

          I don't know what I would charge for this, I guess it depends on the client but I'll probably start off pitching it at $20 - $25/mo and work my way up from there.[/QUOTE

          20 - 25 dollars is a joke! add a zero to that number and start there. Most of my clients were paying up to 1000 dollars a month for yellowpage related stuff that was getting them no business. Seriously though, You can charge more than 25 dollars a month for just hosting lol...
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          • Profile picture of the author TimCastleman
            Don't get out of bed for less than a few hundred bucks. Seriously - $495 and up.

            Also you can't guarantee what Google is going to do or that is business owner is going to do what you want/need them to.

            $495 and no guarantee except that you'll do what you say you are going to.

            Good luck.

            Tim
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          • Profile picture of the author Cali16
            I agree with Pa2Phoenix. Underpricing yourself can do more damage than good. Businesses are used to paying a lot for advertising, and you could damage your credibility at those rates. Offering a ridiculously low price is often not the best way to go. Most people want quality, and if the price is too low (for whatever it is they are buying), they will question the quality they are going to get.

            Besides, you don't want to work with clients who only want to pay the lowest price. Many of those will be your biggest headaches. They will expect you to deliver the moon for dirt cheap. Ironically, people who are willing to pay top dollar are often much easier to deal with (of course, there are always exceptions, but just a general rule of thumb).

            Just my opinion, but I would recommend not charging less than $500 a month if you've been able to keep them in the top 7. You can adjust a bit depending on the type of business, but don't underestimate the value of the service you are providing, especially as more and more businesses get online. Charge even more for highly competitive markets and high end services / products. It will be worth it to those business owners (e.g. lawyers, doctors, car dealerships) even if it brings in only one or two new clients a month. Remember, those clients also tell their friends....

            Btw, if you think $500 a month is high, check with the Yellow Pages for the monthly cost of a 1/8 to 1/4 page ad that would probably bring in little to no business, or a weekly newspaper ad that may or may not be seen by the target market. Business owners still pay big $$$ for that kind of advertising.

            I use Google local listings all the time (more than the organic listings) when I'm looking for a service. That's how I found the allergy doctor I went to this past Friday. He'll be making some nice money off of me (unfortunately!).

            As far as guarantees, Google plays by its own rules, so guarantees are risky.

            Anyway, just my 2 cents! Good luck with whatever you decide to do!
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            If you don't face your fears, the only thing you'll ever see is what's in your comfort zone. ~Anne McClain, astronaut
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            • Profile picture of the author humbledmarket
              Banned
              Originally Posted by Cali16 View Post

              I agree with Pa2Phoenix. Underpricing yourself can do more damage than good. Businesses are used to paying a lot for advertising, and you could damage your credibility at those rates. Offering a ridiculously low price is often not the best way to go. Most people want quality, and if the price is too low (for whatever it is they are buying), they will question the quality they are going to get.

              Besides, you don't want to work with clients who only want to pay the lowest price. Many of those will be your biggest headaches. They will expect you to deliver the moon for dirt cheap. Ironically, people who are willing to pay top dollar are often much easier to deal with (of course, there are always exceptions, but just a general rule of thumb).

              Just my opinion, but I would recommend not charging less than $500 a month if you've been able to keep them in the top 7. You can adjust a bit depending on the type of business, but don't underestimate the value of the service you are providing, especially as more and more businesses get online. Charge even more for highly competitive markets and high end services / products. It will be worth it to those business owners (e.g. lawyers, doctors, car dealerships) even if it brings in only one or two new clients a month. Remember, those clients also tell their friends....

              Btw, if you think $500 a month is high, check with the Yellow Pages for the monthly cost of a 1/8 to 1/4 page ad that would probably bring in little to no business, or a weekly newspaper ad that may or may not be seen by the target market. Business owners still pay big $$$ for that kind of advertising.

              I use Google local listings all the time (more than the organic listings) when I'm looking for a service. That's how I found the allergy doctor I went to this past Friday. He'll be making some nice money off of me (unfortunately!).

              As far as guarantees, Google plays by its own rules, so guarantees are risky.

              Anyway, just my 2 cents! Good luck with whatever you decide to do!
              Thanks! Completely agree with our post here
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  • Profile picture of the author Mike Grant
    A one-size-fits-all pricing structure is a great way to leave money on the table.

    I adjust my pricing depending on the companies annual revenue and what they set aside yearly for marketing and advertising.
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    • Profile picture of the author WikiWarrior
      Haha, I'm glad I gave you guys a good laugh, even if it was at my expense. The truth is I had just quit a job I hated a couple of months ago and wanted to be sure I set my price at a no-brainer amount to get some client under my belt. I have only been offering business consulting services etc for 2 months and I have been targeting mostly one-man-band tradesmen to get my feet wet. I don't even have a website or business cards for my services yet heh.

      Anyway, I'm encouraged to be a bit more bold and hit up some companies soon. If they will pay anywhere near those figures I will be very happy. Thanks for your advice.
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      • Profile picture of the author Bronwyn and Keith
        Hi

        First target client is a printer - get yourself some cards and anything else you need and do a "trade/barter/contra" deal with them.

        Then get out and kick butt.

        regards

        Bronwyn and Keith
        Originally Posted by YOUniversityLife View Post

        Haha, I'm glad I gave you guys a good laugh, even if it was at my expense. The truth is I had just quit a job I hated a couple of months ago and wanted to be sure I set my price at a no-brainer amount to get some client under my belt. I have only been offering business consulting services etc for 2 months and I have been targeting mostly one-man-band tradesmen to get my feet wet. I don't even have a website or business cards for my services yet heh.

        Anyway, I'm encouraged to be a bit more bold and hit up some companies soon. If they will pay anywhere near those figures I will be very happy. Thanks for your advice.
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  • Profile picture of the author peter.max
    If you start high you can negotiate down. Clients hardley ever negotiate to pay you more :-)
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  • Profile picture of the author sdentrepreneur
    I agree on the "no guarantee" is the right direction. I tell me clients I will get them on page one of maps for most of their desired keywords. I charge $250.00 per month, every month.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jeff Klein
    Glad I found this thread as I am considering the same thing myself.

    In terms of a monthly fee, are you all doing anything on a monthly basis to maintain the rankings?

    Do you use any sort of tools to monitor changes to the listing such as when a new review is posted? Is that part of the service / value you are providing on a monthly basis?

    One thing I can't seem to understand about Google Places is what triggers them to appear. It obviously has to be a local search but are there other factors?

    It's not like targeting search phrase organically where you could theoretically go after any term you want. For Local results, if a term a client wants is not one that triggers a local result, then there's not much you can do about that. I guess you sell them your other SEM services.

    But again, what determines when a Google Places listing is returned?

    Thanks
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  • Profile picture of the author Charles Harper
    There is work involved in keeping a Google Places A Spot, particularly one that is in a competitive market.

    Places is about relevance and math, not the same black hat tactics, thus you cannot evaluate it in the same way you evaluate an SEO job. The method is a whole method; it is not just a matter of applying bits and pieces.

    The easiest way to determine what you should charge is to get yourself an A spot listing. When you see the work it takes, you probably would think twice about undervaluing it to get a client. What typically happens is that when people see the work it takes to get an A spot and keep it they cut corners forgetting that the method is a wholistic one; not where you have the option of doing this step and leaving out that step because it takes too much time to do.

    And if you are not going for the "A" Spot from the beginning, there is no need to offer the service to the client in the first place? You will just be a tasty morsel for someone who will do a little bit more than you do.

    The way to do a listing is to make sure that when somebody sees the work it is going to take to get the A spot from you, they will walk away and say...uh no...we probably won't get that phrase.

    CT
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