It sounds like an April Fools’ Day joke, but SEO-focused journalists first got wind of it around Christmas. Sam’s Club, Wal-Mart’s brand for bulk sales to small businesses, now offers search marketing services. What does this mean for SEO and SEM consultants?

SEO journalists are writing about this all over the web, from Search Engine Journal to Search Engine Land. Aaron Wall links to it and threatens to fight back by selling Chinese-made US flags for three cents each. Tameka Kee of Media Post Publications thinks it might be a sign that SEM has moved one step closer to becoming a commodity. And at least one commenter with a name that is somewhat familiar to members of our SEO Chat forum wondered about their return policy.

On the face of it, the idea of Wal-Mart even entering this kind of business seems ridiculous. SEO and SEM are highly specialized fields; to do it right, an SEO consultant needs to spend a serious amount of time with each client to understand the needs of their business. Once they get a feel for the company and its field, the next step is keyword research; then there’s planning the ad campaign, especially if pay-per-click marketing is a factor, going over the web site with a fine tooth comb to hit all the on-page optimization, building links for off-page optimization…the list goes on and on.

The point is that SEO and SEM don’t lend themselves well to a cut-rate approach. Sure, there are large SEO firms that offer to raise your rankings in Google for “just a small fee,” but many of those firms send out notorious amounts of spam to get customers. They’re scams. Can Wal-Mart legitimately offer such a knowledge- and labor-intensive service at bargain basement prices?

Judging from the Sam’s Club web site, that’s exactly what they propose to do. Search engine optimization packages start at $25 per month. Pay-per-click packages start at $50 per month. Not surprisingly, those prices are within the range of many small businesses. What will they get for their hard-earned cash?

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