SEO is a complicated, ever-changing marketing strategy that requires a lot of time, dedication and expertise. For smaller businesses, it can feel overwhelming to maximize SEO while still managing day-to-day operations. That’s where an SEO service comes in.
But, because SEO is hyper-specific to each business and its operations, most providers create custom plans and pricing for every partner they work with. That makes finding the best provider a difficult process, as it depends on many factors.
We analyzed everything from general pricing (if available) and more unique features to customer support so we could uncover the top providers in 2024. Keep reading to see what businesses made the cut and who their services are best for.
Featured SEO service offers
Monthly fee
Custom SEO plans start at $2,500 per month
Website management services
Yes
Monthly fee
$1500 per month
Website management services
Yes
Monthly fee
$300 to $2,000 per month
Website management services
Yes
Monthly fee
Custom, request a free quote
Website management services
Yes
Best SEO services
Why trust our small business experts
Our team of experts evaluates hundreds of business products and analyzes thousands of data points to help you find the best product for your situation. We use a data-driven methodology to determine each rating. Advertisers do not influence our editorial content. You can read more about our methodology below.
- 28 companies reviewed.
- 620 data points analyzed.
- 100+ hours of research.
Most comprehensive service
Best for local businesses
Outstanding link-building services
Specialized PPC service provider
Unique e-commerce SEO services
Best for first-time SEO
Excels at building brands
Best for franchise businesses
Best website design service provider
Great global SEO provider
Featured SEO service offers
Monthly fee
Custom SEO plans start at $2,500 per month
Website management services
Yes
Monthly fee
$1500 per month
Website management services
Yes
Monthly fee
$300 to $2,000 per month
Website management services
Yes
Monthly fee
Custom, request a free quote
Website management services
Yes
Best SEO services comparison
We extensively research the key competitors within an industry to determine the best products and services for your business. Our experts identify the factors that matter most to business owners, including pricing, features and customer support, to ensure that our recommendations offer well-rounded products that will meet the needs of various small businesses.
We collect extensive data to narrow our best list to reputable, easy-to-use products with stand-out features at a reasonable price point. And we look at user reviews to ensure that business owners like you are satisfied with our top picks’ services. We use the same rubric to assess companies within a particular space so you can confidently follow our blueprint to the [name of best list] of 2024.
Expert score (10%): Our expert score weighs a handful of factors, like value, feature set, responsiveness and reviews to determine an overall score that can be used to compare against other companies in the ranking.
Value (25%): Value is often equated to price versus usefulness. Because most SEO providers offer custom pricing, value is hard to establish in this industry. So instead, we considered how unique its service offerings are in comparison to other providers based on average costs.
Features (65%): Some small businesses want a provider that does one thing really well, like link building, while others prefer a team of experts across a variety of service areas. We looked for SEO providers that offer a mix of both to give business owners a better idea of what’s available in the industry and how that relates to a company’s expertise.
What are SEO services, and how do they work?
SEO services are designed to help your website perform better in search result rankings like Google’s. Basic SEO involves making a website easier for search engines to find and index.
Many factors determine this, including quality of content, mobile friendliness, the number of backlinks and page performance (like speed and responsiveness). An SEO service will address these various components with the end goal of making it easier to find a website online.
Benefits of SEO services
SEO services are not cheap. For a monthly retainer for a comprehensive package, you can expect prices starting at around $2,500. Is it worth it? Here are some reasons why people invest in SEO services:
- Drive organic traffic to your website: When people search for a product or service they need online, they’re probably going to focus on the first few pages of results that Google (or any search engine) displays. SEO helps your website rank higher, making it easier to find. This means more potential web traffic coming your way.
- Generate leads: Your website can be a wonderful way to generate leads for your business. By increasing your organic visitors, SEO can help you get more leads, which hopefully means more sales and greater profits. Some SEO companies also provide conversion rate optimization (CRO) services to improve your ability to convert traffic into leads.
- Stand out from the crowd: Every second, there are about 63,000 Google searches performed. With SEO pushing your website further up in search rankings, you will be found more easily, boosting general brand awareness. Even if that doesn’t mean an immediate sale, it could mean a sale later.
- Build out your marketing: A solid online presence can be part of your broader marketing strategy. For example, your website might link to your social media platforms and vice versa.
How to choose the best SEO services
SEO services can encompass everything from content writing to link building. On top of that, there are specialty SEO areas, like Amazon SEO and YouTube SEO. The diversity of options can make picking a provider and plan challenging. The below guidelines on what to look for can help.
Key features to look for
Regardless of your SEO-specific needs, there are a few key traits to look for in an SEO services company. Keep an eye out for these points:
- Technical SEO services: Technical SEO involves website improvements that make it faster and easier for search engines to find and classify the website. It could include improving the site architecture, for instance, or making it mobile friendly.
- Website management services: Website management refers to the regular upkeep of a website. Depending on the scope, it could include everything from web hosting to troubleshooting errors and updating content.
- Content writing services: Search engines can’t find a webpage if it doesn’t have content. Content writing is thus an important part of SEO and, when done right, it can improve visibility and generate leads. It can also establish thought leadership.
- Performance dashboard: A performance dashboard provides concrete data about how your website is performing, including details like search engine ranking, organic traffic volume and clicks generated by certain keywords.
- Dedicated account manager: A dedicated account manager can help you navigate the world of SEO, explaining the details of your proposal and how key points will be implemented. They can also be your contact person for queries or concerns.
- Free audit: The majority of the SEO providers we surveyed didn’t offer clear pricing plans on their websites. Instead, you need to request a quote that’s tailored to your precise needs. A free audit can help determine what those needs are so you know where you can improve your SEO.
- E-commerce SEO services: Some SEO companies specialize in optimizing e-commerce websites. They have experience helping clients manage and optimize websites built with e-commerce platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce and Woo-Commerce. Other companies may offer SEO services specialized for third-party platforms like Amazon, which can involve different practices compared to managing SEO for businesses seeking to draw traffic to their own websites through search engines like Google.
- Local SEO services: Businesses who want to drive engagement locally should work with an SEO company that is experienced with local SEO. In addition to ensuring your website is optimized to target geo-specific keywords, local SEO services will help you to optimize your Google Business Profile, obtain local citations and obtain online reviews.
Add-ons and extras
Beyond the basics, you may be interested in specific SEO add-ons. These are some popular perks that you could benefit from, depending on your business needs and goals:
- Paid search services: While some search engine results are organic, others are paid (like those ads you see at the top of a Google search page, ahead of the organic results). If you’re interested in a paid search, there are specialty services for this.
- Conversion rate optimization (CRO): Simply put, a conversion rate is when someone on your website does what you want them to do. CRO is the practice of optimizing how often someone converts on your site or app. For most marketing strategies, conversion rate is the most important factor, so optimizing it to its highest potential is often well worth the cost.
- Reputation management: Like public relations, reputation management tracks how the public perceives your brand. With SEO services, reputation management involves improving and shaping search results to provide the best possible first impression for your potential customers.
- Social media management: Social media management, in relation to SEO, is typically specific to building the profile but not maintaining it. That means an SEO provider may help develop the perfect handle, craft a search-friendly bio and add any technical components (like alt text or subtitles) to your posts for searchability. But, SEO teams typically don’t help write or post routine content on your behalf unless you pay for additional content marketing services.
- Link building: Search engines look toward other reputable websites to boost the reputation of newer or less viewed websites. Link building is when your site is linked from a reputable website, which signals to the search engine that your brand is legitimate and worth a higher ranking. SEO services can help you look for opportunities to maximize your link-building strategy, but beware of black-hat strategies like link stuffing. Google could actually ding your site if it finds you’ve used unethical practices.
Customer service
While SEO providers know a website’s technical elements, business owners are experts on their customers and operations. Seek out a company that actively asks for your input and feedback. But don’t expect your SEO service provider to be available 24/7 or have the capacity to provide key updates daily or even weekly.
SEO takes time and effort plus some massaging and adjustments over time to get right. So practice patience, but don’t settle for a complete lack of communication.
How much do SEO services cost?
The prices for SEO services can vary drastically depending on your needs. For example, if you just want a link-building campaign, that would be more affordable than if you need a full SEO audit, website design and content writing, plus link building.
Our research suggests that you can expect to pay at least $2,500 for a monthly SEO plan, with costs going up to $10,000 or more per month.
For the most part, the providers we surveyed didn’t provide transparent plan prices on their websites. Instead, consumers are asked to request a quote. We were able to find some general pricing insights through the SEO services we researched, which we’ve included above, to give you an idea of what you might expect.
Still, we recommend getting quotes from multiple providers to determine your own potential costs. Most services offer a free audit and quote.
What we don’t recommend
We don’t recommend settling for the cheapest provider because you may end up paying for fewer features or fewer results. But going with the most expensive provider doesn’t mean you’ll get the best service either.
Also, be wary of companies that try to guarantee results. SEO is an ever-changing environment, and no company can guarantee anything. If someone says they can take you to the top of SERP within a certain number of days, don’t believe them. There are far too many unpredictable variables at play.
And lastly, look out for companies that over-emphasize vanity metrics like keyword rankings or traffic. In SEO, what matters the most are conversion rates and quality leads. If the company tries to bog you down in the nitty gritty without proving any real ROI, it could be that they don’t have the experience or expertise to get the job done.
Featured SEO service offers
Monthly fee
Custom SEO plans start at $2,500 per month
Website management services
Yes
Monthly fee
$1500 per month
Website management services
Yes
Monthly fee
$300 to $2,000 per month
Website management services
Yes
Monthly fee
Custom, request a free quote
Website management services
Yes
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Do you need SEO services?
SEO services can be useful for any brand or business that wants to be found online more easily. This could include being found in search engine rankings like Google’s, for example, or in online shops like Amazon. Boosting your online presence can help you connect with potential customers online, improve your online reputation and possibly generate leads and sales.
What do SEO services include?
The scope of SEO services varies according to the provider and the client’s needs. Basic technical SEO might involve points like making sure webpages are responsive, ensuring the site is mobile-friendly and checking that the site’s architecture is logical. More comprehensive SEO services could include writing content and creating backlinks.
How much should I pay for SEO services?
A comprehensive monthly SEO service will likely cost at least $2,500. However, costs can vary widely depending on the scope of services. Most SEO providers offer a free audit and fee proposal, which we recommend taking advantage of.
Should you do your own SEO?
With the right tools and support, anyone can do SEO — but it’s a pretty hefty undertaking. While not all small businesses necessarily need some of the more robust SEO services like link building or technical audits, good SEO can benefit pretty much every online business in some way or another.
If you don’t have someone on your staff who could dedicate at least half of their time to understanding and implementing SEO, it’s likely better off left to a professional. That’s because SEO takes a lot more time and education than most understand. It’s an ever-evolving practice that requires nearly constant management and upkeep to get right.
So, if SEO is imperative to your business operations, we highly recommend hiring a professional to do the job for you.
Is SEO or Google Ads better?
SEO will improve your organic search rankings in a way that Google Ads can’t. But, it takes time and effort — two things many small businesses simply don’t have an excess of. If that’s the case in your situation, implementing a Google Ads strategy can be a faster way to get clicks as long as you have the budget for it.
If you go that route, start working on improving your SEO in the background. When done correctly in tandem, the two can strategically improve your operations without spending as much time and money.
