Discussion 2: Some Inputs on SEO Friendly Content Pricing per Unit in GBP
Andrew
Content Pricing: I have been selling power pages for a while now and sold them for as much as £1000 and as low as £200. At the moment I am selling them for £500 and I think this is the sweet spot, not too much and not too little. The hours that go into a page tend to be as few as 10 and as many as 30. It all depends on the subject matter but I can spend a whole day researching subject and keywords and then another 1 to 2 writing and editing. Just wondering what others charge and how they have gone on?
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I don't sell power pages at present, but £500 is far too low in my opinion, mate.
30 hours work would net me around £2,400. So, I'd be vastly undercutting myself.
If you look at it as an average and say 20 hours work, minus 25% for price work, I'd be looking at charging around £1,200 per power page. Which seems more reasonable.
Mark » Andrew
On what basis do you sell your power pages? As a page to drive links or a page to drive leads?
Andrew ✍️
Hi folks sorry I was on a call. Long response. I do not include outreach for £500. And yes I totally agree I feel the price is too low but having said that what I discovered (after a lot of testing) is that without an outreach plan a power page is just long content with keywords inside. However I have found a few things, firstly people get frustrated with what they often see as just paying for an article. There are endless writers out here who are working for just £160 a day and less. What 90% of people I have encountered believe is that a power page is a be all and end all solution to Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and I have had comments such as "When will it rank" and the like. What most people do not get is the marketing side of the content is essential and by this I mean outreach and social media outreach, otherwise it will have little effect. I don't actually write much content these days as client's are going after social media more and I am training a lot as well. But yes I agree I think it is too little but it does seem to be a sweet spot that people are happy to pay and am genuinely interested in views. » Mark. The power pages are based on keyword content. So in theory if they get linked to they should rank for the chosen keyword/ and or help the domain rise. But also they help with expert positioning/ authority etc
Is the price 25 per hour?
Andrew ✍️
I don't work by the hour to be honest (I do now have an hourly rate but not for this). The reasons for this vary but mainly because of the industry rate for writing
Daine
I think I'd package it up, myself.
Basic – £1,200
Content Research
Keyword Research
Content Development (Writing)
Featured Image
On-page SEO
Expanded – £2,400
Content Research
Keyword Research
Content Development (Writing)
Featured Image
Data Driven Research
On-page SEO
Pre-promotion
Relevant Stock Imagery
Influencer Outreach
Content Promotion & Distribution
Advanced – £3,200
Content Research
Keyword Research
Content Development (Writing)
Featured Image
Data Driven Research
On-page SEO
Pre-promotion
Influencer Outreach
Content Promotion & Distribution
Custom Imagery
Link Acquisition & Outreach – XX Links Guaranteed
Just a quick reference, but you get the idea.
Andrew ✍️
very nice Daine.
Thanks, mate. I actually think it's a cool way of approaching Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Andrew. So, good job with getting started in doing it.
Once you have set packages like that you can do the old, 'Most Popular' on the middle package in your landing page, perhaps with descriptions underneath or popups (find out more) for each element of the process. Perhaps even have all that info on one page with nice visuals and anchored jump links. Kind of make the landing page a power page in and of itself.
Andrew ✍️
Thanks Daine. Largely an issue with the £1200 price (of which I do feel it is worth) is based where I am. Although my current clients are from all over the place I am spending a lot of time educating people as to what good SEO is and the advantages of digital marketing. People are still obsessed with print around here and are way behind the times. (try explaining content marketing to a company that still produces a brochure for £7k a month).
Jesus! That's mental.
I like the fact that you're going about educating people on the benefits of digital marketing.
I mean, I'm sure there's still some merits in print brochures etc but £7k per month on a brochure. How do they measure the ROI on that?
Andrew ✍️
They don't but they just don't believe in digital in the same way
Daine
Now, that is insane. I guess it comes down to results and ROI?
Andrew ✍️
that is an issue for them. It has shocked me how backwards the area is considering it is home to the worlds biggest online gambling firm. In basic terms people in the area have gained results from Pay-Per-Click (PPC) (not my area) but the whole social media thing has largely been ignored and SEO is not even thought about. What people do not understand is that a good Facebook page for example packs a serious punch.

Roshan
I'll just throw in my 2 cents if you guys don't mind. I don't work in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), so my presence in this group is purely out of my interests in SEO and search engines. I work for a Cyber Security consultancy and we are spending a few thousand pounds in getting some brochures created. The owners of the company that I work for will use their extensive network of contacts to distribute the brochures to some high net individuals who have multiple businesses. Whilst a website helps, Facebook wouldn't and I think that LinkedIn would be the only social network that we would use.
Our 2 biggest clients bring in around £1.5M and £600K in revenue to our company. All of that revenue has come in through creating and maintaining relationships. I will be surprised if more than a handful of people even looked at our website. The marketing might seem backwards for some people in this group, but we are a company dealing with clients using state of the art technology and we are helping to protect them from getting hacked. One is a £2B company and the other one is a £20B company.
Our 'startup' company went from £0 to 7-figures in 15 months through word of mouth and a lot of white board sessions 🙂
Daine
Massive potential for online marketing and a great ROI in the cyber security space. I mean, cyber security. It's all about the web.
Andrew ✍️
A lot of think Facebook will not work for them but that is until you start to get to grips with just how targeted the ad platform is.
And it is proven that reaching an audience when they are relaxed (i.e at home ) can be far more effective.
Cyber security is massively suited for digital marketing and Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Mark » Andrew
I think the biggest issue with content is making directors and business owners understand the true value of well curated content pieces. They just see the cost and don't think about the potential return.
I like to find articles that are performing for them already and show them traffic (and audience flow insights) so that they can specifically see instances when a blog article on its own has generated traffic that went on to become a lead.
This works best if the company isnt completely fresh and new.
My best example was for a moving company, they generate about 1 lead per month, for the last 18 months, on a 600 word blog post about pot plants and moving house.
Telling them content marketing works is never as good as showing them 🙂.
These may satisfy you:
» I Want My Writers Are Rich In Research Before Writing
» How Worth and Word Count do You Pay a Website Content Writer Averagely?
Discussion 1: How Do You Guys Charge Your SEO-Friendly Content Services? I Am a Content Writer
David Mark
Hello. How do you guys charge your SEO content services?
I am a content writer and I'm not sure if I'm charging the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) part for mutual benefit(for me and the client).
Right now, I'm writing an article and asked the client If he wants it optimized. He said yes, but he asked me what if he doesn't get a top position. And if he'll get his money back if the article doesn't reach a top 10 position for a keyword.
I want to know how are you charging SEO content?
1) SEO-friendly article with no money back guarantee if that piece of content doesn't get to a top position
2) SEO-friendly and payment done when that piece of content will rank in top 10(6-12 months).
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Due to content NOT being the only determinant in rankings, I would advise against tying your work to rankings benefits directly.
Optimized content isn't a guarantee of a certain rank, but if apples to apples, I would say that properly optimized content will likely outrank sub optimized content.
Devon
If you order a pizza, and your don't think it tastes good, you still have to pay for it.
If you rent a car ($100-300) and you don't like how it drives, you still have to pay for it.
You should charge for services, but with the deep intention to actually perform.
I would make sure my analysis is on point for his niche.
Is it a parent keyword?
A longtail phrase?
How many "exact matches" show up for that keyword?
In Surfer SEO, what is the SEO relevancy score for the top 10?
What I noticed, is if the SEO relevancy is below 60/100, it's easy to rank with just "on page" SEO.
And if you search the keyword "in quotes" and less than 100 websites show up, that's also easier to rank.
I've ranked #2 for keywords against zillow, realtor, and authority 8/9 websites. This is because they optimized for keyword + fast, where I optimized for keyword + ASAP… So my relevancy score is like 97/100.
Everyone else scores are 30-55.
So I was easily able to leap over high domain authority, because when no content is truly relevant, relevant content rises to the top.
—-
TLDR:
In time your confidence in your ability will come… For now, charge for your services, and what they're worth. If you're not sure, well then, charge what's comfortable and become someone who knows what they're worth over time with a portfolio of evidence.
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That's some answer 🙌👍
Fernandes
As a SEO content writer, I optimize articles if requested, but do not guarantee rankings. I get paid to deliver superior, unique content that flows naturally with the sprinkled keywords, and not to rank the articles.
And I've never heard of any SEO content service that guarantees ranking whether today or a decade after.
Well said, you get paid to optimize, not to rank.
Andrew
Copy-writing is not SEO ranking. Copy is needed to rank but ranking is a whole set of other issues including keyword research, backlinks, internal links, optimised post, load speed and more. Offer two separate tasks.
Sanchez
Never promise top position, period. That client analogy of getting his money back is stupid. SEO is all about applying the best practices. Ranking would always be in the hands of Google's search algorithm. If you deliver high quality, well-written piece, then your job is done, and you deserve payment.
Vishal
Content is just one of the factors among many.
So giving guarantee based on that it won't be right for you neither client. Just charge for the service. Don't promise top rankings. Promise him well optimized content structure, which will be loved by both user and search engine
Roza
To sum it up, you're providing content or optimized content, not Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Whether it ranks or not is dependent on his SEO team, not you as a content writer.
In what way?
Roza » Roland
SEO generally has parts like onsite, content and links. The writer's job is to produce content, he can't be held solely responsible for ranking. As an extreme example, lets say it ranks but the biz owner sucks at sales, is that his responsibility as well?
Afraz
No claims for number one position, but always consider to deliver the piece which is ready to hit the spot one with combined SEO efforts.
Mawji
They're not paying for a position they're paying for your work.
Never guarantee rankings and never provide a refund if you don't get that ranking. That content is still on their site and you still spent your time creating it.
That's what they pay for.
Matt
Ranking is not included in the deliverables for copywriting services. He's trying to get one over on you. Probably hoping he ranks #11 so he can claim his "refund." Competition, Google's constant algorithm shifts, technical SEO and more all factor in, and you're not responsible for that. You're helping improve brand awareness.
Nihar
Even an SEO cannot guarantee ranking on top.. how can an SEO writer?
SEO content means you'll provide content with a good mix of short-tail and long-tail focus keywords (used in optimal density) placed strategically and organically throughout the article. It can boost your client's marketing efforts but may or may not rank.
It also depends on how much you're charging – If you're charging a bomb, the client may have extravagant expectations, lol!
Also, if your pitch included – guaranteed ranking with my SEO Content – he might be right! No offense, lol!
Goodluck bro 😎
Stewart
As someone who would be engaging an SEO content writer… I would never want a refund if the SEO-Friendly content didn't rank.
The SEO content is the foundation of the work which would then require much more work to optimize and actually rank.
Charge for the quality of the content you're writing and the value it provides. Whether it ranks is not your responsibility.
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Cory
Blog topic: "best dog food."
Target keyword (phrase) for the first page requirement: "the tastiest and most nutritious dog food for Dachshunds, Chihuahuas, Shih Tzus, and Pomeranians in March of 2021"
Boom. Just made you an extra $100.
But in all seriousness, I think it's important to analyze the time and materials you put in to optimizing your content to provide a pricing structure.
Is this just an hour of your time to perform rudimentary keyword research and subsequently update the article?
Is interlinking, anchor text optimization, structured data implementation, graphic design, image optimization, competitive analysis, syndication, etc. part of your content strategy/optimization process?
Do you utilize any paid tools to perform this "optimization" or for reporting results/progression?
All of these influence how you would price this out.
But… echoing what everyone else has already said. Don't guarantee anything. There are infinite (well, not infinite – but numerous) factors that will influence this article's SERP position that you, as a content writer, have no control over.
In my opinion, content optimization should be standard with any article you write. Otherwise, what's the point? Amirite?
This may satisfy you: Monthly Budget for Building Backlinks and Creating Linkbait Content