I have been shocked at the cost of SEO with many people offering their services for £xxx a month !! Wouldnt it be much cheaper to buy a good old fashioned BOOK for £10 ??
Well yes & no.... You can buy a book but will you truly understand it? Will you instantly know where to look for high quality links (not forum sig links or spam blog comment links). Also, how do you value your time? Even at £10 an hour I'd be willing to be that a new SEO will spend more than 10 hours figuring out where to get started ... imagine what an experienced SEO with all the tools, knowledge & experience they have can do with 10 hours.... I wouldn't even attempt to become a watch salesman, I know nothing about them ... I wouldn't attempt to build my own house even though I know where to buy bricks and cement..... Surely your time is better spent doing what you do best, running your business? Remember, you are paying for their experience and expertise - not necessarily hard costs such as stock / overheads which would apply in traditional businesses. Hope this helped to explain things from a pro SEOs point of view.....