Can I do SEO myself or do I need to hire someone?
Honest answers about DIY local SEO from eezyRank in South Dakota, SD.
You're tired of paying SEO companies thousands each month with little to show for it. You want to handle local SEO yourself but don't know where to start in South Dakota's competitive market. Writing content takes forever and you're not sure what topics will actually help your business get found.
You can absolutely handle SEO yourself if you have the right tools and approach. The biggest challenge isn't the technical stuff - it's creating enough quality content consistently. Most business owners in South Dakota start strong but burn out after writing 10-15 pages because research and writing take 4-6 hours per piece.
DIY SEO typically costs $200-500 per month in tools and takes 15-20 hours weekly if you're doing everything manually. Traditional SEO agencies charge $2,000-5,000 monthly but most small businesses see limited results. The scope depends on how many locations you serve and how much content your competitors have already published.
Look for platforms that automate the content creation and research, so you can focus on running your business instead of becoming an SEO expert. eezyRank builds hundreds of targeted pages automatically for 90% less than traditional agencies, handling the writing and optimization while you approve the topics that matter to your South Dakota customers.
Once you have consistent content production handled, you'll see your business appearing in more searches across South Dakota within 60-90 days. You'll spend less time worrying about SEO and more time serving the customers who can actually find you.
What people in South Dakota say
"Scott went above and beyond anything we ever could've expected. He didn't just teach our team how to use Claude. He opened our eyes to a whole new way of working. He pulled our entire business together, rebuilt our sales process from the ground up, helped us get payroll organized, and got us ready to launch our new sales team. The real difference for us has been Scott. We're going to keep working with him long-term."
"Scott did more for my business in two weeks than anyone has in five years. He pulled up heat maps for every one of my competitors across the 27 cities I cover and showed me exactly where I'm winning, where I'm losing, and what to do about it. He even laid out a plan to pull before-and-after photos from one app and match them up with the right reviews from my CRM. After hours of him digging through every corner of my business, I finally have a real roadmap. I'd hire him again tomorrow."
"Working with Scott has been amazing! His ability to ingest information, understand it, and then help you understand it is second to none. His work ethic is unlike any I've seen. Scott's forward-thinking mindset is incredibly refreshing and helpful. If you want your website to be found more easily, do yourself a favor and talk to Scott and his team. But don't stop there - Scott has a wealth of knowledge that can help you in so many ways."
Other things people in South Dakota ask
my website gets no traffic
You need content that matches what people actually search for in your area. Start with location-specific pages for each city you serve, then add service pages that answer common customer questions. Track your rankings to see what's working.
competitors ranking higher than me locally
Google ranks businesses that have location-specific pages and proper local signals. You need dedicated pages for each city you serve, not just one generic service page. Local SEO requires city-specific content and technical setup that tells Google exactly where you operate.
website not showing up local searches
Local search requires location-specific content on your website, not just your Google Business Profile. Create dedicated pages for each city you serve. Include local landmarks, neighborhood names, and customer reviews from those areas. Link your service pages to your location pages.
how much does SEO cost
SEO pricing depends on how much content you need and how competitive your market is. Monthly retainers run $1500-$5000 but often include work you could automate. Look for platforms that create the content automatically instead of paying someone to write it manually.
how much does local SEO cost
Traditional SEO agencies charge $1,500-$5,000 monthly because they do everything manually. Automated local SEO platforms cost 90% less and create more pages faster. Look for solutions that build location pages automatically instead of paying for manual work.