The key is quality links in content so not on ‘Link’ pages.
Just my 2 cents

I am in total agreement with that. Our local businesses do indeed deserve support if we can afford it. After all, we are highly educated technical white collar workers (khaki collar at worst – but at our knowledge, skill and level of responsibility definitely not blue) and in all capitalist systems deserve above average earnings.

David Saunders goes on to say “Of course I do work with some big companies (some really big) but at the end of it all I don’t need to make that much and happiness is more often than not way more important than money”

Which sums it up the old Greek Proverb “First secure an independent income, then practice virtue.” – he’s got some really big clients so he’s not struggling and can afford to provide local low cost package services as a benefit to the community.

They often see the pricing *reputable* SEOs are charging for services and immediately think “wow, this guy/gal is trying to make a mint off of little old me” then goes shopping for someone a little less expensive. I have had this happen on multiple occasions, but the client eventually returns after being burned by the lesser expensive option.

Like you say, it’s not necessarily that they can’t afford the services, but they have a certain preconceived value in their head of what THEY believe the services should cost which is often less than their true market value.

Do they have other costly marketing strategies they are weighing? Sure they do, but they shouldn’t dictate the value of YOUR services, and we shouldn’t be expected to make an “exception” every time a mom and pop comes calling.

The moms and pops are often times more work because they believe they can do much of the work themselves or out-task it to their son, daughter, niece or nephew then wonder why the results aren’t similar to that when they were paying you the full amount. They’ll also hound you about rankings on a daily basis then panic when their site falls two or three spots at 2 AM when there is an algorithm change.

It’s another balancing act, but be careful of making too many exceptions to your own pricing models. It can really bite you in the rear especially if your moms and pops talk to other moms and pops about what they are paying you for similar services.

To that end, I created a pricing comparison report the other day that compares 50 of the top SEO firms in the world. http://tinyurl.com/2qbtn4 gets you to the registration page, and I hope your readers take a peek at it if for no other reason than to understand the current market so they don’t get burned by low price (dare I say Wal-Mart?) shoppers.

I’ve been in the “SEO and related” world since 97 and find a lot of happiness and personal pleasure in making “Mom and Pops” more successful – I even have an attractive package tailored for them.

Of course I do work with some big companies (some really big) but at the end of it all I don’t need to make that much and happiness is more often than not way more important than money 🙂

David
Charlotte, NC

I am a relatively new freelancer and I ONLY have small business as clients and it is indeed difficult to convince them the worth of your services.

I tend to offer inexpensive monthly service which soon shows results and encourage them to keep the service for as long as they think its beneficial to them.

Pricing also depends on the type of product their website is offering. In some niches bringing a few extra visitors that convert might justify a higher monthly fee.