My view on Cheap SEO
Cheap SEO South Africa (2025): Why Going Too Cheap Hurts your Visibility on Google.
I get asked this question almost every week about cheap seo. There is a saying that good work ain’t cheap and cheap work aint good. I find that is quite fitting for this post.
It has been on my mind for some time to address this question.
Is R1,500–R2,000 per month for SEO in South Africa a good deal?
My honest answer: No. It’s usually the most expensive mistake a business can make. Businesses nowadays need to be strategic with their advertising and marketing budget / allocation.
Here’s why the cheapest SEO packages in South Africa almost always end up costing you way more than you save.
They use tactics Google already penalises.
Keyword Stuffing, you can see it from a mile away. Every area is listed, repetition of words and phrases.
Most “cheap” providers still buy spammy backlinks, stuff keywords, and churn out AI-written content. Google’s 2024/2025 spam updates wipe these sites out within months. You pay R2,000 today… then you pay ALOT more tomorrow to fix the penalty. Also, there goes your visibility.
You’ll most likely get half baked or absolutely zero reporting and communication. I experienced this first hand with my previous business.
Ever tried getting hold of a R1,500/month SEO ” specialist ” after month two? Good luck. Most disappear the moment you ask for a proper report.
This was before I decided to learn SEO myself and put in the time and energy to understand what it actually is and understand search intent. SEO is not theory. It is a practical endeavour.
You can watch as many tutorials but without working on a live website and doing the practical work, it’s very difficult to implement. It takes hours and hours to perfect.
Rankings vanish the moment you stop paying
Cheap packages don’t build real authority — they rent temporary rankings. Stop paying and your site drops like a rock.
The truth: Real SEO that lasts isn’t cheap… but it IS affordable.
At Local Hero Digital we start proper, with fundamental keyword analysis, research, an SEO Audit if you have a website. Look at your current online presence and rankings on Google . Deep Dive into your competitors.
We do thorough research and then put a strategy plan in place, that is inline with your budget. More importantly, we understand your business and its objectives before we even talk SEO.
SEO starts at an affordable investment of R3,000/month for local South African businesses. This equates to R100 per day. That gets you:
Full keyword research & strategy
On-page optimisation done right
Content updates that actually give you traction and visibility on Google.
Monthly ranking reports that are easy to interpret.
Direct WhatsApp access to the person doing the work
Want proof it works?
I’ve taken a plastics company that had a website with absolutely zero traffic in over 2 years, to page 1 on Google within 6 weeks. They are getting inquiries, calls, emails. Check out my Google Business Profile ,Local Hero Digital.
Still on a super-tight budget?
We also offer a once-off SEO Audit + Strategy for R6,500 once off — perfect if you want the full roadmap without committing monthly yet.
Ready to stop wasting money on “cheap” SEO and start getting real results?
→ Click here to see our affordable SEO packages in Cape Town (starting at R3,000/month)
→ Or reply “AUDIT” and I’ll send you details of the R6,500 once-off option.
Stop paying twice. Choose SEO that actually works the first time.
For more info on our Affordable SEO, email us at info@localherodigital.co.za