You open the month's spreadsheet, see what you paid for "digital marketing" and you're not quite sure what it brought you. A post that never took off, some ads that ate the budget and a website almost nobody visits. The problem is rarely the money: it's spending it without knowing which channel does what. This guide puts that in order for a San Pedro Alcántara business, from the basics to the advanced, with clear prices and no fluff.
What digital marketing includes (and what it doesn't)
Digital marketing is any action you take online so a customer finds you, trusts you and contacts you. It isn't a single thing: it's several channels that complement each other. These are the ones that really move the needle for a local business:
- Your website. It sits at the centre: your services, your prices and your way of being contacted live there. Everything else points here.
- Your Google Maps listing. Where you show up to someone searching "near me". It can earn calls and directions without anyone reaching your website.
- Social media. Useful so people discover you and to keep in touch with those who already follow you. They rarely close an urgent sale on their own.
- Paid ads. You buy visibility on Google or social platforms while you pay. Fast, but they need budget control.
- Content. Articles, photos and videos that explain what you do and help people find you through less obvious searches.
What isn't digital marketing: buying followers, promising a number of customers before testing, or posting with no direction. That's spending, not investing.
Which channel to choose for your business
Not every San Pedro Alcántara business needs the same thing. A neighbourhood hair salon lives off its Google Maps listing; a fashion ecommerce lives off its website and ads. This table sums it up at a glance:
| Channel | Cost | Timeframe | Fits which business |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Maps listing | Free; management from €150/month + VAT | Weeks or months | Physical premises with local customers |
| Your own website | From €180 + VAT (one-off) | 5-7 working days if you provide text and images | Anyone who needs to explain, show prices or take requests |
| Social media | Your time; outsourced management varies | Depends on consistency | Brands with a visual product and a close bond with their audience |
| Paid ads | Separate spend, budget-based | First clicks from day one | Those who want immediate demand and control their budget |
The key is not opening every front at once. You start with what supports the rest and add on later.
A starting plan in 3 phases
If you're starting from scratch, this order stops you spending on things it isn't your turn to work on yet:
Month 1 · Base
Website + Google listing
- Simple website live
- Complete Google Maps listing
- Correct category and details
Month 2 · Content
Visible consistency
- Photos and posts on the listing
- Asking your customers for reviews
- First articles on the website
Month 3 · Measure
Adjust with data
- Review calls and forms
- See which searches bring visits
- Decide where to double down
The base: a well-built website and Google listing
Before thinking about ads or social media, make sure the base is solid. Your website is where the customer decides whether to call you: it should load fast, look good on mobile and make it obvious how to get in touch. A poorly built site can lose you someone who was already convinced.
The Google Maps listing is the other half. It's free and it's seen by people searching in a hurry, on their phone, for something nearby. Opening hours, phone number, photos and up-to-date reviews are what make the difference between showing up or staying out of the map. Together they form that base on which social media and ads rest.
What digital marketing costs for your business
These are the prices we work with at Solaris, fixed and published:
Web design
€180 + VAT
One-off · 1 page
- €350 + VAT: up to 5 pages (no shop)
- €450 + VAT: online shop with cart and payment
- 5-7 working days if you provide text and images
Local SEO
€150 /month + VAT
Local Pack · no lock-in
- Optimisation of your Google Maps listing
- €250/month + VAT: adds monthly articles
- Monthly report
Paid ads
Tailored
Separate spend
- You set the budget with the platform
- Depends on your sector and competition
- Worth fixing a clear monthly cap
The website is a one-off payment; local SEO is a monthly fee. Ads are something else: there you pay the platform per click or impression, so the final figure depends on how much you want to spend. We quote it based on your case.
What to measure (and what to ignore)
You don't need a complicated tool. With what Google already gives you, you can tell whether things are going well:
- Calls from your Google Maps listing. The most direct signal that people are finding you.
- Forms and quote requests. How many reach you and where they come from.
- Website visits. Not to brag about a number, but to see which pages get read and which don't.
- Searches that bring visits. They tell you what people find you for and where to expand content.
What's worth ignoring are vanity metrics: followers who don't buy, stray "likes" or visits that bounce in two seconds. A number with no action behind it is useless.
Why Solaris
We work in San Pedro Alcántara and the rest of the Costa del Sol, and we do it with our cards on the table:
- Fixed, published prices. €180, €350 or €450 for your website; €150 or €250 a month for local SEO. No surprises on the invoice.
- No lock-in. You stay if it works for you, not because a contract ties you down.
- Focus on what you can control. We work on your website, your Google Maps listing and your content; we don't promise rankings that depend on Google.
- We explain what we do. You get a monthly report and you know where every euro goes.
One new customer a month who leaves you €150 can cover a local SEO plan; from there on, the rest is return that stays in your business.