7 factors that determine Amazon SEO pricing
Before you invest in Amazon SEO, it’s critical to understand the factors behind Amazon SEO pricing. When you understand the costs behind product optimization, you can build an accurate budget for your business.
The seven factors that impact Amazon SEO pricing include:
1. Monthly vs one-time optimization
Frequency is a significant price factor for Amazon SEO.
If you purchase one-time product optimization services, you will have lower costs than businesses investing in monthly product optimization. While many companies opt for a once-and-done approach for Amazon SEO, business owners are starting to question this strategy — and for a good reason.
Why?
Search habits change over time, with new trends developing all the time. Companies that optimize their products once fail to stay ahead of those trends, losing rankings in relevant search results. Plus, they give away valuable sales to their top competitors.
It’s the sellers that stay ahead of those trends that succeed on Amazon.
In response, more companies are investing in monthly optimization services for their products. While this approach appears to cost more at first glance, it often covers its costs — and then some — by maximizing product rankings and sales.
While the decision is yours, it’s worth weighing the long-term value of ongoing product optimization.
2. Number of products
Cost is another substantial price factor of Amazon SEO.
In general, companies with broader product lines have higher product optimization costs. If your company sells 50 products versus 25, for example, expect to pay more. The cost difference is a matter of labor — it requires more time to optimize 50 listings than 25.
If you’re looking to minimize your upfront costs for Amazon SEO, you can start by optimizing your highest-selling listings. Adopting this approach helps your company increase the sales of its most popular products first, before moving onto lower-selling items.
In some cases, however, it’s beneficial to begin with products that have the most potential. That’s why it’s essential to partner with an experienced Amazon agency, like WebFX. Not only do we bring more than two decades of expertise to Amazon, but we also partner you with a dedicated account manager.
They learn your business, plus become familiar with your product line to provide recommendations that align with your marketing goals. For example, if you’re looking to increase your overall sales, they may suggest prioritizing the optimization of Product A over Product B.
3. Experience of agency
Experience can also influence your Amazon SEO costs.
If you’re partnering with an agency that brings decades of experience to marketing and advertising on Amazon, expect higher prices for their services. In comparison, a newer agency may charge less due to their inexperience.
The price difference between young and experienced agencies is a few hundred dollars, generally.
How do you gauge the experience of an agency? A few ways, including:
- Years in business: Experience often coordinates to the age of an agency. If you partner with an agency that has decades of history and experience, like WebFX, you can trust they meet client expectations on a consistent basis — and adapt to industry changes fast.
- Reviews: Feedback from past clients can also shed light on an agency’s experience. Via testimonials, as well as reviews, it’s easy to gauge an agency’s expertise. You also gain insight into how that agency works and collaborates with its clients.
- Accolades:Awards can also highlight the experience of an agency. If reputable organizations with a long history have recognized your agency for their work, it’s a reliable indicator of your agency’s skill in marketing and advertising on Amazon.
While your company can work with a newer agency — and still receive decent results —partnering with an experienced agency offers a hassle-free experience. Your team can trust your agency to optimize your listings for maximum performance. Plus, they’ll meet your deadline.
For businesses with a strict budget, it’s difficult to ignore agencies that offer “cheap” product optimization services. It’s critical to remember, however, that these prices often represent the level of service you receive.
Invest in a trusted and experienced agency the first time, and your company receives top-notch SEO for your products the first time. While more expensive up-front, an established agency eliminates the hassle, risk, and potential financial loss of inexperienced agencies promoting low rates.
4. Number of keywords
Keywords are another critical price factor for Amazon SEO pricing.
In most cases, agencies optimize your product listings for a specific number of keywords — frontend and backend. For example, at WebFX, we optimize each product listing with up to 50 high-value keywords. We also add the maximum number of backend keywords to increase your visibility in search results.
As you browse and compare agencies, you’ll find that many agencies won’t reveal their keyword limits.
Before signing with an agency, ask if they have a keyword cap and if they charge a fee for additional keyword optimization. Every agency should specify a backend keyword limit, as Amazon only allows 250 bytes — or around 250 characters — of backend keywords.
Remember, more keywords are not necessarily better.
You want to target keywords offering the most value to your business. Optimize a product listing for a keyword that’s barely relevant to your product or target audience, and it won’t drive purchases. That’s why you should focus on quality over quantity.
5. Standard content vs. Enhanced Brand Content
The format of content on your product page can also impact your Amazon SEO pricing.
On Amazon, you can optimize your product listings with standard or Enhanced Brand Content (EBC). With EBC, your company can revamp your product listing with a modern look that tells your brand’s story, plus includes helpful and compelling images.
EBC requires more than SEO expertise. It also demands graphic design experience. That’s why agencies offering product optimization for EBC tend to charge more for their services. The price difference between enhanced and standard content is often minor, generally a few hundred dollars.
For many companies, EBC offers a competitive advantage. With EBC, you can engage shoppers with eye-catching images and compelling text. These elements help users imagine your product in their lives, which drives wants — and purchases.
6. Agency technology
In digital marketing and advertising, technology offers a significant advantage. It can provide proven and performance-driven keyword recommendations, plus discover new keyword opportunities for your business.
That’s why an agency’s technology can impact their Amazon SEO prices.
Price varies quite a bit when it comes to tech. An agency may charge a few hundred — or a few thousand — dollars more. In most cases, agencies sourcing their tech software from a third-party, versus developing it in-house like WebFX, tend to increase their product optimization prices the most.
WebFX offers access to the most advanced artificial intelligence software, IBM Watson. This platform powers MarketingCloudFX, our proprietary marketing software that provides proven keyword recommendations to maximize your visibility to shoppers — and increase your product sales.
For the best results, it’s critical to understand the value of an agency’s technology. You need to know how it will benefit your company, as well as your Amazon strategy. That way, you can make an educated decision when it comes to choosing an agency.
7. Add-on services
With Amazon SEO, you often have the option to add-on other services, including:
PPC advertising
The addition of a PPC campaign can increase your Amazon SEO prices a substantial amount.
You have to create an ad budget, plus a budget for your agency’s services. That doesn’t mean PPC isn’t a worthy investment, though — it can offer a tremendous amount of value, which is why marketers are spending 165 percent more on Sponsored Product Ads.
On average, Amazon PPC costs $100 to more than $50,000 per month.
If you’re partnering with an agency for Amazon SEO and PPC, make sure they have the experience for it. Picking an agency that’s new to Amazon PPC can result in a higher ACoS, plus a lower return on investment (ROI).
Maximize your budget by partnering with an agency experienced with PPC.
Professional copywriting
In some cases, agencies provide product optimization services that do not include copywriting. While definitions can vary, it often means your agency will not write an optimized product description. They will, however, update your product title, features, category, and photos.
Costs for professional copywriting range from $25 to $2000 per product.
Whether your company invests in professional copywriting depends on several factors.
For example, if your team has the time and skill to write product descriptions, then it makes sense to rewrite your descriptions in-house. Companies pressed for time, however, may find professional copywriting services helpful.
Review management
As reviews can impact your ranking in search results, many agencies offer review management services. Investing in review management services can help your products earn a higher rank in search results, plus win their Buy Boxes.
Prices for review management services range from $300 to more than $750.
Like professional copywriting, it’s essential for your team to weigh the potential value of review management services. If you have a dedicated team member that can monitor, as well as increase your product reviews, then you may not benefit from review management services.
For companies with more than 25 products, however, this add-on service can offer tremendous value.
Product photography
While some Amazon SEO services include product photography, others provide it as an optional service. Whether you invest in this add-on service or not, it’s imperative that your product images adhere to Amazon standards. If not, they can impact your ranking in search results.
Rates for product photography range from $20 to $1500 per product.
In most cases, the per-product cost includes a set number of images. For example, a photographer may charge $500 for eight images of a single product. The photos generally vary, with some featuring a white background and others including models.
Again, your team will need to decide if you need product photography.
If you already have professional images that adhere to Amazon standards, it’s probably better to invest your Amazon marketing budget elsewhere. If you don’t, however, a fresh set of images could make a substantial difference in sales and rankings in search results.
Due to the number of Amazon services, it’s critical to partner with a trusted and experienced agency. With their experience, as well as client-focused approach, you can ensure you’re only investing in services that offer the most value to your company.