Inbound links, or backlinks, still matter for SEO. But they are becoming less important to Google. We know the latter to be true as Googlers have been repeating this for years.
In November, Duy Nguyen of Google’s search quality team expressed the same sentiment while explaining why link building campaigns are a waste of time and money and indicating where you should allocate your SEO spend instead:
“…you should probably not waste your money on spamming links. That money is very necessary to create a great website with good user experience and useful content.”
However, I don’t think spending 100% of your SEO budget on UX and content alone is enough to drive organic search results. Just going for links won’t cut it in most markets either.
What you need is a balanced SEO budget. Achieving that balance is not always easy.
To determine the best possible SEO budget, put a premium on tasks that move the needle. Read on to learn how.
The ‘good old days’ of backlinks are (not yet) over
When I started practicing SEO in 2004, many empty pages were ranking on Google. I quickly discovered that there were shady practitioners behind these projects.
“SEO spammers” have used all kinds of tricks to build links to their otherwise useless pages. (In my opinion, you’re either doing SEO or spamming. You can’t negatively optimize by definition. You’re either breaking or fixing things.)
The only use of such “over-optimized” pages, as Google later diplomatically called them, was to make money for their owners – often SEOs themselves, who would create them for affiliate income and passive income.
In late 2022, Google announced another link spam update that addresses:
Google states that spam links are “neutralized and any credit sent by these unnatural links is lost.”
Thank God the days of plain link spam are over!
To be clear, backlinks are still a ranking factor. However, due to Google’s “robust ranking signals”, they can detect and remove sites with unnatural link profiles from the SERPs and “rank the most relevant and useful results for all queries” instead.
Google also updated the E-A-T concept in December to ensure that writers with proper first-hand “experience” end up higher in SERPs, hence the new acronym E-E-A-T.
Keep a significant portion of the budget for linkable assets and outreach that will lead to links down the road.
Ideally, your content will be so exceptional that it will attract links naturally. You may be better off with a larger content marketing spend than allocating money to link building.
Building links to empty sites or ones with low content will be a waste of money. On the contrary, quality content can earn links automatically.
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UX as a Google ranking signal
User experience (UX) as a ranking factor is nothing new. When Google introduced UX ranking signals to its ranking algorithm years ago, it was a paradigm shift.
Before that, the ugliest websites with dismal interfaces ranked high with simple HTML pages. Today, human quality raters and AI algorithms can see which pages are performing well with users and which are simply built to rank.
You do not have a choice. Actual visitors can no longer be ignored. Outdated SEO tactics will not suffice. Everything won’t magically fall into place just because you have website traffic.
Building findable and usable websites starts with writing descriptive and compelling titles and meta descriptions. There are several aspects of UX you need to take into account to meet searchers’ – and Google’s – expectations:
These are just the best UX practices. Once you have them covered and the next budget is available, you can invest more.
One area that most websites still neglect is meeting the needs of people with disabilities, who make up about one in four people in the United States.
Accessibility also affects non-disabled people. Here are some less obvious examples:
Compliance with WCAG and ARIA standards for website accessibility also simplifies crawling and indexing.
Why? Google is still very much the proverbial “blind five-year-old”. The bots read the code and don’t see the websites like humans do.
Content’s ever-growing importance
This should be obvious to people who have followed the development of the web and Google search in particular. More than ever, Google prefers content that is:
With the importance of content, can’t we just cut back on the SEO department and replace the geeks with writers and photographers?
To some extent, editorial links (those provided by actual authors, editors, and publishers) affect the ranking of a web page in Google’s search results.
Content must still attract links or it will be largely invisible. There is too much mediocre, low quality content out there. Most competitive queries have dozens or hundreds of sites vying for attention by offering similar content. The only way to find out which of these articles are really useful is to look at who is recommending them all over the web.
Of course, when investing in SEO, content is a must. But avoid spending money on cookie-cutter, regurgitated content written only for Google bots to digest. That era is almost over.
With the helpful content system in place, Google doesn’t just consider content quality. They seek to reward useful content for people in search of answers, solutions and inspiration.
In the past, I often heard the line “let’s add some SEO content in the footer for Google.”
This so-called “SEO content” strategy should not be part of your SEO budget for 2023. It’s like throwing dollar bills in the trash.
Alternatively, you can focus on linkable assets or even better, link magnets. What is the difference?
The first type is linkable but still requires PR or outreach, the second is really great content that attracts links like a magnet.
How to allocate your SEO funds in 2023 and beyond
Since SEO is a multidisciplinary approach, you can’t just build links and forget the rest. You need to prioritize your website and online presence as a whole. (Think social media!)
The SEO budget is not only meant to be spent on technical SEO, like crawling and indexing. You have to make SEO a holistic endeavor or fail it.
SEO encompasses more than search engines, it is also linked to social and content.
Avoid thinking in ‘strictly SEO’ terms
When I propose to improve UX or write content for SEO, a common client objection I hear is…
“Yes, but it’s not SEO. I just want you for SEO services.”
Well, this “strictly SEO” approach is futile in 2023.
Embrace a holistic website optimization philosophy. SEO is not about “feeding bots” but about fulfilling searchers’ needs. Google gets closer to being a mirror of human expectations every year, and I expect 2023 to be a giant leap in that direction. It has been in the works for many years, and now the time has come.
In the best case, you don’t pay for an SEO audit upfront before doing hands-on work, but get a holistic website or web presence audit (including social media accounts).
Assign SEO importance to actual tasks
Look at the list below. Do you think the following is necessary for SEO?
If your answer is “no”, you are still adhering to a “strictly SEO” mindset.
The above tasks have their place, even in traditional SEO strategies.
Internal architecture relates to internal links that can affect a site’s crawlability and indexing.
Complete user experience design ensures lightness, readability, fast load times and an inviting appearance that is easy on the eyes.
Divide the budget by departments
Do you have a business with multiple departments (ie technology, content, marketing, sales, etc.)? Or do you outsource various tasks to freelancers?
Even if you do everything on your own (which is not advisable), you should allocate your “time” resources properly.
As we have seen above, SEO tasks are different in nature. Some are technical, others are content-related or involve PR and outreach to journalists and influencers. In the end, SEO must create results – specifically revenue.
So given this example, could you just divide the budget by quarters? It’s not that simple.
A well-established website with all the technical SEO basics no longer requires 25% of the SEO budget. Once a foundation is set, you can focus on the building itself.
Is your website almost empty with no content beyond self-promotional copy and product or service descriptions? So invest heavily in the content department.
You may even need to create one in the first place. Most companies will have employees responsible for technology, marketing and sales, but not all assign someone to content yet.
Let SEO people help ‘other’ teams
Most companies are not large enough to afford a dedicated SEO team. If you’re lucky, you’ll have an SEO specialist in the marketing department. But many rely on outside agencies or independent consultants instead of paying for an in-house SEO. I myself have worked as a “hands-on” freelance SEO and consultant for many years.
What I have learned is that SEO experts are often treated like aliens from outer space when confronted with an already established corporate hierarchy.
Website audit advice often ends up being implemented half-heartedly, if at all. Many things are lost or misunderstood in the process of dealing with many different stakeholders.
At times, freelance SEOs are at the lowest level of the hierarchy and SEO best practices are treated as an afterthought. In some cases, they are not even in touch with those responsible for implementing the changes.
In reality, SEO experts are like angels who spread wealth through the various teams and should be treated with consideration.
Allocate a specific SEO budget even if you don’t have an SEO on the team. Then let the SEO practitioner “use it” on the other teams.
If your technical SEO foundation is sound, allocate the funds to the content and PR/outreach tasks.
Or if your site’s content is excellent and has earned many inbound links, but no one can find you – your technical SEO could be the culprit.
Is your site dead-slow, your content not indexed or barely readable? Then the tech team gets the bigger funds again. Just don’t see SEO as competing for funds, attention and status against other teams and their members.
SEO is not the lowest or the highest in the hierarchy. SEO experts help every other team in one way or the other.
Balance SEO spend based on results
Where to place your bet on SEO often depends on the current technology, content and relationships, all of which change over time.
Once you have established a solid content marketing plan, goals and KPIs, you can review the success of specific SEO efforts.
Such KPIs can always be measured and inform you of what is working and what is not.
Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily those of Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.
Tadeusz Szewczyk, also known as Tad Chef, is a professional blogger and SEO since 2004. Although based in Berlin, Germany, he has been covering blogs, social media and searching for a global audience since 2006. In 2007, he launched his own blog – SEO 2.0 – and also published on several other marketing blogs ever since. In recent years, he also wrote for many clients’ social media accounts. You can connect with Tad on LinkedIn and Twitter or visit his website and read his blog on social SEO.
How much do SEO freelancers charge?
What is the hourly rate for SEO specialists? The average hourly wage for a Search Engine Optimization Specialist I in the United States is $35 per hour. December 27, 2022, but the range typically falls between $31 and $38.
How much should I charge for SEO optimization?
Average SEO cost is $100-$250 per hour for US SEO agencies. SEO costs often range from $2,500 – $10,000 per month for US agencies. The average SEO plan costs $2819 per month (per Ahrefs) Overseas SEO companies can charge $10-$50 per hour.
How much does SEO cost for a small business?
How Much Does Small Business SEO Cost? The average price for small business SEO is $750 to $2000 per month or $5000 to $30,000 for one-time projects. Smaller businesses that invest in SEO consulting services can expect to pay $80 to $200 an hour.
How much do I charge for SEO work?
58.7% and 58.8% of SEO agencies and consultants command $75/hour, respectively, compared to only 36.6% of freelancers. However, the most common hourly rate for SEO agencies and freelancers is the same: $75–100/hour. For SEO consultants, it’s $100–150/hour.
How much do SEO freelancers charge?
Hiring an experienced SEO freelancer or agency on an hourly basis typically costs somewhere between $50-$150 an hour. Of course, you can find people who charge significantly less or more than this hourly rate. For example, this hourly rate breakdown for SEO showed that 6% of SEO providers charge over $200/hour.
How much should a beginner SEO cost?
SEO pricing is often not straightforward. There are many factors that make it difficult. For hourly rates, the typical rate is around $76-150 an hour. For a monthly retainer, most of our respondents are between $1,000-2,000/month.
How much should I charge as an SEO freelancer?
However, the most common hourly rate for SEO agencies and freelancers is the same: $75–100/hour. For SEO consultants, it’s $100–150/hour.
How much should I pay for local SEO?
Expect freelancer local SEO rates from $50 to $150 an hour. If you’re running an enterprise-level business, the prices for local SEO services are likely to be much higher than for a freelancer. Some agencies may only offer local SEO services as part of a larger package, which will increase your costs.
How much does SEO cost for a small business?
How Much Does Small Business SEO Cost? The average price for small business SEO is $750 to $2000 per month or $5000 to $30,000 for one-time projects. Smaller businesses that invest in SEO consulting services can expect to pay $80 to $200 an hour.
How much can I charge for SEO?
Automated local SEO pricing generally runs between $300-500 per month. Small scale SEO pricing packages range between $400-$900 per month. Comprehensive local SEO services can be as much as $4,000 per month. Most businesses have budgets ranging from $500/month to $10,000/month.
How much do freelancers charge for SEO?
Hiring an experienced SEO freelancer or agency on an hourly basis typically costs somewhere between $50-$150 an hour. Of course, you can find people who charge significantly less or more than this hourly rate. For example, this hourly rate breakdown for SEO showed that 6% of SEO providers charge over $200/hour.
How much does SEO pay freelancers?
How much does a freelance SEO earn? Per As of December 31, 2022, the average annual salary for a freelance SEO in the United States is $63,623 per year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that’s about $30.59 an hour. This equates to $1,223/week or $5,301/month.
How much should I charge for SEO freelance?
Hiring an experienced SEO freelancer or agency on an hourly basis typically costs somewhere between $50-$150 an hour. Of course, you can find people who charge significantly less or more than this hourly rate. For example, this hourly rate breakdown for SEO showed that 6% of SEO providers charge over $200/hour.
How much do SEO freelancers make?
How much does an SEO Freelancer earn? As of January 20, 2023, the average annual salary for an SEO Freelancer in the United States is $63,649 per year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that’s about $30.60 an hour. This equates to $1,224/week or $5,304/month.
Can you make good money in SEO?
So how much can you earn from SEO? As of September 2021, most SEO experts can earn between $113,518 and $131,590. Salary depends on many factors, including education, certifications, work experience and additional skills.
How can I improve my SEO without spending money?
No Money, No Problem: 17 Free Ways to Boost Your Website’s SEO
- Find better keywords. …
- Delete duplicate content. …
- Fix 404 errors. …
- Write a unique title tag for each page. …
- Write a compelling meta description for each page. …
- Clean up your URL structure. …
- Update your blog often. …
- Include H1, H2, H3, etc.
Is it possible to get free SEO? MozBar is a free SEO toolbar that works with the Chrome browser. It provides easy access to advanced metrics on web pages and SERPs. With MozBar and a free Moz account, you can easily access the Page and Domain Authority results on any page or website.
Do you need to spend money on SEO?
SEO and link building are both crucial parts of an internet marketing plan. They do not require money to be spent on them, but they can be very time consuming. So your online strategy must allow plenty of time to be spent on these two activities.
Does SEO require money?
Technically, SEO is free. You don’t pay money for SERP placement. Google ranks content based on a number of factors, including the E-A-T trio: Expertise, Authority and Trust. They are going to rank highly those that are seen as valuable resources for the users.
How much should you spend on SEO per month?
While there is no fixed cost for SEO services, most businesses should expect to budget between $500 and $5,000 per month. month for SEO. Actual SEO costs will depend on factors such as company size, industry competitiveness and desired results.
How much should I budget for SEO?
At a minimum, you should spend 5% to 10% of your revenue on SEO. But if you want to progress faster, you typically spend more. This does not mean blindly investing in SEO with the promise that more money = better results. But you need resources.
Can I do SEO for free?
Doing so will ensure that your posts are as optimized as possible. SEO tools can help you identify ways to improve your site’s visibility. SEO can seem intimidating to newbies, but there are several free SEO tools that are just as powerful as their paid counterparts.
How much do companies spend on SEO?
The average price for small business SEO is $750 to $2000 per month or $5000 to $30,000 for one-time projects. Smaller businesses that invest in SEO consulting services can expect to pay $80 to $200 an hour.
How much does SEO 2022 cost? How much does SEO cost? While many companies pay between $1,500 to $5,000 per month for SEO, you can pay as little as $100 per month or upwards of $30,000, depending on several factors. SEO prices can vary widely depending on the size of your business, the scope of your project, and your SEO provider.
How much do small businesses spend on SEO?
How Much Does Small Business SEO Cost? The average price for small business SEO is $750 to $2000 per month or $5000 to $30,000 for one-time projects. Smaller businesses that invest in SEO consulting services can expect to pay $80 to $200 an hour.
How much should a small business pay for SEO?
Small scale SEO pricing packages range between $400-$900 per month. Comprehensive local SEO services can be as much as $4,000 per month. Most businesses have budgets ranging from $500/month to $10,000/month. Large SEO projects cost an average of $1,500-$5,000 per month.
How much do companies pay for SEO?
Average SEO cost is $100-$250 per hour for US SEO agencies. SEO costs often range from $2,500 – $10,000 per month for US agencies. The average SEO plan costs $2819 per month (per Ahrefs) Overseas SEO companies can charge $10-$50 per hour.
What is a good SEO budget?
Also remember, the lower the budget, the longer the journey. How much can you expect to spend on SEO? If you hire a top-tier SEO company to run a local campaign, expect to pay $500.00 per month. A national or international campaign will require a minimum budget of $2,500 to $5,000 per month.
Is SEO worth it for small business?
Even if you choose to invest money in SEO, the ROI can more than double if the marketing campaign is well organized. So the simple answer is ‘yes’, SEO is worth it for any small business, even those that don’t operate online.
How much do companies charge for SEO?
Average SEO cost is $100-$250 per hour for US SEO agencies. SEO costs often range from $2,500 – $10,000 per month for US agencies. The average SEO plan costs $2819 per month (per Ahrefs) Overseas SEO companies can charge $10-$50 per hour.
How much does it cost to hire a SEO?
Hiring an experienced SEO freelancer or agency on an hourly basis typically costs somewhere between $50-$150 an hour. Of course, you can find people who charge significantly less or more than this hourly rate. For example, this hourly rate breakdown for SEO showed that 6% of SEO providers charge over $200/hour.
How much should a startup spend on SEO?
How much can you expect to spend on SEO? If you hire a top-tier SEO company to run a local campaign, expect to pay $500.00 per month. A national or international campaign will require a minimum budget of $2,500 to $5,000 per month. Some companies offer a “trial package” at a lower price without a contract.
How much should a small business spend on SEO?
On average, small and medium-sized businesses pay $497 per month for SEO services to a freelancer or marketing agency. Companies that pay more for SEO services see better results, while companies that pay less than $500 for SEO services are the most unhappy. SEO is a long-term strategy that yields long-term rewards.
How much does SEO cost to set up?
On average, quality SEO should cost $3,000/month at an average hourly rate of $150. SEO campaigns can cost anywhere from $5,000/mo. to $100,000/month depending on the vertical. Local SEO may be slightly lower. On average, quality SEO should cost $3,000/month at an average hourly rate of $150.
How much should a small business spend on SEO?
On average, small and medium-sized businesses pay $497 per month for SEO services to a freelancer or marketing agency. Companies that pay more for SEO services see better results, while companies that pay less than $500 for SEO services are the most unhappy. SEO is a long-term strategy that yields long-term rewards.
How much should a small business pay for SEO? Small scale SEO pricing packages range between $400-$900 per month. Comprehensive local SEO services can be as much as $4,000 per month. Most businesses have budgets ranging from $500/month to $10,000/month. Large SEO projects cost an average of $1,500-$5,000 per month.
What is a good SEO budget?
Also remember, the lower the budget, the longer the journey. How much can you expect to spend on SEO? If you hire a top-tier SEO company to run a local campaign, expect to pay $500.00 per month. A national or international campaign will require a minimum budget of $2,500 to $5,000 per month.
How much does SEO cost to set up?
On average, quality SEO should cost $3,000/month at an average hourly rate of $150. SEO campaigns can cost anywhere from $5,000/mo. to $100,000/month depending on the vertical. Local SEO may be slightly lower. On average, quality SEO should cost $3,000/month at an average hourly rate of $150.
How much does SEO cost in 2022?
In 2022, SEO costs for local campaigns averaged around $1,400 per month, while nationally focused SEO campaign costs ranged between $3,000 – $.7500 per month on average.
How much does SEO cost for a small business?
How Much Does Small Business SEO Cost? The average price for small business SEO is $750 to $2000 per month or $5000 to $30,000 for one-time projects. Smaller businesses that invest in SEO consulting services can expect to pay $80 to $200 an hour.
How much should I expect to pay for SEO?
Most businesses have budgets ranging from $500/month to $10,000/month. Large SEO projects cost an average of $1,500-$5,000 per month. Average hourly SEO services cost $100-$300 per hour. For small businesses, you need to spend at least $500 per month on SEO to see results.
Is SEO worth it for small businesses?
SEO is important because it helps you establish yourself as an expert in your field and drives traffic to your website, while helping you organically promote your business for free. If you are unsure about the importance of SEO, you are not alone. Only 36% of small businesses actually have an SEO strategy.
How much should I pay someone for SEO?
Average SEO cost is $100-$250 per hour for US SEO agencies. SEO costs often range from $2,500 – $10,000 per month for US agencies. The average SEO plan costs $2819 per month (per Ahrefs) Overseas SEO companies can charge $10-$50 per hour.
Is paying someone to do SEO worth it?
SEO is worthwhile if you have the right strategy in place and work with a partner who knows how to get results. About 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine, and the closing rate for SEO leads is much higher than for traditional marketing. So SEO provides an impressive return on investment (ROI).
Is SEO still relevant in 2022?
The fact that SEO is working just fine even in 2022 as a method of delivering improved commercial results for business websites and their owners, combined with the need for ongoing research into what works, makes it still relevant as a digital marketing method, but even more so as a valuable service and a rewarding…