Comparing SEO packages is tricky when agencies name their plans differently and list items without explaining them. This guide walks through our three monthly plans item by item, shows what the wider market charges according to a published survey, says plainly what no plan covers, and gives you a checklist to use on any agency's offer, ours included.
Want to know what happens each month once one of our SEO packages starts? Our managed SEO page explains who does what and how a month works.
Because we're a new agency, this page shows published prices and plan items instead of client results. All our work is done remotely, so your business can be based anywhere in the USA, UK, Canada or Australia, and WordPress websites are one of our focus areas. If you'd like your own site looked at before you compare plans, request a free website review. The emailed reply points out the most pressing problems on your site and a sensible first step, with no obligation.
Our SEO packages for small business at a glance
All three are small business SEO packages, priced in US dollars per month, and each includes everything in the one before it.
| What to compare | SEO Starter | SEO Growth | SEO Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $395/month, or $295/month paid yearly | $795/month, or $595/month paid yearly | $1,495/month, or $1,095/month paid yearly |
| Who it's for | Small and local businesses | Growing businesses | Builds on Growth with deeper analysis |
| Keywords (search phrases) tracked | 5 | 15 | 30 |
| Reporting | Monthly report | Monthly report | Adds a weekly report |
| Main addition | The groundwork: audit, site repairs, analytics setup, local SEO, content | Keyword research and mapping, internal linking, competitor analysis | Backlink analysis, content-gap analysis, automation solutions |
The three plans are shown below with every item listed. Here's what those items mean in practice.
What each plan includes, line by line
SEO Starter: the groundwork
The first Starter item is an initial SEO audit: a check of where your site stands today, which the rest of the work builds on. Website repairs follow; your proposal states how far they go for your site. Google Search Console and Google Analytics (GA4) are set up, so there's a record of which searches show your site and what visitors do once they arrive.
Local SEO covers how people nearby find your business in local search results and on Google Maps (our local SEO page explains that work). SEO content means up to 2 new or improved pages a month, written around what your customers search for. Five search phrases are tracked, with a report each month.
Starter also lists updates on request and website tracking. Ask what these cover for your site; your written proposal confirms the details.
SEO Growth: a keyword map and more phrases
Growth tracks 15 phrases instead of five and adds keyword research and mapping: finding the searches behind each service you offer and deciding which page on your site should answer each one. That matters when you offer several services or cover several towns.
It also adds internal linking (links between your own pages that point visitors and Google to the ones that matter most) and competitor analysis: a study of the businesses appearing above you, to see where their pages are more useful than yours.
SEO Authority: deeper analysis, weekly reports
Authority tracks 30 phrases and adds a weekly report. Backlink analysis reviews which websites link to yours; it isn't link building. Content-gap analysis looks for topics your competitors cover that your site doesn't.
Authority also lists automation solutions. Ask what that would mean for your site before you choose.
SEO pricing: what packages cost across the market
A published survey gives a rough picture of the market. Ahrefs' SEO pricing survey polled 439 SEO providers (the article was last updated on August 15, 2024). Among its findings:
- 78.2% of providers charge a monthly retainer, though many also price per project (48.9%) or by the hour (34.8%).
- The most common monthly band was $501 to $1,000, charged by 20.4% of respondents.
- 42.8% charge between $501 and $2,000 a month.
- Looking only at the US and Canada, 79.1% charge at least $1,001 a month.
Our plans sit at $395, $795 and $1,495 a month, or $295, $595 and $1,095 a month paid yearly. Bear in mind that the survey mixes freelancers, agencies and consultants worldwide, and prices may have moved since 2024. And a fee alone doesn't show the work behind it: two SEO packages at the same price can include very different amounts of work.
How to compare SEO packages from any agency
Put the offers side by side and ask each provider the same questions. Ask them of us too.
- What happens each month? Look for items you can count: phrases tracked, pages written or improved, fixes made. A line like “ongoing optimization” is hard to check.
- What does the report show? Ask how often it comes and for a sample, so you know whether you'll see the work done or just a chart.
- Will they explain every change? Among the interview questions in Google's Do you need an SEO? guide: will they share all the changes they make to your site, and the reasoning behind their recommendations?
- Whose accounts are they? Search Console, Analytics and your Business Profile should stay in your name. If someone offers an audit, the same Google guide advises giving read access to Search Console only.
- Where do the links come from? If a package sells a set number of backlinks a month, ask how they're earned. Paying money for links, or for posts containing them, is one of the examples of link spam in Google's spam policies.
- What are the terms? Before you sign, ask about setup fees, the minimum term, how to cancel, who does the work and how you'll hear from them.
What's not in the plans, and asking for extras
Some things buyers expect from SEO packages don't appear on any of our plan cards. Treat them as outside the plan unless your proposal names them:
- Earning links. No plan lists link building or outreach; Authority's backlink analysis looks at the links your site already has.
- Advertising. Running Google Ads, and the ad spend itself.
- Social media. Posting to and managing your social accounts.
- Third-party bills. Hosting, domain names, premium plugins or themes, and paid tools.
This site lists no prices for add-ons, setup fees or discounts. Small one-off jobs, such as a $59 audit or a $199 technical fix pack, have fixed prices on our SEO price list; bigger one-off projects are quoted separately. If you need more than a plan covers, such as extra tracked phrases or more content, ask whether it can be added. Your written proposal confirms the scope and price before you commit.
Which of our SEO packages fits your business?
Start from the problem you need solved, not the price.
- Starter if your site needs groundwork: errors to fix, no analytics, unclear service pages.
- Growth if you need to know which page should target which search across several services or towns.
- Authority if you compete in a crowded market and want link and content-gap analysis with weekly reporting.
If SEO is new to you, the small business SEO guide explains the first jobs to tackle. Watching every dollar? Read our affordable SEO guide. Serving customers from one location? See local SEO packages.
Want more detail before you compare? Our guides explain how much SEO costs across the market and what an SEO retainer should include, with seven questions to ask any agency.
How your proposal confirms the package
Picking a plan here isn't the last step. Before you commit, a written proposal explains the work, the price in USD and the responsibilities. Read it the way you'd read any agency's offer: check that each item you care about is named, and ask about anything vague.
The three plans are shown below. Still weighing them up? Tell us your web address and goals on the free website review form. We reply by email with what we found and a suggested starting point; set that against any other agency's offer. There's no obligation.
