March 24, 2022

There are all kinds of questions about Search Engine Optimization (SEO), but one we don’t talk about much is the impact SEO has on your ROI. The answer to this is not always straightforward, but we’re here to help go over some of the variables you may encounter.  

We want to start this off by saying that like anything marketing-related, SEO is an investment. If you invest correctly, the pay-off will come in the long run. There are two obvious expenses that come along with SEO and that is the cost of people, think of in-house or an agency, and the SEO software tools you invest in. Let's break it down more: 

SEO Specialists 

We won’t jump down the rabbit hole when it comes to whether you should hire someone in-house or hire an agency. But, what we will go into is that you get what you pay for when it comes to someone’s expertise and experience. SEO requires a strategy, and there is no one-size-fits-all formula that can magically boost a website’s ranking. An SEO specialist, or a team, will know how to adapt and adjust strategies based on individual goals and challenges.

SEO Tools 

When it comes to SEO tools, you won’t be hard-pressed to find both free and paid versions. Free tools are great for small businesses just getting started with website optimization, but they might not be what you need. For example, Google Ads Keyword Planner is great for paid search marketing, but PPC keywords can differ from SEO. When it comes to paid SEO tools, you might find an all-in-one suite, or you may need separate applications. An example of a paid SEO tool is something like SEMrush or Moz.  

These are a couple of expected costs you should look for when you invest in SEO. However, there are a handful of costs you may not be aware of until they pop up. Here are a few not-so obvious costs associated with amping up your SEO efforts. 

IT/Web Development 

Something a good SEO team will do is run a technical audit of your website and address or fix any errors they come across. This is because they do not want to waste their efforts on their on-page content, and off-page SEO if the site is not ranking or indexing well. The range of technical errors can vary in costs, but often require the assistance of an IT person or web developer, which can add to the cost but is a necessary fix.  

Content Creation  

Having quality content is an important part of SEO. Something needs to be optimized, right? If you don’t have quality content, your rankings and organic visibility will suffer. Google prioritizes relevant, reliable, and up-to-date content when it comes to where you rank on the Search Engine Result Page (SERP). The cost to have good content on your website can vary depending on the individual or team you reach out to but should not be something you overlook.  

User Experience 

When working with SEO, user experience (UX) is critical if your end goal to driving visitors to your website is to make conversions. UX means your website is pleasant for users to navigate and help them complete their goals. It can include site speed, navigation, whether the site is mobile-friendly and more. Similar to having IT run a technical audit, a web designer will need to be brought on board to ensure your website is optimized for UX.    

When thinking about SEO, it's important to remember that it is a necessary part of your digital marketing strategy and should be looked at as an investment. We wanted to break down some of the different costs to give you an idea of what you can come to expect when you want to begin measuring the ROI of your SEO efforts without being caught off guard but some of the other costs. At the end of the day, your SEO efforts are meant to contribute to your bottom line.  

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