Pricing search engine optimization services is a challenge to quote precisely. It’s stating the obvious to say no two websites are the same. The amount of optimization and the size of the search engine placement effort can vary dramatically from one site to the next or even within a single site.

There can be a lot of variables to take into account:

• Does the existing site use frames or Flash or utilize mostly graphical vs. text links?
• Does the site use a database to serve pages, and what type of database technology is used? Which search engines support these technologies?
• Does the site use techniques that break search engine rules, possibly causing negative responses from the search engines?
• How many pages does the customer want to submit?
• How many keywords does the customer want to be identified with?
• Does the customer know which keywords they want to use?
• How much research is required to identify optimal keywords for the customer?
• How competitive are the customer’s keywords?
• What is the customer’s current search engine position?
• Can pages on the existing site be modified and optimized for improved ranking?
• How much does the client want to spend?

So given these variables, I would suggest we construct the Search Engine Optimization service as outlined below. These are guidelines. I think we would want to work with each customer to tailor a program to their needs.

Submission Only Service

• Submit a page as is to all major search engines, no changes to the web site, and no follow-up on the results.

$50/page (Privately, who would want to do this?)

Optimization Service+

• Optimize an existing or create a new page for a specific keyword or keyword combination, utilizing the customer’s existing user interface and design with minor modifications.
• Submit the page to all major search engines.
• Monitor the search engine for ranking changes.
• Provide the client with reports at two and four months.

$250/page

Business Service

• Analyze and research the web site’s current web site position.
• Research and identify an optimal keyword or keyword combination for a customer’s web site.
• Develop specific, optimized META tags including title, keyword and description.
• Optimize a page for a specific keyword or keyword combination.
• Submit the page to all major search engines (Google, MSN, Inktomi, Fast, Looksmart).
• Submit the site to the key directory listings (Yahoo, dmoz)
• Monitor the search engine for ranking changes.
• Provide the client with reports at two, four, and six months.
• Continue to optimize the client’s web pages to improve rankings.

Resubmit the page(s) to the major search engines. 

$350/page or $200/month for six months in advance.

Premium Service

• Addition of robots.txt file so the search engine spiders are able to “crawl” only the portions of your site necessary, and to prevent indexing of the wrong pages.(If needed.)
• Analyze and research the web site’s current web site position.
• Research and identify an optimal keyword or keyword combination for a customer’s web site.
• Develop specific, optimized META tags including title, keyword and description.
• Optimize a page for a specific keyword or keyword combination.
• Submit the page to all major search engines (Google, MSN, Inktomi, Fast, Looksmart).
• Submit the site to the key directory listings (Yahoo, dmoz)
• Monitor the search engine for ranking changes.
• Provide the client with reports every month for six months.
• Continue to optimize the client’s web pages to improve rankings.
• Resubmit the page(s) to the major search engines.
• Identify other web sites on the Internet on which we will create links to the client’s web site.
• Paid inclusion on  Overture or related services for the customer’s keyword or keyword combination.
• Paid inclusion in Looksmart (Included in your package) partners with MSN, AltaVista, Netscape, InfoSpace, CNN and C|Net.
• Paid express inclusion in Yahoo (Included in your package).
• Paid inclusion in AltaVista.

 $400/page or $250/month for six months in advance plus placement costs

Optional Services

• Identify and create new domains associated with the client’s keyword or keyword combination.
• Build a home “doorway” page for these new domains optimized for the customer’s keyword or keyword combination. The new domain’s home page links to the rest of the client’s existing web site.
• Submit the new domains to the major search engines (Google, MSN, Inktomi, Fast, Looksmart).
• Submit the new domains to the key directory listings (Yahoo, dmoz)

$200 per domain plus registration fees