Why SEO has no fixed price
SEO is not a product with a sticker price. It is a bundle of work: technical fixes, keyword research, copy, page structure, internal links and reporting. An online store in Tashkent with hundreds of products needs a different bundle from a dental clinic website in Samarkand. A number given without an audit is either a rough guide or a sales tactic.
If a contractor names a sum after a five-minute call, they are either padding the estimate or planning to do less than your site needs. A fair estimate appears only after someone has looked at the site, its analytics and the search results your competitors occupy.
What drives SEO pricing
Five factors do most of the work, and you can check most of them yourself before talking to an agency.
- Site size. A five-page brochure site and a catalogue with thousands of product cards need very different amounts of copy, metadata and checking.
- Competition. Real estate, medicine and legal services demand more content and more frequent work than a narrow B2B niche where only a few players compete for each query.
- Languages. Russian and Uzbek searches behave differently, so each language needs its own keywords and copy rather than a translation.
- Technical condition. Duplicate pages, slow loading, broken links and indexing problems eat up the first months.
- Geography. Targeting Tashkent only, several regions or the whole country means a different set of pages and queries.
One-off setup or monthly work
A one-off setup is cheaper: errors are fixed, metadata is written and a structure is put in place. But search results and competitors keep changing, and after the setup the site gets no ongoing attention. This option fits a specific problem, such as a platform change or a move to a new domain.
Monthly work costs more upfront but compounds: new pages, refreshed old copy, quick reaction when rankings drop. The first months are usually heavier because of accumulated errors, then the effort shifts towards content.
How to compare quotes from SEO providers
Two totals cannot be compared until you know what sits behind each. Ask for the scope in writing and put a few direct questions:
- How many texts and pages are included each month?
- Which technical fixes are made, and who implements them on the site?
- What reports will you receive, and which metrics do they rely on?
- Are there extra charges for analytics, translation or links?
- Who owns the content and access once the contract ends?
How to avoid overpaying, and underpaying
The costliest mistake is trying to promote the whole site at once. Pick the pages that bring enquiries: core services, product categories, pages for your main cities. Add the rest as results come in. That way the budget follows priorities instead of volume for its own sake.
Underpaying has its own risks. A very low price usually means template copy, no audit and a report made of screenshots. If you need enquiries quickly, it can make sense to put part of the budget into Google or Meta ads and treat SEO as slower work that builds a steady flow.
Set up analytics before you start
Before discussing a figure, decide how you will measure success: cost per lead, number of calls, orders arriving in Telegram, or sales through the website. Without working analytics you cannot tell whether SEO pays back or the budget is simply being spent.
At markdev we begin with an audit and agree on metrics, and only then name a price for the specific site. If you would like to talk through your own project, get in touch and we will review the site and suggest where to start.
FAQ
Why is SEO pricing different for similar websites?
Size and niche may match while technical condition and competition for queries do not. Only an audit shows the difference.
Can I pay once and forget about SEO?
A one-off setup fixes technical issues but does not replace ongoing work on content. Steady growth usually needs continuing support.
Is it cheaper to promote a site in one language?
Yes, there is less work. But if part of your audience searches in Uzbek, you lose that demand. Choose languages based on what your audience actually uses.
How can I tell if a quote is inflated?
Be cautious if the provider cannot list the scope and reporting, and the only difference between offers is the final total.
Let’s look at your task for free
Leave your contact — in a 15-minute call we’ll show where leads get lost and what to fix first.