Understanding the Price of SEO in Singapore

Every business owner has been pitched SEO for their websites. But once you look into costs and how to budget for it, the numbers can be confusing and you don’t know whether you are getting a good deal. The cheapest packages can go for $300 per month, and some can go to thousands more.

We can tell you that SEO pricing is not fixed because no two businesses are the same.

These are some of the factors that determine what you pay:

1. Competition and market saturation

   The more competitive your industry, the more expensive SEO becomes. Rankings for more saturated industries requires more work, more content, and more resources to achieve a higher ranking.

2. Scope of work

   The size of your website and the number of keywords you want to target affect cost. A business that needs only the basics just needs some optimisation, while a large ecommerce store with hundreds of products will need continuous work across multiple categories.

3. Website size and complexity

   Websites with multilingual content (for businesses that work in the SEA region), large online stores will need more work. This increases the time and skill needed to deliver effective SEO.

4. Content production

   SEO today is heavily dependent on content. Articles, service pages, and blog posts need to be written and scheduled regularly. High quality content that has the right keywords will take more time as well.

5. Backlinks

   Getting quality backlinks is one of the most resource-intensive parts of SEO. Outreach, digital PR, and relationship-building take time. Agencies that focus on ethical link acquisition will charge more than those who rely on quick, low-quality link schemes.

SEO Pricing Models in Singapore

In Singapore, there are two main models - the monthly retainer and project-based SEO.

1. Monthly Retainer

   This is the most common model. A business pays a fixed fee each month for a package that usually includes technical optimisation, content creation, link building, and reporting. This approach suits businesses that want consistent long-term growth.

2. Project-Based

   Some agencies offer project pricing for specific tasks, such as an SEO audit, a website migration, or optimisation of a new website launch. This is usually in tandem with a marketing project.

3. Performance-Based (Rare)

   Not often seen in Singapore, but some agencies offer models tied to specific outcomes such as traffic or leads. These contracts usually come with strict terms and conditions that may not align with real business goals.

Typical Cost Range of SEO in Singapore

• Startups and microbusinesses: $500 - $1,500 per month. Usually covers basic on-page SEO, some content, and limited backlink connections. Best for businesses targeting local, less competitive keywords.
• SMEs: $1,500 - $4,000 per month. Covers more comprehensive SEO work for regional customers instead of just Singapore, regular content creation, technical audits, and targeted outreach.

What You Should Get for Your Money

If you are looking at SEO in Singapore, what you should expect are improvements to the speed, keyword research and the creation of pages that ensure your keywords are in place to be visible to Google. They should also use links to well connected and legitimate websites. If they do not do this then that is a scammy agency.

These are agencies that use keyword spamming and use shady, overused links that they use for all other websites. While this can temporarily boost your site, it is only a matter of time Google’s bots recognise their tactics and essentially shadowban your site to the bottom of the rankings and there is little you can do to recover from this.

How to Budget for SEO

In order to find the correct budget for your goals you need to recognise that SEO is usually not a one-and-done thing. It takes constant maintenance. So you need to set goals on what you would like to do. You need to think of it as an investment.

It is only worth it to spend $5000 on SEO if it can get you organic visits to your page and bring in customers that makes you $10,000 in the long run. If you need results in a short period of time, consider SEM or other advertising projects.

Why Agencies Cannot Guarantee Results

One question many business owners ask from us is whether we can guarantee that their money gives a certain return. But SEO is an area where the path to success is murky. SEO can only improve visibility, showing you to potential customers that would be interested in your product. But it is your product that does the heavy lifting for conversion.

SEO does not actively try and appeal to these potential customers like advertising does. This means that we can only guarantee that we will use best practices, monitor performance, and adjust strategies to improve your rankings. In the end, your product must speak for itself. We are transparent about this so that you can decide what is best for your needs.