SEO doesn\u2019t have to break the bank. Many free and affordable SEO services can help your small business succeed online.<\/p>\n
This article will review why you should invest in SEO and compare the costs of standard SEO services. We\u2019ll also share essential and optional services to get you started.<\/p>\n
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a set of processes aimed at improving your ranking on search engines to increase traffic to your website.<\/p>\n
For small businesses, budgeting for the high cost of traditional pay-per-click (PPC) advertising may not be feasible. SEO offers a way to reach your marketing goals on a smaller budget.<\/p>\n
While traditional advertising services can boost your small business immediately, SEO is a long-term digital marketing strategy.<\/p>\n
The time frame is different for every company, but SEO can take\u00a06-12 months to show results<\/a>. This slow build leads to lasting results, and once your strategy takes off, you can sustain SEO results with minimal maintenance costs.<\/p>\n SEO is technically free because you don\u2019t pay for placement on search engine results pages (SERPs).<\/p>\n However, if you want to achieve specific results, you will need to budget for SEO services.<\/p>\n On average, small businesses spend just under\u00a0$500 monthly<\/a>\u00a0on SEO.<\/p>\n That may seem like a lot. But the same study also found that small businesses spending over $500 a month are 53.3% more likely to be \u201cextremely satisfied\u201d with their results than those who spend less.<\/p>\n The cost of SEO depends on several factors including type of service, website complexity, and support included.<\/p>\n It also varies based on who you hire. You can work with SEO agencies or freelancers. You can also learn to use SEO tools yourself or hire an in-house specialist.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s look at the cost of hiring an agency or freelancer versus using an SEO tool.<\/p>\n According to an SEO services report by Credo,\u00a085.49% of SEO agencies<\/a>\u00a0charge between $50-200 per hour, with the most common range being $100-200.<\/p>\n Just over 60% of consultants or agencies have a monthly retainer minimum of over $1,000. If you can\u2019t afford that much, many agencies offer affordable SEO packages at an introductory price so you can test their services with minimal risk.<\/p>\n SEO tools can provide a cost-effective solution for businesses with smaller budgets. They offer SEO functionalities like keyword research, site audits, backlink analysis, website rankings, and traffic tracking.<\/p>\n Semrush offers a free account that lets you perform keyword research, analyze competitors, run a website audit to identify technical SEO issues, and more.<\/p>\n Paid subscriptions give you access to added features like advertising and social media tools, content templates, and competitor analysis.<\/p>\n Plans vary based on features offered, but all are significantly cheaper than hiring an agency or a freelancer.<\/p>\n Whether you choose to keep your SEO efforts in-house or work with an outside expert, the following four services are a great place to start.<\/p>\n An SEO audit is a starting point for any SEO strategy. It evaluates your current website and determines how well it\u2019s optimized for search engines.<\/p>\n Audits typically include:<\/p>\n An audit will highlight any performance issues so you can improve them.<\/p>\n Two SEO audit tools you can use are:<\/p>\n To use the\u00a0Semrush Site Audit tool<\/a>, you\u2019ll need to start a new project for your website and set up your audit. You can use the default parameters or learn how to\u00a0configure a site audit<\/a>\u00a0for customized results.<\/p>\n When you run the audit, your dashboard might look like this:<\/p>\n The\u00a0Site Health<\/strong>\u00a0score shows your website’s SEO health based on the number and seriousness of issues found.<\/p>\n From here, you can use the\u00a0Issues<\/strong>\u00a0tab for a complete rundown on problems with your site.<\/p>\n Each issue will provide you a list of URLs that are affected and how you can fix it. Many are easy enough to do on your own.<\/p>\n This is just the start. A\u00a0complete SEO audit<\/a>\u00a0will help you optimize your entire site.<\/p>\n Keyword research helps you find and analyze the keywords your target audience types into search engines. Doing so allows you to tailor your content and get more relevant traffic to your site.<\/p>\n Three keyword research tools you can try are:<\/p>\n Semrush\u2019s\u00a0Keyword Overview Tool<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Keyword Magic Tool<\/a>\u00a0can help you discover and rank thousands of ideas automatically. That way, you can prioritize the easy opportunities first.<\/p>\n Start by entering a seed keyword. This is a common phrase or word from your industry that you\u2019ll use as a starting point to find more terms.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s say you\u2019re a ski shop business owner. You might type \u201cskis\u201d into the Keyword Magic Tool.<\/p>\n Once you click \u201c\u041f\u043e\u0438\u0441\u043a<\/strong>,\u201d the tool displays an extensive keyword list to inform your targeting, content creation plan, and content optimizations.<\/p>\n For example, you may write articles that center around:<\/p>\n When you click on a keyword, the Keyword Overview tool will show you the volume of searches for this query and other valuable information. For example, keyword variations or related keywords.<\/p>\n With these insights, you can understand the demand and relevance of a particular keyword based on filters like:<\/p>\n This process will help you prioritize keywords to create valuable content around.<\/p>\n For example, in the above screenshot the word \u201cskis\u201d has a volume of 33.1k and difficulty of 73%.<\/p>\n While the term has a large search volume, there\u2019s a lot of competition for it. In other words, it\u2019ll be difficult to rank for. Especially if you\u2019re just starting out.<\/p>\n But the Keyword Magic Tool can filter\u00a0keyword difficulty (KD)<\/a>\u00a0in the sweet spot between Very Easy and Easy (0-29%).<\/p>\n Although the search volume is lower for these suggestions, you\u2019re more likely to rank for them.<\/p>\n With the free Semrush account, you can run 10 keyword searches per day and get 10 results for each.<\/p>\n You can also use\u00a0Google Keyword Planner<\/a>. This free tool helps users find industry-related keywords for ads. However, you can also use it to find search volume and competition for organic content.<\/p>\n Further reading:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Technical SEO involves optimizing the backend elements of your website to help search engines understand and rank your site.<\/p>\n For example, Google has confirmed your site\u2019s speed is a ranking factor on both\u00a0mobile<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0desktop<\/a>. So faster loading times can help your site rank higher.<\/p>\n Without technical SEO, search engines can\u2019t crawl and index your website\u2019s pages. In other words, they can\u2019t navigate your site or understand the content on it.<\/p>\n That means your pages won\u2019t appear in search results and you\u2019ll lose out on valuable organic traffic.<\/p>\n Three technical SEO tools you can use to help are:<\/p>\n Poor site performance (like slow page speed or poor mobile display) can lead to user dissatisfaction.<\/p>\n If visitors to your site arrive and quickly leave, it can indicate your website lacks a positive user experience (UX) to search engine algorithms.<\/p>\n The more this happens, the more your search rankings can drop.<\/p>\n To find out how your website performs, check its speed with\u00a0Google\u2019s free PageSpeed Insights<\/a>\u00a0tool.<\/p>\n Type in your webpage URL and click\u00a0Analyze<\/strong>.<\/p>\n On the results page, you can toggle between Mobile and Desktop users to see how your website handles each device type.<\/p>\n Then, head to\u00a0Google\u2019s Core Web Vitals Assessment<\/a>\u00a0in the Search Console. Here, you can see how your website performs across various UX metrics like loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability.<\/p>\n Google will show you how to fix these specific elements (e.g., background color) to improve the user experience.<\/p>\n Google Search Console<\/a>\u00a0also offers a mobile usability report to check your website’s compatibility with mobile devices. From here, you can see which pages aren\u2019t compatible and the specific issues you need to fix.<\/p>\n Google uses your site\u2019s\u00a0mobile version for ranking<\/a>. So it\u2019s important to prioritize it.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t want to jump between tools? Semrush\u2019s\u00a0Site Audit tool<\/a>\u00a0monitors over 140 technical SEO issues for your site on one dashboard.<\/p>\n Under \u201cProjects<\/strong>\u201d on the left side of your Semrush dashboard, click \u201cSite<\/strong>\u00a0Audit<\/strong>.\u201d (To set up a project for the first time,\u00a0follow the steps in this guide<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Then click \u201cIssues<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n This view shows you how many errors your site has and offers suggestions on why and how to fix them.<\/p>\n Technical SEO isn\u2019t a one-and-done process. So, complete a Site Audit regularly to stay on top of any problems as they arise.<\/p>\n Further reading:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Local SEO<\/a>\u00a0tactics optimize your website to be found in local search results. This includes having a\u00a0Google Business Profile<\/a>, researching location-specific keywords, and creating locally relevant content.<\/p>\n Two local SEO tools you can use are:<\/p>\n For example, users in Detroit who search for \u201cbest Mediterranean food near me\u201d may find these results:<\/p>\n Let\u2019s say you own a restaurant in the area.<\/p>\n You can type a competitor\u2019s website\u2014Park Grill, in this example\u2014into Semrush\u2019s\u00a0Organic Research<\/a>\u00a0tool to see all the keyword positions it ranks for.<\/p>\n Using advanced filters, you can exclude branded keywords (words and phrases containing your competitor\u2019s business name). Because these won\u2019t apply to you.<\/p>\n You can also sort results by keyword difficulty to identify business-relevant keywords that are easier to rank for.<\/p>\n For example, you could target \u201cGreek restaurant Michigan\u201d or \u201cbest Mediterranean Detroit.\u201d Both have a KD of 22.<\/p>\n Using these keywords, you can create a guide of the \u201cTop Greek Restaurants in Michigan\u201d or the \u201c10 Best Mediterranean Eats in Detroit\u201d and include Sahara as an option.<\/p>\n Semrush\u2019s\u00a0Listing Management tool<\/a>\u00a0allows you to check the status of local listings in over 70 authoritative directories in the U.S. Including Google Business Profile, Yelp, Bing, and Trip Advisor.<\/p>\n Enter your company name to generate the report. In this case, we\u2019ll use Sahara.<\/p>\n Here, you\u2019ll see the level of your online presence. Including your total reviews on Google, how many listings you need to fix, and your average star rating.<\/p>\n Scroll down to find your listings with specific errors and missed opportunities.<\/p>\n For example, you can see Facebook is showing the wrong business name. And you don\u2019t have a listing on AmericanTowns.com which has around 745.3K monthly visitors.<\/p>\n Update these to improve and expand your company\u2019s mentions in the directories that matter. For a little effort, you could see a lot more local traffic and in-person visits.<\/p>\n Once you have the above basics in place, consider these four additional options to further enhance your online presence.<\/p>\n While these are more time-intensive, you can always outsource them if your budget allows.<\/p>\n Link building<\/a>\u00a0is the off-page SEO practice of getting other sites to create links to pages on your website.<\/p>\n The more high-quality backlinks a page has, the higher it can rank. Google considers backlinks high-quality when they come from authoritative websites.<\/p>\n To find a website\u2019s authority, use Semrush\u2019s\u00a0Backlink Analytics tool<\/a>.<\/p>\n Type in a domain and click \u201cAnalyze<\/strong>.\u201d That reveals the domain or page\u2019s\u00a0Authority Score<\/a>\u00a0(depending on the specified settings), which reflects the website\u2019s overall credibility and trustworthiness in the eyes of search engines.<\/p>\n An Authority Score uses three factors: the quantity and quality of backlinks pointing to the page, estimated monthly average of traffic, \u201cspam factors\u201d to determine the authority level and potential ranking strengths in the SERPs.<\/p>\n The Authority Score is based on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the score, the more trusted it is.<\/p>\n Building backlinks takes time. One strategy is using outreach or asking others for a backlink.<\/p>\n Semrush offers a\u00a0Link Building tool<\/a>\u00a0to help you find prospects.<\/p>\n Start a new Project or create a new campaign for an existing Project.<\/p>\n Add the keywords you want to rank higher for after using the Keyword Magic tool to research.<\/p>\n Then add URLs of competitors you want to outperform. When you\u2019re done, the tool will generate a report.<\/p>\n This report takes you to the Overview dashboard to track your campaign\u2019s performance, overall prospects, received replies, and monitored domains.<\/p>\n Clicking \u201cGo to Prospects<\/strong>\u201d will take you to the\u00a0Prospects<\/strong>\u00a0report where you can see link building opportunities and their sources.<\/p>\n From here, you can:<\/p>\n Link building can be a long process, but it\u2019s one of the fastest ways to build your website\u2019s authority.<\/p>\n Further reading:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n According to Statista,\u00a0over three billion internet users<\/a>\u00a0watched streaming or downloaded videos at least once in 2022. So incorporating video SEO should be on your radar.<\/p>\n Some best practices for video SEO include:<\/p>\n Let\u2019s look at a couple of these in more detail.<\/p>\n Your video thumbnail acts like your\u00a0meta description<\/a>\u00a0in the SERP. And it can affect whether a user clicks on your video.<\/p>\n If it looks relevant and high-quality, you\u2019re more likely to get more clicks.<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t choose one yourself, Google will choose it for you. And a mistimed slide or awkward facial expression won\u2019t represent your video\u2019s content and could look unprofessional.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why we make the topics of Semrush videos clear with well-designed, eye-catching thumbnails:<\/p>\n Pro tip:<\/strong>\u00a0The YouTube Studio app can suggest three thumbnail options or help you create your own.<\/em><\/p>\n But what about the content itself?<\/p>\n Transcribing your video\u2019s audio to text has two main benefits:<\/p>\n By transcribing your videos, you\u2019re helping both humans and search engines understand its context and relevance. Sites that do this well (and often) tend to rank higher.<\/p>\n Further reading:<\/strong>\u00a0Learn about these tips in more detail with our guide\u00a0Video SEO: How to Get Your Videos to Rank<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Social media SEO involves optimizing social media profiles, and content to increase your visibility in search engine results.<\/p>\n Social media doesn\u2019t directly contribute to your SEO ranking. However, you can share the same link across platforms to increase your exposure.<\/p>\n This helps you:<\/p>\n For example, you can build your brand\u2019s authority on a platform like\u00a0Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n Instagram has over\u00a02 billion monthly active users<\/a>. Around 50% of them say they\u00a0discover new brands<\/a>, services, and products there.<\/p>\n We use our Instagram account to send relevant traffic to our blog posts:<\/p>\n Instead of sharing it in one place (your blog), you can get it in front of more people by sharing on different platforms.<\/p>\n Semrush Social<\/a>\u00a0can help you create an effective social media strategy.<\/p>\n The toolkit includes four tools:<\/p>\n The\u00a0Social Poster<\/a>\u00a0tool can help you draft, schedule, and post social content directly from Semrush.<\/p>\n Use this interactive calendar to plan out your year on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and more.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Social Analytics<\/a>\u00a0tool allows you to see internal metrics for your social channels.<\/p>\n Use it to track metrics like new follows, post reach, and engagement to see how effective your efforts are.<\/p>\n You can also keep an eye on your competitors with\u00a0Social Tracker<\/a>\u00a0and even see how specific posts performed.<\/p>\n Type in a URL for a competing site and you\u2019ll get an overview of which posts got the most buzz.<\/p>\n Understanding what works best for your competitors helps you create your own engaging content that is likely to perform well.<\/p>\n Finally,\u00a0Social Inbox<\/a>\u00a0collects comments, direct messages, and mentions all in one place.<\/p>\n Instead of jumping between channels, always reply promptly from the same dashboard and never miss a message.<\/p>\n Ecommerce SEO<\/a>\u00a0optimizes online stores to improve their rankings on search engines.<\/p>\n And since\u00a033% of overall ecommerce traffic<\/a>\u00a0comes from organic search, ecommerce SEO is an important way to drive customers.<\/p>\n Here are some tactics to improve your store\u2019s SEO efforts:<\/p>\n Let\u2019s look at a couple of these in more detail.<\/p>\n Your title tag is the blue link that appears in the SERPs:<\/p>\n Google uses this information (along with the content) to categorize and rank it. So it should accurately explain what your webpage is about.<\/p>\n But ecommerce sites can take these further.<\/p>\n For example, you could:<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what an optimized ecommerce title tag could look like:<\/p>\n But what if that product runs out of stock? You don\u2019t want to get rid of a page that\u2019s ranking well.<\/p>\n In this case, keep the page live but add a \u201cget notified when this item is back in stock\u201d field.<\/p>\n You can also add recommendations for similar products underneath.<\/p>\n When you get new stock, the page\u2019s content can return to normal.<\/p>\nHow Much Do SEO Services Cost?<\/h2>\n
Hiring an Agency or Freelancer<\/h3>\n
SEO Tools<\/h3>\n
4 Basic SEO Services to Start With<\/h2>\n
SEO Audit<\/h3>\n
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Keyword Research<\/h3>\n
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Technical SEO<\/h3>\n
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Local SEO<\/h3>\n
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4 Nice-to-Have SEO Services That Are Still Budget-Friendly<\/h2>\n
Link Building<\/h3>\n
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Video Optimization<\/h3>\n
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Social Media SEO<\/h3>\n
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Ecommerce SEO<\/h3>\n
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