Using an SEO consultant is highly recommended if you want your website to gain visibility, and you are still new to the field of SEO. Indeed, an SEO consultant masters all the technical aspects of his field, and knows perfectly the main criteria taken into account by search engines to establish their ranking in the SERPs. But what is the budget to plan to use an SEO consultant? We give you the answer in this article.
The cost to expect to use an SEO consultant
The price of the services of an SEO consultant is determined according to several criteria: it therefore depends on:
- Missions to be carried out
- the added value provided by the consultant,
- experience (a senior consultant will usually have a higher fee than a junior consultant)
- the time it will take to complete the audit and establish the SEO strategy to be implemented
- various charges (software subscriptions, social security contributions, office rental, etc.).
The rate can then be calculated on a daily or hourly basis. Thus, hiring a junior SEO consultant can cost between €300 and €400 per day on average. For a senior SEO consultant, the price can go up to 400 € up to 1000 € per day approximately. The total cost to be paid will then increase according to the services requested (SEO audit, keyword research, technical and content optimization, netlinking and monitoring).
Possible pricing models for SEO
In general, an SEO consultant offers four different billing methods. You will then have to choose the one that suits you best, according to your goals and your budget.
Invoicing on quotation
Quotation-based billing is arguably the most common pricing model. After carrying out a first audit, you can request a quote for all the actions to be taken to optimize your SEO. You will then be able to have a fairly accurate idea of the costs to be expected.
A quote also makes it possible to have an estimate of the time it will take to carry out the project, as well as the costs of the various services, such as technical optimization, content optimization, netlinking etc.
Use an SEO consultant with a flat fee subscription
The flat fee consists of the payment of a fixed monthly fee in exchange for services delivered by the SEO consultant and agreed in advance. This pricing model is one of the most popular because it smooths costs.
On the other hand, it has the disadvantage of not always being very precise. And in most cases, a minimum commitment is required from the customer.
Hourly or daily billing
The last pricing model is to apply a daily or hourly rate in exchange for services. SEO consultants mainly offer this pricing model for very specific tasks.
Be aware that if in addition to the tasks agreed with the provider, you want to buy content or links, then you will have to plan an additional budget.