How much should you spend on SEO? It’s a question every business owner has asked at one point or another, and there are many different answers out there. According to data from Ahrefs, most SEO agencies charge between $75-$200 hourly in the USA and Canada.

However, this can vary primarily based on many different factors. So how do you budget for SEO spending? SEO is vital, there’s no denying it, but does that mean you should spend blindly on it? Of course, not. This article gives you tips on how to create a budget for SEO.

Why Should You Not Go With Cheap SEO?

When creating an SEO, cheap is not always the best option. Like you, even SEO firms will consider what to charge for the SEO services they offer. And they will consider their expertise and quality of service as the top factors in determining the value.

Hence, if you go for cheap services, you might find companies that are not as skillful as others. This can impair your SEO strategy and put you behind in the competition. However, there are also chances of finding qualified SEO companies that offer services at low costs. Hence, you should evaluate the agency’s work against the price they ask for.

Factors That Can Define Your SEO Budget

The size of your business, the type of business you have, and the amount of competition in your market are all factors that can define your SEO budget.

• The size of your business: If you’re working for a large corporation with thousands or even millions of customers, it makes sense that their marketing budget would be much higher than someone who owns an independent restaurant or hair salon.

• The type of business you have: For example, if you’re selling something particular like “dog collars,” there won’t be as much competition as if you were selling general products like “clothes.” This means fewer people will be trying to rank for keywords related to dog collars compared with clothing items, which means less work goes into ensuring those pages are optimized properly so they can rank highly on Google searches.

How to Create an SEO Budget

Now that we have discussed the factors affecting your SEO budget, let’s explore how to create an SEO budget.

What Are Your Goals?

Before you start, it’s essential to define your goals. This will help keep you accountable and on track with your SEO campaign. It also prevents you from getting distracted by other people’s goals.

Goals should be ambitious but realistic: if someone says they want to appear on the first page of search engine results from the very first day, that might not be reasonable. But if someone says to get to the first page within a couple of months, that’s something achievable.

What Do You Need?

The next step to creating a budget is knowing what you need. You need to know what you want to accomplish and how much money you have available before determining how much SEO should cost.

The next step is understanding the current state of your website or blog, including its competitiveness in search engine results pages (SERPs). This can be done through keyword research and site audits using tools such as Ahrefs and Open Site Explorer for competitor analysis.

After assessing where the gaps are between where your site should be ranking and where it currently ranks, determine if there are any low-hanging fruit that can be picked up quickly via on-page optimization or off-page link-building campaigns. These things can significantly impact your SEO rankings quickly and with little effort.

Which SEO Areas Should You Focus On?

Once you’ve decided on a budget, it’s time to determine which SEO areas should be your priority. 

• Focus on the essential parts of SEO. Research the latest SEO trends and most important ranking factors. For instance, a Forbes article says that Core Web Vitals, strong backlinks, and answers to ‘People Also Ask’ questions are powerful SEO trends that can get you higher in search results.

• Don’t try to do everything at once. Many elements are involved in successful search engine optimization, and tackling them all at once can be tempting. However, this can lead to burnout and frustration if things don’t go smoothly right away or, worse yet, if they don’t go well! Instead of trying something new every week or month, focus on one thing at a time until you’ve mastered it before moving on to another area that needs improvement.
• Don’t try doing everything yourself unless you have extensive experience with SEO best practices and know exactly what steps to take for your website’s rankings on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).

Why Outsourcing is a Good Idea?

Outsourcing is a great way to save time and resources. You can focus on your core business while the outsourced company will oversee all the technical aspects of SEO. You don’t need to hire an in-house staff member who will learn everything from scratch, which is usually very expensive.

Suppose you already have an expert working with you but cannot handle all the technical tasks themselves. In that case, outsourcing might also be a better option for them. Outsourcing has been an increasing trend in recent years thanks to its many benefits. According to data from Clutch, 9 out of 10 small businesses outsourced some business functions in 2022.

You might also want to consider outsourcing if your website needs regular updates for it not to fall behind its competitor’s websites. This includes content updates and technical updates such as fixing broken links or making sure there aren’t any security holes in your site’s code because these things can negatively impact Google rankings over time if left unchecked!

Conclusion

Suppose you’re looking for an SEO agency. In that case, it’s important to ensure they have experience in the field and can help you achieve your goals. Keep these tips in mind when creating a budget for SEO spending so that you don’t waste money on things that won’t work!