How much do dental SEO services cost? There’s no one answer.
The cost of your dental SEO services depends on several different factors. Here, we’ll explore why it’s nearly impossible to estimate a flat-rate price for a single SEO project.
An experienced SEO professional will take the time to hear your goals and aspirations first before offering recommendations or a quote.
There are also different scenarios to consider when deciding the direction of your SEO project.
Let’s take a look at each scenario first and the different approaches each one requires.
SEO for Dentists Without a Website
If you have no website, you’ll typically need the following before you can move forward.
- Competitor analysis
- Keyword research
- SEO strategy to reach your specific goals
- Information architecture
- Content planning and creation
- Website plan
- Website creation
- On-page SEO setup to target the right keywords
- Linkbuilding
Dentists just starting out without an established website will need to start from the ground up. The good news is, when you work with Profitable Dentistry, I can steer you down the right path from the very start, creating a winning SEO strategy.
SEO for a Brand New Website
If you recently opened your dental practice or are just getting started with a website, your SEO strategy will look slightly different. Here are the areas where you should focus your attention.
- Competitor analysis
- Keyword research
- SEO strategy (what’s working and what can be improved to help boost traffic and increase your rankings in the SERPs)
- Website content analysis
- Update information architecture (if necessary)
- Improve or rewrite website content (if needed)
- On-page SEO setup to target the right keywords
- Linkbuilding
When you have a website already in place, it helps SEO professionals determine what is and isn’t working to help you reach your SEO goals.
By making some small and targeted changes and improvements to your current website structure, you can improve your rankings substantially.
SEO for Websites At Least 2 Years Old
So, you’re not new to the world of website SEO, but you’re concerned your dental SEO services need an update. That’s where I come in.
Here are just a few steps Profitable Dentistry will take to address your SEO needs.
- Competitor analysis
- Website performance audit (What pages/keywords are currently ranking)
- Website content audit (Is the existing content good quality and quantity for ranking? What pages need improvements?)
- Website technical audit (Are the right pages being indexed? Are there broken pages? Is the website secure and responsive?)
- Fix technical issues
- SEO strategy to reach your personal goals
- Change in the information architecture (if needed)
- Website content rewrites or improvements (if needed)
- On-page SEO setup to target the right keywords
- Linkbuilding
A website that’s been in existence for two years or more will likely need a few updates to strengthen SEO and guarantee the content, layout, and keywords are all optimized for the best results.
Your Website is Bogged Down by Technical Issues
Are you doing everything right but still aren’t seeing the SEO results you’d like?
If your website has great, in-depth content, the correct information architecture, and keywords, but is still falling short, technical issues are likely to blame.
Things like broken pages, non-secure or non-responsive pages, duplicate content, and slow loading times can all impede your SEO efforts.
To help get your website back on track, Profitable Dentistry will perform the following steps:
- Website performance audit (determine what pages or keywords are ranking)
- Website content audit (Is the existing content good quality and quantity for ranking? What pages need improvements?)
- Website technical audit (Are the right pages being indexed? Are there broken pages? Is the website secure and responsive?)
- Fix technical issues
Once I identify the technical issues that are hurting your website’s SEO, I can quickly address and fix them, letting you focus on creating killer content and serving patients.
As you can see, all four common scenarios require very different needs and approaches. The points covered here provide just a brief overlook – the actual project will extend far beyond the points mentioned above. Each step in the process can be broken down even further into individual tasks and deliverables.
And it’s these differences and variables that will determine the cost of dental SEO services for you.
Why Other SEO Companies Offer a Single Price
Now that you see how different SEO approaches and solutions can be, you might be wondering how an agency can price all four strategies the same?
The sad truth is, many companies offer no pricing transparency by selling unexpecting and uneducated clients irrelevant services. The more you know about the basics of SEO, the better equipped you are to recognize a fraud versus a true SEO professional that has your best interest in mind.
Here are two books that offer a quick read for SEO basics:
- SEO for Growth – The Ultimate Guide for Marketers, Web Designers & Entrepreneurs written by John Jantsch and Phil Singleton
- SEO 2018 – Learn Search Engine Optimization with Smart Internet Marketing Strategies written by Adam Clarke
These books cover the basics of SEO A-Z, giving you a bird’s eye view of what SEO is and how it’s used to improve your website rankings.
Other Factors that Affect SEO Project Pricing
Your SEO needs aren’t the only thing that determines the price of your project. Here are a few other factors that come into play:
- Your current situation and objectives
- The level of competition
- The urgency of the work (how fast do you want to launch and how fast do you want to see results)
No two projects are created equal. Every client’s goals and budget are slightly different. Some spread their efforts over 6-12 months while others want faster results.
While the overall cost of the project might be the same, the monthly fee will be greater if the project is divided over fewer months.
Average Rates for Experienced SEO Professionals
Let’s take a closer look at some concrete figures and rates for experienced SEO professionals.
The average hourly rates for SEO agents are as follows:
- Worldwide: $149/hour
- United Kingdom: $51-150/hour
- USA: $100-200/hour
The average cost for an SEO consultant worldwide is $148 an hour.
At Profitable Dentistry, you can expect to pay £80/ 90€/$100 per hour.
Thanks to this lean structure, optimized processes, and lower fixed costs, I’m able to pass the savings onto clients and offer rates that are below the market average.
Cost of a typical dental SEO project
As explained in the beginning of this article, your exact costs will depend on your individual situation and the level of competition. Without the need for a redesign or creation of a website, a typical dental SEO project covering all treatment pages usually can be completed in 6 – 12 months.
The minimum monthly fee for SEO activities at Profitable Dentistry is 1,500€.
As a result, a typical dental SEO campaign costs anywhere from 9,000€ (6 months) to 18,000€ (12 months).
Is SEO Worth the Cost for Dentists?
When it comes to shelling out your hard-earned money, you want to make sure it’s worth it.
It’s difficult to determine if SEO is worth the cost but in the long-term, most clients see their desired results. In competitive cities, it could take up to two years before your site starts ranking on page one of the SERPs.
Without an audit of your website and competitor analysis, it’s impossible to guarantee specific results. In certain instances where all the results on the first page are well-optimized websites with strong backlink profiles, a Google Ads campaign may be the more appropriate way to generate patients consistently.
Click here to read an in-depth guide that will help you understand the ROI of SEO and Google Ads for dentists.
Reasons Why Dentists Should Avoid Cheap SEO at All Costs
A low price for dental SEO services can be tempting. But if you wouldn’t use cheap materials in your practice, you shouldn’t use them in your SEO efforts either.
For example, if you could purchase a low-cost dental chair that saves you 10,000€ – 20,000€, you might consider it. That is until the cheap chair starts breaking down regularly and costing you more money to fix. Not only that, but a broken chair means lost revenue.
In the end, choosing the cheaper option up front will cost you more in the long-run.
But your wallet isn’t the only thing that hurts when you take the cheaper road. Your reputation is also at stake.
The same can be said for hiring a dental lab to produce your crowns and bridges. You wouldn’t just hire anybody to perform these jobs for you. You’d vet them first, compare prices, and determine which lab is most reliable.
Saving money by using a cheap dental lab will only result in financial headaches and angry patients. When you decide to choose the cheapest materials and services, your patients are the ones that suffer and pay the ultimate price.
You should approach SEO the same way. Your SEO strategy is a long-term investment in your business. Remember that results don’t happen overnight.
That means doing your homework the first time around so that you hire the right SEO agency from the start.
Not sure how? Check out this guide on what questions to ask a potential dental SEO company?
Understanding Google Penalties – Black Hat SEO
This is the biggest danger you face when hiring an SEO agency that claims to be an expert. Any SEO companies that employ black-hat tactics to move your page up in the rankings don’t have your best interest in mind – or your long-term goals.
This tactic might produce short-term results but they’ll also lead to big problems or so-called Google penalties.
When Google’s algorithm notices that a website is using unethical practices to optimize its online visibility it can place a penalty on your site. This can range from a drop in rankings to a more serious punishment like banning your site from Google altogether.
When hiring a professional SEO company you need to focus on improving your rankings long-term. Avoid any agency that runs the risk of getting your site banned from Google.
The Economics Don’t Add Up
The truth is in the numbers. A low-cost SEO agency that promises you amazing results is deceiving you.
There simply isn’t enough money in a 200€ – 1,000€ monthly budget to pay for all the components you need. This includes a strategist, technical specialist, content planner, content creator, and link builder.
An SEO company that offers their services for less than 1,000€ per month is most likely not experienced in the dental sector and forced to cut corners. This means your content, linkbuilding and overall strategy will suffer. This type of company simply can’t afford to profitably allocate sufficient time to your project.
When you hire an experienced dental SEO company, you can be sure that they will employ white-hat tactics and use high-quality writers to produce sustainable results for the long-term.
All Your Dental SEO Services in One Place
Profitable Dentistry offers professional services and long-term results. Whether your dental practice is just getting off the ground or needs a facelift for the new-age, we can help.
Contact me today and let’s talk about what dental SEO services best fit your needs.