reasons to avoid seo packages article cover image large

SEO Packages are a cookie-cutter SEO tactic used by large agencies to quickly onboard clients. Here are 8 good reasons why you need to avoid them if you are serious about your SEO.

Search engine optimisation is not a service that can be widely constricted by a fixed template, price, or bundle. Effective SEO is entirely dynamic and a successful campaign will be largely dependent on the nature of the business.

What Are SEO Packages?

SEO Packages are predetermined services offerings designed to put websites through an “SEO template” campaign. It may seem as though SEO Packages provide a simple and straight-forward way for shoppers to compare SEO services. However, reputable SEO providers will not provide fixed price points; for SEO to be effective, each website requires a tailored and customised approach.

Not all SEO companies are created equal. There are legitimate SEO companies that understand the value of working with a client and what their website requires. Then there are SEO companies that lure small businesses in with the temptation of a low price point and unfounded promises. Unfortunately, those offering SEO Price Packages often fall in the latter group.

SEO package examples and information

SEO is a service that needs to be tailored to a website for it to be effective. SEO Packages for Small Businesses are a corner-cutting way to put websites and businesses through a “one size fits all” SEO template that will deliver very little in

SEO Packages often sell on the pretence of being a cost-effective and time-effective way to optimise a website with a bundle of SEO services. The reality is, SEO is not something that can be predetermined without customisation and full website analysis. There are no two websites that will benefit from the exact same services; SEO campaigns need to be completely dynamic and tailored to the nature of the site, business, and the client’s goals.

There are many types of SEO packages. Some will guarantee outrageous results, and others will have a predetermined number of keywords or terms that they deem necessary for all successful campaigns. In terms of SEO Package Prices, anything below $500 a month is considered ‘cheap’, and will not provide your business with any positive or actual results.

Still tempted by an SEO bundle? Here are our top 8 Reasons to Avoid SEO Packages in Australia:

1. SEO Packages Prey on Unsuspecting Business Owners

The first and most significant red flag for a bad SEO company is the offering of pre-bundled SEO packages. If a company is willing to advertise fixed costs, they are attempting to lure in businesses with attractive and low-price points. Essentially, SEO packages are cheap SEO. And cheap SEO is rarely good SEO.

Cheap SEO is a term describing not only low-priced services but cheap and low-quality deliverables. Low-cost SEO packages are designed to onboard as many clients as possible, with little regard for providing tangible results. To make ends meet, cheap SEO companies focus all of their efforts on finding new customers, paying little or no attention to their existing clients. Effective SEO is a service that requires time, money, and patience – three things cheap SEO does not allow. Engaging with an SEO package on the basis of a low price point is only going to cost your business more money down the line.

2. Effective SEO Requires Tailoring to Your Business

Despite the copious amounts of blog posts and spammy articles, there is no one-size-fits-all SEO approach that is applicable to every website. SEO is a service the requires research, customisation, and strategy for practices to have positive effects on a website. For example, the SEO strategies used to boost an electrician’s website are not going to benefit a travel blog website. Each site requires a specific and tailored approach that is relevancy centric.

SEO packages are predetermined and do not allow for differences in businesses or websites. Pre-bundled SEO services do not take any individual qualities of a company and therefore, will not deliver any relevant results.

Variations in businesses are why any reputable SEO company will take the time to perform a full SEO website audit before providing any suggestions or quotes. In essence, each SEO practice requires customisation to suit the website, the industry, and the business owner’s goals.

information on what should influence an SEO campaign

3. SEO Packages Are Often Outsourced Overseas

Many Packaged SEO providers can afford to offer low fixed price points by outsourcing the work to cheaper overseas consultants. Today, more companies are outsourcing their work to companies where they can pay contractors signfiicantly less than in Australia. The problem with outsourced SEO is that the result is typically poorly written content by non-native English speakers and low-quality SEO practices with little or no effort put in.

Companies outsourcing overseas are not going to take the time to learn your business objectives and will not have the experience to understand the nature of your industry. Offshore companies will not be able to provide the same quality content, link building strategies, and connections within your market. SEO packages that are outsourcing overseas may be initially cheap; however, will cost your business thousands in the long run.

4. Packaged SEO Provides Short-Lived Results 

There is nothing long-term about an SEO bundle. SEO Packages are designed to entice business owners with the promise of quick results and low-price points. These bundles use corner-cutting black hat SEO tactics that provide little or no results and can only get your website into trouble. In some cases, packaged SEO can provide short-term rankings or visibility. However, these initial results will only last a few days before plummeting back down, well below where the site started.

Effective, sustainable SEO practices take time. Search engine optimisation is a long-term game – effective strategies take six to twelve months to deliver signiciant, lasting results. SEO is a sustainable service that will not provide success overnight. It requires patience, time, and vision. When executed properly, SEO continues to benefit a website long after a campaign has concluded.

5. You Risk Your Business Security

SEO providers offering fixed-price SEO services without assessing and evaluating your site is not going to have your best interests at heart. With that in mind, allowing such companies to have access to sensitive and critical information on your website can compromise the security of your business.

Engaging with a packaged SEO provider can leave you and your website vulnerable to data thieves and hackers. If an SEO company is not able to provide a clear management plan for security problems, they will not be able to protect any sensitive information on your website.

6. Shortsighted SEO Practices Could Result in A Penalty

Pre-bundled SEO packages are a breeding ground for mass-produced black hat SEO practices. There is a reason effective SEO takes time. In essence, white hat SEO practices that abide by Google’s guidelines are long-term focused as it can take a few months for Google to recognise a website as authoritative and relevant. The only way around white hat SEO is to go directly against Google Webmaster guidelines with black hat SEO.

Sneaky black hat methods are particularly prevalent among companies outsourcing from overseas, wherein link farms and spammy link building is a popular way of trying to climb the rankings. Black hat SEO tactics are any practices that are deliberately manipulative, deceitful, and harmful. Link exchanges, content scraping, and keyword stuffing are all examples of black hat SEO. Not only is black hat SEO extremely unethical, but it can land you in hot water with Google and, in some cases, have a site entirely banned from the search engines.

SEO packages black hat tactics information

7. Poor SEO Can Damage Rankings & Online Presence

Hiring a company that is not willing to take the time to learn about your business can only damage your online efforts. Whether it be poor grammar, incorrect spelling, a lack of understanding of the market, or targeting the wrong keywords, having your website put through a “SEO Package” template can only detract from your company’s online reputation and rankings. Not only will this affect the way search engines interact and rank your website, but your readers will be put off by the inconsistencies and lack of relevancy within your site.

8.  Poor Communication & No Accountability 

Most SEO packages are outsourcing the work to a cheaper company overseas. If your SEO consultant is working from abroad, this may cause a problem in communicating with them in terms of time differences and language barriers.

Packaged SEO providers are also notorious for using technical jargon to confuse business owners. A reputable SEO consultant will have no problem explaining SEO strategies and campaign deliverables in terms that almost anyone can understand.

Furthermore, SEO package providers will not provide clients with comprehensive and thorough reporting and analysis – an integral part of tracking the success of an SEO campaign. Often, reports are manipulated to convince business owners that their website is moving in the right direction – even when that is not the case.

Pre-bundled packages are not designed for long-term partnerships, and the companies offering them are working off a “churn & burn” business model in which they are more focused on onboarding new clients than retaining any existing clients. These organisations will not be held accountable for the lack of work put towards your website, and by the time you’ve decided to cease work with them, they’re already busy chasing up the next big client to scam.

Information on partnerships with SEO companies

Wrapping Up

The problem we now face in the SEO industry is the sheer abundance of SEO packages that are being sold online. Until businesses begin to grasp that SEO is not a service that can be bargained with, business owners will continue to engage and be disappointed by these companies on the premise of “affordable SEO”.

If you come across an SEO deal that seems too good to be true – it probably is. Pre-bundled SEO packages are not a long-term investment for your business; while they may cost little in the beginning, their efforts will soon be racking up SEO repair bills for the future.

Effective and long-term SEO will provide your business with a sustainable SEO solution. Don’t run the risk of engaging with the lowest-price; shop for the best service.

safari digital call to action