Once associated with the oil and gas industry, the UAE has evolved into a business and marketing powerhouse, drawing international Big Tech partners. Each year, the eCommerce market grows nearly 300% as more Dubai citizens turn toward online shopping.
Investing in a robust SEO strategy is one of the best ways to ensure your Dubai-based business thrives. However, how much you invest in SEO services can inadvertently impact your campaign’s results. While it’s possible to develop a highly curated SEO campaign on a budget, you get what you pay for—and if you pay cheap, it’ll show!
Before hiring an SEO agency in Dubai, calculating potential numbers can help inform your strategic decisions. This guide will discuss the costs of hiring an SEO agency in Dubai and your options.
SEO costs often vary due to discrepancies like the services you choose and the scope of your project. As such, most SEO agencies in Dubai adhere to pricing models to make costs more manageable and predictable for both parties.
Average rate: $750 – $5,000/month
Monthly payments are common in Dubai because they standardize sales processes, provide immediate ROI, and enable flexibility on the customer end. In addition, monthly payment options are predictable and guarantee monthly cash flow.
Average rate: $100 – $300/hour
Agencies taking on many freelance projects with fluid timelines and a more flexible structure often charge by the hour. Hourly rates enable agencies to receive payments directly proportional to the amount of work they commit and reduce the risk of shrinking their ROI.
Freelancers can also use these rates to accurately compare proposals from other agencies and make reasonable predictions regarding the quality of work.
Average rate: $1,000 – $30,000
Like contract-based services, project-based SEO enables clients to pay a determined fee for a specific set of services. Most agencies base their project prices on time and market forces.
Project-based pricing enables agencies to predetermine how much time it will potentially take to complete a project and what resources they will need.
As we mentioned, answering the question, “What is the cost of hiring an SEO agency in Dubai?” will largely depend on other factors outside of time and effort. When comparing costs between agencies, consider these essential components.
It takes time to optimize a webpage and ensure it ranks highly. As such, the more pages you request, the higher your SEO costs will become. Building a high-performing webpage requires engaging content, carefully crafted metadata, and thoughtful design, all of which need to play to Google’s ever-changing algorithms.
Updating your content as Google’s algorithms change isn’t always possible, but acquiring high-quality backlinks can help keep your rankings stable. However, incorporating organic links can take time. The more links you want to include, the greater the efforts will be toward garnering reviews, mentions, and partnerships.
If your website is far from the rankings you want, getting it there will cost more money. On the other hand, if a website requires minimal fine-tuning instead of a complete restructure, maintenance will cost less.
The more competitors you have within your niche, the more challenging it’ll be to develop a robust SEO strategy that delivers results. Thus, businesses that require SEO services within highly competitive industries will have to cite more pages, which will cost more money.
While it may seem obvious, many business owners underestimate how much time it takes to get a website to rank. Time is money, and if it takes an agency a lot of it to get your website to perform well, it can cost a pretty penny.
Always review an agency’s pricing strategies before agreeing to a time-based plan. While SEO requires continued maintenance, you don’t want to pay more than you can afford. Work with a reputable agency that provides transparent and accurate estimates.
Perhaps the biggest factor to consider when budgeting for your SEO efforts is the package you need. Not every SEO-based service will cost the same and will vary accordingly:
How much it costs to hire an SEO agency in Dubai will depend on multiple factors like:
Generally, most UAE-based SEO agencies charge anywhere between 1,000 (272 USD) and 30,000 AED (8,167 USD) per month. Hourly charges can run between 100 (27 USD) and 250 AED (68 USD).
Worldwide averages state that the average cost for monthly SEO services is $2,500 – $5,000. Only 18% of businesses internationally pay under $1,000.
However, costing SEO services isn’t standardized, so your best gauge will be to request a direct cost estimate for your needs.
When researching the cost of SEO in Dubai, keep these tips in mind.
Analyzing an agency’s SEO processes can determine whether their prices justify their strategies. In addition, you’ll want to be vigilant by reviewing the packages they offer and avoiding agencies that advertise “one-size-fits-all” services.
After all, each business has a unique set of needs that require tailored solutions. Thus, consider an agency that has multiple plans or a la carte options. You’ll know they price their services fairly and according to their customers’ demands.
It isn’t common for an SEO agency in Dubai to charge by the hour. Instead, you’ll find that most Dubai-based agencies have monthly payment models or pay-after-rank plans.
Now that you know roughly how much SEO services cost in the UAE, you may be seesawing between the decision to pay per month or per project. What you choose will largely depend on the current state of your existing SEO strategy and what unique services you’ll need to beef this up.
However, it’s worth noting that SEO is a continued effort that will require constant updating, adjustment, and analysis. If your business is dipping its toes into SEO for the first time, hiring an agency on a monthly basis might be a good idea.
SEO typically touches on other aspects of business, including social media, digital marketing, and insights. So, chances are the SEO services you require will likely leak into these other business elements.
Be wary of agencies that don’t offer these additional services—they may not have the experience and skills you require.
Case studies provide an excellent view into the behind-the-scenes of an SEO agency. Remember, an Arabic audience may have different needs from that of a western audience, so you want to ensure a potential agency can meet them at a reasonable cost.
When reviewing case studies, pay close attention to:
So, you know you need to hire an SEO agency in Dubai—but how much should you pay them? Most agencies advertise SEO as a cheaper alternative to services like PPC, but beware of companies that seem like they are undercharging.
Most low-cost services cut corners by practicing black hat techniques such as tapping into private blog networks and using paid backlinks. If an agency promises that it can get you first-page results in just six months for a few hundred dollars, run!
SEO won’t satisfy a need for immediate returns. Instead, results take time but almost always guarantee an upward trajectory.
While there is no set minimum for how much you should spend on SEO services, most small-to-medium-sized businesses pay an average of $497 a month. Companies that pay more than $500 a month typically see better results.
Now that you know how much it costs to hire an SEO agency in Dubai, it’s time to think about the next most important thing—how well can this agency provide returns? When shopping for the right agency, always note their pricing models, SEO offerings, experience, and reviews.
Remind yourself that results will take time and to stay away from agencies that promise an immediate upshoot in your rankings!
If you’re looking for a reliable and affordable SEO agency, book a consultation with our experts at Igloo today!
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