Search engine optimization is notorious for being expensive, but is that really the case? And if so, is there a cheaper alternative?

If you are on the fence and unsure how to proceed, give this article a read and we’ll settle the score for you.

Why is SEO so expensive?

First of all, SEO is only expensive if you look at it like a cost, rather than an investment. The fact is, when SEO is executed properly by a reputable and well-established digital marketing agency, you should be able to achieve a highly scalable and sustainable return on your investment.

In other words, assuming that all goes well, you are going to make your money back and some.

So; on the surface, SEO does appear to be very expensive, but there’s a good reason for that as well…

SEO is incredibly time and resource intensive. In order to achieve the desired results, it takes a number of specialised individuals working on a multitude of areas in order to make your website as appealing to Google as possible. This isn’t something that happens without a sizable investment.

Is there a cheaper alternative?

If you want to save your money, there’s always the option to handle all of your SEO requirements in-house.

However, just like hiring SEO experts appears to be expensive on the surface, handling your own SEO in-house appears to be much cheaper than it actually is.

• If you want to do it by yourself – while managing a business – you’ll be on a fast track to burning yourself out. The fact is, the amount of work that will be involved with being effective is not sustainable.
• If you want to build your own in-house team, you have to consider the cost of:
• Hiring talented marketers with sufficient experience.
• Or providing in-house training.
• Annual salary including all benefits such as holidays and bonuses.
• Sick leave.

As you can see, before long everything will start mounting up – ultimately costing you more than it would to outsource to the right agency.

The same applies with all of your digital marketing requirements; having a solid Instagram marketing strategy, creating world-class YouTube content, and dominating the SERPs with a well-optimized PPC campaign takes time – and expertise.

Hiring ANY SEO agency can be expensive

With all that being said, hiring any old agency doesn’t guarantee you results. As such, it can indeed end up being very costly as well.

It’s not unheard of for business owners to invest in SEO, only to end up either being scammed or having to drop their chosen agency because they are failing to deliver the desired results.

Fortunately, there’s a very easy work around: do your due-diligence before making any commitments.

If you want the best SEO services you can’t be shopping around on price. If you find a cheap SEO agency, run. They’re cheap for a reason. Instead, look for an agency with:

• Lots and lots of 5* reviews from satisfied, previous and existing customers.
• Dozens of real-life case studies from recognisable brands.

If you make the above points your must-have criteria when looking for an SEO agency, you’ll have no trouble narrowing down your search, wheedling out the undesirables, and finding a truly capable agency worthy of your trust and investment.