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MarketingSherpa's latest Buyer's Guides (Buyers Guide to Search Engine Optimization Firms and Buyer's Guide to Paid Search Advertising (PPC) Agencies) reveal new research on pricing , staff size , client names and growth of the industry. More information is available at http://SearchMarketing.MarketingSherpa.com.

Warren , RI (PRWEB) June 21 , 2005 -- MarketingSherpas research team conducted an exhaustive study of 188 SEO firms and Paid Search agencies while preparing their latest Buyers Guides , Buyers Guide to Search Engine Optimization Firms and Buyer's Guide to Paid Search Advertising Agencies. These 188 agencies are competing for over 10,000 client accounts , from American Airlines to Zagat , all ready to spend anywhere between $500 to $10,000 per month.

Among the revelations are:
- Client-to-Staffer Ratio: a surprising figure at 7.5 clients per expert SEO staffer and 4.2 clients per expert PPC staffer
- Professional search marketing is still costly: there really are no *economy* level agencies available
- Over 75% of firms researched use a consulting fees pricing model: by the hour or the project

For more information on these key points or to see all 188 agency profiles , check out MarketingSherpas new Buyers Guides: http://SearchMarketing.MarketingSherpa.com

About MarketingSherpa , Inc.
More than 173,000 advertising , marketing and PR professionals read MarketingSherpa's publications every week. Praised by The Economist , Harvard Business School's Working Knowledge Site , and Entrepreneur.com , MarketingSherpa publishes a wide range of Metrics Guides , Buyer's Guides , and How-to Reports plus a 400+ Case Study Library. Visit the award-winning site http://www.marketingsherpa.com.

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