Pay-Per-Result SEO
One keyword's climb, and what it costs
Pay-Per-Result SEO
Example
Paying for SEO before anyone can find you
When a homeowner types 'roof leak repair' into Google, it answers with a list of websites. Your spot on that list is your ranking. Position 1 is the top, and page one means the top ten regular results, the ones under the ads. Few people look past it.
Getting onto page one is slow, quiet work. Most of it happens inside your website, in places you'd never think to look, and it can be months before a search shows any change. Until then, you have no way to tell whether anything is being done.
Meanwhile, the people searching today still need a roofer. They call the companies they can see, and for most searches those are the ones on page one.
Your bill starts when you reach page one
You shouldn't pay for SEO during the months nobody can see it, and on this plan you don't. Each search you want to show up for is one keyword on your list. Any month a keyword spends below page one, it costs you nothing.
So what are we doing in those months? We're working on your website, for every keyword on the list. On-page work is the part Google reads on the page itself: your page titles and the words on each page. Technical work is what's underneath, like how fast your pages load and whether Google can read every one of them.
Once a month, we check where each keyword ranks. That position sets its rate for the month, so position 1 costs the most and spots 8 to 10 cost the least. Your bill should follow how easy you are to find, which is why a keyword that slips costs less that month.
How it works
- 1
Planning call
We bring research on your market and your competitors. Together we pick the searches your best customers would type.
- 2
Reserve your keywords
The keyword reservation fee is paid once, up front. Work then starts on the pages behind every keyword on your list.
- 3
The climb
Keywords climb at their own pace, and some reach page one well before others. Each one joins your bill once it gets there.
- 4
The monthly check
Every month's bill starts from zero. Where each keyword stood at the check sets its rate, and the total stops at your cap.
What Pay-Per-Result SEO costs
Keyword reservation fee
$1,500
Paid once, up front
A keyword below page one
$0
Every month it sits on page two or lower
A keyword on page one
$122 to $244
per month
Set by the position it holds that month
The most you'll pay
$1,995
per month
In any month, on the 30-keyword package
What's included
- Research on your market, your competitors and any past SEO or Google Ads results
- A starting list of search phrases picked with you: long-tail phrases that rank sooner, plus high-volume ones that take longer
- On-page and technical work on your site for every phrase on the list
- A monthly check of where each phrase ranks, which is also what sets the bill
National campaigns and very new websites are quoted separately.
What the report shows
Your report is a table: each keyword, the position it held, the rate for that position. The invoice is that table added up.
How long it takes
Umbrella Local's published estimate is that most phrases reach page one in the third month of service.
Every line of the bill
Each keyword is billed by the position it held at that month's check. Anything below page one costs nothing.
| Position 1 | $244/ keyword |
|---|---|
| Position 2 | $220/ keyword |
| Position 3 | $186/ keyword |
| Positions 4 and 5 | $170/ keyword |
| Positions 6 and 7 | $152/ keyword |
| Positions 8 to 10 | $122/ keyword |
| Page two or lower | $0/ keyword |
| Keyword reservation feePaid once, up front | $1,500 |
|---|---|
| Most you'll pay, 30-keyword package | $1,995/ month |
| Most you'll pay, 50-keyword package | $2,995/ month |
- National campaigns and very new websites get a custom quote.
- The rate follows the position from each month's check, up or down.
Billing is month to month, with no long-term contract. Your proposal uses these same prices, added up for your business.
One month's SEO bill, worked out
Example: a Denver roofer's month
Six keywords tracked
| Keyword | PositionPosition this month | You pay |
|---|---|---|
| “roof repair denver” | #1 | $244 |
| “roofer near me” | #3 | $186 |
| “roof replacement denver” | #5 | $170 |
| “emergency roof repair” | #8 | $122 |
| “metal roofing denver” | Page 2 | $0 |
| “hail damage roof repair” | Page 2 | $0 |
| This month's SEO bill | $722 | |
Why it's set up this way
- 01
You don't pay for the slow months
A page can take months to rank, because Google has to find it and weigh it against pages that have been there for years. On a retainer you pay through that wait. Here the wait is ours.
- 02
Position 1 costs more than position 9
The top result gets far more clicks than the bottom of page one, so each position band carries its own rate. Your bill only climbs when your visibility does.
- 03
The bill has a ceiling
There are two packages, 30 keywords or 50, and each has a monthly cap. Ranking for everything at once can't produce a surprise invoice.
Pay-per-result campaigns that stayed for years
Restaurant group, 16 locations in eight states
Burton's Grill & Bar
283 search phrases on Google's first page
Started on pay per result. After six years, phrases such as 'gluten free Hingham MA' rank on page one, and Umbrella Local attributes close to $100K a month in in-store sales to that search traffic.
Read the case study on umbrellalocal.comClassic and collector car lender
J.J. Best Banc & Co.
26 high-volume phrases on Google's first page
Started with pay-per-result SEO and has stayed seven years, ranking for searches such as 'classic car financing' and 'collector car loans'.
Read the case study on umbrellalocal.comWhat owners say about their SEO
The digital marketing provided to me by Umbrella Local was top-notch. The article written about my company gave us a major boost. It was published on hundreds of websites and other media. The greatest benefit was the exposure and visibility allowed us to dominate the first page of Google for many important keywords.
Ali Culpepper, Culpepper Legacy Group. Review of Umbrella Local on umbrellalocal.comI’ve had the pleasure of working with Rickey and the Umbrella Local team on updating my website and SEO status. Rickey is professional, creative, knowledgeable, and proactive. Through their efforts we were able to directly acquire new leads and inquiries that resulted in new sales/clients for our company. My overall experience with Rickey has been outstanding from start to finish. I highly recommend them as they are detail oriented, organized, forward thinkers, and flexible. Rickey and the Umbrella Local team were very helpful in walking us through the process, so we knew exactly how our investment would benefit our company in both the short term and long term.
Demetrius Garcia, Stuke Iowa. Review of Umbrella Local on umbrellalocal.comFind out what Pay-Per-Result SEO would cost you
Frequently Asked Questions
What if my website is brand new?
Who chooses the keywords?
Can you show me how one month's bill adds up?
What's the most I could pay in a month?
What is the keyword reservation fee?
What happens if a keyword slips?
Has pay per result worked for other businesses?
Do I have to sign a long-term contract?
Often paired with this
- Near Me SEOGets your Google Business Profile into the Maps 3-pack for near-me searches, measured on a 7×7-mile grid around you.Monthly plan: $750 per monthSee how it works
- AI SEOGets your business named when customers ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or Google's AI Overviews who to call.Monthly plan: $950 per monthSee how it works
- High-Converting WebsitesFast sites built to turn a visit into a call or a form lead. We host them, maintain them and count every lead from day one.7-page website: $3,988See how it works