How to charge for SEO work

Injens and a dream of eating rice 7 days of the week, used software like Senuke and MagicS.

I can assure you that NO "SEO Expert" uses such software. Unless they are working on a Negative SEO campaign.

Some people say, It takes 10,000 hours of study/practice to become an "Expert" in a given field. I would find it very difficult, spreading out a 10,000 hour course about how to.

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Maybe, they have perfected doing it all with just 2 fingers on the same hand or something.

Sams,

Regardless of what tools are used, I think the most important thing people selling SEO services can do is manage client expectations and provide a little bit of education.
SEO is one of those services that can’t really be pre-packaged and (hence) can’t just have a price thrown on it. I compare it to legal service where if someone needs an attorney, you don’t go in and ask “ok how much to represent me?”. Naturally they could give an hourly rate but the amount of hours spent will depend entirely on the person’s situation.

SEO is no different because every client’s website, goals, and current situation are different. There isn’t (or shouldn’t be anyway) a cookie-cutter solution for everyone. As a person working in this field, you should sit down with a client and discuss their goals and analyze what they have going on already before you ever mention price. Otherwise they won’t see the value in your services and they are more likely to be thinking “why does this cost so much?”

Naturally you should have your hourly rate hashed out beforehand but I wouldn’t divulge what that is before you build value in your services. People buy results and if they can’t see how you can provide results before you give them a price, you are providing ammunition for them to resist buying.

Best,

Shawn

I rarely ever do... RARELY...

But if I have to do any kind of SEO for someone, look at someones website - basically if I have to do anything that takes me away from my cup of coffee it costs $200/hr

You aren't going to find very many people that can or are willing to pay that. Maybe 1 in a 1000.

It's a lot more about you than them. Charge a fee commensurate to your training and experience.
*What is your time worth?
*How quickly can you find a problem and fix it?
*What kind of SEO service are you providing? (quality and content)
*Are you networked with an influential blogger in their niche that can provide a traffic yielding referral that they couldn't otherwise buy?

Basically none of us can answer this question for you

My pricing is based 100% on the scope of the project, the target market, and the competition. It's why I do not do SEO packages. Ranking a pizza shop in Gettysburg, PA is a lot different than ranking a pizza shop in New York City.

LOL at basing your SEO prices on having the license of Xrumer and other spamming tools.

Are you one of those guys who spams my blogs with "hello sir, your content is most wanted I can haz your RSS you are great I will bookmark to follow you have a great day. to your success"? "Cos if you are, then just be aware my va sends an automated message to the company in the backlink putting them to shame for the crap SEO service they are using.

What happened to good old fashioned basing your pricing on time spent. Anyone who has been around SEO regularly understands all the different processes it takes to do the work. On-page, off-page, link building. Give an estimate based on that and charge for the hours you know you're going to spend.

If it's an initial project, you can still get an idea of what the estimated time frame would be. How long will it take you to update the content on the existing website? How long does it usually take you to research keywords? Just sit down and figure it out and charge what you would pay yourself hourly and you're good.