Last week we invited questions relating to SEM/SEO from you. So far there has been a similarity in the type of questions we have been asked in that they follow the lines of:

Is it a good time to start an SEM business in the UK and what advice do we have for where to start?

Another concern appears to be how much to charge for the service?

The answer to the first question is easy. In our opinion, there has never been a better time. When we first got involved in this business, in what seems like many centuries ago now, there was no perceived need for SEO or SEM. Web designers ‘knew’ that the key was metatags. Everybody else ‘knew’ that all you had to do was build a web site and wait for the visitors to flock to it’.

People are a lot more savvy these days and, in the main, recognise that luck doesn’t come into it. SEO/SEM has come into the mainstream as a major function within the marketing department’s remit, and budgets have increased enormously in the last year reflecting this.

The second question regarding pricing structures is a little more difficult and there is no definitive answer. Of course, some markets are more competitive than others and therefore require more time and input and it is therefore important to handle a client’s expectations very carefully. This might mean that you either avoid very competitive marketplaces such as loans, mortgages etc or prepare to have to work very hard and long and charge your client accordingly. It seems that SEO/SEMs tend to charge out their services in the following ways:

1. Based on results. This could mean a commission basis on an ecommerce site, for example.
2. On a consultancy basis whereby you would charge a monthly retainer. With this, you need to manage your time accurately and ensure you charge for the time you spend on behalf of the client and that you don’t overrun.

One workshop student of ours sold a given number of hours per month to clients but was exceptionally organised in submitting reports/accounting for her time so that clients were able to appreciate how much time she had devoted to particular tasks, particularly link building which can be one of the most time consuming jobs.

Increasingly, we would say that an SEO needs to either offer a true consultancy service, that is explaining what the client needs to do and leaving the client to do it himself. Or the SEO needs to become part of the team and get to know the client’s product intimately so that they are able, for example, to write copy for the client that is authoritative and accurate. Gone are the days when an SEO could come in and tinker with keyword density, add some alt text and Bob’s your Uncle! But then that is why taking on a qualified SEO is such a good idea and makes an excellent selling point for SEO services.

Either way, we feel it is important that any contract you secure is based on a minimum of one year with a satisfactory notice period of say, two months, on either side. You might like to take the lion’s share up front and then settle on a monthly fee for the remainder of the year. Whichever method you decide upon, it is important that clients are aware than SEO/SEM is an ongoing service if they want to really achieve high rankings and maintain them.


Get to know your client well and really understand what SEO/SEM success means to their bottom line and prepare to charge accordingly. For example, we had one workshop student who had contributed towards the success of a software company; as a result of his efforts, the leads being generated often converted into thousands of pounds worth of consultancy. Prepare to charge what you’re worth!

Either way, you're going to have to ensure that your skills are kept fully up-to-date and what better way than by attending a Search Engine Marketing Training Course on a regular basis.