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How Much Would You Charge to Guarantee a Client's Site First Page of Google

by J Bold
32 replies
I think the title of the thread says it all.

So I have the opportunity to present an offer for some SEO work to a multi-million dollar company where my friend works in a high position.

I plan to offer them some press release submission online, plus guarantee them first page of Google for a good search term.

I was thinking, maybe work for them to get three keywords they want to target. Perhaps only just one, I'm not sure.

In any case, how much would you charge?

Let me sum it up.

1. Guaranteed first page of Google for three search terms
2. Press Release submission and syndication resulting in appearance in Google News

I would consider charging a higher fee for just a one time fee instead of a first time fee plus monthly. For a monthly fee, I would think $100-200 or so, but still not sure about the first time fee. And also of course, not sure of a one time fee which would be higher if there is no monthly charge.

Anyway, what would you do?

It's not a problem with doing the work, just have not really experienced this before in terms of pricing.

Thank you for any suggestions and quotes!
#charge #client #google #guarantee #page #site
  • Profile picture of the author Mike Grant
    Why would you guarantee something you cannot control?
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  • Profile picture of the author JamesMSpacey
    From my understanding of the way SEOs are going with pricing is that they are charging retainer for the SEO service itself, seeing it's just work, then they bind their clients to a fee on obtaining top rankings. ie So much per month, so much on getting to page 1, so much for top 3, so much for #1. As for how much - it depends on the search phrase and the income potential for the client. It's calculated on a % basis of the possible income benefit for the client.
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    • Profile picture of the author J Bold
      Originally Posted by JamesMSpacey View Post

      From my understanding of the way SEOs are going with pricing is that they are charging retainer for the SEO service itself, seeing it's just work, then they bind their clients to a fee on obtaining top rankings. ie So much per month, so much on getting to page 1, so much for top 3, so much for #1. As for how much - it depends on the search phrase and the income potential for the client. It's calculated on a % basis of the possible income benefit for the client.
      That makes sense. Thank you for your input.

      You get what you pay for, essentially, or you get a bonus for reaching targets, I like it.

      Thanks a lot!
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      • Profile picture of the author JamesMSpacey
        In terms of $$ I think it's reasonable to go with minimum $1 per potential lead (click) for 12 months. Then it goes up depending on the type of product the coy is selling and whether online traffic would be a direct source of income for them.

        So for 15,000 searches: 15000x.05x12x$1.

        It's still cheap.

        Considering the cost of producing a 30 second national TV ad is $300-$500K...
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        • Profile picture of the author J Bold
          Originally Posted by JamesMSpacey View Post

          In terms of $$ I think it's reasonable to go with minimum $1 per potential lead (click) for 12 months. Then it goes up depending on the type of product the coy is selling and whether online traffic would be a direct source of income for them.

          So for 15,000 searches: 15000x.05x12x$1.

          It's still cheap.

          Considering the cost of producing a 30 second national TV ad is $300-$500K...
          Wow, really spelled it out there, let me see if I understand your math correctly.

          Comes out to, $9000 for 15000 searches?

          Interesting way of doing it, cheers very much.
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          • Profile picture of the author edakehurst
            If I was offering something like that, the initial fee would be no less than $1,000 per keyword and no less than $500 per month per keyword. That is assuming the keywords are relatively competitive. If the keywords are little less competitive, I might go down to $750 per keyword and three or $400 per month per keyword.

            If you approach a multimillion dollar company with a low bid they will not even consider it. I would also lock them in first 6 to 9 month period. My guarantee would be that the keyword reaches page 1 at some point within the campaign, and if it fails to do so I would give them an additional mind days of service to get it there.

            Do not under charge. The fees I listed above are absolute minimums that I would ever consider, not taking into consideration the fact that there is a page-one guarantee.

            Hope that helps.
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  • Profile picture of the author hotlinkz
    First, I think Mike poses a very valid question about "guaranteed placement". Personally, I would ask that question and a few others...

    1. In what time frame do you plan on accomplishing the first page rankings?
    2. What happens in the event you do not get them on page one?

    Also, if you really do go through with your guaranteed service as stated here, I will be your first customer for the terms "internet marketing", "dog training" and "health insurance".

    Anyway, I think you are charging WAY too little for a "broad guarantee" of this nature. Hypothetically, and depending on the keyword phrase involved, I would start at $3,000 initial and $500 to $800 monthly. I would want to base pricing on an estimated ROI the client stands to gain.
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  • Profile picture of the author J Bold
    1. Three months
    2. There would be a non-refundable deposit

    I am looking for helpful responses, hotlinkz. Yours has been. But you know what, people can respond how they like, nobody owes me anything so it's fine.

    The reason I can guarantee is I've gone after local search terms in their market and area of business, which is just one city and surrounding area, really, and it's not hard at all to get on the first page of Google for the type of terms I would go after for them.
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  • Profile picture of the author J Bold
    Ya that helps, sure.

    The problem is I have an inside man in my friend and they are really, really stingy with regards to online stuff, but yeah, it's true my problem is way under-selling myself. I will try to get an idea from him how much they are willing to pay for anything online, period. They do not have a web promotion team, at all. They don't have any adwords or other paid traffic going on, etc. Everything they do is offline, for now.

    Will just have to hash it out. That's what I was doing here, just trying to brainstorm, and when you brainstorm, sometimes you are way off, that's the nature of it, but thanks for your comments.
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    • Profile picture of the author edakehurst
      Originally Posted by redicelander View Post

      Ya that helps, sure.

      The problem is I have an inside man in my friend and they are really, really stingy with regards to online stuff, but yeah, it's true my problem is way under-selling myself. I will try to get an idea from him how much they are willing to pay for anything online, period. They do not have a web promotion team, at all. They don't have any adwords or other paid traffic going on, etc. Everything they do is offline, for now.

      Will just have to hash it out. That's what I was doing here, just trying to brainstorm, and when you brainstorm, sometimes you are way off, that's the nature of it, but thanks for your comments.
      What might help you out in this case is to do a little research ahead of time. Gather some facts and figures about their industry and show comparisons of what one line marketing can do to their bottom line. If you can show that some simple online solutions can significantly increase their business and show that your fee for getting them that is a small percentage of that extra profit you will increase your chances of snagging the order.

      When I visit small to medium-sized businesses I know the average of their customer value when I walk in the door. For example, in my geographic area one customer at a jewelry store is worth about $600 a year to them. If my fee for whatever product I am marketing to them is $1200, then I don't talk about $1200. I talk about getting two additional customers. If I can show them they should get two additional customers per month then my fee is easily justified no matter how stingy the business owner is.

      When they ask my fee, I tell them “I only charge the value of two customers. The other 22 customers every year are free money, extra profit in your pocket.” My closing line in this case would be, “Let's start getting you those extra 24 customers. Can we review your details today so that I may begin getting those customers for you immediately?”

      Sometimes stingy companies can be sold easily by showing them what they have to lose if they do not pursue your action.

      Good luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author mjbmedia
    depends how you want to run your business. do you want this client to be one of many, one of few, the only one?
    Then price accordingly so you earn from your business what you arer seeking to earn.
    Some SEO charge hundreds, some charge thousands some tens of thousands, theyve all got clients, they all have their own business models.
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    Mike

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    • Profile picture of the author BigDaddys101
      Originally Posted by redicelander View Post

      The reason I can guarantee is I've gone after local search terms in their market and area of business, which is just one city and surrounding area, really, and it's not hard at all to get on the first page of Google for the type of terms I would go after for them.
      Local search terms are pretty easy to dominate with very little work, would local search be beneficial for a company of that size? For a local company are press release's necessary for ranking or is that your in for page 1 beyond local results?
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      • Profile picture of the author J Bold
        Originally Posted by BigDaddys101 View Post

        Local search terms are pretty easy to dominate with very little work, would local search be beneficial for a company of that size? For a local company are press release's necessary for ranking or is that your in for page 1 beyond local results?
        They are a local company, perhaps the words "multi-million" are getting some people to think of this as something different. Ya the company brings in millions a year but their market is quite local, so as for search terms it's actually not that difficult.

        Yeah the point of the press releases to high authority sites is just sort of something to add value to the service, really.
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  • Profile picture of the author patadeperro
    I agree absolutely with redicelander, once you analyze the competence you know if you can reach a first page or not, obviously you are not going to go for terms like "dog training" or "insurance", but what about "dog training Tampa" or "dog training school tampa" of course you can reach 1 page for those terms if done properly.

    I have been talking with other peers about your offer redicelander, because I have a similar offer and I obviously go for terms I can reach, what we are talking here is more marketing than SEO, that is why so many people have little understanding of the topic.

    The way I have done it is this: I charge an initial fee and after that monthly fees, but I charge them according with their clients value, example: if you work with a plastic surgeon the final value of their customers is very, very high so I would charge him an initial set up fee of 3,000 (on site) plus a 1,000/month, if one of his clients has the value of 7,000 (average) then you are talking, because of course you can send him more than one client with your techniques.

    I think it is a great way to go, why? because with an offer like that you SMASH!!! the others, while they are arguing about how Google work and other stuff, you focus on the marketing on your offer, give them a solid guarantee and take the price.

    Respectfully
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    • Profile picture of the author jeffrey73
      Originally Posted by patadeperro View Post

      once you analyze the competence you know if you can reach a first page or not, obviously you are not going to go for terms like "dog training" or "insurance", but what about "dog training Tampa" or "dog training school tampa" of course you can reach 1 page for those terms if done properly.
      Yeah but once you promise someone you can get them that ranking, it will follow-up that they will expect a time frame. What happens if you promise them 1 month, then Google does 10 algo. changes in that time frame and you're nowhere to be found? You could easily make yourself look like you don't know what you are doing, and possibly ruin your own reputation.

      If you are going to promise them page #1, don't charge them until you do it. Write an agreement saying they'll pay you $100 per hour, and you won't get paid until you deliver page #1 results. Then charge them accordingly. It's highly unlikely they won't pay you if they are a multi-million dollar company, especially if you have a good relationship with someone who works within the company.
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  • Profile picture of the author rhinocl
    Even if you know you can get some one to first position, you come off as an amateur by promising it as large companies are sophisticated enough to know it's not totally within your control. What if the best seo expert on this forum is working for their competition and they have 10 times the budget your client has?
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  • Profile picture of the author paintbrush4u
    I had a question... how sticky would the first page ranking be?
    Are you guaranteeing the first place SERP placement for a long term....
    One of the first things I do for my firm is I ask the client to tell me what would a new client be worth to them on a first sale, 3 months sale, 1 year value and a lifetime value.
    I then go back and the create a really cool deal for the client... I make it almost impossible for him/her to lose.
    I guess you are doing that by giving them the guarantee.. but your offer will have to be more compelling that just that..

    Just think about feature vs benefit...
    Page 1 rankiing is a feature.. translate it to a benefit in client's language and then you have now bagged the client for life...

    For what its worth.....

    Thx
    -PB

    PS: Just charge them top dollar so that you will be forced to offer your best service...
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  • Profile picture of the author Havasupai
    I would be charging around $1500 set up fee which would include reviewing their site currently and then a monthly of $1000.

    What you need to do is provide value and they will pay the $1000 a month with no problem. First get them on the front page, then using analytics show them that the front page is bringing in XXX more visits and they are converting X% into customers which translates to $XXXXX revenue $XXX more profit a month. If this number is $5,000 month more, don't you think they would pay you $1,000?

    They would probably ask for more keywords and you can just keep increasing your monthly.

    Bottom line, if they make more money they will keep paying you.
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  • Profile picture of the author paintbrush4u
    Just because things are not in your control, it doesnt mean Getting a first page ranking is a big of a deal for the most niches....(few exceptions)...if you know what you are doing in terms of SEO ....
    Just dont get sandboxed...with your client's site....
    they key is to get on top and then STAY on top.
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    • Profile picture of the author sailor4528
      Interesting thread.

      Look at it from your prospect's perspective and build their internal business case for the work. Then evaluate it critically - what would it be worth from their point of view? You know they are stingy - nothing wrong with that, so build a case to support your bid - you may come up with angles they haven't even thought of.

      Another poster mentioned a plastic surgeon. Sure #1 G P 1 would be good, but how many patients can a surgeon handle? For that matter, if it's a glazing company, how much capacity do they have?

      Think about this when you justify your bid. Too high a level of initial demand could have a negative effect on the business. Making this point will add to your credibility.

      That's 2 cents to you, though I reckon it could be worth a lot more ;-)
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  • Profile picture of the author Joshyybaxx
    you need to not only take into consideration the number of searches, but also the number of visits for each of the ranking companies to expect.

    If you can get them to #1 you should find out what that position should expect to receive in visits, this can be done using some software.

    I would not go giving guarantees out of your control, you're asking for a law suit if it's a powerful company. It's like me providing a G'tee that a horse I train will win a race, no matter how hard you work someone could work harder and smarter and essentially mess you up.

    I'd strongly rethink your offering, under promise and over deliver and you will boost your rep, if you promise the world and deliver nothing you'll get burned.
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    =)

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  • Profile picture of the author Christian Little
    This thread is funny. The first half of replies were all "OMG don't offer guaranteed ranking!", then it finally shifted into what the OP was asking for, and now it's starting to shift back again lol.

    To the OP:

    Ask yourself this - if they get the local listings you are going to guarantee, how much business will they get? Judging from your postings, I'm guessing they only service local residents so it has the potential to make them a lot of money (a restaurant perhaps?).

    Base your fee on how much they stand to make. But if you are going to offer this guaranteed BS, then I would suggest including a clause along the lines of "the client owes nothing if you fail to get the rankings in question". That way it's at least somewhat fair to them for when they don't get their rankings.

    I would also make it extremely clear that you are guarantee Google LOCAL search rankings, not Google search rankings.
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