How much do SEO services cost?
Most businesses spend between $500 and $5,000 monthly on SEO services. Learn about the different pricing models and what factors influence the cost of SEO.
March 24, 2024
7 minute reading
SEO helps businesses get relevant content in front of targeted audiences to gain their trust and business. But it takes months to see results. Ask most and they’ll tell you the wait is worth it for ongoing results.
But how much does SEO cost?
Ahrefs and WebFX have both conducted extensive research to shed some light on industry trends and average prices.
Hourly rates: Between $25 to over $300
Monthly retainer rates: Between $100 to more than $10,000
Per-project rates: Between $100 to over $25,000
The cost of SEO services depends on pricing models and factors based on your business needs. On average, businesses spend between $500 and $5,000 monthly on SEO services. However, some businesses may spend as much as $10,000 or more per month on SEO if they have a large website and a competitive industry.
Let's explore different types of common SEO tasks, how to pick the right pricing model for your business, and whether SEO is a good investment.
What are the different SEO pricing models?
There are several SEO pricing models agencies and service providers use with varying prices. Here are the most common pricing models.
Hourly rate model cost
In an hourly rate arrangement, an SEO agency or freelancer monitors the duration of their work on your SEO services and bills you solely based on that time. Hourly rate models are more common for one-off, or smaller SEO projects.
Global hourly rates range from less than $25 to over $300, according to Ahrefs.
Pros
Let’s you pay for SEO services on an as-needed basis
Great for businesses that only need a few specific SEO services
Cons
There may be uncertainty around the final cost if the SEO services take longer than anticipated
Pricing
Forty-seven percent of SEO service providers charge between $75 and $200 per hour
A bar chart displaying the distribution of hourly rates charged by SEO professionals. source
Monthly retainer model cost
In this model, businesses pay a fixed retainer fee each month that covers the SEO services they’ve discussed with the SEO agency. Larger businesses with specific SEO goals and needing multiple ongoing services choose this type of SEO package.
Global monthly retainer rates range from $100 to more than $10,000, according to Ahrefs.
Pros
Guarantees ongoing SEO support every month
Great for businesses that want to budget monthly SEO expenses
Cons
Businesses will still pay the same amount even in months when they don’t require as much SEO work
Pricing
Sixty-eight percent of SEO service providers charge $2,000 or less for monthly retainers
A bar chart displaying the distribution of monthly retainer rates charged by SEO professionals. Source
Fixed price model cost
Agencies or freelancers set a fixed price for specific SEO tasks, no matter how much extra time is spent on the project. Project-based models are ideal for anything from content marketing and copywriting to competitor analysis.
Global fixed price rates range from $100 to more than $25,000, according to Ahrefs.
Pros
Easy to find providers for specific tasks
Great for businesses that have clear goals and needs
Cons
This pricing model works well for well-defined tasks, but not SEO services that require constant monitoring and adjusting
Pricing
Twenty-one percent of SEO service providers charge between $2,501 and $5,000 for per-project rates
A bar chart displaying the distribution of per project rates charged by SEO professionals.
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Factors that influence SEO service costs
While the average budget for an SEO plan is reportedly $1,001 to $5,000, there are several factors influencing the average cost.
SEO starting point
How is your company’s website currently appearing in the search engine result pages (SERPs)? If you don’t have a solid SEO foundation, it’ll take more work—and time—to see organic search results.
A beginner-friendly SEO marketing strategy for a small business may include:
Creation of high-quality content
Extensive keyword research
Initial SEO audit
Scope of SEO project
The scope of your project refers to the specific goals, objectives, and activities involved in the SEO campaign. The more extensive and complex the scope, the higher the cost is likely to be.
Here are some factors that impact scope:
Website size and structure
Industry competitiveness
Geographic focus
Business goals
Target audience and location
Your SEO campaign’s target audience and location also influence the cost. For instance, you’re targeting a global audience or a highly competitive location, the cost of SEO may be higher due to increased competition and the need for specialized strategies.
Experience of SEO expert
More experienced and reputable agencies with a proven track record may charge higher rates for their services—but also deliver better results. Set your SEO budget before you search for SEO professionals to ensure you find affordable options.
Type of SEO services
The specific SEO services you need affect the cost, and will determine the best pricing model. On-page SEO, technical SEO, and off-page SEO all encompass different levels of complex tasks and may have different pricing structures.
“Based on our experiences, the typical monthly cost for SEO on a website with 200-300 pages is around $400-500,” says Fawaz Naser, CEO of Softlist.io. “This covers tasks like researching keywords, creating or improving content, internal linking, crowd marketing, and managing online reputation.”
Is SEO a one-time cost?
Anyone familiar with SEO knows it’s a long game to see any return on investment (ROI). It can take six months, or longer, to see results from SEO investments. So SEO is rarely a one-time cost, unless you’re completing most of your SEO tasks in-house.
These are SEO tasks often hired as a one-time service:
Website audit
Here are SEO tasks that require longer, ongoing work to see results:
Keyword monitoring
Performance tracking
Beware of SEO providers that offer cheap SEO plans and promise quick results. SEO content takes time, and the most cost-effective plan might not be the one that aligns with your business goals.
“When you hire someone because they are cheap, you often end up paying someone else to fix two problems: the problem you originally hired for, and the problem that first hire created,” says Jamie Sutton, marketing lead at HeadshotPro. “This is why we don't shy away from the higher-priced Fiverr services—be patient, quality work will pay for itself over a long enough timeframe.”
Remember, Google can introduce algorithm changes overnight, disrupting a business's SEO strategy and causing them to go back to the drawing board.
“Now and then, Google does a major update in its search algorithm, which can affect even established brands with foolproof SEO,” says Faizan Fahim, SEO head at Infracloud. “For example, Google and Reddit came to mutual terms, and now, Reddit is ranking for more and more keywords. You might have done an amazing SEO job, but how Google works can change overnight. You may have to focus your effort elsewhere to get your rankings back.”
The bar chart titled "Which Areas Do You Intend To Focus On In The Next 12 Months?" compares the priorities of marketing professionals with varying experience levels. Source
Is it worth paying for SEO?
Sure, the promises of SEO are idealistic—but is it worth investing a large portion of your marketing budget in SEO services? And will it drive more conversions?
Businesses of all sizes invest in SEO for the following reasons:
Increased organic traffic. Having your website rank among the top three results on the SERPs is critical because these receive 68% of the click-through rates.
Better user experience. When you optimize your web design for search, you enhance the overall experience for website visitors.
Cost-effective digital marketing. The ROI of SEO is higher than other marketing strategies like PPC (pay per click), and once you have a solid strategy in place, the ongoing costs are generally lower.
How do you know if these SEO investments are making an impact? The following metrics are important to pay attention to when monitoring the success of your SEO campaigns:
Organic traffic
Website health
Social media engagement
Bounce rate
Conversion rate
Click-through rate
“During our annual budget analysis, we realized that our pay-per-click strategy was underperforming, delivering just a 5% ROI—well below the industry average,” says Katie Devoe, owner and co-founder of CBD Nationwide. “We engaged in a comprehensive data dive, revealing a clear customer preference for eco-friendly and health-driven content. By tailoring our SEO to these findings, we saw a demonstrable 30% boost in organic search traffic and a 10% increase in sales over the same quarter, a telling sign of aligned interests and effective targeting.”
Keep in mind you don’t need to pay for every SEO service deemed important, only those right for your business.
“Since initiating a focused approach on both on-page and off-page SEO in 2020, we've witnessed a monumental increase in our online presence and customer engagement,” says David Rubie-Todd, co-founder and marketing director of Sticker It. “To put it into perspective, our website traffic has escalated from a modest 2,000 visitors to an impressive 30,000 organic visitors over four years.”
Can you DIY SEO?
The thought of tackling SEO on your own may sound appealing to your budget—and it's definitely doable—but there’s a reason many businesses work with SEO professionals.
However, AI is making it possible for businesses to create SEO strategies and other marketing efforts on their own.
There are plenty of AI tools and platforms that can build an SEO strategy:
ChatGPT. Capable of a multitude of tasks, ChatGPT can assist with keyword research and ideation for content creation.
SurferSEO. Equipped with a free article outline generator, SurferSEO can build blogs focused on SEO.
Writer. Writer’s generative AI capabilities can draft a blog post based on your keywords.
AI tools can also refresh old content, help you overcome writer’s block, create your social media strategy.
If you’re just now implementing AI tools into your workflow, consider working with an AI consultant on AI lessons or AI strategies.
Find the best SEO services on Fiverr
Searching for an SEO consultant or marketing agency to deliver real SEO results can be time-consuming and challenging. With the rise of ecommerce and the increasing significance of local SEO, there's been a surge in demand for SEO marketing services, prompting a growing number of providers to enter the market.
With Fiverr, business owners can find freelancers that offer SEO packages or work on specific tasks and charge per project. Fiverr allows you to filter by:
Language
Country
Experience
Budget
You can get more specific by searching for particular SEO tasks, such as:
Vet candidates by speaking directly with them and reviewing their portfolio, case studies, and reviews.
Ready to take your SEO efforts to the next level? Sign up for Fiverr today.
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About Author
Michelle Newblom B2B SaaS Writer
Michelle Newblom is a B2B SaaS writer with a knack for creative storytelling, which she artfully applies to all of her content. Her expertise lies in creating compelling copy for blogs and guides, which help businesses generate conversions and attain their goals.
