How Much Does SEO Cost?

How Much Does SEO Cost? is generally a mystery in the online marketing world.  The range is certainly big, from under $50/month up to the unbelievable price of over $250,000/month!  This informative infographic shares the results of custom research from SEOmoz, and was designed by AYTM.

How much does SEO cost? How much time do you have to discuss the various models and prices out there! However, a new survey sheds some light on the subject.

Over 500 people and companies who offer search engine optimization services were asked about how their models. Turns out, it’s most common to charge $100 to $150 per hour, in the US. But by-the-hour consulting is only one of four nearly co-equal ways of charging.

Also popular is project-based pricing, where the average price is between $2,500 to $5,000, in the US. That’s also the same average price for those who buy on a monthly retainer basis. Fixed prices on a contract basis is also a popular way that SEO is sold, but no averages were provided.

The survey was conducted by SEOmoz and compiled into the infographic below by AYTM:

From a design standpoint, there are a lot of things I like about this infographic.  

The consistent columns for regions of the world make the layout very easy to follow.  The data is also organized nicely by starting with basic demographic data to provide a foundation to the reader before getting into “The Main Event” - the main research results.

The data visualizations are fairly simple, and very easy for the reader to understand.  I also like the variety of data visualization methods; no one wants to see all bar charts.  The color scheme is also simple, which visually implies a certain level of authority.  By taking complex data and designing simple visualizations, the design shows the readers that SEOmoz has a clear understanding of the content.

The actual values are not included in the design, which is disappointing.  Since this was custom primary research, I have no way to validate the data visualizations without seeing the data, and that reduces the credibility of the entire design.  From a sharing perspective, it’s hard to quote interesting statistics in a text Tweet or Facebook post without having the numbers to work with.

Legends are Evil!  My biggest complaint is their use of legends in a few sections.  In those charts, the colors are visually hard to differentiate, and the reader has to work very hard to understand which pie slice or bar goes with each color.  This is only a problem in the Agency Type and Common Client Types sections.  The rest do a good job of connecting the data labels directly to the visualization.

The footer should include some type of copyright statement, and the URL for readers to find the original infographic landing page.

Found on Visual Loop

Comments

[Cameron Whitaker]

Great infographic! It's amazing to see the pricing difference per country and the range of charges. It really makes you understand the value of SEO is subjective and relative to the customers perceived value of it. $250,000 seems like a lot to most but to some people it's probably a bargain and well worth it.

[Williamhenry]

Cool Infographics!!

[Lev Mazin]

Hi Randy,

Thanks for your feedback. As always very helpful.

FYI: the raw data was published in the same post:
http://seomoz.box.com/s/73lv6lr69d4ufgk96l5s

I'd love to hear you thoughts on our other works:
http://pinterest.com/aytm/aytm-infographics

Cheers,
Lev

[Scott Thomas]

Nice blog sharing.

[SEO Alaska]

ver nice, Thank you for your informative details from infographics.

[seo optimization]

Really great info..........

[Maciej Fita]

When shopping for services like SEO you really have to do your due diligence because higher cost does not equate to better service.

[Karen@wpengine]

This is information I have always wanted to have. I am a huge fan of infographics since they quickly give you valuable data. I think Neil Patel of QuickSprout recently spent more than 250,000 for CRO services. However he was able to earn quite a bit as a result of his investment.

I agree that the amount of money people spend on SEO services is dependent on their perception of the value they get from it. It also depends on their experience. If someone knows exactly what a service can do for their profitability, they will be willing to invest a proportionate amount in order to see the benefits.

[SEO Bristol]

Very cool and informative infographic

[Oklahomaseo company]

It's been really great going through your blog post, very well informed and described. Great to read and know more about such kind of stuff.

[Suvaance]

Well we can't say what exactly SEO cost will be but it varies in different country and regions and also in different business format. SEO is a promising solution for our business marketing and promotion purpose as it consists of varieties of features and techniques that help to promote our business products and services globally through the help of search engines.

[RecessionProof]

OMG! This article is so correct. Why do businesses especially local ones always get upset that they have to pay for SEO Services, like it is some plague and that they do not need it. Then they wonder why no one finds them online. Although they still budget like $1,500 to $3,000 per month in print ads!

Then there are the companies that act like it is easy to get you to the top of Google. They expect to pay like $200 per month...and they are Plumbing Contractors in New York City. DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD THAT KEYWORD IS TO RANK FOR...ESPECIALLY IN NYC! You just can't expect to be able to pick a Silver, Gold or Platinum Package and think that your instantly going to rank. An audit has to be done. Any SEO company that doesn't first provide that is definitely something to look out for.

[seo services in lahore]

Nice post. Thanks! for the help the cost of seo....

[Monika]

Nice blog.

[seo]

nice infographic!