SEO Budgets: What Should You Really Spend?
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What Does “SEO Budgets: What Should You Really Spend?” Talk About?
This episode of the James Dooley Podcast tackles one of the most persistent misconceptions in digital marketing: whether a $50 SEO package can deliver real results compared to a $5,000 investment. James Dooley and Kasra Dash systematically break down the actual costs behind legitimate SEO work, including Ahrefs subscriptions at $150 per month, Screaming Frog at $250 per year, content at $60-$70 per article, and backlinks averaging $300 each in standard niches and up to $600-$700 in competitive verticals like casino. The hosts make clear that even a $5,000 budget is modest when stacked against the true expense of topical mapping, silo structure, technical audits, and quality link building.
Beyond the numbers, the conversation explores the long-term consequences of underfunded SEO strategies. James Dooley warns that cheap tactics like GSA blasts may produce a temporary lift during the Google Dance, but core updates eventually wipe those gains out. He compares cutting corners in SEO to building a house on quicksand, urging businesses to treat SEO as a foundational investment rather than a shortcut. The episode also ventures into the broader business impact of owning your own traffic source, including how SEO-driven leads can transform a company's valuation from a 12-month multiplier to as much as an eight-year multiplier, turning a $1.2 million business into one worth nearly $9.6 million.
“You wouldn't build your house on quicksand, right? So why cut corners now?”
— James Dooley
Who Are the Guests on “SEO Budgets: What Should You Really Spend?”?
James Dooley is a well-known figure in the SEO and digital marketing industry, recognized for his expertise in building and scaling online businesses through search engine optimization. He has hands-on experience not only ranking websites but also selling businesses, giving him a unique perspective on how SEO contributes to long-term asset value and business valuation multiples. His practical, no-nonsense approach to budgeting and strategy makes him a trusted voice for both agency owners and business operators.
Kasra Dash is an SEO professional and business mentor who brings both technical knowledge and commercial strategy to the table. Beyond executing SEO campaigns, Kasra works with businesses on conversion rate optimization, upselling, cross-selling, and improving average order value. His dual focus on traffic acquisition and revenue optimization means he approaches SEO not just as a ranking exercise but as a full growth lever for the businesses he works with.
What Are the Key Takeaways From “SEO Budgets: What Should You Really Spend?”?
Here are the key points discussed in this episode:
- A $50 SEO budget is not just ineffective but irresponsible, as even basic tools like Ahrefs and Screaming Frog alone exceed that cost before any real work begins.
- Cheap link-building tactics such as GSA blasts may cause a temporary ranking lift due to the Google Dance, but they ultimately collapse when Google core updates hit.
- Businesses should prioritize spending on technical SEO audits and content first, then move into link building, with clear and realistic expectations set from the start.
- Owning your own lead source through SEO can transform a business valuation from a 12-month multiplier to an eight-year multiplier, adding millions in exit value.
- SEO works best as part of a broader growth strategy that includes CRO improvements, upselling, and increasing average order value to maximize the compounding effect of organic traffic.
“Instead of your business being worth $1.2 million, it could suddenly be worth $9.6 million. You're adding over $8 million in valuation just by owning your own lead source.”
— James Dooley
Is “SEO Budgets: What Should You Really Spend?” Worth Listening To?
This episode is worth listening to for anyone who has ever been tempted by a bargain SEO package or struggled to justify a larger marketing budget to a client or stakeholder. James Dooley and Kasra Dash do an excellent job of grounding the conversation in real numbers, walking through the actual line-item costs of doing SEO properly and showing why anything under a meaningful monthly spend simply cannot move the needle. The car analogy James uses — asking what kind of new car you can buy for $5,000 — makes the logic immediately relatable and hard to argue with.
What elevates this episode beyond a basic pricing discussion is the segment on business valuations. The breakdown of how a company generating 40 percent of its revenue through SEO can achieve an eight-year sale multiplier versus a twelve-month multiplier is genuinely eye-opening, and it reframes SEO as a long-term asset rather than a monthly expense. For business owners thinking about an eventual exit, this episode offers a compelling financial argument for investing seriously in organic search now. The conversation is concise, direct, and packed with actionable perspective.
Who Should Listen to “SEO Budgets: What Should You Really Spend?”?
This episode is ideal for:
- Small business owners trying to understand whether low-cost SEO services are worth pursuing
- Marketing managers responsible for justifying SEO budget allocations to leadership
- Entrepreneurs planning to sell their business and looking to maximize valuation
- Freelance SEO professionals and agency owners who need clear language to set client expectations around realistic budgets
Where Can You Listen to James Dooley Podcast?
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What Are Listeners Saying About This Episode?
“The breakdown of actual SEO tool and link costs was something I needed to hear. I had a client pushing for a $500 per month budget and this episode gave me the exact language and numbers to explain why that simply does not work. The Ahrefs and Screaming Frog cost breakdown alone made this worth watching.”
“I never thought about SEO in terms of business valuation multiples before. The part where James explains how owning your own lead source can take your exit value from $1.2 million to $9.6 million genuinely changed how I think about investing in organic search. Short and punchy episode that delivers real insight.”
“Really appreciated the honesty here. James calling out agencies that take $50 budgets as scammers is the kind of blunt truth the industry needs more of. The quicksand analogy stuck with me and I have already used it when explaining SEO foundations to a new client.”
Kasra Dash (0:00): So I'm joined with James. How you doing? James Dooley: Yeah, not bad mate. How are you? Kasra Dash: Good, good, good. So the big debate — $50 SEO package versus $5,000 SEO package. There are obviously some SEO agencies that claim they do SEO for $50 or a couple hundred dollars. What's your thoughts on it? James Dooley: First and foremost, if someone came with $50 or $5,000, I’d decline them both. Neither one of them is a big budget for SEO. The amount of costs involved in strategically doing a topical map, silo structure, technical fixes, content, and backlinks — it's going to cost you a lot more than $5,000. If that's a short-term kind of investment and they're going to keep spending after that, then alright — $5,000 isn't a bad start. But $50? It's embarrassing. You can’t even buy one decent backlink for $50. And for people saying, “Oh, build good content and the links will come”… just go and get yourself a full-time job, work overtime, save more money, and don’t get into digital marketing with $50. If you don’t have more than $50 saved up, just go earn some more money and wait until you've got a minimum of $5,000. People keep asking this question like, “What kind of car can I buy for $5,000? A brand-new car?” No, it only starts at $20,000. Well then save more money or buy a second-hand car. Same concept. A lot of SEO agencies that take these tiny budgets on — I think they're scammers. They're sending people down a route pretending it's okay when they know it's not. I don't think it's fair. Kasra Dash: We’ve actually got some stats here. The average link cost is about $300, I’d say. Just an Ahrefs account alone is about $150 a month — and that's for the bare minimum package. Then to do a technical SEO audit, Screaming Frog is about $250 a year. Content — around $60–$70 an article. Keyword research. Topical maps — some guys charge $10k, $15k, $20k for those. Once you start breaking it down, you just can't do anything for $500 or $50 unless there’s consistent spend coming in. What’s your thoughts on those stats? James Dooley: Yeah, I mean none of them surprise me. You're saying $300 for a link, but in markets like casino it's more like $600–$700. It all depends on the niche. And yes — there are cheaper ways to do things, but long-term are they going to keep you ranking? You could go do a GSA blast or an XRumer blast and because of the Google Dance you might see a temporary lift… until the core update hits and wipes you. If you're looking for long-term rankings, you’ve got to build things like a real business. You wouldn’t build your house on quicksand, right? So why cut corners now? Set a realistic budget. Be frugal, but work with someone who knows where to spend money. If someone has only £2k a month or whatever, start with technical SEO audits, build some content, then move into links. But you must set realistic expectations. Kasra Dash: You've also sold businesses before. You understand how much a traffic source adds to valuation. If a business is doing around $100k a month and 40% of that comes from SEO — how much does that impact their valuation? James Dooley: Massively. Some businesses only get a 12-month multiplier if they aren’t generating their own leads. If you're generating your own leads through SEO, it could be an eight-year multiplier. So instead of your business being worth $1.2 million, it could suddenly be worth $9.6 million. You're adding over $8 million in valuation just by owning your own lead source. The growth at first is slow, then it becomes a hockey stick. Long-term, it’s huge. Kasra Dash: Exactly. And once you get traffic, you fix CRO. Then you raise average order value. If you can go from $1,000 AOV to $1,500, it stacks very fast. James Dooley: And that’s where people like you come in — because you’re not just doing SEO. You’re mentoring businesses, showing them how to upsell, cross-sell, optimize their thank-you pages, build their social following, and increase their lifetime customer value. SEO is one part of the equation. But when someone is getting your expertise on top — that’s where the real value is. Kasra Dash: Exactly. And that’s something you’ll never get with a $50 SEO package. James Dooley: Definitely not. You’re not cheap, but it's not about cheap — it’s about value. With $5,000 a month you can start making moves. At $50 you can’t do anything. Kasra Dash: So that has been the video on $50 versus $5,000 SEO packages. I think we both agree the $5,000 route wins every time. James Dooley: Absolutely. If you enjoyed the video, make sure to leave a like down below. Kasra Dash: Thanks.
Creators & Guests
Host
James Dooley is a UK entrepreneur.