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Local SEO Pricing

by lukeaf8
28 replies
So, I've been scouring all these posts and trying to glean some sort of information concerning what people price for their Local SEO service.

I have seen a lot of pricing theory. Thankfully, as a result I'm all up to date on "how" to price my service. But I am really interested in "what" people are charging for "their" service.

I understand that it varies by market, and it differs based on past performance and a proven track record.

But, is anyone willing to just share "what" they charge and "why" they charge it?

Even if you charge differently per client, I would love to hear examples of past/present clients and why you came to those pricing decisions.

This will be very helpful in giving me an idea of where I need to be.


I appreciate the answers in advance.
#local #pricing #seo
  • Profile picture of the author vndnbrgj
    Why don't you pay someone for one on one coaching?
    Or pick up a few good WSO's?

    You have been coming on here questioning everything... That could have been solved with the first two questions....

    Regardless, here is what you charge:
    What you are worth and what your market will bear.

    Here is what I charge:
    What my time is worth and what my market will bear.
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    • Profile picture of the author rbrShorty
      The answer you will probably always receive - charge as much as you think your time is worth it.

      The true answer - charge as much as you can get. Obviously, if the demand for you is big, charge higher than normal. If the demand is low and you need every lead that is coming to you - charge lesser than normal. If you are satisfied with the demand and the rate you are getting per lead, and you want to be getting new leads, then charge accordingly.

      I'll give you an example - setting up and "optimizing" a Google Places listing might take you between 10 minutes and 1 hour per month, depending on how diligent you are. Anything over that means that your working pace is just too slow. Normally, this might be priced at anything between $20 and $200 depending on how much you think the client might be ready to give (if they are lawyers, it will obviously be at the upper range of that). However, Google Places listing can be created even by a 10-year old kid. That's why I'd never ever charge for such a thing. Most of my clients anyway come to me in 99% with already created GP listings.

      The general local SEO services could also vary in pricing. My general rates vary between $500 and $2,000 per month, depending on what should be done, the competition, etc. In the beginning, when I was starting and no one knew me, I had problems getting a client to pay me more than $400 per month for pretty much the same job and quality.

      Currently my only flat rates are for consultation - $100/hour.

      The bottom line - charge accordingly.
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      • Profile picture of the author drees5761
        Originally Posted by rbrShorty View Post

        The answer you will probably always receive - charge as much as you think your time is worth it.

        The true answer - charge as much as you can get. Obviously, if the demand for you is big, charge higher than normal. If the demand is low and you need every lead that is coming to you - charge lesser than normal. If you are satisfied with the demand and the rate you are getting per lead, and you want to be getting new leads, then charge accordingly.

        I'll give you an example - setting up and "optimizing" a Google Places listing might take you between 10 minutes and 1 hour per month, depending on how diligent you are. Anything over that means that your working pace is just too slow. Normally, this might be priced at anything between $20 and $200 depending on how much you think the client might be ready to give (if they are lawyers, it will obviously be at the upper range of that). However, Google Places listing can be created even by a 10-year old kid. That's why I'd never ever charge for such a thing. Most of my clients anyway come to me in 99% with already created GP listings.

        The general local SEO services could also vary in pricing. My general rates vary between $500 and $2,000 per month, depending on what should be done, the competition, etc. In the beginning, when I was starting and no one knew me, I had problems getting a client to pay me more than $400 per month for pretty much the same job and quality.

        Currently my only flat rates are for consultation - $100/hour.

        The bottom line - charge accordingly.
        A lot of sense spoken, but i totally disagree about Google Places. Yes setting it up is easy, but optimising it, getting citations, reviews, keyword rich pictures, video's etc, takes time and most businesses in my area don't know a thing about Google Places and don't have the time to do it themselves or are not listed there at all. Its a quicker way to get the business listed on page 1, depending on the keywords chosen and how difficult the competition is.
        I always look at the ROI of the business as well before i quote a price.
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        • Profile picture of the author Zach Crawford
          When I first started I didn't worry about what others were charging. I got my first SEO client for $200 a month. My only goal was to break even, and have a client I could have a testimonial from and to prove I knew how to rank sites.

          So I used this clients results to show future leads. Most clients want to see your previous work and won't pay you high monthly retainers until you have something to show for it.

          If you have problems getting clients because of no work to show for it I would focus on ranking your site so you at least can show them that.

          Even though you may think $200 a month is selling yourself short because others are selling SEO for $500-2000 a month, the other alternative is to sell on here for $50 for the same package.

          Offline marketing is all about networking and referrals. You can SEO the heck out of your website and run PPC ads, but at the end of the day referrals will always be the best leads.

          Focus on finding one client and do the best work possible for them. Once you're bringing them business ask them for referrals. Most of your satisfied clients will tell their friends with businesses because they are excited about having their business show up on the first page of google.

          One of my clients was more happy about his website coming up for his business name then a keyword phrase that brought him 200-300 searches a month.

          His friend was waiting to see if I could rank him. Soon as he seen I was able to rank his friend I received a phone call saying how much to do the same thing for me.

          I learned early that referrals were my best friend. I built my local offline business up once and then do to a personal problem I let everything tank. Now I'm rebuilding everything and doing the same thing. I've restructured my business and referrals are already coming in.

          Don't focus on how much money you can charge initially, but instead focus on how you can explain to the customer how you can add value to their business.

          To answer your question: I don't have set prices. I wait until I'm sitting in front of them and get a solid feel for how interested they are. If the client is obviously sold I will throw out a bigger quote. If they buck on the price I will then say, well I normally don't do this, but if you would be willing to tell your friends about me if you're happy with my services I will do it for (insert discount).

          I also will lower my prices if I know the person has a huge network. If they have a huge network I will even negotiate free services if they can bring me X amount of leads.

          Get the appointments, educate them on how you can help them, get your first clients, raise your prices as you feel comfortable.

          There is no right answer because some of us focus on small clients, and some focus on huge corporations. Get that first paying client so you can get the fire under your ass to get more ; )

          Hope that helps
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          • Profile picture of the author DoubleOhDave
            Originally Posted by 88crxsi View Post

            When I first started I didn't worry about what others were charging. I got my first SEO client for $200 a month. My only goal was to break even, and have a client I could have a testimonial from and to prove I knew how to rank sites.

            So I used this clients results to show future leads. Most clients want to see your previous work and won't pay you high monthly retainers until you have something to show for it.

            If you have problems getting clients because of no work to show for it I would focus on ranking your site so you at least can show them that.

            Even though you may think $200 a month is selling yourself short because others are selling SEO for $500-2000 a month, the other alternative is to sell on here for $50 for the same package.

            Offline marketing is all about networking and referrals. You can SEO the heck out of your website and run PPC ads, but at the end of the day referrals will always be the best leads.

            Focus on finding one client and do the best work possible for them. Once you're bringing them business ask them for referrals. Most of your satisfied clients will tell their friends with businesses because they are excited about having their business show up on the first page of google.

            One of my clients was more happy about his website coming up for his business name then a keyword phrase that brought him 200-300 searches a month.

            His friend was waiting to see if I could rank him. Soon as he seen I was able to rank his friend I received a phone call saying how much to do the same thing for me.

            I learned early that referrals were my best friend. I built my local offline business up once and then do to a personal problem I let everything tank. Now I'm rebuilding everything and doing the same thing. I've restructured my business and referrals are already coming in.

            Don't focus on how much money you can charge initially, but instead focus on how you can explain to the customer how you can add value to their business.

            To answer your question: I don't have set prices. I wait until I'm sitting in front of them and get a solid feel for how interested they are. If the client is obviously sold I will throw out a bigger quote. If they buck on the price I will then say, well I normally don't do this, but if you would be willing to tell your friends about me if you're happy with my services I will do it for (insert discount).

            I also will lower my prices if I know the person has a huge network. If they have a huge network I will even negotiate free services if they can bring me X amount of leads.

            Get the appointments, educate them on how you can help them, get your first clients, raise your prices as you feel comfortable.

            There is no right answer because some of us focus on small clients, and some focus on huge corporations. Get that first paying client so you can get the fire under your ass to get more ; )

            Hope that helps
            Interesting post and it makes a lot of sense but leaves me with a question - what should go on a list of what we offer for "$200" and upwards? I know how to show task completed, but not sure what tasks would be understood by an off-liner?
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  • Profile picture of the author Rus Sells
    I wouldn't necessarily take the information you've gleaned from the here on how to price your services as the way to figure out what to charge. Much of it just creates jobs and not businesses.

    Don't be concerned so much with what others are charging because in most cases you'd be comparing Apples to Oranges in regards to the quality, quantity, and number of services provided. Not to mention what's bearable or tolerable per niche.

    Also if you learned how to price your services you shouldn't need to be asking so I suspect you really don't know how or what to charge.

    If you want to be the sole provider of the services that you deliver to small businesses then you've created a job for yourself. That's fine if that's what you want to do. Decide what you want to pay yourself per hour and then just charge that.

    However if you want to build something and expand it and have other people doing the work then you need to decide how large you want to be, figure out all the costs associated and start charging that much now, not later.

    Originally Posted by lukeaf8 View Post

    So, I've been scouring all these posts and trying to glean some sort of information concerning what people price for their Local SEO service.

    I have seen a lot of pricing theory. Thankfully, as a result I'm all up to date on "how" to price my service. But I am really interested in "what" people are charging for "their" service.

    I understand that it varies by market, and it differs based on past performance and a proven track record.

    But, is anyone willing to just share "what" they charge and "why" they charge it?

    Even if you charge differently per client, I would love to hear examples of past/present clients and why you came to those pricing decisions.

    This will be very helpful in giving me an idea of where I need to be.


    I appreciate the answers in advance.
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  • Profile picture of the author Bredfan
    Hey Luke -

    my company charges different prices for different clients. But I can tell you what and how. (I'm not on board completely with the 'whatever you're worth' idea - there are some industry norms and if you're way out of whack, you won't get clients.)

    Local SEO 1: I have a product that is called "Local Launch." This is a basic Local SEO package for small, service based local businesses. Think landscapers, handyman service, etc. I charge 500 set up and 400 per month. The product is Google places set up, Bing Business Center Set up, On-page optimization for local key phrases, geositemap, analytics install. Then monthly we're doing citation building, securing online reviews and some basic backlinking (bookmarks, 1 article, rounded out by citation links).

    Local 2: All of local 1 but we include a heavier emphasis on backlinking in a more traditional sense. We do 3 articles (unique) and pushed to he top several repositories. We do 1 PRWeb press release. We provide 2 blog posts on teh customer's blog and optimize the posts, then syndicate to a handful of RSS recipients (Friendfeed, Twitter, etc). For this we charge $1250/month or $995 if they choose not to do the PRWeb release.

    National SEO is essentially the same with 2 service levels: One at 995 and another at 1995. The difference depends on how much backlinking we do.

    So, in my opinion, the marketplace for Local SEO services will accommodate anything between about $250/month and about $1250/month. The sweet spot is around $400/month.

    For National SEO, I think the market will accommodate anything between 500/month and about $3000/month. The sweet spot is probably around 995/month.

    This is based off of my experience in the industry and my experience as an SEO provider.

    Hope this helps you think things through...

    Also - don't be deterred from asking questions. In my opinion, that's what this forum is for: Ask questions and find answers. In answering questions, I often think about why I answer a question a certain way and it can help me change the way I do things. A year from now, you'll be answering questions for people just starting out. :-)

    EDIT: I would add that there is a market for very high end SEO services in the 4000+/month range. These are usually big companies in very competitive markets and are serviced by a handful of SEO's who can (or want to) do this type of work. There are not many. This market does exists...it's just much smaller.
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    • Profile picture of the author lukeaf8
      Originally Posted by Bredfan View Post

      Hey Luke -

      my company charges different prices for different clients. But I can tell you what and how. (I'm not on board completely with the 'whatever you're worth' idea - there are some industry norms and if you're way out of whack, you won't get clients.)

      Local SEO 1: I have a product that is called "Local Launch." This is a basic Local SEO package for small, service based local businesses. Think landscapers, handyman service, etc. I charge 500 set up and 400 per month. The product is Google places set up, Bing Business Center Set up, On-page optimization for local key phrases, geositemap, analytics install. Then monthly we're doing citation building, securing online reviews and some basic backlinking (bookmarks, 1 article, rounded out by citation links).

      Local 2: All of local 1 but we include a heavier emphasis on backlinking in a more traditional sense. We do 3 articles (unique) and pushed to he top several repositories. We do 1 PRWeb press release. We provide 2 blog posts on teh customer's blog and optimize the posts, then syndicate to a handful of RSS recipients (Friendfeed, Twitter, etc). For this we charge $1250/month or $995 if they choose not to do the PRWeb release.

      National SEO is essentially the same with 2 service levels: One at 995 and another at 1995. The difference depends on how much backlinking we do.

      So, in my opinion, the marketplace for Local SEO services will accommodate anything between about $250/month and about $1250/month. The sweet spot is around $400/month.

      For National SEO, I think the market will accommodate anything between 500/month and about $3000/month. The sweet spot is probably around 995/month.

      This is based off of my experience in the industry and my experience as an SEO provider.

      Hope this helps you think things through...

      Also - don't be deterred from asking questions. In my opinion, that's what this forum is for: Ask questions and find answers. In answering questions, I often think about why I answer a question a certain way and it can help me change the way I do things. A year from now, you'll be answering questions for people just starting out. :-)

      EDIT: I would add that there is a market for very high end SEO services in the 4000+/month range. These are usually big companies in very competitive markets and are serviced by a handful of SEO's who can (or want to) do this type of work. There are not many. This market does exists...it's just much smaller.

      Thank you!

      This is exactly what I've been looking for.
      For some reason I have had the hardest time with people sharing the what and why of their pricing structure.

      I greatly appreciate you taking the time to write this out, it's very useful. I think it gives me an appropriate frame of reference.

      Again, I'm really thankful!
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  • Profile picture of the author blackscorpion
    Bredfan amazingly I stumbled upon your post at a time when I really needed that info, your pricing structure hits the nail on the head, it reinforces what I knew. Thanks again for that post.
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  • Profile picture of the author Bredfan
    You're welcome! The way I see it...this market is so big, there is plenty of room for us all.

    I would reiterate that this is just what I do. It's not the only way to do it, and probably not even the best way to do it. It's just what works for me.

    You may find that depending on your local market or your existing network that you need to be way upstream, or way downstream.

    I also thought more about the "whatever your worth" idea. This has merit, there is no denying it. For me, it applies when I do consulting work. For example, I have a couple of clients who call me a few times a year for consulting. I charge $150/hour. These engagements are usually 1 or two day gigs, where I will go on site to help them with a specific problem. For example, last month I was hired by an educational software company to help their PR people develop a process for search optimized press releases, since they were doing 2 PR's a week. They gladly paid the 150/hour and I probably could've got 200 if I pushed it. Some heavy hitters charge way more than that.

    The same company hired me to do a comprehensive keyword analysis - I charged by the project, but it came out to over 150/hr.

    So my point is...there is merit to the "whatever you're worth" pricing scheme. But that is harder to do if you are trying to scale.

    If you get 15 clients all paying something different, and you deliver something different, you'll have a problem. Consistent pricing and product deliverables are a must if you want to scale. (I learned this the hard way.)
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  • Profile picture of the author mayankgangwal
    For local seo in our areas companyies are charing on clients basis, from $100 to $450 depends on what more service the client is hire them for.
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  • Profile picture of the author RoryF
    I can understand the set up fee, but why does it cost so much per month what are the clients getting for that?
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  • Profile picture of the author jqcaffiliate
    Think about it. If a client can get $200 over per customer value and you can pull in 2000 searches per month for a client, based on click through rates, phone calls to the business, and the owner closing on potential clients, the potential return in investment is incredible.
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  • Profile picture of the author Stephen B
    Love Bredfans answer and the figures sit right from our experience here in South Wales. I'd also be careful of what you are creating, a job or a business, because that was the trap I fell into early on.

    Once you become known in your local area if you are delivering results it doesn't take long before you everyone starts to seek your help and you soon drown in the workload.

    Plan it out what you are trying to achieve and be ready to outsource some of the basic tasks.

    I was working too hard with local clients but now that we have our training modules set up we can help more local business type clients achieve what they want with their online marketing.

    Think ahead now before you start and build your business.
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  • Profile picture of the author beeswarn
    Are people still charging for SEO? If so, have they read this post? http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...yone-else.html
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    • Profile picture of the author matrixman
      Originally Posted by beeswarn View Post

      Are people still charging for SEO? If so, have they read this post? http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...yone-else.html
      The quoted post above appears to have been removed by warrior forum admins. Anyone know why? If you hurry you can still get it on Google Cache. There is nothing objectionable in the post.

      Can warrior forums admins just remove posts like that without explanation? I don't see why they would remove it, unless maybe Google requested it :-)
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      • Profile picture of the author beeswarn
        Originally Posted by matrixman View Post

        The quoted post above appears to have been removed by warrior forum admins. Anyone know why? If you hurry you can still get it on Google Cache. There is nothing objectionable in the post.

        Can warrior forums admins just remove posts like that without explanation? I don't see why they would remove it, unless maybe Google requested it :-)
        If I remember correctly, the post was entitled "Google killed my business," or words to that effect which, if untrue, are defamatory. I'm not an administrator here but, if I was, I would delete every post like that.
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  • Profile picture of the author Bredfan
    Yes, we're still charging for monthly SEO, but the type of work we do monthly has changed... a LOT.

    It used to be that automated social bookmarks, directory links, a couple of articles submitted and maybe some blog comment links were what worked for SEO. That has not been the case for a good long time. (Though there are some who will still see this work anecdotally.)

    With G updates penalizing bad link footprints, like the one described above, SEO is a different creature now.

    A typical SEO program for my company involves content. Get a blog integrated into the site, create unique, valuable content and use basic SEO principles on the new post, and then syndicate that post out to any place the will accept RSS. News Releases syndicated through PRWeb are also part of a national SEO program.

    This seems to be working well...it mixes content development with backlinking and social signals. Most importantly, you can't develop good content without satisfying the most important client....website visitors. It just happens to satisfy the engines too...

    Every time G updates its algorithm in a meaningful way, there are people saying "SEO is dead" or some such thing. I don't buy it. It just means we have to change the way we do things...usually for the better anyway, since engines are pushing toward quality results. So in a way, the engines are keeping us honest.
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  • Profile picture of the author sloanjim
    Here's the thing....

    you rank you local pizza shop top for "pizzas home town" wow.....he gets 15 sales a week form that. $4 profit per sale = $60 per week or $240 per month. So IMHO the most you can charge him is about $150 per month at a push! Take away your work to do this..what are oyu left with? Not much.

    Now you rank Joe Bloggs scam isurance ripp of national company top of G. They get 1,000 new "customers" a week at $5000 proft or $20k month. So you could justify (and they would gladly pay) $2-$5k month


    There's a reason why so many lawyers only specialize in say mergers and aquisitions or corporate law..it's because theat's where the BIG money is. Big money = more profit.

    Work smart or work hard. Only one will get you rich!
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  • Profile picture of the author sloanjim
    Another thing with SEO "work" is it's all B.H. isn't it? Building links is what G. classes as BH. So can't you get into trouble with the company you are SEO'ing for? Please do not tell me building links to rank high is not B.H. SEO work as it plain and simply is.

    I think S.E.O. is dying as a business. It's manipulation and G. has stamped down hard on it.
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  • Profile picture of the author drees5761
    SEO is not dying, its ever changing, always has been, always will be.
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  • Profile picture of the author rainejennifer62
    Banned
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    • Profile picture of the author satilydregon
      This is completely organic for you to want to perform with companies who are in the same place as you, even if the perform is done specifically online. It is completely possible for you to discover top excellent regional SEO solutions, no matter what your place of property.
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  • Profile picture of the author matricresult
    i think it deppend on the keyword base bye my idea it will be 100 $ to 800 $ per month..
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  • Profile picture of the author khurramseo
    There are many difference prices are available but when competition is high in market then obviously some less pricing.
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  • Profile picture of the author jspmedia
    Depends on Business Niche. I am giving quote for $750-$995 Setup and 4-6 Hours of Monthly Work which I am charging $100 per hour with monthly contract or $150 per hour as needed base..
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  • Profile picture of the author cypherslock
    Luke, I can tell you that if you're looking for solid WSOs, there's none better for offline, than those done by Brenden Clerget. I've got most of them, and they've made me money. And Brenden is very helpful to boot.
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  • Profile picture of the author moneyman2010
    Your first goal should be to get your first client.. So charge a price that your comfortable with like $200-$300 a month..And then as you start to get the hang of things increase your prices..That's how i started and now im comfortable with charging premium prices...
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