If it’s not clear now, it should be soon. Small business marketing consulting can mean a lot of different things to different people. Maybe you need help with financial planning, customer service or sales.

Today we’re going to cover SEO pricing. Small business marketing consulting can be expensive as you bring in different experts for different projects. You need to pay for SEO as well.

Maybe the consultant will work for just $300 a month. Others may want $3,000 a month.

Sometimes companies don’t want to sign up for a long-term contract, but that’s the way SEO pricing often works. Many firms have labor and other costs to cover, so they want to engage companies for as long as possible to cover the bills.

But you can get hourly arrangements as well. Pay for experience and firm size. You may not get a lot of skills – or wisdom – at $50 per hour. If you’re paying $100 per hour, the firm should have sufficient staff to support your needs.

If you start working with a consultant on one project, you may be able to get some free guidance and support for other areas that interest you. Depending on the relationship, you can always ask questions based on the firm and their expertise. How much is advice? Sometimes it’s good stuff and you don’t have to pay.

You’ll see all sorts of contract terms. A year isn’t unreasonable, but many contracts are being written for much shorter periods. If you have a short-term contract, that monthly fee may not seem so bad. If you’re not making headway with your SEO program, then it may be time to say goodbye.

After all, small business marketing consulting should be about success, not failure.