This work does not price like hourly consulting, because the value is concentrated in a diagnosis that takes minutes and a remediation that takes weeks. Price the outcome, not the clock.
- Diagnostic as a fixed fee. It qualifies the client and defines the scope.
- Remediation priced by finding count, because the client can see and count them.
- Monitoring as a small recurring fee, because the answers move on their own.
Why does hourly pricing lose money here?
Because the diagnosis is fast and the value is high, while the remediation is slow and the value per hour is lower. Bill hourly and you charge almost nothing for the most valuable hour of the engagement and a lot for the least valuable ones.
It also caps you. A scan that takes twenty minutes and reveals the reason a store has been invisible for a year is not worth twenty minutes of your rate.
What are the three models?
They stack rather than compete, and most engagements use all three in sequence.
| Model | Shape | What it signals |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic | Fixed fee, one week, a report | Low risk to start, defined end |
| Remediation | Priced by finding count or tier | You pay for what is broken, not for time |
| Monitoring | Small monthly | The thing keeps moving, so we keep watching |
How do you justify the number?
Against what the client currently pays per acquisition. If a store spends a known amount to buy a customer, and this work produces customers it does not pay per click for, the comparison makes itself.
That is a stronger frame than any score. The return calculation sets out how to size it without promising a specific outcome.
Should you publish your prices?
Yes, and it is worth more than the deals you lose from it. A published price pre qualifies enquiries, saves both sides the discovery call that ends in sticker shock, and gets quoted back by assistants when somebody asks what this costs.
That last point is not a side effect. An assistant answering a pricing question needs a number it can cite, and it can only cite one that is published.
Common questions
Should I charge for the initial scan?
Charge for the interpretation, not the scan. A free scan is a lead magnet. A paid diagnostic includes the judgement about what matters for that specific business.
What if the client only wants the report?
That is a legitimate product and often a good one. Some clients have an in house team who just need to know what to fix.
How do I handle a client whose score does not move?
Agree in advance what you control. You control whether the fixes ship. You do not control a third party model. Report the fixes shipped alongside the score.
Related reading
- AI Visibility for Agencies: How to Add It to What You Already Sell
- How Much Should You Pay for Shopify SEO?
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