I’m as cost conscious as the next guy, but there comes a point when pinching pennies is counter productive… especially in business. When I look at various on- and off-line marketing campaigns, I don’t look at the cost so much as I look at the overall return. Sure, a big price tag makes me think long and hard before investing, but what I want to know is, will I get my return on that investment?
The bigger the price tag the harder it is to jump into an unknown investment. This is just as true with SEO as with any form of marketing, but perhaps even more true with SEO because the return is not instant. SEO requires a long-term investment and the money you pour into it today will not be returned for several months. This is even truer for new businesses just getting online.
The Internet has attracted many new business owners who thought (some rightfully and some not) that they could simply build a website and start making money in their spare time. Many people have become successful and probably a great deal more have not.
Any business, on- or off-line, requires investment. Investment of both time and money.
If you have neither time nor money, there will be no success.
If you have time and not money, success can come, but you may run out of time before it happens.
If you have money but not time, success may come, but it will be fleeting without proper preparation and planning.
If you have both time and money, success may come, but like any business, a proper business plan is required.
Obviously, the best position is to have both time and money. And if you want to optimize your site for search engines, you need both. But be prepared to spend both as well. Look at your options, but don’t consider pricing only. Price (high or low) is NOT an indicator of a more successful campaign.
Costly marketing will still fail, if the business plan is not solid.
Cheap marketing will usually only produce cheap results.
It’s not how much it costs, it’s the ROI (return on investment) that you get for your money. Look at the long-term goals. If you really want to succeed with optimization be prepared to invest, and like any good investment, allow it to fully mature. Only then will your search marketing campaign prove successful.