$1800/month for SEO service for spa in suburbs??

[WellCrafted]

Let me start by saying that I focus on website redesigns that updates/implements SEO for small businesses. I don't do maintenance. So I'd appreciate input from those who do monthly to help me understand this scenario.

A potential client is a medical spa owner in the suburbs and wants a website redesign. She told me she was quoted $1800/month for SEO services. Her SEO is already sound and she's ranking very well.

I haven't done maintenance, so I'm having a hard time understanding out what an agency would be doing for $1800/month for a small biz with a single location in a market that maybe has 4-5 competitors? Is that a typical fee?

The owner was confused by their offer and said it sounded so technical and over her head and expensive so she didn't hire them. But she was freaking out because now she's worried she has to pay that much for her SEO.

Is this normal? I'm newer to SEO so I'd appreciate your perspective. Thanks!

 

[JS Girard]

Even if I don't deal with the financial angle whatsoever (I'm a low-level grunt at my own agency), I absolutely can't imagine continuous services that would cost that much on a monthly basis.

Maybe the SEO agency somehow though they were dealing with a business with multiple locations and complex needs? Or there was some mistake that caused a global quote to me listed as a monthly one? Even then that seems potentially excessive unless there's a massive content creation effort involved...

 

[Conor Treacy]

It depends on what's being done.

We charge that range monthly and in many cases more, depending on work being done. But it all depends on the rates and the hours used.

For us, it's $125/hr and 15 hours is very easy to blow through. Between articles, keywords, rewrites, meetings, link building, monitoring competitors, reporting bad actors, updating content/images, analytics review, generation of new roadmap plans, and then answering clients questions, emails and calls - we can quickly blow through 15 hours.

At the end of the day it depends on the hourly rate charged and the number of hours worked on an account.

 

[WellCrafted]

Thank you both for your insight!

 

[Stefan Somborac]

@WellCrafted - When I started in Local SEO, I was freelancing in a small town. Addressing Local SEO basics was usually enough to get a client at the top of the rankings. In many cases, the few competitors that existed weren't doing any SEO, so there was no ongoing maintenance required. I could address the low-hanging fruit for $500 - $1000 and the client would stay on top of the rankings for months or even a couple of years. The SEO landscape was simple and static.

WhiteSpark offers an entry-level SEO package for $499/mo.

As @Conor Treacy points out, a more robust SEO package can easily require 15 hours/month. (Which falls in the $1800/month range.)

All that to say: the SEO work required for a business to remain competitive depends on the category and location. And it ranges broadly. I'd be asking 1.) what are they getting for $1800/mo, 2.) is it overkill, and 3.) can it be dialed back or ramped up as needed?