The adage that says ‘you get what you pay for’ does not always hold true. For example, you could spend $50 on an off-brand pair of designer sunglasses and still get quality items equal to a brand selling for ten times as much. That is just the nature of retail. But when it comes to marketing and SEO services, it’s a different thing. You truly do get what you pay for.
The thing about SEO services is that they are easily quantified. Data will tell you whether your SEO provider is producing as promised. It is not like sunglasses, where satisfaction is a matter of personal preference. SEO services either produce or they don’t. The data tells the story.
1. Spending More Gets You More
According to a 2021 Search Engine Journal piece from contributor Chuck Price, organizations spent a combined $325 billion on digital marketing in 2019. Price estimated that this number would jump to somewhere around $389 billion in 2021. The numbers make it clear that organizations are willing to spend on SEO services and other digital marketing strategies.
Price also cited data suggesting that spending more gets you more. Apparently, organizations that spend in excess of $500 per month are roughly 53% more likely to be extremely satisfied with the results. Why is that? Because a larger budget buys you more quantity. In the marketing game, quantity is just as important as quality.
2. Top 3 Budget Priorities
Not every organization can afford $500 per month for SEO services. Yet that does not mean a smaller budget cannot reap great results. It can. You just have to prioritize your marketing spend. Prioritizing is something that Salt Lake City’s Webtek Digital Marketing emphasizes with its clients.
Webtek believes there are three budget priorities that, if sufficiently funded, can achieve very good results. They are:
1. Implementing Current SEO Standards
There are lots of ways to approach SEO. The best way is to do it according to current standards. Like it or not, those standards are set by Google. Therefore, the first budget priority is to implement those things that Google places a heavy emphasis on. They include things like mobility, responsiveness, page speed, and keyword optimization.
It goes without saying that all the SEO practices a digital marketing firm employs should be white hat practices. Anything considered black hat risks bringing the Google hammer down hard.
2. Building Strong Links
Links are to SEO what citations are to academia. Google loves them because they tell search engine algorithms a lot about a site. Therefore, the second budget priority is to build strong links that will improve search engine rankings. Google algorithms are looking for inbound links, outbound links, and internal links. The stronger the links are, the more beneficial they will be to SEO.
3. Developing Strong Content
Finally, you need something to appeal to visitors once SERPs and links point them to your site. That something is strong content. Be it written content, videos, infographics, or any combination thereof, content is that which seals the deal. It is what converts a casual visitor into a paying customer.
Developing strong content is the third budget priority. It is also critical. Why? Because weak content doesn’t take advantage of strong SEO performance and link building. And if that is the case, your first two budget priorities might be pursued in vain.
You truly do get what you pay for in SEO. If you are looking to invest in SEO services, look for providers with proven experience, providers who know how to use your budget in the most effective way possible.
