How much should SEO cost?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a valuable stepping stone for businesses that want to appear higher in Google search results, driving more visitors and, in turn, increasing sales. But what can you expect to pay for SEO in 2025 (and why)?
Prices for SEO can range a lot, from around $1,500 to more than $10,000 a month. The cost depends on the services you need, the complexity of your website, and the competitiveness of your industry. On average, a local business might spend between $1,000 and $5,000 a month, with national campaigns often costing over $10,000.
This guide explains the various pricing options for SEO, the factors that influence costs, and how to select the right SEO service. In simple terms, we cover what you’ll pay, why costs vary, and how to pick the best option for your business.
SEO Calculator
SEO Services Pricing
| PRICING / FREQUENCY | SEO PRICING |
|---|---|
| Ongoing monthly SEO | $1,500 to $5,000 per month |
| One-time SEO project | $5,000 to $30,000 per project |
| Hourly SEO consulting | $100 to $300 per hour |
| SEO copywriting | $0.15 to $0.50 per word |
| Link profile audit | $500 to $7,500 per audit (Get FREE Audit Today) |
| SEO content audit | $500 to $7,500 per audit (Get FREE Audit Today) |
Depending on the agency or consultant you choose and what you need, there are different ways to pay for SEO services. You might go for a monthly retainer, a fixed contract, a one-time project fee, or hourly rates.
Some agencies may charge you a set monthly fee for their services, while others might have a fixed price for the whole project. If you decide to work with a consultant, you’ll probably be paying by the hour.
Investing in SEO services from a skilled agency can give you a better return on what you spend, making it a smart choice.
As a knowledgeable Toronto SEO agency, we take the time to understand your business and create a custom SEO plan to help you reach your goals.
SEO Pricing By Business Size
The size of your business really affects how much you spend on SEO. For instance, a new company probably has a smaller website with less content. This means their SEO work will be on a smaller scale than that of a big enterprise.
| BUSINESS SIZE | SEO COST (HOURLY) | SEO COST (MONTHLY) | SEO COST (PROJECT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Startup (1-5 employees) | $75 – $100 | $1,000 – $1,800 | $800 – $2,000 |
| Small business (5-20 employees) | $50 – $100 | $1,250 – $3,800 | $1,000 – $2,000 |
| Mid-sized business (20-100 employees) | $75 – $125 | $2,500 – $5,000 | $2,000 – $3,500 |
| Large business (100-500 employees) | $100 – $125 | $4,000 – $7,500 | $3,000 – $5,500 |
| Enterprise business (501+ employees) | $125+ | $5,000 – $8,500 | $3,000 – $5,500 |
It costs more for bigger businesses and the reasons behind it are:
- Scale: The larger the business, the more complex it becomes. They deal with a greater number of products and enter more markets, so they require a partner for their SEO needs. This often means hiring an SEO company that specializes in enterprise SEO, which can be more expensive
- Reputation: Your brand’s reputation is everything, and trust can’t be bought. That’s why many large companies opt for experienced SEO agencies or those specializing in a specific industry. Even if they’re pricier than newer or cheaper ones, they know they’re getting solid expertise to boost their online presence.
- Complexity: Big businesses move differently—more layers, more stakeholders, more technical challenges. That’s why they typically work with enterprise SEO teams who’ve been there before. These providers know how to navigate complex setups and deliver tailored strategies that actually work for large-scale operations.
When it comes to SEO pricing, experience and skills really count. If you want to hire someone who’s been around the block and has the right tools, you’ll likely end up paying a bit more for their services.
SEO Pricing Model
There are three main ways to pay for SEO services: by project, by the hour, or monthly. Your choice will likely depend on your budget and what specific services you’re looking for.
- Hourly: If you’re looking for just some expert advice or want to hire someone freelance, you could go with an hourly rate. SEO consultants typically charge between $51 and $100 an hour for their expertise.
- Monthly: When it comes to paying for SEO, a lot of businesses choose a monthly plan. This covers different projects, audits, and adjustments every month. You can expect to pay anywhere from $1,500 to $7,500 each month.
- By Project: Another choice is to pay per project. This works well if you’ve got some skills and resources in-house to take care of your SEO. Project costs usually range from $800 to $5,000.
What is “The Best” Pricing Model
There is no rights or wrongs here, and it is whatever works best for you. It all depends on the current state of your SEO and website, as well as external factors such as the company’s size and complexity.
| PRICING MODEL | RECOMMENDED FOR | EXAMPLE |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly | Smaller SEO projects Small companies |
A small business looking to investigate a drop in traffic following website migration |
| Monthly | Ongoing SEO Small, midsized, and large companies |
Any business looking to grow its organic search visibility, traffic, and revenue |
| By Project | One-time SEO projects Small, midsized, and large companies |
An events industry business looking to improve its sitewide page speed and increase traffic |
SEO Service Providers
Discover the various types of SEO service providers. And they all charge differently too – Agencies tend to be the most expensive due to their hard-earned experience, followed by Consultants and Freelancers. Here is the breakdown of the different pricing structures for different types of SEO service providers:
| SERVICE PROVIDER | SEO COST (HOURLY) | SEO COST (MONTHLY) |
|---|---|---|
| Agency | $50 – $125 | $1,500 – $2,500 |
| Consultant | $50 – $100 | $1,000 – $7,500 |
| Freelancer | $1 – $75 | $1,000 – $7,500 |
So, why do Agencies cost more? Why not just hire a cheaper Freelancer or Consultant:
- Experience: SEO agencies know a lot that you can really use. If your business needs an SEO expert who also specializes (or has experience) in a certain industry as well, an agency can usually cover those bases. It’s a bit tougher to find that kind of help with a consultant, freelancer, or contractor.
- Bigger Scope: Having a bigger team and more tools means SEO agencies can get more done than others. With our agency, your business can tap into SEO experts, web developers, reporting software, and all the essentials for SEO.
- Scalability: SEO agencies can adapt to your business’s needs. This is great because you won’t need to find a new agency. You can just upgrade your plan to attract more traffic. Other providers might not offer that flexibility. Having a full-stack team at your disposal is very useful when scaling your business to the next level.
What Makes Up SEO Pricing and Why?
You’ll notice that SEO experts, whether from agencies or as freelancers, typically charge more for their services, since they have been in the game for longer. Also, if the SEO plan is larger in scope, like for a big company, the prices tend to be higher too.
Multiple factors come into play when it comes to determining the SEO pricing, these include the following:
- SEO goals
- State & Strength of the existing SEO strategy
- Scalability of SEO
- Consultant, freelancer, or agency’s experience
- Consultant, freelancer, or agency’s location
- Pricing model (hourly, monthly, or by project)
- Business size (startup vs large business)
The amount you put in really depends on your business. For a local small business, you might spend around $1,000 to $2,500 each month if you’re looking to improve your local SEO. On the other hand, an international e-commerce brand may need to invest more than $7,000 a month to stay competitive in search results.
What to expect with SEO costs?
When coming up with the budget for your business’s SEO, there are multiple things to keep in mind. The cost of SEO is affected by a multitude of factors. For every business, it is different, as everyone’s marketing goals vary (with one goal = to sell). SEO marketing costs can differ quite a bit, so it’s good to know what to expect from your budget and what you’ll get in return in terms of deliverables
Let’s take a look at different businesses and go over their SEO costs:
$1 – $500 monthly (Very Rare)
- Deliverables: SEO Audit, Keyword Research, SEO content
- Could be used for: SEO based project
Spending $1 – $500 a month is very rare in the SEO world. However, it could be explained by using the budget for one-off projects, such as hiring a freelancer to write SEO content or purchasing SEO tools to support in-house work.
For ongoing SEO services, this budget is not effective.
$500 – $1,000 monthly (Starting Businesses)
- Deliverables: On-page SEO optimizations, local SEO optimizations, rank tracking and traffic reporting.
- Could be used for: Starting small businesses
The $500 – $1,000 is the range that tens of thousands of starting businesses spend monthly on their SEO in their early days. Usually unsuccessfully. Usually, with this budget, the businesses just started running their website and end up hiring an agency or a consultant. These services are minimal and often limited to on-site optimizations vs. off-page or technical SEO..
To start ranking, this budget is not effective for the majority of businesses
$1,000 – $2,500 monthly (Local Small Businesses)
- Deliverables: On-page SEO optimizations, local SEO optimizations, local rank tracking and traffic reporting as well as early link building.
- Could be used for: Businesses with a small range of services and not many employees
Spending between $1,000 and $2,500 a month on SEO is a good starting point for local small businesses. Your service provider will help you get your website and online presence in shape.
It most likely will not get you ranking high on Google, however, with this budget, your website will be indexed by Google
$2,500 – $5,000 monthly (Most Businesses)
- Deliverables: Dedicated account manager, on-page, off-page (linkbuilding), and technical SEO, performance reporting.
- Could be used for: Most Businesses that are serious about their SEO growth
This price range ($2,500 – $5,000) is when SEO starts getting serious. The packages offer a comprehensive SEO solution and are a great starting point for businesses that are already established but want to grow. The majority of companies that spend between $2,500 and $5,000 say they would recommend their provider to a friend or coworker.
This budget is usually the breakout budget to start ranking (for small businesses)
$5,000 – $15,000 monthly (Most Businesses)
- Deliverables: Dedicated account manager, on-page, off-page (linkbuilding), Custom Strategy, SEO content, technical SEO, performance reporting.
- Could be used for: Midsized businesses
Businesses that spend between $5,000 and $15,000 a month on SEO do it because it’s a way to boost their SEO performance. Now, your medium-sized business will not only rank on the top 3 pages, but will also start becoming a first-page regular. This budget enables them to work with skilled professionals and utilize advanced technology to track their results as well as constantly improve and work on the SEO strategy.
This is where your business website will start ranking in the top places on Google.
$15,000 – $50,000 monthly (SEO Dependent Businesses)
- Deliverables: Complete site optimization, audience and market research, regular reporting and/or strategy calls.
- Could be used for: Businesses looking to scale SEO performance
Businesses that rely on SEO for most of their leads usually have a budget set for it. These companies count on organic search as a main source for getting leads and growing their revenue. Since a big chunk of their earnings comes from organic search, they often increase their spending beyond what they did before.
This is where your business website will start ranking 1-3 not only regionally but globally as well.
$50,000+ monthly (SEO Dependent Enterprises)
- Deliverables: Dedicated team (on-page technicians, off-page linkbuilders, account managers), ROI reporting, 360 marketing support
- Could be used for: Large Corporations
Businesses that spend a significant amount ($50,000+ monthly) on SEO are typically large enterprises that rely on it to generate traffic, sales, leads, and revenue. The services they get are often tailored to fit their specific needs.
Number #1 on Google and more
What are SEO deliverables?
If you’re looking to spend around $3,500 to $7,000 a month, you might be wondering what that money actually covers. How’s that budget typically divided up for SEO work?
Here’s a simple rundown of how your SEO budget usually gets split up:
- Initial website and SEO audit
- Keyword research and integration
- Competitor analysis
- SEO content creation and optimization
- On-page SEO, including title tag, URL, and meta description optimizations
- Off-page SEO, like building your backlink profile
- Technical SEO, like page speed optimization and responsive web design
- Ongoing reports and analysis of your SEO performance
- Ongoing strategy optimizations and improvements
Our SEO team is here to save you time and resources by working right alongside your marketing crew.
We make sure to understand your business and your team so we can create a strategy that really brings in traffic, leads, and sales.
We offer comprehensive SEO services that cover everything we discussed and more. Reach out today to find out how our SEO services can help your business grow!
Why SEO is so Expensive?
Why does SEO cost so much? Let’s break it down honestly:
- It’s a long game – Unlike paid ads that deliver quick clicks, SEO is like planting an orchard. You’re investing in growth that takes 6-12 months (or more) to bear fruit (juicy results), but lasts for years.
- The work never stops – First, we fix what’s broken (site audits, keyword gaps, etc.). Then we keep refining as Google changes the rules and competitors adapt.
- You’re paying for expertise – Good SEO isn’t just tweaking meta tags. It’s a strategy honed by experience, knowing what moves the needle in your industry.
- Tools and talent add up – From analytics software to content creators, doing it right requires resources (yes, that affects pricing).
- Competition is brutal – If ranking were easy, everyone would be #1. In crowded markets, you need exceptional content and sharp tactics to stand out.
- Location matters – Agencies in competitive hubs or with proven results often charge more, but they’re usually worth it.
In return, however, you get much more than you think. Let’s explore the hidden benefits of SEO:
- SEO works while you sleep
Ads turn off the second you stop paying. SEO? It’s like an employee who never clocks out—bringing in traffic, leads, and sales 24/7.
- Better rankings = better customers
Google’s 200+ ranking factors (like page speed) aren’t just about search—they’re about creating a smooth experience. Fix these, and visitors actually want to buy from you.
- Catches buyers at every stage
From “What’s this?” (top-funnel) to “Which one’s best?” (middle) to “Buy now!” (bottom), SEO meets people where they are, and then guides them to choose you.”
Sounds amazing, right? Get your Free SEO Audit and one of our experts will reach out to you!
Determining Your SEO Price
5 Steps to Build an SEO Budget That Actually Works:
- Follow the Money
Start by seeing what’s already in your marketing budget. Is there room for SEO, or will you need to make a case for more? (Pro tip: Frame it as “growing our organic reach” vs. “spending on SEO.”) - Know What You Need
What’s your goal: more leads, sales, brand visibility? Do you want a local agency, or are you open to remote teams? (Hint: Overseas providers often cost less, but time zones and languages matter.) - Audit Your Starting Point
Run free tools to check your site’s health. Are your pages optimized? Backlinks strong? The more fixes needed, the more budget you’ll want to allocate. - Crunch the Numbers
Example: A U.S. agency charging $150/hour for 40 hours/month = ~$6,000. Scale up or down based on your priorities. - Sell It Internally (If Needed)
Pitch SEO as a revenue driver, not a cost. Highlight how organic traffic brings:- Higher-quality leads (they’re already searching for you!)
- No “pay-per-click” fees, just compounding returns
- Outsourcing frees up your team’s time”
