Affordable SEO software means its light on your agency’s budget and not a big financial headache.
When you’re looking for affordable SEO software, the pricing model plays a huge role, and it all comes down to how the software charges you. One of the most common models is subscription-based pricing, where you pay a monthly fee to use the tool.
The subscription fees with this pricing model tend to be high, and the worst part is they don’t really reflect how much the agency uses the software. Agencies pay the same, even if their usage goes up and down over months, which is unnecessary and too costly.
This is not the same with pay-as-you-use pricing model.
In this blog, we explain what pay-as-you-use pricing is, take a look at how it’s one of the most affordable SEO pricing models, and finish off with a few practical tips about how an SEO agency can best make use of it.
What is Pay-As-You-Use Pricing Model?
Pay-as-you-use pricing is all about paying for exactly what you use — as implied by the name — and not being tied down to some kind of regular monthly or yearly charge.
To get an idea of regular and monthly fees of SEO tools, you’ll find FirstPageSage’s ranking of the top SEO tools, along with pricing information as of 2024.
The idea behind this pricing model is pretty simple: SEO agencies only pay for what they need, whether that’s keyword research, competitor analysis, or site audits.
How Pay-As-You-Use Pricing Works in Affordable SEO Software for Agencies
Perfect for SEO agencies, this pricing model is ideal when managing several projects, especially with clients whose SEO requirements change frequently.
For example, if an agency is working with seasonal clients—say, an e-commerce store during the holiday season or a travel agency before summer—this pricing model would allow them to scale up keyword tracking or site audits when activity peaks and then scale back when things slow down.
For one-off projects, such as a client needing a one-time site audit or competitor analysis for a product launch, you only pay for what you use, avoiding unnecessary subscription costs.
How the Pay-as-You-Use Pricing Model Makes SEO Software the Ideal Affordable Tool.
Affordable SEO Software Advantage #1: Cost Control and Flexibility
The best benefit of SEO software for agencies with a pay-for-use pricing model is the tight control agencies get over cost.
Agencies are no longer forced to pay for what they don’t need or overinvest when demand is low.
If your agency’s expertise is in local SEO tools and site audits, you can spend your budget on those tasks only, without paying for features you don’t need.
Affordable SEO Software Advantage #2: Scalability
With pay-as-you-use SEO software, agencies can scale up or throttle their usage to match the ever-changing demands of their clients.
For example, heavy keyword tracking and competitor analysis may be required for a certain period of time for an SEO campaign.
During this time, the agency can use more of it without being required to subscribe for a long period of time. And scaling back is just as easy when the workload drops. This kind of flexibility is what makes the pricing model perfect for periods of growth as well as periods of efficiency.
Affordable SEO Software Advantage #3: Client-Specific Budgeting
With transparent billing, agencies can easily invoice their clients only for what they use.
This means that pricing is clear and tailored: clients can choose to pay just for what they need — keyword tracking, site audits, or SEO updates — and see precisely where their bill is coming from.
Possible Downsides of Affordable SEO Software with Pay-As-You-Use Pricing Model
Cost Unpredictability
The challenge with cost unpredictability is that clients’ SEO needs are always changing from one month to the next. This makes it difficult to stick to a set budget, particularly when you’re managing large amounts of data or multiple clients.
With ever-changing client demands, you could find yourself needing to initiate multiple SEO actions in a single month, which means paying for everything you use.
In such cases, a monthly subscription might actually be a better fit.
Multi-client Complex Billing
The pay-as-you-use pricing model means clients only pay for what they use, which creates a more complicated billing process for agencies managing several clients.
To bill clients properly, agencies have to monitor how much of each service is being used in their various SEO campaigns.
Limitations of SEO Software Providers
Of course, pay-as-you-use helps agencies reduce costs by charging only for what they will actually use.
However, sometimes the problem isn’t with the pricing model itself, but the software.
For example, detailed backlink analysis or custom site audits may be available only in more advanced plans; that would make an agency pay more, just to access such tools.
So before you settle on this pricing model, make sure you take a look at what features come with it.
How to Pick the Best Affordable SEO Software with Pay-As-You-Use Pricing Model
Usage Pattern Analysis
First and foremost, study the workload of your agency and clearly define where exactly you will get the most value from SEO software.
This is a very important step in identifying core services that you will use most frequently, such as keyword tracking or site auditing.
By understanding your agency’s patterns, you will be in a better place to select an affordable SEO software that closely aligns with your needs to make sure you pay only for the most helpful tools and features.
Compare SEO Features
It’s important to note that not all SEO software for agencies supports pay-as-you-use pricing models.
If your agency depends on in-depth SEO data like technical audits, competitor analysis, and backlink monitoring, check if the SEO tool you choose can provide those features with this pricing model.
Support and Billing Transparency
It’s best to select providers that offer easy-to-understand billing breakdowns and have support that’s simple to contact, ensuring you won’t face unexpected charges and can solve any problems right away.
This is especially beneficial for agencies with many clients because clear billing helps you keep track of each client’s expenses and manage your overall budget more effectively.
Conclusion
What makes an agency’s SEO software with a pay-as-you-use pricing model stand out is how it handles various SEO aspects flexibly and affordably, making it an excellent choice for affordable SEO software.
Whether it be local SEO, technical SEO, or SEO Audit, the ability to offset the costs with actual performance tends to balance these costs out quite nicely.
Are you looking to save on your SEO costs and improve efficiency?
SEOModify, our SEO software for agencies, offers a pay-as-you-use pricing model, making it exactly what your agency needs for flexible and cost-effective SEO management.
It’s customized to make sure you only pay for what you actually need—whether that’s local SEO, site audits, or unlimited keyword tracking.