Cheap SEO Is Not Good, and Good SEO Is Not Cheap
People are usually cautious about taking risky investments until they start bargaining for Search Engine Optimization services. This could be out of ignorance or driven by the mentality of budgeting. Whichever the case, they overlook one crucial truth; effective SEO that delivers results should not be cheap. Unfortunately, many business owners and marketing directors look for the cheapest SEO options instead of focusing on investment and returns.
What Is Cheap SEO?
The definition of cheap SEO varies from one situation to another. Most of the time, it is a factor of your company's budget and revenue, which in most cases correlate to your company's size. A large enterprise may be looking at a budget of $5,000 per month, a figure that will make a small business cringe.
Regardless of the situation, low-cost SEO services have become almost synonymous with cheap SEO. It goes beyond the price you pay and extends to the quality of service and results of the strategy. This tells you why this is not the kind of service to get for your company.
When you hire a cheap SEO company or self-acclaimed SEO experts, you put your brand and reputation at risk. Take, for example, a case where you hire SEO services for backlinks. You might find a service provider offering to create 150 backlinks for your site for $50-$195. The SEO strategy at such a cheap rate will work fast, but it will put your website at the risk of crumbling down sooner.
According to Stuart Crawford, CEO at Ulistic, good SEO doesn't come cheap. For example, he charges $150 for each high-quality link. While this may sound expensive for a site that requires more than one backlink, the results speak for themselves. Crawford recommends taking the SEO process slow and giving it time to produce results. Avoid taking shortcuts like the proverbial hare and tortoise.
Why is Cheap SEO Bad?
So many agencies are now promoters of cheap SEO, which makes companies wonder why cheap SEO is bad after all. It makes sense to ask, especially because a simple online search for "cheap SEO services" will yield dozens of results. Most of them are from agencies that supposedly provide low-cost SEO.
While you can pick from various agencies, you can be assured that you'll get the same experience for those low prices. First, before you get these services from such agencies, keep in mind the shortcomings of cheap SEO services.
1. You Only Get What You Pay For
Before you see any measurable results with your SEO efforts, many moving pieces come into the picture. From intent alignment, technical evaluations, and keyword research, there is a lot your marketing manager should understand about search engine interactions. By paying standard market rates for SEO marketing, you are buying years of experience from a professional practitioner.
When you pay premium rates, you also pay for the tools, first-hand knowledge, and experience. The cost also goes towards catering for clear communication and value-added support, which allows you to focus on other aspects of your business without worry.
It's almost a guarantee that you will not see such consistent results with cheap SEO services. You stand to lose in the long run.
2. Google Quality Guidelines
Google algorithms keep changing. Since Google's Panda came into the picture, cheap SEO can't help much in putting your business in the front line of high-quality SEO. On the contrary, it can put you out of business by creating issues that you can't recover from promptly. You don't want your website to be one of those that had to close because of "gaming" the system.
A cheap SEO company lacks the expertise necessary to understand the intricate details of Google policies. Remember that when you hire an SEO service provider, you entrust a lot into their hands. As such, you want one who can professionally interpret what is happening in the field. This way, they can help you make a strategy for your company's SEO success. By all means, avoid setting yourself up for failure by hiring a company that is not well versed with good SEO.
3. Cheap SEO Follows on a One-Size-Fits-All Strategy
Cheap SEO service providers treat all their clients the same. Your business will be like everyone else, and to them, nothing is distinctive about your products, services, company, competitors, or industry. That explains why they provide you with an unimaginative strategy for SEO. If you know anything about SEO, you know that a copy-paste approach will not work.
Like other digital marketing strategies, SEO requires that you have a tailor-made plan for your business. What drives results for an eCommerce store may not drive results for your law firm.
A cheap SEO agency will not care about what works and what doesn't with SEO. All they are after is the monthly payment. They will then follow their service scripts to deliver less-than-perfect SEO, and off they go to the next client. Since SEO can take a few months to yield results, they won't have to deal with your disgruntlement for a while. This is not the kind of service you want for your hard-earned money.
The Value of Good SEO
In comparison, SEO agencies worth their salt will charge you higher prices, but for good reasons. The results they deliver are also reliable. They will also offer you an entirely different experience. Instead of providing SEO services based on service templates, they will build an SEO campaign with you from scratch. Such agencies dedicate their time to learn and understand your business, products, industry, and competitors inside and out.
This tells you why you need to partner with an agency that knows what it does as far as SEO is concerned. They will create a customized strategy that works for your company and brand to enhance your competitive advantage. Ulistic is one such agency, always working around the clock to deliver an SEO strategy that works for each client. Call us today for an initial consultation for a good and effective SEO strategy.
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