Local SEO packages bundle the work that helps nearby customers find a business on Google Search and Maps, usually for a monthly fee. This guide covers what a package for a one-location business should include, what providers charge according to two published surveys, which of our three plans fits, and what usually costs extra.
SEO Expert Marketing is a new, remote agency for small businesses in the USA, UK, Canada and Australia. If you'd rather start with your own site than with price lists, ask for a free website review: we look over the site, then email you the biggest problems we find and what we'd fix first, free of any obligation.
What local SEO packages usually include
Providers name their local SEO packages differently, but the tasks underneath are much the same. BrightLocal's Local Search Industry Survey 2023 (published August 2023) collected 534 responses from people in local marketing and reports which services agencies and freelancers offer. The table shows the main ones and where each sits in our plans.
| Service | Offered by agencies / freelancers | Where it sits in our plans |
|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile management | 92% / 91% | Local SEO is an SEO Starter item; your proposal lists the profile tasks |
| Content creation | 86% / 86% | SEO content, from Starter |
| On-site optimization | 83% / 69% | Initial SEO audit and website repairs, from Starter |
| Citation (business listing) management | 83% / 73% | Not a separate item; your proposal confirms any listing work |
| Competitor research | 73% / 70% | Competitor analysis, from SEO Growth |
| Reporting and analytics | 72% / 56% | Monthly report on Starter and Growth; weekly on SEO Authority |
| Online review management | 58% / 45% | Not a separate item; ask what your proposal covers |
| Outreach, link building, digital PR | 50% / 39% | Not in any plan; Authority adds backlink analysis, which is a review |
What providers offer isn't what every package contains, so read each offer line by line. Our local SEO page explains what profile, listing and review work involves day to day.
The listing itself is free
Google says creating a Business Profile is free. What you pay a provider for is the time spent completing, checking and updating it. Keep yourself as the profile's owner and add the provider as a manager, so you never have to ask for your own listing back.
Local SEO pricing: what providers charge
Two published surveys give a rough idea of what local SEO packages cost. Neither is a price list, and both asked providers rather than the businesses paying them.
- Monthly fees: Ahrefs' survey of 439 SEO providers (updated August 15, 2024) puts local SEO at $1,557 a month on average. Agencies typically charge $1,819 and freelancers around $1,150.
- Hourly rates: the same survey found $75 to $100 an hour is the most common rate for local SEO work.
- Billing methods: in BrightLocal's survey, a monthly fee based on deliverables was the most common way to bill, used by 63% of agencies and 51% of freelancers. Per-project billing came next (36% and 44%), then hourly rates (28% and 43%).
Our plans cost $395, $795 and $1,495 a month (USD), so all three sit below that $1,557 average. A lower fee can mean a narrower scope, so compare the tasks each provider lists, not just the price. Fees may also have moved since these surveys ran.
What pushes local SEO cost up or down
- Number of locations. Each location can need its own profile, listings and web page, and some providers price per location.
- Competition. Ten roofers chasing the same town need more work than two.
- Your website's condition. A slow or broken site needs repairs before other work pays off.
- Extras. Link outreach, review tools and ads can be priced separately or left out.
Which plan fits a one-location business?
We don't publish separate local SEO packages: local SEO is part of all three plans. For a business serving customers from one base, SEO Starter at $395 a month is meant for small and local businesses. Local SEO is one of its items, along with an initial SEO audit, website repairs, Google Search Console and GA4 setup, SEO content, and five tracked search phrases with a monthly report.
Two situations call for more:
- SEO Growth ($795/month) if you cover several towns or offer many services from that one location. Keyword research and mapping decides which page should answer which search, competitor analysis looks at the businesses showing above you, and 15 phrases are tracked.
- SEO Authority ($1,495/month) if your trade is crowded and you want to want backlink and content-gap analysis with weekly reports. It adds backlink and content-gap analysis, 30 tracked phrases and a weekly report.
Running more than one location? We don't publish per-location prices, so ask before you choose: your written proposal confirms the scope and price. Our SEO packages page compares the three plans line by line.
What local SEO packages often leave out
None of our plans lists the items below. Before you commit, check how local SEO packages from any provider handle them:
- Paid ads, including Google Ads and Local Services Ads, and the ad budget itself.
- Link building or outreach. Backlink analysis on Authority is a review, not a link campaign.
- Review software, paid tools and paid or premium directory listings.
- Photography, video and social media management.
- Hosting, domains, premium plugins and other third-party costs.
A few one-off local jobs have fixed prices on our SEO price list, such as a $99 Google Business Profile setup and a $59 audit. For other extras, tell us what you need, and the written proposal sets out the scope and the USD price before you commit.
Red flags in cheap local SEO packages
A low price isn't a problem on its own. These signs are:
- A promised spot in the map results. Where you appear depends on distance, competitors and Google's systems, and no provider controls those.
- A fee for “getting you on Google”. The profile costs nothing; pay only for real work on it.
- Reviews for sale. Google's Maps content policy treats reviews paid for, directly or in kind, as fake engagement and removes them.
- Hundreds of directory submissions. A few accurate listings on sites your customers use are worth more than a bulk blast.
- A profile in the provider's account. If they own your listing, getting it back when you leave can be hard.
Know what your site needs before you compare
Before you compare local SEO packages, it helps to know what's holding your own site back. Through the free website review form, send us your website, your trade and the towns you serve. Our emailed reply covers the main issues we spot and the first fixes we'd recommend. There's no obligation. Just starting out? Our small business SEO guide covers the first steps, and you can contact us with any question.
