I called a prospective client the other day after she emailed me asking to discuss our recommendations and rates.
“I’m looking for affordable SEO services,” she said.
I’ve had the misfortune opportunity to work with and for a few sales-oriented SEO agencies in my day. If I learned by example, I’d cringe at the word “affordable” in cases like this. The general understanding: this lead is a bargain hunter, a tire kicker, whatever you’d like to call her. She’s looking to get a Rols Royce for the price of a Ford Pinto.
After discussing my thoughts on the necessary SEO services and related costs with this client, I did some quick research using Google’s External Keyword Tool. It turns out a lot of people are looking for affordable SEO.
Does Affordable Mean Cheap?
The natural inclination is to avoid calling your services “affordable.” It sounds like “cheap.” We all want to be paid what we deserve for our work, and most of us know that selling on price, when you’re selling a service, turns you into a commodity. And there’s almost always someone willing to work for less.
But SEO is a web marketing service. And like all web marketing, it’s different from traditional services primarily because the results are easily measured. The ROI is easily measured, at least within reasonable accuracy.
Affordable SEO Means SEO That Generates a Positive ROI
Essentially, the question that’s being asked when someone asks if SEO services are affordable is, “will I see a positive return?” Not, “are these services cheap?”
Selling SEO services means selling marketing services, and the definition of success in marketing is always tied to a company’s bottom line.
If an SEO campaign required a $25k investment but resulted in $75k of increased revenue over the next three quarters, doesn’t that constitute an affordable service? I should say it does – that’s a hell of a bargain, really.
Any SEO agency that sells its services without confidence in the ROI they’re earning their clients essentially hasn’t answered the affordability question. And today, the answer to that question matters more than any other.
Valuable SEO services are an investment, not a cost. If you’re selling SEO, that needs to be at the center of your communication.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I think this is an extremely relevant topic, especially as more and more small businesses start looking to the web to drive traffic. I’m not 100% sure that affordable doesn’t mean cheap, in some cases. The problem that comes up is that even after pitching a client on how it can really be “affordable” based on the ROI, they want to know and have a guarantee that they’ll see that result (typically). So how do you make yourself affordable without also putting yourself in a corner for getting paid later. I guess what I’m saying is, even with the most confidence in the world you can’t always be sure that the ROI will work. There are many factors that are just out of your control such as cutomer service on the clients end, price points, shipping charges, etc. All things that can squash a sale mid-stream and therefore make the ROI do down.
I agree however that you can’t just assume the client is “cheap” because they are looking for afforability. Perhaps they have been burned in the past or really just don’t have the resources to be one of those thousand dollar a month clients.
Great post, and very thought provoking.
No doubt – sometimes affordable does mean cheap.
I think, though, that as long as you’re selling a marketing service, getting as close to possible to an ROI measurement is key. If you’re just not confident you can take responsibility for the actual sales numbers (if you don’t have confidence in the client’s business model) – well, I’d suggest that either 1) you find another metric other than sales or 2) you don’t work with that client.
That means you can’t work with everybody – if you look into a client’s business model and decide it just stinks, why would want to act on their behalf as their marketing agent?
Businesses that are already profitable should stand to see real revenue gains from effective SEO – but if you can’t track conversions, it can be tough to find an accurate metric for success. If you have no metric for success/ROI, do you have everything you need to get started?
Very good point, you are setting yourself up for failure if you don’t have all the information and accountability in place.
Hi..
I don’t think affordable always means cheap, It the way how people market their products and services using the phrase affordable.. Basically what it means providing all the services and letting your clients know about what you are doing to increase their web traffic.
But no doubt affordable means cheap. But doesn’t mean that providing cheap services .
Thanks..
john..
I think this is a difficult issue. Yes, people are looking for affordable services. But the problem, as you point out, is that people expect top-notch service for an affordable price. There are some people who just think they can get everything more cheaply. And sometimes you can. But I’ve found that you get what you pay for in the end.
You got that right. Also many ppl don’t understand how much work is involved to do seo and other marketing services. Clients you are looking for bargains are no good. I had a guy every time he priced out work said the quote was to much. So we low balled him and said it’s to much. We said we don’t want your work anymore it is to much drama.
It is always one of the things that are sought-after by website owners- the affordability of the services offered by SEO firms.
Yeah – Sure. Things that are valuable are always sought-after. But in free markets, things that are valuable become expensive. Supply and demand. The question here is if affordable SEO is really possible given this universal fact?
@Adam Certainly supply and demand is a key factor. It’s the reason SEOmoz can get away with charging $1000/hr for their consulting services. It’s also a function of what the market can/will bear.
Of course, the long term value of the service is where “affordability” comes from. Whether the client has the capital on hand is a short term concern.
The problem is identifying valuable vs. worthless SEO services. In such a saturated market (and one with very little bar of entry) there will always be undercutters who underbid and thereby commodify a service.
But you don’t hire the kid down the street to develop your marketing plan…
You nailed it! Boy are you one smart cookie! I’m just getting started with my own sem business and still stumbling around with how best to get that presentation across to a prospect. I’m taking on paid-for-performance clients to get my foot in the door. Hoping that once I build up some credibility I can charge a reasonable fee from the start.