SEO STRATEGY
How to forecast SEO costs, time to rank, and return on investment:
Ask yourself these 7 questions…
1. Is it possible to rank for this in 3, 6, or 12 months?
2. If I rank top 3, what is the CTR from organic search / expected clicks?
3. How fast do I need a positive ROI here, or is this a long-term (1-3 year) play?
4. Is the intent to buy (faster ROI), or just get information (long-term)?
5. What is the CPC of this keyword / what are people bidding?
6. How much will it cost to write/build out this page to be good enough to rank?
7. How many links will we need based on competition ranking here, at an avg. cost of $300-$1000 per link?
By breaking down keywords with these questions, you’ll quickly understand what your focus should be.
Take the example in the image below.
If you’re an SEO agency, you might think “of course we need to rank for international SEO!”
But when you take a look at competition, search results, intent, time to rank, and more, you quickly understand that this single search alone may take years, $35,000+ in backlinks, and a 5,000 word guide that costs thousands more.
All for informational, low intent traffic that builds a brand over years, rather than driving conversions quickly.
Depending on your goals, budget, and desired payback period, this might not be the topic to spend your money on.
Always ask these 7 questions before targeting new keywords.
