…when you can pay less? If you are seeking an answer to this question or want to know just in case then you are at the right place. If not it would be the right time to leave and read something that is of interest to you (I don’t mean to be rude but I believe that everyone should value their time).

I would like to start by telling a fable for those of you who are stilled hooked. This story is not mine as I have borrowed it from somewhere and I’ll be honest about it (for people who read around this subject they would know exactly where I borrowed it from). I would however try to make it as contemporary as possible. With the financial meltdown and economic downturn infecting the globe, various organizations decided to axe jobs as a measure to cut cost. Faced with financial crisis, a steel manufacturing unit decided to let go of some of it employees, one of them a seasoned mechanic in-charge of steel rolling machine. Everything was going as normal when one fine day the rolling machine broke and the manufacturing unit came to a grinding halt. Since the rolling machine was pretty old the manufacturer was no where to be found to fix it. With losses mounting (the situation was already grim) the owner decided to get the experienced mechanic come and fix it. The mechanic came armed with hammer and gave the machine few calculated blows. The machine slowly started to roll its way into life. The mechanic invoiced the owner for $ 10,000 and the owner was shocked and refused to pay. The mechanic redid the invoice and it now read: labour charges – $100, Knowing exactly where and how much force to hammer with – $9,900. The owner happily paid the bill, no question asked.

After this little story let’s delve into and discuss fee that is charged for SEM/SEO work. This arena has many players some of whom would promise you anything under the sun and still charge you a fraction of what others would for the same job. What you get for your money in terms of value and service is a completely different story. Just to give you a brief, for them SEO is all about Meta tags, keyword stuffing, crappy link building, senseless directory submissions and unproductive search engine submissions. They are totally unaware of the fact that every business demands a different solution because none of them are alike. Website analysis (both from a technical and user perspective), keyword research and analysis, competition analysis and other aspects that are mandated to deliver the desired result are usually unheard and seldom practiced by firms offering rock bottom prices.

And now I would like to tell you where the story fits in. SEO is very similar to preparing a delicacy. First of all you would have to know the ingredient that go into it and that’s not the end of it. You would have to know exactly how much to add and when to add it to create the perfect taste. So it is the knowledge of when, where, what and how that counts, more than anything else. The mechanic charged a normal fee for his labour but a premium for his knowledge, the experience he had gained over the years. The same holds true for SEO firms who charge more than what any Tom, Dick or Harry would do for the same job. They understand your business objectives and where SEO fits into your overall marketing strategies. They still carry out the basic functions of SEO (like any other) but they do it diligently. Their strategies are backed by sound research and based on experience. An absolute winner, if you would like to cut this long story short.

Happy hunting!