SEO packages are dead, but SEO itself is far from it.
These one-size-fits-all SEO offerings frequently fail to deliver meaningful results but are still marketed as straightforward solutions to boost online search visibility.
If you have a LinkedIn profile, you will know first-hand how saturated the SEO market is with DMs promising SEO results based on packages usually named Gold, Silver, and Bronze or Boost, Accelerate, Dominate!
Instead of opting for a pre-packaged action list, consider why a tailored approach to SEO is a far more effective investment for your business.
The Illusion of Simplicity
SEO packages typically present a checklist of services at a fixed price, giving the impression that achieving higher search engine rankings is as simple as ticking a few activity boxes. However, SEO is a complex and evolving field that requires a deep understanding of your business, target audience, and industry competition.
With 20+ years experience in marketing and SEO, we don’t just tick boxes, we use data-driven search strategies to build a strong foundation that fuels sustainable, long-term growth.
The True Value of SEO: Beyond Cost Savings
While SEO packages may seem affordable at first glance, evaluating their long-term value compared to tailored strategies is essential.
Initial vs Long-Term Costs: Many SEO packages appear cost-effective upfront but often fail to deliver results due to their generic nature. This leads to wasted resources and missed opportunities. While potentially more expensive initially, a tailored approach offers significantly better ROI over time by addressing your specific needs and goals.
Hidden Costs: Many SEO packages have hidden costs or upsells that aren’t immediately apparent. These can include additional fees for content creation, link building, or technical optimizations not included in the original package.
Value of Expertise: When you invest in a tailored SEO strategy, you’re not just paying for tasks – you’re investing in expertise. This includes an in-depth analysis of your specific market, competitors, and audience and ongoing adjustments based on performance data.
Lack of Customization
No two businesses are the same, so why settle for a one-size-fits-all SEO approach?
SEO packages often overlook unique business goals, industry nuances, and competition, applying the same generic tactics to every client. This lack of customization leads to wasted budget, irrelevant optimizations, and missed opportunities for real growth.
We take a different approach. Our tailored SEO strategies are built around your specific needs, ensuring that every technical fix, content piece, and link-building effort aligns with your business objectives. No templates, just strategic, data-driven SEO designed to deliver real results.
Outdated Techniques and Potential Penalties
SEO changes constantly, but many pre-packaged services are stuck in 2001.
Search engines now prioritize helpful, high-quality content, natural link-building, and seamless user experience—yet many outdated SEO packages still rely on keyword stuffing, spammy backlinks, and low-value AI-generated content. These tactics don’t just fail to improve rankings, they can actually trigger search engine penalties, tanking your visibility with them.
We focus on ethical, sustainable SEO strategies that stand the test of time. By following best practices rooted in real expertise, we help businesses build long-term compound search success without the risk of algorithmic setbacks.
Generic Content
Content plays a critical role in SEO success. Pre-packaged services often provide generic content that fails to resonate with your audience or reflect your brand’s voice, harming engagement and credibility.
We emphasize the importance of creating optimized content plans tailored to each client’s audience and goals. Quality over quantity wins every time when it comes to creating new content.
Emphasizing Long-Term Sustainability
As touched on briefly above, sustainability is key to SEO strategy. A tailored strategy emphasizes building long-term authority and results rather than chasing short-term gains that are, more often than not, growing your business.
Building Authority: Sustainable SEO prioritizes establishing your website as an authoritative source within your industry through high-quality content and reputable backlinks. This builds trust with both users and search engines alike.
Adaptability: Search engine algorithms are constantly changing. A sustainable strategy ensures flexibility by proactively addressing updates without requiring a complete overhaul.
Compound Growth: Sustainable practices create a positive feedback loop—improved rankings attract more traffic, which leads to greater visibility and further growth over time.
Future-Proofing: By focusing on long-term strategies like technical optimization and evergreen content creation, you’re preparing for the future while maintaining consistent performance today.
I often tell potential clients that SEO isn’t about quick wins, it’s about building momentum that lasts. Investing in sustainability ensures steady growth that won’t disappear with the following algorithm update.
Limited Flexibility and Scalability
Your business isn’t static, so your SEO strategy shouldn’t be either.
As businesses grow, expand into new markets, or adjust their offerings, their SEO needs to shift. Pre-packaged SEO services often follow a rigid framework that fails to evolve alongside these changes, leaving businesses stuck with outdated tactics or irrelevant optimizations.
That’s why building bespoke SEO strategies designed to scale with your ambitions. Whether you’re launching new products, expanding internationally, or pivoting your content strategy, adapt your SEO approach in real time to ensure sustainable, long-term growth.
Poor Communication and Accountability
SEO should never feel like a black box.
Many providers offering pre-packaged SEO fail to maintain clear communication about their methods or progress. Reports are often vague, overly technical, or even manipulated, making it difficult for businesses to understand the true impact of their investment.
We do things differently. Full transparency is our standard. Every task, strategy, and result is logged in our project management platform, giving you real-time access to what’s happening behind the scenes. No fluff and no guesswork, just clear, data-backed insights that show exactly how your SEO investment is driving results.
Why Bespoke SEO Wins
A tailored SEO strategy isn’t just better, it’s essential if you want sustainable long-term success. Unlike SEO packages that apply the same formula to every client and business, bespoke SEO is built around your specific goals, audience, and industry, ensuring every effort drives meaningful results.
Here’s why a custom approach delivers better outcomes:
- Stronger Rankings – Targeted strategies that align with your business objectives and adapt to search engine changes.
- Higher Conversions – Attract relevant, high-intent traffic that turns into real customers, not just clicks.
- Greater ROI – Sustainable, long-term SEO practices that continue to drive value well beyond the initial investment.
- Enhanced Brand Authority – High-quality content, ethical link building, and thought leadership that establish your business as an industry leader.
With bespoke SEO, every action is intentional, every strategy is data-driven, and every result is built to last.
How We Helped a Client Turn Their SEO Around
While pre-packaged SEO services may seem appealing due to their simplicity or lower upfront costs, they often fail to deliver meaningful results.
A client was recently recommended to us after spending £1,200 per month for six months with another agency. On paper, it seemed like a solid investment, until they finally took a step back to assess the results. Five months in, reality hit: their £7,200 spend had resulted in…
- 250% increase in impressions
- 110% increase in clicks
- 20% decrease in CTR
- 600 spammy links which need to be disavowed
- 24 new articles created by AI with no relevance to growing your business (20 of which haven’t been indexed)
SEO packages are dead – There is no real ROI. No business impact. Just a mess to clean up.
When they came to us, they were frustrated and unsure if SEO was worth it. Instead of throwing more money at a broken strategy, we rebuilt their SEO from the ground up, focusing on quality, relevance, and long-term growth.
In just three months, their results looked very different:
- Created a clear, bespoke strategy based on foundational factors
- Removed 98% of all website errors and warnings
- Created three quality pieces of content with insights, data and media that are optimized for highly relevant and topical commercial keywords
- Above content generated natural, industry relevant backlinks
- Improved UX through internal linking, content structure and enhanced accessibility
- Generated six marketing-qualified leads, 3 of which converted into £9800
Instead of wasting money on high-volume, low-impact SEO, they invested in a strategy that worked and generating a real return. Our fee was £1750 per month with a contract term of 3-months.
SEO Packages Are Dead: Wrapped
While SEO packages may seem attractive due to their apparent simplicity and lower upfront costs, they are often a false economy.
Investing in a customized SEO strategy that addresses your specific needs and goals is far more likely to yield positive, long-lasting results for your business. As our client shared:
“Working with Tom at Bit Quirky completely transformed our approach to SEO. The tailored strategy exceeded a basic package, and the results have been incredible. Our search rankings improved, and we saw a significant boost in website traffic and conversions. It’s clear they take the time to understand your business and goals truly.”
SEO packages are dead, so if you’ve been burned by SEO that promised the world but fail to deliver, we can help. Because SEO isn’t about ticking boxes; it’s about building a strategy that fuels real business growth.
