The best ways you can avoid Cheap SEO Packages at all costs!
Unfortunately, not all SEO services are equal.
There are a lot of cheap SEO packages out there that can do more harm than good.
And when it comes to your business, you don’t want to take any chances.
You want to make sure that it is in good hands and that you are getting the most out of every investment.
So, to help you make better choices when it comes to investing in SEO.
Here are 10 reasons why you should avoid cheap SEO packages:
- You don’t know what you’re getting.
- The quality is usually poor.
- The results are often short-lived.
- You might get penalised by Google.
- It’s a waste of money.
- It’s not a sustainable solution.
- You’re better off doing it yourself or hiring a reputable professional.
- Cheap SEO prices often use black hat techniques. This can get you banned from search engines altogether.
- They rarely deliver on their promises.
- In the end, you’ll likely end up spending more money to fix the damage they’ve done than if you had hired a reputable professional
We’ll take a look at a few of these in more detail shortly.
But first, what’s wrong with these packages, are they that bad?
And why should we avoid them at all costs?
The answer is…
Yes and Yes.
But why?
Let me explain.
First, we need to know how to identify these low-cost offers.
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What Do Cheap SEO Packages Look Like?
If you’ve never invested in SEO before, it can be quite difficult to know what a cheap package is when you see one.
And when we are all attracted by the sight of lower costs when we decide to buy something.
It can be difficult to make the right choice.
So when confronted by a table of cheap packages, like these below, what’s not to like?
Well, quite a lot.
This is a very common pricing structure and immediately rings the alarm bells.
These low-cost SEO monthly packages are exactly what you need to look out for.
But why should you avoid cheap packages like these?
Let’s find out.
Why Cheap SEO Packages Don’t Work
1. The numbers don’t make sense
You only need to do some basic maths to understand why these packages can’t work.
Let’s say you signed up for a cheap £99 per month SEO package:
- That’s £24.75 per week
- Based on the UK’s minimum wage of £9.50 per hour
- That’s about 2.5 hours of work per week (or 30 mins per day) they can allocate to your campaign.
So let’s put some context to this.
What can you get for 30 minutes per day?
Well nothing really, but that’s not going to help me explain this scenario.
So for this, let’s concentrate on 2.5 hours per week which equates to £24.75.
The most obvious resource we will need for our website is content, usually in the form of a blog post.
I can tell you now, you won’t be able to get a professional writer for that price, so get that out of your head!
But we can use cheaper alternatives, such as FatJoe.
FatJoe is a reputable company providing web resources.
They charge £10 for a basic 250-word non-optimised blog post.
Aside from the fact that long-form content of 2500+ words ranks better.
This simply isn’t going to be enough to compete with the competition.
Yet, after just two very short pieces of content, this leaves us with only £4.75. Yipee!!
We also know that another major ranking factor is the number of backlinks to our site.
Again, looking at FatJoe and their blogger outreach service.
They charge £35 for the lowest quality links. Which we can’t afford with our remaining budget.
And, these figures above don’t even take into account tax.
If we allowed for these, we couldn’t afford either service!
Also, we haven’t discussed the fundamentals of any campaign, which are:
- Technical SEO
- On-Page SEO
- Off-Page SEO
But with such low-priced packages, we can’t afford to do any of this.
Check out this blog post talking about On-Page SEO and in particular what effect Alt-Text has on performance.
In summary, It’s clear to see that the numbers don’t add up.
Cheap packages like these can’t cater for what’s needed, even at the most basic level, to deliver an SEO campaign.
We need to ensure quality, helpful content is being acquired, consistently, along with relevant backlinks.
Campaigns that have such low budgets can’t do this.
Even if they can, you will find the content very short in length and poorly written.
And it’s likely ‘Black-hat techniques‘ will be used to get any links.
The result of this is likely to be a Google Manual Action (which is technically a Penalty).
2. You’re just another client
Have you ever worked with an SEO agency and felt like a number?
Have you ever wondered why that is?
It’s usually down to scalability and volume.
For businesses that offer these low-cost SEO packages, it’s all about volume.
They need lots of clients to offset the low-value service they offer.
For example:
If your business only had a handful of high-value clients, you would likely be able to offer a bespoke service to them and spend more time on their project.
But.
If you had 2,000 clients all paying very little. Your services would need to be very generic and very informal to handle many jobs at once.
The result of this would make you feel uncared for and unimportant.
And when you’re investing your hard-earned money into something, no matter the amount, you need to feel important.
It should now be clear why you should try and avoid cheap services.
But, if cheap ones are no good, which packages should we choose?
Let’s take a look.
What package should you choose?
The SEO package you should choose must be based on its deliverables, its strategy, and its primary objectives.
And most importantly provide an estimated Return on Investment (ROI).
The package you should choose, shouldn’t even be classed as a ‘package’.
Because the most effective SEO strategies are often those that are customised to your specific business.
They are formulated by the results of a discovery call or consultation and delivered in a proposal that is unique to your requirements.
It will give an overview of your current website performance and how it compares with that of the competition.
The example below gives this client an idea of their competitors’ backlink profile.
IMPORTANT: An SEO Audit is a great way to find how your website is currently performing before you take on a fully managed SEO campaign.
Only then can it be determined what deliverables are required to meet the campaign objectives.
By going through this specific procedure, you can then understand the potential long-term value it will bring to your business.
Take a look at this blog post which explains the reasons why SEO is so important for a small business.
This value is what will determine the cost of the SEO service and what you will base your decision on.
If this is done correctly, the value of a successful SEO campaign to you and your business will outweigh its cost.
How much should SEO cost?
There is no fixed cost when it comes to SEO as there are so many variables involved.
The cost can vary depending on the size and scope of your project, as well as the competition in your industry.
Yet, you can expect to pay anywhere from £800 to £5,000 per month for SEO services.
If you have a very large or competitive project, you could end up paying much more.
But the most important thing is.
Whenever you commit to an SEO campaign, the value must outweigh the cost.
In other words, the long-term ROI must outweigh the costs to the business.
At the end of the day, the cost of SEO is worth it.
Investing in SEO can help you attract more qualified leads, convert more customers, and grow your business for years to come.
If you’re not sure where to start, book a free consultation to find out how I can help you.
How Much Should You Pay for Quality SEO Services?
Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question.
As the right SEO package for your business will depend on many factors.
This can include:
- You budget
- Your goals
- Your competition
But, there are some general principles that you can keep in mind when looking.
First, it’s important to realise that you get what you pay for.
While it’s possible to find cheaper packages that offer a good return on investment.
It’s also important to be aware that there are many low-quality providers out there who are looking to take advantage of unsuspecting businesses.
So, it’s important to do your homework and make sure that you’re working with a reputable provider before making any commitment.
Look at their past results and if they have any accreditations or qualifications. However real experience is must more important.
For example, over the first 9 months, I was able to achieve a 4,678.10% increase in organic traffic for one of my clients, increasing monthly users from 306 to 14,621.
One-size-fits-all SEO packages may work for some businesses, but they’re unlikely to be effective for others.
As such, it’s important to find an SEO consultant who is willing to work with you to develop a bespoke strategy.
Finally, it’s also important to keep in mind that there is no magic bullet when it comes to SEO.
While some providers may be able to offer you a significant discount.
It’s important to remember that the goal of SEO is to improve your website’s visibility and traffic levels over time.
Not to achieve immediate results.
So, it’s important to be realistic about your expectations.
If you’re looking for immediate results, you’re likely to be disappointed.
But, if you’re willing to invest the time and effort required to develop a long-term SEO plan, you can achieve the results you’re looking for.
For example, I was able to increase visibility for a client's eCommerce category page. Going from page 5 to page 1 within 30 days, taking it from position 50 to position 2.
How can I do SEO for cheap?
If anything, this is a more sensible question than looking for cheap packages.
Why?
Because, if you have the time and dedication to learn, there is a huge amount of information and learning resources available, to do SEO for cheap.
And of course, by ‘cheap’ I mean ‘free’ because you will be doing it yourself!
Next steps – Cheap SEO Packages
As a business owner myself, I know the importance of growing your business.
I also know the fear of investing in something and wondering if it was the right choice.
And with so much information available, it can be overwhelming to understand.
In an industry that is sometimes misunderstood. It has become too easy to sell SEO cheaply and claim it works.
And as the customer, how do you prove it doesn’t?
Because the truth is.
By watching a few YouTube videos, and changing a few titles on your website. You will see a very quick and short improvement in rankings.
And that’s enough for someone to claim they are an expert and sell SEO!
And because of this, I decided to write the article.
Because, as an SEO professional, it’s my responsibility to ensure customers are given the correct information.
And to prove this.
You won’t find me trying to rank an article selling cheap SEO so I can make quick money.
In fact.
My aim is to rank this post, informing you of 10 reasons why you should AVOID cheap SEO packages.
That’s because:
- I respect the SEO industry
- I respect my clients and their business
- I respect the work that goes into getting results for them
If you’ve found this helpful and would like to find out more.
I offer a FREE consultation in which we can discuss how SEO can help your business.
Whether you require an SEO audit or an SEO monthly retainer, I can help.
Book yours today and let’s get started!
