Whether launching a new startup or looking to take your existing business to the next level, digital marketing will play a central role in your strategy for 2024. Before starting, understanding current digital marketing costs is essential.
After all, every business decision should be influenced by the financial implications. In this quick guide to the average digital marketing cost for small business operations will answer all of your questions, which should subsequently help you choose the right web design for your SME and select the best marketing packages to unlock the full potential of your venture.
Firstly, Are Digital Marketing Packages For Small Business Owners Necessary?
Before spending money on any digital marketing package, you will naturally want to ask whether it’s worthwhile. Research shows that companies will spend just under $700 billion on digital ads globally in 2024, which instantly suggests that it is now a necessity for any company hoping to dominate the online arena.
While digital marketing costs UK are not necessarily cheap and may feel like an added expense, the benefits of a robust strategy are clear. If you’re still unsure about using digital marketing packages for small business services, the following statistics will provide the insight you need;
- Global eCommerce sales in 2024 are set to total almost $7trillion.
- 81% of retail shoppers conduct online research before buying.
- A good ROI on marketing is £5 in sales for every £1 spent.
- 89% of people search for a local business on their smartphone weekly.
- Digital marketing is shown to be cheaper and quicker than traditional ads.
In short, online strategies are now essential for all businesses including local SMEs who do not have an eCommerce branch. However, every entrepreneur should focus on getting value for money and researching the average digital marketing costs is a key step to success.
What Are The Average UK Digital Marketing Costs In 2024?
Whether looking at the average cost of website design for small business owners or asking “How much does SEO cost for a small business?”, it’s important to know that there is no “one price fits all” solution. In fact, a top quality digital marketing agency like T40 Digital will offer tailored packages rather than set pricing models to ensure that your business receives the best value for money.
Moreover, it should be noted that digital marketing is no longer a task that can simply be ticked off. Instead, it requires an ongoing commitment to build, maintain, and sustain your levels of success.
Nevertheless, it is suggested that the ongoing average digital marketing costs per month for SMEs is around £1,100 while the price roughly doubles for specific projects. Meanwhile, the monthly retainers for certain services are as follows;
- Marketing Strategy: £900-£1,000
- Content Marketing: £1,000-£1,200
- PPC (Pay Per Click): £1,250-£1,500
- SEO: £1,100-£1,250
- Social Media Marketing: £2,000-£2,500.
- Website Maintenance and support – £50-£400.
Of course, combining multiple digital marketing services will increase the costs and you may need a digital marketing cost calculator to weigh up the overheads against the proposed ROIs. However, larger packages will deliver the best value for money as long as the right services are included. Our digital marketing consultancy services can help you design, develop, and deliver a winning strategy.
Website Design Costs UK
A powerful website is the backbone of any successful modern marketing strategy, which is why the average cost of website design for small business owners is one of the first things most entrepreneurs will look at.
When considering website building and maintenance costs UK, it’s important to know that the prices will be determined by several important factors, such as;
- Whether building a website from scratch or updating an existing site.
- Whether a website audit is needed to highlight current performance levels.
- The number of pages required for the website.
- How quickly you need the website.
- The technical aspects, like whether you need eCommerce integrations.
- Whether you require professional help in maintaining and updating the website.
It is now possible to create a website using popular CMS (content management systems) like WordPress. The DIY approach can be completed for as little as £30 per year but most SMEs will spend roughly £1,000 per year on their website. However, this does not factor in the cost of time spent designing and maintaining the website. Naturally, as a novice, every step will take you longer. Worse still, the results will be limited compared to a professionally designed website.
The estimated website design costs UK SMEs face currently stand at £4,000 to £6,000. However, the growing importance of business sites means that even smaller companies may now look for more advanced features that increase the complexity of the project and the costs. As well as eCommerce features, it may include live chat customer support and other integrated features.
It is suggested that most SMEs will have 5-10 web pages on their sites, but eCommerce stores could have an endless number due to their product pages. Of course, multiple location and service pages increase the number. For the average medium-sized web design project, a timeframe of 12 weeks is fairly common.
Website Maintenance Cost Per Month
Building a website is one thing, but when calculating the true digital marketing costs of having a website you must also think about the expense of monthly website maintenance packages.
Again, it is possible to take on the challenge yourself. However, the challenge of managing design, content, navigation, and security should not be taken lightly. It is estimated that the management of a services website will take 24 hours per month while other site types can require up to 72 hours. If you’re still learning the ropes, you can expect this to be even longer, especially if you need to troubleshoot potential problems.
If hiring a freelancer, you may be able to look at a website maintenance cost per hour model. You may expect to pay £20-£30 from a relatively new expert in this field while more experienced pros will naturally charge more. However, this does make it hard to manage your budget and digital marketing costs as you can’t always predict how much work is needed. Similarly, the freelancer may not have the necessary skills for a comprehensive service.
When considering website maintenance UK packages courtesy of an agency, the truth is that the costs will vary depending on how much time is required, the size of the website, and the tech complexity of pages. Meanwhile, monthly website maintenance packages can be built to factor in SEO, content production, and other key elements like domain renewals and web hosting.
A digital marketing agency may cost as little as £50 per month for basic essential maintenance, which includes analysis and reports. However, the elements included in a monthly retainer mean that the website maintenance cost per month for most SMEs will be around £200-£400. This covers domains, hosting, SSL certificates, email hosting, web themes, plugins, site updates and more. Again, with a dedicated agency, you’ll receive a fully tailored package for optimal performance and value.
SEO Costs UK
Building and maintaining a great website gives you a strong platform to build upon. However, it counts for very little if nobody visits.
It is shown that over two-thirds of all web experiences begin with a search engine while the fact that 78% of local searches conducted on mobile lead to offline purchases shows the impact of local searches. However, the vast majority of web users will only click a link from the first page of the SERPs (search engine results pages). So, if the website is not optimised for search engines, it will miss out on the largest source of potential traffic.
Search Engine Optimization, also known as SEO, is the best solution. However, the fact that over 90% of all websites gain no traffic from search engines underlines the need for an expert. It is an ongoing commitment that requires on-page SEO tactics, off-page SEO tactics, and content creation.
As stated above, the average SEO cost per month for a small business is £1,100-£1,250 while the SEO hourly rate UK businesses face is around £50. Again, though, the true costs will be determined by the choice of keywords that you wish to rank for as well as how many on-site and off-site services you need.
The costs will also vary depending on whether you want organic SEO services or local SEO. For larger packages that truly let you stand out from the crowd, you may expect to pay up to £5,000 per month although T40 Digital always works closely with clients to find a suitable package for their budget.
However, rather than asking “How much does SEO cost for small business UK?”, it may be better to think about how much it will benefit your brand. You will gain;
- Increased brand visibility
- A professional brand image
- More visits to offline stores
- More clicks to your site
- Traffic from people in the buying mindset
When considering digital marketing pricing packages, there is no doubt that SEO should be included. After all, if you try to master it yourself, it’s almost certain that you will fall short.
PPC & Social Media Costs UK
The combination of great web design and a powerful SEO strategy will give your business an edge over most of the competition, which is why they should be the main focus when calculating digital marketing costs.
However, consumers are now exposed to thousands of online adverts each week while they also spend hours on social media. Dedicated PPC and social media marketing campaigns will allow you to tap into those audiences while also building a stronger brand presence.
Agency PPC pricing packages cover the cost of creating engaging PPC campaigns while also managing your allocated PPC budget across multiple channels. This includes the Google Search, Google Display Network as well as ads shown on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and more.
While PPC pricing packages cost small businesses £1,250-£1,500 on average, the costs depend on the platforms used, the target audience, and the separate ad budget you set. Ultimately, though, our experts will manage your bids to ensure that you get more clicks to the pound and do not waste any of your allocated ad spend. We’ll also check that ads target the right consumers so that you have the best chance of turning clicks into conversions.
Many small businesses will spend under £500 per month on their PPC while other SMEs will increase it into the five-figure range. Either way, the fact your spending is only affected when someone clicks an ad means a professional campaign will deliver great results.
Social media marketing can cover PPC directly on those platforms. Alternatively, it may focus on content ranging from blog posts to surveys or influencer collaborations. Digital marketing pricing packages often dedicate around £2,000-£2,500 for social media. This covers an average of around £750 for paid social media and £1,400 for organic social media.
Alternatively, daily rates stand at around £550 for paid social media and £800 for organic social media. As with other services, though, this can be adapted to your needs and budget. The great thing is that PPC and social media are both manageable with automated daily, weekly, or monthly limits. Our experts can manage this along with the content and graphic design, ultimately allowing you to pack a more powerful punch in the fight for customers.
Whether you’re a fan of social media or not, you cannot afford to ignore its potential for your business. With a dedicated budget and the right team working for you, the opportunities will be huge.
Conclusion
Digital marketing pricing packages will vary from one business to the other. Whether just starting out or looking to expand, however, professional services will prove immensely valuable in your bid to grow brand awareness and generate more sales.
To unlock the best results, though, you need the support of an experienced team that can build a tailored service to reflect your budget and marketing objectives. T40 Digital is the answer.
If you’re ready to take your business to new heights in 2024, call us now to learn more about what our digital marketing services can do for you. The road to a brighter future starts now.
