I have been doing search engine optimization for several years now and what has never cease to amaze me are the prices some SEO’s are asking for their work. By no means am I saying that SEO’s are con-artists, but I do believe there are some dishonest firms out there.

When I talk to a prospective client they often tell me about other quotes they have received. They range from $1,500 to $30,000 for the service. Some charge by the month, and usually fall into the same range for a year of service. What I honestly don’t understand is what the difference is. Now I understand all to well that there is a difference between a good SEO and a bad SEO pretending to be an expert. But in my many years of working in ecommerce I have never come across an SEO worth $30K.

Some will argue (and with some legitimacy) that if an SEO can rank your site well, you’ll often see a great ROI, so what’s wrong with charging a lot? I agree to some degree, but I know that the amount of labor that goes into the actual work does not justified that amount. One SEO’s proposal I saw was for $22,000 for 6 months. The package included 100 links, and five pages optimized. I am sure some other work would have been involved, but when you break down the amount of labor involved, you’re probably looking at $500 per hour.

I know many will appose this, but to add credibility to the industry I really think it needs a major association, or governing body that can set standards. This would ensure that there are a set of standards out there, and any legitimate SEO would adhere to them.

Let me repeat, I know there are a lot of good, honest SEO’s doing great work. But I also know, from talking to my clients that there are folks out there charging outrageous fees to clueless merchants who don’t do their homework.

I am interested in what you think? What do you think is fair to charge for SEO services?