How Many Hours of SEO Per Month?

In the dynamic landscape of digital marketing, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) remains a cornerstone for businesses aiming to enhance their online visibility, attract organic traffic, and ultimately drive conversions. However, a common question often arises: “How many hours of SEO should I be dedicating per month?” The answer, like many things in SEO, isn’t a simple, fixed number.

It varies significantly based on a multitude of factors, including the size and age of your business, the competitiveness of your industry, and your specific growth objectives.

Here is the BEST SEO AGENCY

Understanding the Initial Investment: The SEO Setup Phase

Before delving into ongoing monthly hours, it’s crucial to acknowledge the significant upfront investment required for a thorough SEO setup. This foundational work lays the groundwork for all future efforts and can range considerably:

• Local Small to Medium-SSized Businesses (SMBs): For a relatively small website (e.g., around 10 pages), a comprehensive SEO setup might take 22 to 36 hours of focused work. This typically includes:
  • Keyword Research (2-5 hours): Identifying the most relevant and high-value keywords for your business.
  • Website Design & Structure (10-15 hours): Ensuring a search engine-friendly website architecture.
  • Website Copywriting (5-8 hours): Crafting engaging and SEO-optimised content.
  • On-site and On-page Optimisation (3-5 hours): Optimising elements like title tags, meta descriptions, URLs, and internal links.
  • Tool Setup and Configuration (2-3 hours): Setting up essential tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and other SEO platforms.
  • Google Business Profile Optimisation (3-5 hours): Local businesses must manage reviews, add media, and utilize new features.

This initial phase can span from one to several weeks or months, depending on the project’s complexity.

Ongoing Monthly SEO: A Continuous Endeavour

Once the initial setup is complete, SEO becomes an ongoing process. Search engine algorithms evolve, competitors adapt, and your business goals may shift. Consistent monthly effort is crucial to maintaining and improving your search performance.

Here’s a breakdown of typical monthly SEO hour allocations:

For Local Small to Medium-Sized Businesses (SMBs)

For many local businesses with relatively modest websites and less intense competition, a recommended minimum is 5 to 10 hours of monthly SEO work. This might include:

• Content Creation (a few hours): Even one well-researched and written article per month can significantly boost your online presence.
• Google Business Profile Management: Regularly replying to reviews, adding relevant media, and utilizing new features.
• Backlink Building (a few hours): Dedicating time to acquiring authentic and high-quality backlinks, which are crucial for authority.
• Technical SEO Maintenance (a couple of hours): Addressing any technical issues that arise, such as broken links or site speed problems.
• Monitoring and Reporting: Reviewing performance data from tools like Google Analytics and Search Console to identify areas for improvement.

Some sources suggest that for a small business targeting a handful of averagely competitive keywords, 5-15 hours a month can be sufficient after the initial setup.

For Larger Businesses and Competitive Industries

As your business grows, your website becomes more complex, and the competitive landscape intensifies, the monthly SEO commitment naturally increases.

• Medium-sized businesses often require a more robust approach, with monthly retainers from SEO agencies typically covering 20-40 hours or more of dedicated work.
• E-commerce Businesses: Due to their inherent complexity and vast product catalogs, e-commerce websites often require more extensive optimization, potentially necessitating 10-12 hours per month as a starting point, and often significantly more.
• Highly Competitive Niches/Enterprises: In fiercely competitive sectors, the monthly investment can be substantial, easily exceeding 40 hours per month and often involving a dedicated in-house team or a comprehensive agency package.

Considerations that Influence Monthly SEO Hours

Several critical factors dictate the optimal number of monthly SEO hours for your business:

1. Website Size and Complexity: Larger websites with more pages, intricate structures, or dynamic content require more consistent attention and maintenance. E-commerce sites, for instance, need ongoing product page optimization.
4. Industry Competitiveness: If you’re operating in a highly competitive market, you’ll need to invest more time and resources to outrank established competitors. This often involves more aggressive content creation, link building, and technical optimization.
5. Current Website Performance: A website with existing SEO issues, poor rankings, or technical debt will require a higher initial investment of time to rectify problems before making significant progress.
6. Business Goals: Your specific objectives drive the intensity of your SEO efforts. Are you aiming for local dominance, national brand awareness, or international expansion? Each goal necessitates a different level of commitment.
9. In-House Capabilities vs. Agency Support:
   • In-house SEO: If you have an in-house team, the hours dedicated will depend on their skill level, available time, and the tools they have access to. Bear in mind that building an effective in-house team with the necessary tools can be a significant monthly cost.
   • SEO Agencies/Freelancers: Agencies and freelancers typically work on a monthly retainer, with the hours allocated depending on the package you choose. For instance, a small local SEO package might be 10 hours a month, while a comprehensive campaign could involve many more.
10. The pace of Results Desired: While SEO is a long-term strategy (often taking 3-6 months to see initial significant results and 6-12 months for substantial improvements), a higher monthly hour commitment can accelerate the timeline, especially in less competitive niches.
11. Algorithm Changes: Search engine algorithms are constantly evolving. Staying on top of these updates and adapting your strategy accordingly requires ongoing time and expertise.

What Does Monthly SEO Work Entail?

Regardless of the hours invested, a well-rounded monthly SEO strategy typically covers these key areas:

• Keyword Monitoring and Expansion: Tracking existing keyword performance and identifying new keyword opportunities.
• Content Strategy and Creation: Planning, writing, and optimizing new blog posts, articles, and landing page content.
• Technical SEO Audits and Fixes: Regularly check for and resolve issues such as broken links, crawl errors, site speed problems, and mobile responsiveness issues.
• On-page Optimisation: Refining existing content for improved keyword targeting, readability, and user experience.
• Off-page SEO (Link Building & Digital PR): Actively pursuing high-quality backlinks and engaging in digital PR activities to boost authority.
• Local SEO Management: For local businesses, this includes optimizing and managing Google Business Profile, local citations, and online reviews.
• Performance Monitoring and Reporting: Analysing data from Google Analytics and Search Console to measure progress, identify trends, and inform future strategies.
• Competitor Analysis: Keeping an eye on competitors’ SEO strategies to identify opportunities and adapt your approach.

The Bottom Line

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to how many hours of SEO you need per month. It’s a strategic investment that should be tailored to your unique business context. For a local small business, a minimum of 5-10 hours of consistent monthly effort can yield positive results after the initial setup. As companies scale and enter more competitive environments, this commitment will naturally increase, often ranging from 20 hours to a full-time equivalent or more when working with an agency.

Ultimately, the most effective approach to SEO is one that is consistent, data-driven, and adaptable. Rather than focusing solely on a fixed number of hours, prioritize quality effort across all facets of SEO to ensure long-term organic growth and success.