7 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
7 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

Newb: How much to charge

by adrixe
6 replies
Hey guys,

Im new in the Im world and would like to know how much do you usually charge for seo for a local company?

Right now, Im running a small service for local companies to rank well.
So far so good I've been able to get them rank. I charged the first 3 clients $75/month for ranking in the first page. and all of them are in the first page and 2 of them got the top spot already.

I went out and got 2 more new clients and charged them $150 for the first month then $100/month for maintenance.

Am I charging to low? I felt that I need to charge my first few clients low just so I can get some samples to show my future clients.

Im looking to get 20 clients only on a monthly basis, I still work a day job and doing my own business on the side.

What I do to my clients is help them optimize their sites, and build those backlinks.

Cost for me total monthly is around $160 - will increase when I get more clients.

I would really appreciate your thoughts
#charge #newb
  • Profile picture of the author MonteMichaels
    Originally Posted by adrixe View Post

    Hey guys,

    Right now, Im running a small service for local companies to rank well.
    So far so good I've been able to get them rank. I charged the first 3 clients $75/month for ranking in the first page. and all of them are in the first page and 2 of them got the top spot already.

    I went out and got 2 more new clients and charged them $150 for the first month then $100/month for maintenance.

    Am I charging to low?
    Yes you are! If you are getting your clients to the first page you should be paid well for that, not to mention even getting them into the first position. Some of the big guys are charging well into the thousands each and every month to do what you are doing for peanuts. Heck there are resellers that are charging lots more to do that.

    If you are going to continue to offer these clients that you already have SEO for that cheap you need to tell them to give you some testimonials. Sounds like that was the reason that you were giving it to them in the first place
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5932427].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author ex9to5guy
    That is way too low. What type of clients do you have? There are many Mom and Pop businesses that will have no problem paying up to $1500 a month! If I were you, I would rather have 1 $1500 client then 15 $100 clients.

    If you are not confident in charging those prices then you should not go less then $300 a month.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5932491].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author msu
    You're definitely charging too low - think about the amount of extra business your SEO work is bringing in for your clients. Must be more than $75.
    Signature
    New to WordPress? Save time with my beginner's guide:
    WordPress Step-by-Step
    (for Kindle & Kindle Apps)

    I'm a top-notch WordPress developer: hire me
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5932728].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Stranger Danger
    It's all subjective. I would not feel comfortable with charging a local hairdresser/salon $1000/month in a town with a population of only 2,000 or so. However, I might feel comfortable with charging $1000/month for a personal injury attorney in Atlanta, Georgia.

    When you are starting out, it is perfectly acceptable to charge lower prices (or offer free services), for the sake of building up a client base for referral contacts and testimonials. However, once you get things going, you should definitely reassess the numbers a bit - as you don't want to be undercutting yourself and setting lower standards (perceived value) for other SEO/marketing firms.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5932856].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author ryanboes
    It's very low mate $75 on the first page, how lucky is your client.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5934712].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author adrixe
    Thanks guys! I really appreciate all your thoughts on this.

    And yes, Im charging this low because I want to generate testimonials from these clients. Once I get a good 10 high ranking business, then I can probably start raising my prices. I still haven't created my site for this service, just a page from my site with my proposal and some results from my first 3 clients.

    Got 3 more clients that I got for $100/month.

    I think I'll be raising my prices for the next 10 clients and see how it goes. I think $150/month then the next 10 will be $200/month.

    Im not yet comfortable to charge high$$ and I still need to learn a lot more about offline marketing.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5938846].message }}

Trending Topics