[efilm66]

If I want my website to take full advantage of a qualified SEO expert and getting my site listed close to the top on Google Search, how much should I expect to spend in the developing stage and on a monthly basis?

Is that too broad of a question? Some programmers advertise SEO into the cost of developing a website, and then don't add any extra costs monthly.. does that mean they're really not doing anything for my website once its "complete"?

Thank you

[FidelGonzales]

That is a very broad question. And I'd personally hate to absolutely guarantee any results that place you at the top. Some markets are extremely tough, and a site among them might have a dedicated staff working toward the effort. Likewise, the site in question and the company it represents may not legitimately have what it takes, at which point other measures must be used.

Anyhow, I'd like to see your current site.

I view SEO as a living tool that should coexist with any bona fide online operation. It can be implimented into the development of a site, but fine tuning must be made to meet the exact objective. Likewise, the site must evolve to adapt to the changing market and objective.

Just guessing, though, I would say that a quick SEO job on a very small site might be $100. While numerous modifications can be made to modify text links and other such items, there also comes a time when copy writing must be enlisted. Of course, this will add to the end cost.

[davidbugeja]

I agree with FidelGonzales. SEO can almost never have any guaranteed listed because of its constantly changing nature. Reohix on www.reohix.com seems to do quite a good Organic SEO on website from what i heard, at only $100. Right on spot FidelGonzales LOL!

[Spider-Man]

The cost of SEO in this case would be determined on a) the keyword and b) the competition.

I could relatively easily get a site ranked 1st out of 5 million results. Yet getting 1 keyword isn't going to bring enough traffic or sales in this particular market.

List the keywords and I'll take a look into it, if you'd like.

[CamTheMan]

I buy space on several search engines for mine.

I pay probably a max of $18/month for each search engine with a max of $50 limit

I buy sponsored linking on yahoo/msn/google/ask you may want to do that. I've helped my site reach a Page rank of 2 getting on up there.

You could do that, and add more keyword into your website.

[crucialclick]

I'd say an SEO budget of $400+/mo would be reasonable if you are serious. But every project is different. Share some more information and I'm sure you can get more accurate info.

[kfawcett]

Like what was stated above. SEO is an ongoing effort and should be worked into normal operations. Depending on your market it could be somewhat easy to get to the top for certain keywords and for others could it be nearly impossible. I wouldn't expect any SEO expert worth his weight to only charge $100. At best they will follow what I have listed below and not much else.

[Theodore Bocker]

Thanks for the three links, all very interesting. It's a sject I will probably need to explore in the future so all of those were quite usefull.

[Steve_gts]

Quote

Some programmers advertise SEO into the cost of developing a website, and then don't add any extra costs monthly.. does that mean they're really not doing anything for my website once its "complete"?

There are 3 main stages to any seo project, the first is keyword and competitor analysis, the second is on page optimisation, the third is back link building. Of course there is reporting, reviewing and updating the strategy throughout too.

What you have been told before is just the on page aspects, keyword to text ratios, using title tags, alt attributes etc. BUT if you have not done stage 1 in the first place, you (or they) are highly unlikely to get this stage right. They may well be doing something, but if it will be effective or not is another matter, as you could end up doing the work based on a particular keyword (or set of) which is to competitive for your budget, has decreasing search volumes or is just not what people look for.

The price of a campaign will also depend on the selected keywords, for example "insurance quotes" would cost a small huge fortune to get to the top of google, whereas "insurance quotes wiltshire" would be quite easy.

Just a word of warning as there are loads of people out there offering a substandard service, so don't believe anyone who promises you a top position for even a vaguely competitive keyword, especially for a low price, you would most likely just be throwing your money away. And do expect to see immediate results, many SEO's will try to blind you with science, but the reality is that you should see a consistent rise in rankings, on a month by month basis, if you don't, find a new company.

[awebuser]

SEO is a continuous activity which should be done every month and as Steve_gts points out you should see consitent improvements every month. Stay away from companies that give you guarantees. There are no guarnatees. Although a good SEO should be able to guarantee you consistent improvements in rankings.

With regards to price you get what you pay for. The more budget you have to spend the quicker you will see results. You can get very cheap seo from as litte as £99 but typically this would only cover you for one keyword. Although sometimes if a keyword gets a large volume of searches you will make enough money to cover your SEO costs and make a profit. If you are looking for a recommendation who to use I can recommend you my SEO agency, PM me and I will send you their details.

[codingideas]

Hello,

There are a lot of different things you can do to please the search engines. It really is - relevancy. How relevant are you for the targeted key term? Compilation. There are a gold mine of secondary key teams.. how new is the domain? How many relevant backlinks do you have? If you want to learn about asking the right questions then visit http://www.seomoz.org

[harrryden]

hello seo is not one day process.it is long and continous process.
it includes lots of steps. each step is important for website.so seo's cost will be based
on so many conditions. like in which region you want to promote your site. how many keywords u r using for ur site.
lots of rules and conditions are used to set seo cost.