Affiliate Marketing - Is Paying for SEO Worth It? Or Should You DIY?
There's no doubt that SEO is essential for any business.
However, the big question is whether or not you should be paying for SEO.
In this article, I'll go over some of the things you should consider to help you make an informed decision about whether or not to invest in SEO services or just go down the DIY route and do the SEO work yourself to see SEO success.
What Is SEO?
SEO, or search engine optimization, is the process of improving the ranking of a website on search engines. The higher a website ranks, the more likely people find it.
Several factors go into determining a website's ranking, and SEO is the process of optimizing these factors.
This can include optimizing the website's content, structure, navigation, and metadata and building backlinks to the site.
Why Is SEO Important for your Business?
There are many reasons why SEO is vital for businesses. First and foremost, SEO is an effective way to drive traffic to your website. In fact, organic traffic accounts for around 60% of all website traffic.
The right SEO strategy helps you improve your website's visibility and credibility. When a website ranks high on search engines, it signals to potential customers that the site is trustworthy and authoritative.
This can lead to increased sales and conversions.
And of course, this is something you absolutely need to utilize if you want to succeed with Affiliate Marketing.
But should you be paying for services like most businesses? The answer depends on a number of factors, including your budget and business goals.
What is SEO Worth?
It can be hard to pinpoint what SEO worth means to your business, as many factors are at play. But here is a simple calculation that might help to give you an idea of what SEO worth means to you:
Keyword search volume X expected click-through rate X average conversion rate X average order value.
I've got the perfect example to help calculate ROI...
Let’s say you’re looking to rank for the term "SEO" (good luck, lol). According to Ahrefs.com and a string of other keyword tools, this term is searched 124,000 times per month.
Now, from data that you can find all across the web, here are the expected CTRs based on where a website ends up on any SERPs page:
Let's assume that your conversion rate was 1% (which on average, if you're in eCom, it's probably about right.), and your average order value is $100.
Now, let's also assume you can rank number 1 for this keyword (again, good luck, lol)
Let's use our previous equation to find out what the rank 1 spot for 'SEO' would be worth to us; multiply 124,000 monthly searches by (rank 1 CTR) 39.6% times 1% conversation rate times $100 (order value), our total would come to $49,104.
This is BEST CASE SCENARIO, and of course, you've got more chance of meeting The Queen than you have of ever ranking for this keyword.
But it's just an example of how valuable ONE rank 1 keyword can be for your business.
SEO Investment Models
When it comes to paying for SEO services, there are a few different investment models you can choose from.
I'm going to cover them briefly and then help you decide which is best for you, whether you're looking for local SEO or you're just trying to create a more mobile-friendly website:
Monthly Retainers
With this model, you pay a monthly fee for their services. Many good SEO agencies will choose to bill you this way.
This can be a good option if you want regular updates and reports on your website's SEO progress so that you can stay ahead of the completion, whether it's small businesses you're competing with our local businesses.
Fixed Price Contracts
With this model, you pay a set fee for a project.
You can pay for many things here, but I'd suggest paying for mainly on-site SEO when you use fixed contracts. Generally, this is work that doesn't need to be maintained.
Compared to off-site SEO, which requires continuous work to be effective, so monthly retrains or hourly consulting can be much better.
This can be a good option if you have a specific goal in mind, sure as
Hourly Consulting
With this model, you pay an SEO consultant or agency hourly. This can be a good option if you're unsure how much SEO work needs to be done or you want to test out the waters with a new consultant or agency.
But, I would recommend having a basic understanding of what you're actually paying for per hour, how the search engine results page works, how the Google search functions.
You need to understand what SEO work has been done to avoid getting ripped off.
->I would expect to pay anywhere from $100-$350 depending on the SEO needs.
The key here is to make sure you're paying the 'right amount.'
Of course, there is no 'right amount.' It depends on the SEO provider and what these SEO firms will be doing.
I will talk about SEO cost ranges right now to give you insight into whether you pay for SEO to help your business.
Which Option is Best for Me?
The best option for you depends on your business goals and budget. If you're looking to drive traffic to your website, improve your visibility or credibility, or increase sales and conversions, then paying for SEO is likely a good investment.
However, if you're on a tight budget, you can also DIY your SEO efforts by following the tips in this guide. Or, you can hire an affordable SEO consultant to help you get started.
It's definitely worth it for businesses who want to improve their online visibility, credibility, and sales.
Hint: That should be anyone who wants to make cash from their website, which should be anyone reading this. But make sure you're not throwing money away or reading time-consuming blog posts about SEO when you could just be paying companies to do it for you.
How Much Should I Pay for SEO?: SEO Costs Ranges
Many business owners are disappointed to learn that SEO success isn't a bargain and that results don't come fast. However, businesses that invest in search engine optimization services long-term will see significant success over time.
Now that you know the industry's payment models, I want to discuss the varying costs.
Regardless of if you're looking to perform SEO via blog post or you're just looking to dump some cash on paid ads, you can get a realistic idea of what it's going to cost you to get these SEO results so you can get the prospective clients you deserve.
Cheap SEO
SEO is not a straightway as you think, like, or how the SEO gurus tell you it to be.
However, there are still some companies, all across the world, that claim to provide 'Cheap SEO' services.
The typical cost for this sort of service can be about $50-$2,000 a month.
This price range is often aimed at a small business with a limited marketing budget or knowledge of the SEO scene; new startups or builders and hairdressers.
This sort of price range seems too good to be true, doesn't it?
Well, that's because it probably is.
While 'cheap' SEO can work, in the form of paying a couple of people to write some high-quality blog posts with decent anchor text for you every month, you can perhaps take some top spots on the SERPs.
It's not going to be much in the grand scheme of things.
They might even use dodgy black hat methods that will do more damage than good to your website and your company.
On top of this, if you're just paying for articles every month, sure, you might get some top-ranking articles on the SERPs, but the rest of the SEO on your website is wholly neglected.
So when Google makes algorithm updates, you're going to fall seriously behind.
Just as you will discover in the rest of this blog, instead of paying for cheap SEO, it might be worth taking the time to DIY SEO.
Mid-range SEO
The average cost of mid-range SEO is between $2500 and $7000 per month.
Costs for this kind of SEO are typically lower if calculated on a project basis rather than monthly, which a lot of businesses do.
This package is far more successful and dependable than the low-cost range mentioned above.
On the low side of this type of package, the companies will come in and fix the already existing issues with your website; that could be optimizing your meta tags or the entire site structure.
While on the higher end, companies will provide a fully-fledged content marketing strategy. This will involve publishing regular unique content to your blog and updating existing pages, and perhaps even helping to flesh out your link profile.
Overall, this SEO range isn't too bad for most websites that could use some help, especially if you find yourself in a niche ripe for the taking in terms of keywords.
High-End SEO
The high end will cost $7,000+ per month.
The customer may want a company that can provide ongoing services such as a retainer or a fixed price for a project.
This project could be to completely overhaul a website or do all the SEO work for a brand new one.
You get everything with this package.
Companies could be paying this sort of money to fix any penalties, algorithm updates that might have messed up their ROIs, or advanced on and off-page SEO to help get more clients and improve their keywords profile and search results page listings.
Even small things like improving their Google Analytics and other online marketing needs.
These packages are best suited for large e-commerce websites or websites in a very competitive industry looking to level up their internet marketing game and finally fulfill their SEO needs.
But remember, even if you pay all this money, results will not be achieved overnight.
Red flags to watch out for
Beyond just understanding what your website needs in terms of SEO work and how much you're likely going to be paying for it, there are a few red flags I'm going to reveal to help you know whether a company is legit or a crock of sheeeeet.
Making Ranking Guarantees
The truth is, whether you play by Google's rules and do all you can in your SEO power, there are no guarantees that you can get on SERPs for specific keywords.
This is because the algorithm is tricky and constantly changing; there are no guarantees that something working today will work tomorrow. So it takes a little bit of luck (alongside a great deal of effort) to get what you want.
Because of this, if SEO agencies EVER promise you that you're going to be getting the number rank spot for keywords (especially in a competitive industry), they're likely feeding you a lie, so you sign a retainer.
Avoid like the plague.
Delivering Instant Results
Anyone that says that they can give you "Instant Results" in this space is full of BULL.
SEO is not about instant results; the only instant results your website will get is when you get penalized when the agency uses black hate tactics to cut corners.
The Google algorithm is always changing. The goalposts are always moving, and it's becoming better every day - no one, not even Neil Patel, the SEO God himself, can give you instant results.
Cheap Rates
Higher cost doesn't mean high quality, but your defensive shields should be up the instant an agency offers you seriously cheap rates.
There are realities where they could be a new business in the industry and are just trying to get the ball rolling by taking on clients for a low price but this probably isn't going to be the case.
And if it is, don't trust them with your money - you'll sleep much better at night knowing you've hired professionals who have a track record of getting results.
Understanding if paying for SEO is worth it
You need to take a few things into account to know if SEO is worth paying for.
First, you need to ask yourself what your business goals are. What are you hoping to achieve with your SEO campaign? Do you want to increase traffic, improve visibility, or boost conversions? Once you know your goals, you can start to determine whether paying for SEO is the right move for your business.
Below are some of the following questions you should ask yourself if SEO is worth paying to help with the digital marketing scope of your business or if you should go the DIY SEO route.
What do your Search Engines Optimization (SEO) goals look like?
Before considering the other aspects of this argument, it's first important to figure out your overall goal with SEO.
If you just want to optimize your website to be more friendly for SEO and the Google search engine, then you could quickly learn this yourself or pay someone on Fiverr a minimal sum to do it correctly.
Since in most cases, it's a small-scale one and done job - aka on-page SEO.
But on the other end, if you're looking to knock off your competition on the top rankings SERPs or you're looking to outbid your rivals who are dominating PPCs, it can be a costly order to achieve this.
This is typically off-site SEO.
It can be self-taught, I've done it myself before - but paying for this sort of thing can relieve a lot of stress.
So, figure out your digital marketing goals first and then move on to the next question...
Do you have a budget to pay an SEO company?
The next thing to consider is your budget.
If you're a small local company with less than $500 per month in sales, then paying someone else to do your internet marketing might not be necessary. First, it's not cost-effective, and secondly, the quality of SEO you're going to receive on such a small budget will be poor.
However, if you earn a big chunk as a business and want to reach a new audience and bring in more paying customers, you might want to pay an SEO agency to do the work for you.
Doing this will allow you to spend time doing things that actually earn your business money, not wasting your time worrying about organic search results.
If you have a lot of competition or are launching an e-commerce website, paying for search engine optimization (SEO) could help increase your traffic and sales quickly, allowing you to smash down your competition.
Can you trust the company you're paying?
The next thing that needs consideration when deciding whether paying for SEO is worth it or not is can you find an SEO agency you can trust?
One of the mega issues with SEO is that there are no university degrees or doctorates that SEO agencies can show to you to PROVE they know what they're talking about; in fact, it's all a bit of Bull in the end.
They can show you only their SEO work and perhaps testimonials who have received their SEO service - but even they can be faked.
So what's the solution?
Well, research the SEO agencies you're considering. Make sure they have a good reputation, are up to date with Google's algorithm changes, and use white hat techniques.
Do you have the time to do search engine optimization yourself?
You can cut costs entirely if you just forget about hiring an SEO company altogether and just do the internet marketing side of things yourself.
This decision depends on how much time and effort you're willing to (and can) put in - it might not be an option if you work a full-time job or run other companies.
If paying someone else $2000+ to run a proper SEO strategy seems a little steep to you, and you've got plenty of time left in the day, then going down the route of carving out your own SEO success could be for you.
There are plenty of resources out there where you can learn SEO, Google Analytics, and content marketing in general for absolutely free; if you've got the patience and the time, I teach SEO to people all across the world for no cost on this very website.
Other Marketing Channels You Can Use
Focusing your efforts on SEO is one of the greatest marketing strategies you can do for your Affiliate Marketing Business, no matter if you're a small business owner or a new business.
But if you haven't got the time to get yourself on the first page, or you just don't want to trust dodgy digital marketing services, you might want to focus your efforts elsewhere.
(or you just want to not stick all your eggs in one single marketing basket)
Here are a couple of options:
- Facebook Ads - Get your ad offers directly in front of your target audience.
- Social Media - Tweeting or Posting on Instagram regularly can help give you the boost your web page needs outside of paid SEO services
- Google Ads – Bidding on keywords that users enter on the search engines can bring better quality leads. Many business owners are already taking advantage of this, you should too.
- Networking For Link Building - Leaving comments on other people's blogs or just reaching out to them through DM's and Emails could help get your link profile in order.
Should you be paying for SEO services? - Conclusion
In the end, it depends on the previous factors we just talked about; your business identity, its goals, how much money it's bringing in, and how much time you have on your hands.
If you were to ask me, I recommend that if you have the time and resources for it, do your own SEO.
However, if not, then paying someone else to handle this aspect of marketing is worth considering.
But as I've already mentioned, don't just hire anyone!
Make sure they are reputable so their efforts will successfully generate more traffic and sales for your business. You'll want to find a company with an excellent track record that can help grow your online presence when investing in paid search results marketing services.
Whether or not you decide on DIY SEO or "pay-for-play" advertising methods like PPC (pay per click) campaigns, make sure you follow all the advice laid out for you in this article.
Overall, paying for SEO can be an excellent investment if done correctly but make sure that all of your ducks are in a row before paying someone else to do it for you.
Is Paying for SEO Worth It? Or Should You DIY? Read more on: AffiliatingFromHome
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