Short answer
Most small and mid-sized businesses pay between $500 and $5,000 per month for ongoing SEO. In the largest industry survey, the most common monthly retainer was $501 to $1,000 and the average was about $2,900. Freelancers averaged about $1,350 a month, agencies about $3,200. Hourly rates cluster around $75 to $150.The three ways SEO is priced
SEO is usually sold in one of three ways, and many providers offer all of them.
- Monthly retainer. A fixed monthly fee for ongoing work: technical fixes, content, local SEO, links and reporting. This is the most common model because SEO compounds over months.
- Project fee. A fixed price for a defined deliverable, such as an audit, a migration or a new website.
- Hourly rate. Flexible time for consulting, training or tasks whose scope is still unclear.
What SEO costs: industry benchmarks
Ahrefs surveyed 439 SEO service providers and verified that each one actually sells SEO. These are the numbers most often quoted in the industry:
| Pricing model | Most common range | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly retainer | $501 to $1,000 | $2,917 overall · freelancers $1,349 · agencies $3,209 · consultancies $3,250 |
| Hourly rate | $75 to $100 | $111 overall · freelancers $72 · agencies $99 · consultants $171 |
| Project fee | $2,501 to $5,000 | Depends heavily on scope |
The same survey found that most providers based in the United States and Canada charge more than $1,000 a month, while providers in lower-cost countries often charge less.
What drives the price of SEO
1. Competition in your market
Ranking a plumber in a small town is a different job from ranking a personal injury law firm in Houston. The more competitors invest in SEO, the more content, links and technical work you need to catch up.
2. Size and state of your website
A 10-page site with clean code needs far less technical work than an online store with 100,000 URLs, filters and duplicate products. Sites that lost traffic after a migration also need recovery work before growth.
3. Number of locations
Local SEO is priced partly per location: each Google Business Profile, citation set and location page takes work.
4. Content volume
Articles, service pages and location pages are often the largest line in an SEO budget. Four well-researched articles a month cost more than two.
5. Who does the work
Freelancers and independent consultants usually cost less than agencies because there is no account management layer. Agencies offer more capacity and more roles in one place. Experience matters more than the label: a senior freelancer can outperform a junior team.
How much should your business spend?
These are practical starting points, not rules:
| Business type | Typical monthly range | Main focus |
|---|---|---|
| Local business, one location | $500 to $1,500 | Google Business Profile, reviews, service pages, technical basics |
| Growing company or several locations | $1,500 to $3,000 | Content, local SEO per location, schema, links, AI search |
| E-commerce or large website | $2,500 to $10,000+ | Catalog architecture, templates, programmatic pages, speed |
A useful check: estimate what one new customer is worth to you, and how many extra customers a month would pay for the investment. If the math does not work at any realistic volume, SEO may not be your best channel yet, and a good consultant should tell you so.
Why very cheap SEO is expensive
Offers of "first page guaranteed" for $99 a month usually rely on automated links, copied content or fake reviews. Google's spam policies explicitly cover link schemes and scaled low-value content, and the cleanup can cost more than doing it right from the start. Google's own advice when hiring an SEO is to be wary of anyone who guarantees rankings or will not explain what they do.
Questions to ask before you hire
- What exactly will you do in the first 90 days?
- Can you show results from similar businesses, with data from Search Console or analytics?
- Who will do the work, and who will I talk to?
- How will you report progress, and which numbers matter?
- What is the notice period if I want to stop?
My prices, for reference
I publish my prices so you can compare. Monthly plans cost $1,000, $1,750 or $2,500 depending on scope. Projects start at $90 for a service page and $450 for a technical audit, and hourly work is $25. Plans are month to month with one month notice. You can see what each plan includes on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
How much does SEO cost per month?
Most small and mid-sized businesses pay between $500 and $5,000 a month. In Ahrefs' survey of 439 providers, the most common retainer was $501 to $1,000 and the average was $2,917.
How much does an SEO consultant charge per hour?
Most charge between $75 and $150 per hour. Ahrefs found an average of $111, with consultants averaging $171 and freelancers $72.
How much does an SEO audit cost?
A technical audit for a small or mid-sized site usually costs between a few hundred and a few thousand dollars. Mine start at $450 for up to 5,000 URLs.
Is SEO a one-time cost?
Some work is one-time, such as an audit or migration, but rankings depend on ongoing content, technical upkeep and competition, so most businesses invest monthly.
About the author
Juan José Giraldo is an SEO consultant in Medellín, Colombia, with 5+ years of experience. He works on technical and local SEO for 600+ US car dealerships and supervises the SEO of 18 US e-commerce stores. Read more.