Why does the cost of search engine marketing (SEM) – which includes search engine optimization and/or pay-per-click advertising – drastically differ between agencies? This is a question that I hear at least once per month from potential clients who are thoroughly searching for the right SEM agency.
For individuals inside the industry this question typically comes with the obvious answer that SEM agencies cost different prices because they offer different qualities of SEM services. That being said, for individuals outside of the industry, services may seem very similar and thus the drastically different price tags just doesn’t make sense.