It is understandable that any small business owner with a website will want to fast track their site to the top of the search listings.
And why not of course.
Reach the number 1 spot on Google for a term related to your trade and you can enjoy free traffic for as long as you hold that position.
Getting there is the hard part, however, and the almost alchemic nature of SEO (and the high cost of using a dedicated agency) makes it difficult to know exactly how to go about it.
That’s why the low-cost SEO package, promising Google page 1 glory, becomes so tempting. They are cheap, fast to implement and there is an almost endless supply of options available.
However, you do need to tread carefully here. There’s a lot of rubbish being served, some of which can actually do more harm to your website than good.
We have recently reported on 10 of the best low-cost SEO services on Fiverr, here. These are reliable, safe packages that come highly recommended.
If you want to turbocharge your site with a little SEO boost that’s the way to do it. The other stuff you see advertised is definitely best avoided.
Let’s take a closer look at what you should look out for when deciding if a low-cost SEO package is actually worth the risk.
Table of Contents
What exactly does an SEO package provide?
Link Building
One of the most common SEO services available is link building. Google’s search algorithm is still heavily dependant on links.
If relevant, quality sites link to yours, you will benefit from a boost in rankings. Note the two important words there; relevant and quality.
When looking for SEO link building services you do not want to opt for some spammy, ‘6000 PR4 (page rank 4) site links to your website in just 24hrs’ style promise.
Quality is far more important than quality. Look for services that state they can build relevant, business listing style backlinks to your site.
The sites where the links originate will generally be of average quality, however, you can expect some relevance with this type of backlink.
Social profile links and blog commenting is another common method of acquiring backlinks; however, the value of these and the impact they might have on your ranking is disputed.
PPC (Pay Per Click)
Some services will set up and run a Google Ads campaign for you. Others may also set up a Facebook display ad campaign.
You set the budget and they should maximize the efficiency of the campaign providing good results.
On-site optimization/audit
This is a popular service available via low budget seo services. The risk factor here is lower than backlinks.
As long as the service provider you use is reputable, (you will need to provide the login details to your site in order for them to do the work), you should not run into any problems.
On-site SEO basically means that all the technical aspects of your site will be looked at to ensure that it is easy for the search engine to read and understand what it is.
This includes site structure, keyword density, meta descriptions, internal linking, and website load time.
- Related Content: EasyStore Review – Building your online store using the platform
Local SEO services
Here a cheap provider will help optimize your Google Maps listing and will boost other results from a local SEO perspective by building your G+ profile, Places and anything else deemed relevant.
A full SEO Management package
We covered some of the best full SEO management packages on Fiverr here. These cost several hundred dollars however, you are getting a comprehensive service conducted by experts.
The end result is a better search engine ranking.
A fully custom management package will include areas such as link building, social media activity, content creation, PPC, and more besides.
If you find a quality service, they are an extremely valuable asset to your business and site performance.
- Related Content: Best SEO gigs on Fiverr (Top 10 Picks)
Negative SEO campaigns – The Ones to Avoid
Black hat SEO as it is called is best avoided at all costs.
Things such as public blog networks (PBNs) will see Google penalize your site if discovered. These are networks of sites where the owners will create links to your site for a price.
There are also services that will spam your competitors in order to take them out of the game. A horrible practice that should never be employed.
Bad links, false social accounts, PBNs, and sabotage are the dark side of SEO. If you ever come across agencies offering such services, go along with it at your peril.
Should you use low-cost SEO services?
The answer here is yes; as long as you do your due diligence and realize that the ultra-cheap packages that purport to work miracles are obviously too good to be true.
Quality SEO takes time and hard work. You do need to pay accordingly.
And while some low-budget services are worth the risk, you will find many that could potentially lower your ranking rather than increase it.
Use your head, do your research and read the customer reviews. Read between the lines on what’s being offered and you should be okay.
If in doubt, turn to our recommended SEO offerings of Fiveer, and purchase with confidence.
