I’ve never quite understood why clients who pay higher fees for the same training courses and teachers achieve higher project success rates, while those who pay less not only face more issues but also see lower success rates.
After communicating with a struggling student recently, I finally found the answer.
Questions like:
– “I heard about a useful plugin. Can you help me find a cracked version?”
– “Can I use AI to write articles and drive traffic?”
– “It’s hard to find good content. Can I copy and modify my competitors’ material?”
– “I saw someone selling backlinks for $10 per 1,000. Can I use those?”
These questions all boil down to one thing: How can I grow my website’s SEO without investing anything?
This person isn’t broke—they just don’t want to invest in their independent website. As a result, after two years, their site still has no results.
After managing many projects, I’ve realized a harsh truth: In recent years, if you don’t invest in your B2B independent website, it will fail. Even with investment, success isn’t guaranteed, but without it, failure is certain.**
Clients who don’t hesitate to pay higher training fees are also willing to invest in execution, leading to higher success rates. On the other hand, those who always look for ways to cut corners end up wasting time and money. They might feel relieved for not spending much, but in reality, every penny and minute spent on a failed project is a loss. Conversely, every dollar spent on a successful project turns into value.
In a previous article, I mentioned the overall investment required to build a successful independent website. Today, I’ll break down the costs to help you understand where the money goes.
Operational Staff Costs
A skilled operator, based on our company’s standards, earns around $1,700 per month. However, it takes 2-3 years to train a competent operator, and not everyone is cut out for this industry. Factoring in attrition, the actual monthly cost per qualified operator is closer to $2,800.
Assuming each operator manages 3-5 projects, the monthly operational cost per project ranges from $560 to $840, totaling $6,700 to $10,000 annually.
If you’re hiring in-house, costs will be even higher due to trial and error. High salaries don’t always guarantee high performance, but low salaries almost always indicate low performance. A skilled operator is a valuable asset companies won’t let go of easily.
Backlink Costs
In recent years, the cost of high-quality backlinks has skyrocketed. Some highly relevant, high-authority backlinks cost thousands of dollars each.
Our team has worked to reduce costs while maintaining quality (based on relevance, domain authority, traffic, longevity, and page quality). On average, each backlink still costs around $36.
Even for less competitive projects, you’ll need 100-300 backlinks annually, costing $3,600 to $10,800.
Google Ads Costs
SEO takes time, and many companies can’t wait for organic traffic to generate leads. Google Ads are essential.
Aim for at least 30 clicks per day, totaling 1,000 clicks per month. In the B2B sector, the average cost per click (CPC) for precise keywords is $2-$3.
Including Google Ads management fees, monthly ad spend ranges from $2,100 to $8,400.
Total Annual Investment
Just for SEO, backlinks, and Google Ads, the annual investment ranges from $35,000 to $56,000. This doesn’t include website development, content creation, or other expenses.
Most of our top-performing B2B projects require annual investments of $42,000 to $140,000.
Final Thoughts
Building a successful independent website requires significant investment. While some low-competition niches may still yield returns with minimal spending, these are exceptions, not the rule.
I’ve seen too many people lured by the false promise of “small investments, big returns” in the independent website space, only to lose everything. Be cautious—success in independent websites isn’t about gambling; it’s about consistent, strategic investment.