Can inexpensive SEO services help you rank on page 1? (YES)

No point competing with big spenders who advertise on Google, right?

Wrong! You can stand out on page one of search results without spending a lot.

Inexpensive SEO services. Search engine optimisation (SEO) connects you with interested consumers, when done right. Simply create helpful content for your target audience on a website that’s easy for people AND technical algorithms to navigate.

Why is SEO worth the investment for long-term growth? Let’s find out!

Why is SEO worth the investment in the first place?

SEO helps businesses of all sizes capture their target audience’s attention without going over budget.

A focused SEO campaign increases your website’s visibility when people search for popular phrases related to your industry in search engines.

We know that most search engine users don’t scroll past page one, so this is where you want to end up! Prime visibility in the organic listings can mean the difference between surviving and thriving, especially for small local businesses.

We love inexpensive SEO services for three key reasons:

1. Affordable SEO is cheaper than paid advertising (✅)
2. SEO attracts more long-term, quality visitors (traffic) than pricier paid advertising campaigns (✅✅). These visitors have clear intent: they know what they want!
3. SEO results can last for years with proper maintenance, unlike paid advertising results that disappear when the budget dries up.

Channel	Cost per Lead	Long-Term ROI	Visibility Lifespan
Paid Ads	High	Short-term	Ends when budget runs out
SEO	Low–Moderate	Long-term	Lasts months to years

What is search engine optimisation (SEO)?

Search engine optimisation is a long-term strategy that aims to rank your website in the organic listing section on the first page of search engines for relevant queries.

It doesn’t matter how much your competitors spend on paid advertising, this won’t impact your ranking in the organic listings.

Page one of the search results is divided into two sections: 

1. Paid listing: advertisements
2. Unpaid (organic) listing: websites that best address the search query with SEO

How does SEO work?

First, identify the relevant keywords your target audience searches for. Then create quality content that focuses on those topics. But that’s not all. Inexpensive SEO services are only effective when your website is easy for BOTH humans and technical algorithms to navigate. 

Cost-effective SEO must include:

• On-site changes that incorporate keywords into quality content
• Technical changes to improve site structure and performance 
• Off-site changes that promote your website (e.g. backlinks, reputation and social media networking)

Let’s look at the typical SEO inclusions in more detail below.

 

What do the best inexpensive SEO services include?

The most powerful affordable SEO services prioritise strategies that deliver the highest return for the lowest investment.

Common SEO inclusions that yield impressive results:

• Basic keyword research: Identifying key search terms that your potential customers use (related to your offering).
• On-page SEO: Optimising content, headings, meta descriptions, and URL structure to ensure each page is search engine-friendly.
• Technical SEO: Fixing issues like site speed, mobile responsiveness, broken links, and crawl errors.
• Local SEO optimisation: Updating and managing your Google Business Profile, creating location-specific pages and getting listed in local directories.
• Quality content: Publishing useful content that engages your audience and includes targeted keywords.
• Monthly reporting: Providing updates on rankings, traffic, and completed tasks.

Why does SEO take so long to work?

If you’re looking for quick results, search engine optimisation is not for you!

Remember that SEO is a long-term strategy. It takes time for websites to gain prominent visibility in search engines. Creating and promoting high-quality content is time-consuming: you can’t churn out junk and expect to perform well.

Don’t forget that complex technical algorithms must then crawl website content and process changes, before indexing each page in search results.

Our clients generally see results within two to three months, but Google anticipates a timeframe of four to 12 months. 

Feature	Budget SEO (< $1000/mo)	Mid-Tier SEO ($1500–3000)	Premium SEO ($3000+)
Keyword Research	Basic	Moderate	Extensive
On-Page Optimisation	Yes	Yes	Yes
Link Building	Minimal or none	Moderate	Aggressive
Reporting	Monthly	Bi-weekly	Weekly + Insights
Strategy Planning	Basic	Moderate	Customised

Don’t confuse cost-effective SEO services with cheap SEO that doesn’t work

Not all inexpensive SEO services are equal. Unfortunately, some providers use shady tactics that do more harm than good. 

Red flags to avoid in cheap SEO packages:

• Spammy backlinks: Backlinks from irrelevant or low-quality sites can hurt your rankings.
• Guaranteed rankings: No one can guarantee top spots on Google – it’s a red flag for manipulative tactics.
• Unclear deliverables: If they can’t tell you exactly what they’ll do each month, be cautious.
• No reporting: Transparency is essential. If you don’t get regular updates, there’s no way to measure progress.
• Manipulative black-hat techniques: These may bring short-term gains but can lead to penalties from search engines.

A reputable, inexpensive SEO provider will be upfront about what they offer and how they plan to achieve your goals.

How to choose the best SEO agency for cost-effective results? 

A reliable SEO company understands your business goals, tailors a plan to your budget, and communicates clearly.

Here’s how to evaluate potential providers:

• Experience with small businesses: Choose someone who understands the unique challenges and goals of smaller operations.
• Ethical SEO techniques: Ensure the provider uses white-hat techniques aligned with search engine guidelines.
• Proven results: Request case studies or examples of past successes with similar businesses.
• Accessible support: A good SEO partner should be responsive and willing to explain their process.
• SEO pricing transparency: You should know what you’re getting for your money (keep reading to find out more about this).

Trait	Good SEO Provider	Bad SEO Provider
Case Studies	Yes, with data	No proof
Communication	Clear updates	Unresponsive
Reporting	Monthly with metrics	Vague or absent
Pricing Transparency	Clear packages	Hidden fees
Link Building Approach	White-hat	Spammy tactics

How much does SEO cost in Australia?

Expect to pay between $1,500 to $10,000 a month for ongoing SEO services in Australia.

This figure depends on various factors, such as:

• Your business needs
• How your competition performs online
• What is your target market and how accessible are they?
• The nature of the industry you operate in
• The current health of your website 

In some cases, you may pay an initial one-off fee for setting up the tools and platforms that impress the technical algorithms that determine ranking order in search results.

Set-up costs depend on the health of your website, but usually start from $500. 

SEO costing for ongoing services (not inclusive of GST):

Small businesses: $1,500 to $2,500 per month

Medium businesses: $1,500 to $7,500 per month

Large businesses: $3,000 to $10,000 per month (sometimes more).

Note: Monthly SEO budgets cover the fees of employees or contractors working on your project (generally at $100 to $150 an hour), as well as required programs or tools.

In most cases, the agency estimates the time required for your project and quotes accordingly. If they spend more or less time than quoted, your monthly fee remains the same unless you sign a new contract. 

What inclusions can you expect in a monthly SEO budget?

Every agency is different, but as a general rule, monthly SEO budgets include the following categories (with some overlap between the services in each category):

Technical SEO: Optimising a website’s technical elements to improve user experience so visitors spend more time on your site. A site that’s easy to navigate is more likely to rank highly. 

Examples of services include: 

• Optimise page speed
• Improve mobile-friendliness
• Fix technical issues
• Secure the site with HTTPS
• Improve website architecture so search engine crawlers quickly find your site
• Submit sitemap to Google
• Format URLs 
• Rectify duplicate content
• Image compression
• Breadcrumb navigation
• Implement canonical tags and more

On-page SEO: Creating quality content that appeals to both people and search algorithms, incorporating popular and relevant keywords in strategic ways. The focus is to help search engines find and then index your content when your target audience searches for relevant terms. 

Examples of services include: 

• Keyword research to discover what your target audience wants from you
• Publish SEO-optimised content and meta descriptions
• Internal links
• Title tag optimisation
• External links to trusted websites with high authority
• Image optimisation
• Structured data and more

Off-page SEO: The off-site process of building relationships with other websites to let search algorithms know your site is a trusted source in your industry, which increases site authority and improves rankings. 

Examples of services include:

• Link building (getting other sites to link back to yours)
• Broken link building
• Google My Business
• Local citations
• Online reputation management (reviews)
• Social media
• Press releases and unlinked brand references
• Guest posts
• Podcasts
• NAP citation
• YouTube marketing
• Brand tracking
• Content syndication 
• Influencer outreach and more 

 

SEO costing for one-off services (not inclusive of GST):

It’s also possible to sign a contract for one-off SEO services, which can cost between $3,000 to $15,000 or more, depending on the scope of the project and how competitive your industry is. 

Expect the agency to lay the technical foundations on your website to support any SEO measures you adopt in the future. They will improve web performance (on-page elements) and add infrastructure to ensure your website is easily navigable.

Note: 

One-off SEO budgets cover the fees of employees or contractors working on your project (generally at $100 to $150 an hour), as well as required programs or tools.

In most cases, the agency estimates the time required for your project and quotes accordingly. If they end up spending more or less time than quoted, you still pay the same fee in your contract.

A quick word about fixed contracts and why we DON’T do that:

Many agencies include a fixed price in their contract. You sign a 12-month contract knowing the exact amount you will pay for specific services every month. You’re locked into that contract for one year, ensuring clients continue to pay for a sufficient period to see positive results, which can take months to appear.

Although this strategy makes sense for many reasons, E-Web Marketing doesn’t lock our clients into a contract.

Many of our clients have rapidly evolving business needs, even within 12 months. It makes more sense for us to create flexible contracts that adapt to our clients’ needs.

E-Web Marketing’s cost-effective SEO services

Our talented team has helped 3,000 small and medium businesses to grow their online presence with SEO strategies tailored to tight budgets. We remove useless extras that inflate costs, focusing only on methods that deliver results.

• 25+ years of experience
• Sydney-based team with local, interstate and global clients
• Award-winning SEO: Finalist for “Best Low Budget Campaign”, “Best Use of search”, “Best Local Campaigns”, and “Best Use of content marketing” in the APAC Search Awards (Asia-Pacific region).
• Save thousands of dollars with flexible contracts
• Results driven by hard data
• Transparent communication 

Inclusions for our affordable SEO services (Australia-based):

• Focused keyword research
• On-page optimisation for key pages
• Technical site audits and fixes
• Off-page optimisation
• Local SEO management for maps and directories
• Monthly performance reports

Package	Price (Monthly)	Best For
Starter SEO	$1500	New businesses or local-only visibility
Growth SEO	$2000	Small businesses seeking steady growth
Custom SEO	Quote	Sites with complex or evolving needs

Want to grow your business without blowing your budget?

Book a free SEO consultation with E-Web Marketing and get a tailored plan that fits your goals and your wallet.