FullStackbyMax
Full Stack Developer
SEO Specialist
& Software Developer
A strong website starts with a sound foundation
SEO helps people find your business when they search online. Clean, well-structured webpages make it easier for search engines to understand your content and provide a sound foundation for efficient, page-by-page SEO work.
Want to understand what’s involved? Read the dropdowns in Client SEO Guidance & Backlink Advice below.
Pricing Plans
Fees are calculated on the average time it should take to complete each task. Disavow work is not charged unless required repeatedly (see dropdowns below to understand 'disavow' work).
The "SEO Cost Calculator" below estimates the ongoing monthly cost of maintaining, monitoring, and improving your website’s search engine performance once your webpages are set up correctly for SEO. This includes regular page reviews, schema validation, backlink monitoring, and site-wide health checks.
Why we cost less than most SEO specialists
FullStackbyMax is a solo business run by me, Max, from my home office. With no separate commercial office to rent and no staff wages to cover, I keep overheads low. My fees reflect the time and expertise your website needs, without the extra costs of running a larger agency.
I deliberately limit the number of clients I take on so I can give each website careful, personal attention. You deal directly with me, the person reviewing your pages, making changes and following up on your SEO.
No automated SEO. No bots making changes to your website. All SEO work is carried out manually by me. I review your pages individually and hand-code the changes, rather than relying on automated SEO plugins or bulk optimisation tools to do the work.
My decisions are informed by Google Analytics, Google Search Console and other relevant sources as necessary. These tools provide information to guide my assessment; I personally interpret the findings and implement the work, using my knowledge and judgement to manage your SEO as carefully as I can.
At the end of each month, I post you a completed checklist that I have designed myself. It shows exactly what I checked and what work I carried out to manage your SEO, to the best of my knowledge. You receive a clear record of the work performed and any recommendations or issues that need attention.
Keeping the business small helps me offer fair, sustainable pricing while making time for hands-on work, straightforward communication and accountability to you, the client.
If my personal client capacity is reached, I plan to introduce a waiting list rather than take on more work than I can properly manage. If enough people join that list, I intend to bring on carefully selected SEO specialists from people I studied with during my Master’s degree and people I know personally who share my commitment to professional, hand-coded SEO.
Before they take on client work, I will train them in my manual SEO techniques and the checklists I have created. The aim is to maintain the same precise, personalised approach: assessing each page on its own merits, checking systematically for opportunities to improve your website, and documenting the work completed. Any growth will follow that process—no automated SEO or bots taking over your website’s optimisation.
Webpage Build/Rebuild & SEO Price Guide and Information
SEO Cost Calculator
| Task | Minutes | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly General SEO (45 mins/webpage) | ||
| Monthly Schema Validation (15 mins/webpage) | ||
| Monthly Backlink Specialist Check (30 mins/website) (Entire site check - not per page) |
30 | $50 |
| Weekly Full Site Level SEO (30 mins x4 weeks) (Entire site check - not per page) |
15 × 4 | $100 |
If your site is a new build followed by continuing SEO, our sites are built SEO ready, and the site will take between three and six weeks to build but your monthly costs will be the same as for your SEO. If your site already exists and needs assessment and editing to ready it properly for SEO, we estimate initially up to four weeks (or more for larger more technical existing websites). If work proceeds faster than the estimated first four weeks we will immediately begin SEO on your site upon completion of SEO readying. If the estimated time will exceed the first 4 weeks you're fees will not change but SEO may start later depending on how much more time and work your site required and how large and technical your current site is.
Once SEO commences, weekly full-site SEO checks and monthly page-level analysis are used to identify technical issues, validate schema, review backlinks, and establish baseline search performance. Once this diagnostic work has been completed for the weekly and monthly checks, ongoing SEO maintenance becomes faster and more efficient because the underlying structure and issues have already been identified. The minimum monthly SEO engagement fee ensures sufficient time is available to properly complete this initial diagnosis and maintain consistent optimisation thereafter.
In the spirit of full transparency, each month upon completion of your SEO you will receive a detailed marked off checklist to show the work that was done on your site. This is what we call a 'Report Card' and is a folding 4 page checklist (with handwritten suggestions if needed). The 'Report Card' folds into a mailable post card style letter and you will receive it in the mail every month.
Website Build / Rebuild Quote Estimator
...with no continuing SEO
| Description | Qty | Hrs per Page | Total Hrs | x Rate | Subtotal |
|---|
Hours are based on work hours, not calendar days. For example, 24 hours represents three 8-hour work days. Repairs are considerably more difficult and take more time than clean builds. Your SEO specialist will determine the level of repair or rebuild required and provide a non-negotiable quote.
Integrity Promise: If work hours are less than expected and fall within a lower work category, a new quote will be provided reflecting the lower fee. If work hours are more than expected and fall within a higher work category. You will never be charged more than the original quoted amount.
Examples of work levels
- Minor repair — broken contact form, small CSS fix, missing meta tags, small script errors
- Moderate repair — broken layouts, plugin conflicts, page rebuilds, mobile fixes, performance issues
- Major repair / partial rebuild — broken WordPress themes, major SEO issues, slow page performance, restructuring pages, rebuilding sections
- Full site rescue / rebuild — Elementor disaster sites, broken CMS installs, SEO destroyed by plugins, extremely slow websites
Automated SEO systems often work from shared templates or rules. Without careful review, they can apply the same or very similar titles, descriptions, headings and structured data to multiple pages, even when those pages serve different purposes. A setting that suits one page may be inaccurate or unhelpful on another.
Every page deserves its own SEO assessment and implementation, reflecting its content, audience and purpose. That does not mean every line of code must be different: shared layout and technical code are normal. It means the page-specific SEO should accurately describe that individual page. Google recommends distinct, descriptive page titles rather than repetitive boilerplate. Read Google’s guidance on page titles.
Bulk changes without individual checks can also introduce misleading structured data, repetitive wording or changes that overlook the needs of your visitors. Automation is not automatically harmful, but it cannot replace responsibility for checking the accuracy, relevance and usefulness of what is published.
My service uses manual review and hand-coded changes instead of auto-SEO. Google Analytics, Google Search Console and other relevant sources help me decide what needs attention; I then assess and implement the changes myself. My checklists help me work consistently and look for opportunities that a generic setup can overlook.
This is why I price page-level SEO work by the number of individual pages being optimised. Each agreed page receives its own review and tailored work, rather than having one generic SEO setup copied across the entire website. Website-wide checks are shown separately in the pricing calculator.
Payment for SEO work is paid in advance prior to the commencement of work. Payment for website builds/repairs/rebuilds is 50% up front and the remaining 50% is due upon final review, site approval and completion within 7 days.
Integrity Promise: If work hours are less than expected and fall within a lower work category, a new quote will be provided reflecting the lower fee. If work hours are more than expected and fall within a higher work category. You will never be charged more than the original quoted amount.
Yes. This will change the current fee structure however, and you will receive an updated monthly fee structure and new contract to agree to. Also if we build/rebuild the webpage for you that will incur a one-off web building fee as well (see "Website Build/Rebuild Calculator" above).
Yes. Single-page sites work for small businesses but provide only one page to rank. Multi-page sites allow multiple ranking opportunities. We also specialise in good, comprehenvive single-page websites and a well-built small business single page can still perform very well.
If client-made changes accidentally alter page structure, remove key content, introduce bloated code, or otherwise interfere with SEO performance, remedial work may be required to restore the page.
This includes fixing broken structure, correcting content changes that affect search intent, resolving conflicts introduced by plugins or builders, and realigning the page with its original SEO setup.
Note: If it can be fixed using the 1 hour per week of free website editing, then there will be no extra charge. If however more time is needed, the $75 hourly rate for cleanup and correction work will apply and this will be quoted on top of your monthly SEO fees as required.
Yes. Planned content additions made by us can be integrated cleanly without damaging the existing SEO structure. This includes adding new sections, updating text, expanding pages, or creating supporting content while maintaining correct structure, intent alignment, and schema accuracy.
This approach ensures SEO remains consistent and efficient as the website grows, without introducing technical or structural issues.
Rate: Free if done during the 1 bonus hour of website editing per week included in your SEO contract. Otherwise we can do additional edits for $75 per hour for planned, SEO-safe content additions and this will be quoted on top of your monthly SEO fees if required.
Disavow work in SEO is the process of asking Google to ignore certain backlinks that could harm your site’s rankings. This is done by uploading a disavow file through Google Search Console.
Examples of links that may need disavowing include spammy directory sites, hacked foreign websites linking randomly to you, paid link farms, irrelevant gambling or adult sites, and bulk blog comment spam. It can also apply to negative SEO attacks where hundreds of low-quality domains suddenly link to your site.
Disavowing is a last resort, used only when links cannot be removed manually and are clearly toxic. This work is best left to your SEO Specialist.
The "Website Build/Rebuild Calculator" below relates to the initial build or rebuild of a website. This includes web writing, technical cleanup, mobile optimisation, SEO setup, and schema markup. These are one-off costs required (if needed) to ensure your website has a solid technical foundation before ongoing SEO work begins.
Why? It's simple really...
SEO works best on clean, well-structured websites. Page builders and plugins often produce bloated code, repeated markup, and weak content structure. These issues limit how search engines interpret your site and reduce ranking potential. Before SEO begins, these sites often require restructuring, code clean-up, and alignment with search intent.
If an existing website is not SEO-compatible and requires restructuring, de-bloating, or content rewrites, this work is quoted separately and must be completed before ongoing SEO services are applied. Not rewriting a poorly constructed website full of bloat code, poor content and/or poor structure means that no matter how much SEO work is done, the site will not rank very well at all on Google. We reserve the right to refuse service if we feel SEO will not work adequately on a website and the client will not allow a site restructure/rewrite.
Client SEO Guidance & Backlink Advice
How Ongoing SEO Work Is Performed
Search Engine Optimisation is not a one-time setup. It is an ongoing process that ensures your website remains accurate, competitive, and aligned with how search engines evaluate content.
Rather than relying on automated tools or generic reports, all SEO work is carried out manually, page by page, to maintain quality and long-term results.
Monthly Page Optimisation
Each page on your website is reviewed individually on a monthly basis. This includes checking how the page is performing in search results, refining titles and descriptions, improving content clarity, and ensuring the structure of headings aligns with what users are searching for.
This process keeps your pages relevant and competitive as search trends evolve.
Monthly Schema Validation
Structured data (schema) is used to help search engines understand your content more clearly. This is reviewed monthly to ensure it remains accurate, error-free, and consistent with what appears on the page.
This step is often overlooked in automated SEO systems but is essential for maintaining visibility and eligibility for enhanced search results.
Monthly Backlink Review
Your website’s external links are checked monthly to monitor growth, identify any low-quality or harmful links, and ensure your backlink profile remains strong and natural.
This helps protect your website’s reputation and supports long-term ranking performance.
Weekly Site Health Checks
Your website is also monitored weekly at a broader level. This includes reviewing search performance trends, identifying any indexing or technical issues, and ensuring the site is running efficiently.
These checks allow for early detection of potential problems before they impact your rankings.
What This Means for You
SEO is not about making large changes all at once. It is about consistent, careful improvements over time. By maintaining your website regularly, we ensure that it continues to perform well, adapt to changes, and deliver long-term value.
This approach avoids the risks associated with automated or bulk SEO methods and focuses on sustainable, measurable results.
Good Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is applied page-by-page with clear intent, accurate schema, relevant backlinks, and manual implementation. Automation and templates alone do not create strong results. With a few exceptions we do all our work manually (by hand). Effective SEO makes your website a real business tool. For more information download our free A5 16 page "Complete SEO Guide" in PDF format.
We also have a more compact 6 page DL size "Complete SEO Guide" available.
Read the Complete SEO Guide online
Why are we telling you this?
Contrary to popular belief, this information is not just for SEO specialists, it is publicly available very comprehensively at the "Google SEO Guide" website.
We are looking for genuine clients that want their SEO done properly. The "Google SEO Guide" site above is comprehensive but regardless the SEO explained can be difficult for those not trained in software development. That is why SEO specialists exist.
As for costs, we can work within almost any budget and still make your site one of the best business tools your business has.
Read on for more advice...
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the process of improving a website so it can be easily found by people searching on Google and other search engines. It involves ensuring each page is clear, well structured, fast to load, and written in a way that matches what real people are actually searching for.
SEO is not about tricks or shortcuts. It is about helping search engines clearly understand what your business offers so they can show your website to the right audience at the right time.
SEO is important because most customers begin their journey with an online search, and very few people look beyond the first page of results. A well-optimised website builds long-term visibility, trust, and steady traffic without relying solely on paid advertising.
This is not true. Unlike ads, SEO continues to work over time, helping the right customers find your business naturally. When done correctly, SEO supports growth, improves credibility, and turns your website into a genuine business asset rather than just an online brochure. It can however take a little time for Google to learn to trust your website and for you to gain backlinks that also tell Google your site is genuine, credible and trustworthy.
Realistically, Yes. It should be noted that while technical and strategic backlink work should be handled by a SEO specialist, there are still important backlink opportunities that can only realistically be carried out by the business owner. These are outlined in our free A5 16 page "Complete SEO Guide" at the top of this page and should be understood carefully if you want to actively support your website’s performance in Google search results (see the two sections of the booklet titled "SEO Website Business Owner Checklist" and "Monthly SEO Business Owner Checklist").
Without trying to sound critical of other businesses, any business that tells you, the website owner, that you don't need to do anything to improve your SEO is not being completely honest or doesn't fully understand Search Engine Optimisation.
Our goal is to be as ethical and professional as possible and to avoid pressure sales or confrontation. For this reason, we are being very clear and leave the choice of using us for web writing and/or SEO entirely up to you.
- Effective SEO requires a technically sound website.
- If a website’s structure, code quality, or content setup prevents SEO from being implemented correctly and a rewrite or technical cleanup (for a fee) is declined, we will not proceed with SEO services.
- This ensures clients are not charged for work that is unlikely to perform and protects the integrity of the results delivered.
Why SEO Requires a Clean Foundation
- Search engine optimisation works best when built on a clean, well-structured website.
- Heavy page builders and excessive plugins often introduce bloated code, duplicated markup, and poor content structure that limits SEO performance.
- Before SEO work begins, the website must be technically compatible. This may involve restructuring content, cleaning up code, and aligning page purpose with search intent.
- This approach ensures SEO work is effective, measurable, and worth the client’s investment.
Our Position
- We don’t apply SEO to websites that aren’t technically capable of supporting it.
- This protects clients from spending money on SEO that cannot perform properly and ensures all work is built on a foundation that can genuinely rank, scale, and deliver long-term value.
Although many people believe that Web Developers and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Specialists are simply trying to steer businesses away from automatic drag’n’drop web-builder plugins and automated SEO services to make more money, the reality is that these tools often create serious problems for Search Engine Optimisation that are not clearly explained to customers.
Many automated web builders generate bloated and repetitive code, poor page structure, and unnecessary scripts that slow websites down and make them harder for search engines to properly understand. Automated SEO tools apply generic settings across entire websites, even though each webpage should have its own unique SEO, without considering the specific business, content, or audience of each page. This can limit performance, create conflicts, and in some cases cause Google to deprioritise, fail to index or treat as low quality those webpages.
As a result, these websites may look fine on the surface but often struggle to rank effectively over time.
A good web writer and SEO specialist is more concerned with results and long-term reputation than charging clients for work that cannot perform properly. With that said, we won’t play games here. SEO can be a substantial short-term cost for many businesses, but when SEO is well planned, properly written, and built on a sound technical foundation, it can pay for itself many times over in the long run.
All of our websites are built to be fully mobile responsive, meaning they automatically adapt to phones, tablets, and desktop screens without breaking layout or usability. Today, well over half of all internet traffic comes from mobile devices, and for many businesses the majority of visitors arrive via smartphones. If a website does not work properly on mobile devices, users are far more likely to leave immediately.
Mobile responsive design ensures text is readable without zooming, buttons are easy to tap, and navigation works smoothly on smaller screens. Search engines such as Google also prioritise mobile-friendly websites when ranking search results. A site that performs poorly on mobile can struggle to rank well, even if the desktop version looks fine.
Website loading speed plays a major role in how users interact with a site. Research consistently shows that most people expect a webpage to load in around three seconds or less, and many will leave if it takes longer. Slow-loading pages increase bounce rates (leaving a website) and reduce the likelihood that visitors will feel the need to explore further.
Faster websites improve engagement and conversion rates, and lead to higher conversion rates. Even small improvements in page speed can result in noticeably better performance across search visibility, user trust, and overall site effectiveness. Fast-loading webpages provide a better experience for users and stronger long-term results for businesses.
Not every page needs the same level of SEO work. Clients can choose how many pages are included according to their budget and business priorities. The homepage is often a useful starting point, alongside service, category or product pages most likely to attract relevant customers. An About Us page can also support credibility, but the best priorities depend on your website and audience.
Optimising several important pages can create more opportunities to appear for relevant searches. For smaller budgets, focusing first on high-value pages can provide a practical starting point without requiring every page to receive ongoing SEO work at once.
It’s common for businesses to want full control over their store pages while still having their website rank well in Google. Many shopping cart and store builders are convenient to use, but some store setups can become slow or unnecessarily complex.
A practical solution is to separate the two. We build and optimise your main website pages (such as your home page, services, and information pages) so they are clean, fast, and SEO-friendly. These pages act as the primary entry point for search engines and customers.
Your store and shopping cart can then be handled through a dedicated platform such as Shopify or similar, where you can easily add, remove, and manage products yourself without paying me to manage routine product updates in your store.
When implemented carefully, this approach can support your main website’s search visibility while giving you control over your store and product updates.
For stores with many products, individually reviewing and optimising every product page each month may not be practical within the available budget. We prioritise pages according to their potential value, search demand and importance to your business.
Category pages can help customers discover a range of products, while individual product pages can attract people searching for a specific item. Important, popular or long-term products may therefore deserve individual SEO attention.
Where stock changes frequently, ongoing work on every product may offer less value than focusing on selected products and key category or service pages. The right approach depends on your store, rather than assuming one type of page will always perform better.
All product pages should still have sound technical foundations, clear product information and appropriate structured data. Our agreed SEO scope determines which pages receive additional individual optimisation and ongoing review.
Contact Us
Max Hodgess
P.O. Box 25
Howard, Qld
Australia 4662
Phone:
0437 958 337
Email:
enquiries@fullstackbymax.com