How much does SEO cost? For most small businesses, professional SEO costs from a few hundred to a few thousand US dollars a month, or a one-off fee for a defined job. Two published surveys found the most common monthly fee was $500 to $1,000; Ahrefs' agency average was over $3,000. This SEO pricing guide covers those figures, SEO agency pricing, our own prices, what drives the cost and how to compare quotes.
How much does SEO cost? The short answer
Two surveys collected prices from SEO providers themselves: Ahrefs' poll of 439 SEO providers and SE Ranking's survey of 260 agencies. Here is what each found:
| What was measured | Ahrefs (updated August 2024) | SE Ranking (December 2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Who answered | 439 agencies, consultancies and freelancers | 260 agencies, 78% with under 10 people |
| Monthly retainer | Most common: $501 to $1,000 (20.4%); 68.8% charge $2,000 or less | 64% charge under $1,000 |
| Hourly rate | Most common: $75 to $100 (24%); 90% charge $150 or less | 45% charge $50 to $100 |
| One-off project | Most common: $2,501 to $5,000 (21.2%) | About 66% charge $500 to $2,000 |
Treat both as a guide, not a price list. Ahrefs doesn't say when it collected the answers, only that the article was last updated on August 15, 2024. SE Ranking says its sample may be too small to be statistically significant, and 94% of its agencies serve small or local businesses.
How much does SEO cost with each pricing model?
SEO is sold in four main ways. In the Ahrefs survey, 78.2% charged a monthly retainer, 48.9% per project and 34.8% by the hour. In SE Ranking's survey, 53% of agencies preferred retainers.
| Model | What the surveys found | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly retainer | Most charge $2,000 a month or less | Steady, ongoing work |
| Hourly | 90% charge $150 an hour or less | Advice, training, small fixes |
| Project | Most common: $500 to $2,000 (SE Ranking) or $2,501 to $5,000 (Ahrefs) | Audits, migrations, new pages |
| Fixed-price job | Not measured; ours cost $39 to $249 | One clearly defined task |
Whatever the model, ask for a written list of the work, not just "SEO". Our guides to SEO pricing models, the SEO hourly rate and the SEO retainer cover each one in depth.
SEO agency pricing vs freelancers and consultants
So how much does SEO cost with an agency rather than a freelancer? Ahrefs worked out averages by type of provider:
| Provider | Average monthly retainer | Average hourly rate | What you usually get |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEO agency | $3,209 | $98.90 | A team for technical work, content and links |
| SEO consultancy | $3,250 | $171.18 | Mostly advice; your team may do the work |
| Freelancer | $1,348.63 | $71.59 | One person, usually a narrower scope |
Ahrefs counted each answer at the top of its price band, so these averages lean high. SEO agency pricing also rises with size and experience. In SE Ranking's survey, over 70% of agencies with 25 or more staff charged over $1,000 a month, over $100 an hour and over $2,000 a project. In the Ahrefs data, providers in business for two years or less averaged $1,540.52 a month, against $3,648.28 for those with 5 to 10 years.
Hiring in-house is a third option: a salary plus tools and training, which suits businesses with enough work for a full-time role. Our guide to SEO freelancer vs agency compares the options.
Our SEO agency pricing, next to the surveys
Here are our own published prices. Our three monthly plans, listed line by line on our SEO packages page, cost:
| Plan | Paid monthly | Paid yearly | Main work |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEO Starter | $395 a month | $295 a month ($3,540 a year) | Audit, site repairs, Search Console and GA4 setup, local SEO, up to 2 new or improved pages a month, 5 phrases tracked |
| SEO Growth | $795 a month | $595 a month ($7,140 a year) | Adds keyword research and mapping, internal linking, competitor analysis; 15 phrases |
| SEO Authority | $1,495 a month | $1,095 a month ($13,140 a year) | Adds backlink and content-gap analysis and a weekly report; 30 phrases |
Paying yearly saves 25% or more, billed once a year. Monthly plans have no long contract and can be cancelled at any time. All three cost less than the Ahrefs agency average, mainly because each covers a fixed list of tasks for a small business website. When you compare SEO package costs, count the work, not the plan name: two packages at the same price can include very different amounts of work.
How much does SEO cost in the US, Europe and India?
- US and Canada: in the Ahrefs survey, 79.1% of providers charged at least $1,001 a month, and 66.7% charged $75 to $200 an hour. SE Ranking found that 22% of US and Canadian agencies charged over $2,000 a month.
- Europe: only 9% of European agencies in SE Ranking's survey charged over $2,000 a month.
- India: Ahrefs found that 76% of India-based providers charged $1,000 a month or less, and 85.7% charged $30 an hour or less.
- Local or worldwide: providers working locally averaged $1,557.08 a month in the Ahrefs data, against $3,473.74 for those working worldwide.
Neither survey splits prices by the size of the client's business. Many guides show bands for small, mid-sized and enterprise companies; if a table like that names no survey, treat it as one provider's opinion.
What makes SEO cost more or less?
The honest answer to how much does SEO cost changes with five things:
- Competition: a plumber in a small town needs far less work than a law firm in a big city.
- Reach: the wider the area you want to win, the more pages and links it takes.
- Your website: a clean 10-page site costs less to look after than a large online store with technical problems.
- Scope: content writing and link earning take the most time.
- Who does the work: freelancers usually charge less than agencies.
Cost for SEO services by task: real fixed prices
Here is the cost for SEO services we sell at a fixed price, paid once, in US dollars:
| Service | Price | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Full SEO Audit | $59 | Homepage and up to 10 key pages checked by hand, a fix list by priority, PDF within 2 days |
| Keyword Research Report | $79 | Up to 30 keywords grouped by search intent and matched to pages |
| Google Business Profile Setup | $99 | New profile or cleanup: categories, services, areas, description and hours |
| Technical SEO Fix Pack | $199 | Up to 10 technical issues fixed on a WordPress or Shopify site |
| SEO Page Writing | $39 a page, or $179 for 5 | Up to 1,000 words per page around one main keyword |
| Link Building Outreach | $149 for 3 links, or $249 for 5 | Links earned from real, relevant websites, no paid links; if fewer than 3 (or 5) are live after 4 weeks, outreach continues at no extra cost until they are |
The $59 audit is credited to your first payment if you start a monthly or yearly plan within 30 days. If you're asking how much does SEO cost for one task, a fixed price like these is simple to compare. Our SEO price list explains each job and how to order it online.
Costs that SEO proposals often leave out
A low monthly fee can grow once extras arrive, so the full answer to how much does SEO cost includes them. Ask whether the price covers:
- Paid tools, such as rank trackers and site crawlers.
- Developer time for fixes the SEO provider can't make itself.
- Content beyond a set number of pages.
- Link building, which is often priced separately.
- Setup fees and third-party bills such as hosting, plugins and ad spend.
Our plans don't cover link building, Google Ads, social media or third-party bills such as hosting, domains, premium plugins and paid tools, unless your written proposal names them. Extra pages or links can be added from our price list at their fixed prices.
How to compare SEO quotes and contracts
Two quotes can answer "how much does SEO cost?" very differently, so ask each provider the same questions. Ask them of us too.
- What happens each month? Look for things you can count: pages written or improved, fixes made, phrases tracked or hours worked.
- What is the minimum term, and how do I leave? Get the notice period and any exit fee in writing.
- Who owns the accounts and the work? Search Console, Google Analytics and your Business Profile should stay in your name, and pages you paid for should stay yours.
- How are links earned, and what costs extra? Get both in writing.
- Google's own questions. Google's guide Do you need an SEO? suggests asking for examples of past work, whether they follow Google Search Essentials, what results they expect and in what timeframe, their experience in your industry and city or country, how long they've been in business, and whether they'll share every change they make to your site.
Our guide on how to choose an SEO company has more questions and the red flags to watch for.
Cheap SEO: the warning signs
Asking only how much does SEO cost can lead you to the cheapest offer, and very cheap SEO often costs more in the end. Google's guide warns about providers who:
- Promise top rankings. Google says no one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.
- Claim a "special relationship" with Google, or offer a "priority submit" to Google.
- Email you out of the blue, or won't clearly explain what they plan to do.
- Say you must link to them. Google says you should never have to link to an SEO.
- Want write access to Search Console for an audit. Google advises giving read access only at that stage.
Also avoid bundles of hundreds of links for a small fee: bought links break Google's spam policies. Our page on affordable SEO services covers what a small budget can honestly buy.
How much does SEO cost with AI search optimization?
Some agencies now sell optimization for Google's AI Overviews and other AI engines; price data is thin. In SE Ranking's survey, 61% of agencies planned to add it: 43% within existing offers and 18% as an extra service. Where agencies had set a price, the average was about $937 a month.
If a quote adds an AI search fee, ask what work it pays for and how results will be measured. Our plans include an AI visibility check; none lists wider AI search optimization.
How much does SEO cost for a small business?
For a small business, how much does SEO cost mostly comes down to location and competition. A dentist or roofer competing in one area needs less work than an online store competing nationally. Most of SE Ranking's agencies, nearly all serving small or local businesses, charged under $1,000 a month.
Our plans start at $395 a month, or $295 a month paid yearly. We're a small, new agency, so our prices sit at the lower end of the market. Our guide to local SEO packages explains what a single-location business usually needs.
How to set your SEO budget
A more useful question than how much does SEO cost is what it's worth to you. If one extra customer a month brings $500 in profit, a $395 plan pays for itself with one new customer. Our SEO ROI calculator does this math with your numbers.
SEO often takes months to build up (see how long SEO takes), so judge any budget over six to twelve months. Our guide to setting an SEO budget walks through worked numbers.
How much does SEO cost compared with Google Ads?
With Google Ads you pay for every click, and visitors stop when you stop paying. With SEO you pay for the work, and pages that rank can keep bringing visitors for months or years. Compare the two over a year, not a month; our guide to SEO vs PPC goes deeper.
So, how much does SEO cost for your business?
The cost of SEO services is usually a few hundred to a few thousand dollars a month for ongoing work, or a fixed fee for a defined job. The right amount matches your competition and pays for itself in new customers. Get two or three written quotes, compare what each includes, and start small if you're unsure. For a quote from us, send your website and goals through our contact form.
How much does SEO cost: quick answers
How much does SEO cost per month?
How much does SEO cost per month depends on the provider and the work. In Ahrefs' survey of 439 providers, the most common retainer was $501 to $1,000, and 68.8% charged $2,000 or less. SE Ranking found 64% of agencies charging under $1,000. Agencies averaged about $3,209 in the Ahrefs data, because some charge much more.
How much do SEO agencies charge?
Ahrefs found agencies averaged $3,209 a month and $98.90 an hour. Larger agencies charge more: in SE Ranking's survey, over 70% of agencies with 25 or more staff charged over $1,000 a month. Our plans are $395 to $1,495 a month.
Is $1,000 a month or more normal for a local business?
It can be. Ahrefs found local providers averaged about $1,557 a month, but 64% of SE Ranking's agencies charged under $1,000. Whether it's right for you depends on the work behind it: ask how many hours or pages it buys, how strong your local competition is and how many new customers would repay it. If you already rank well, a one-off fix may be enough.
Can I negotiate SEO prices?
Often, but changing the scope usually works better than pushing the rate down. Ask what a lower fee would remove, such as fewer pages or tracked phrases, and get the new scope in writing. Paying for a year at once can also lower the price: our plans drop to $295, $595 and $1,095 a month, billed once a year.
Do SEO contracts have a minimum term?
Some do, so ask before you sign how long the minimum term is, how much notice you must give and whether there's an exit fee, and get the answers in writing. Our monthly plans have no long contract and can be cancelled at any time; yearly plans are paid once a year at 25% or more off.
How much does AI search optimization cost?
There's little survey data yet. In SE Ranking's December 2024 survey, 61% of agencies planned to add optimization for AI Overviews and other AI engines, and where agencies had set a price, the average was about $937 a month. Ask whether it's part of your SEO fee or an extra.
