● The short answer
Most small businesses pay somewhere between a few hundred and a few thousand dollars a month for ongoing SEO. In an Ahrefs survey of SEO providers, the most common monthly retainer was $501 to $1,000, while the average was closer to $3,000. One-time projects such as audits commonly run $2,500 to $5,000. Scope and competition drive the price.
Key takeaways
- In an Ahrefs survey, the most common SEO retainer was $501 to $1,000 a month, with averages near $3,000.
- One-time SEO projects such as audits most commonly cost $2,500 to $5,000.
- Competition, site size, content volume and number of locations drive cost more than anything else.
What the market charges
The best public benchmark we know of is an >Ahrefs survey of SEO service providers published in late 2023. It is a few years old and self-reported, so treat it as a range, not a rate card. Its main findings:
| Pricing model | Most common | Average reported |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly retainer | $501 to $1,000 | About $2,900 overall; about $3,200 for agencies, about $1,350 for freelancers |
| Local SEO retainer | Not broken out | About $1,550 per month |
| Hourly | $75 to $150 | About $111 per hour |
| One-time project | $2,501 to $5,000 | Varies widely by provider type |
Our read of the market in 2026 is that prices have drifted up, mostly because good SEO now includes work on AI visibility, reviews and listings that used to be separate line items.
Pricing models also differ in what they reward. Hourly billing is transparent but can make owners nervous about asking questions. Retainers suit steady, ongoing work. Projects suit audits, migrations and one-time fixes. Whatever the model, insist on a written scope that lists the actual work, so you are paying for output and not for a vague promise of "optimization."
The how is where we come in.
What we walk through with you, for your business:
- What drives the price
- Red flags at the cheap end
- How to budget
- Our take
Every business is different, so the plan is too. Tell us where you want to show up and we will show you what it takes.
Talk to usMore questions
Is it cheaper to do SEO myself?
In cash, yes. In time, it is real work: learning Search Console, writing pages, managing reviews and fixing technical issues. Many owners do well handling their Google Business Profile and reviews themselves and paying for the technical and content work. A one-time audit plus a do-it-yourself plan is a reasonable middle path.
Should SEO be priced per keyword or per ranking?
We would avoid that. Paying per ranking rewards providers for chasing easy keywords that do not bring customers, and it encourages risky tactics. Pay for defined work (pages, fixes, content, listings) and judge it by leads, calls and revenue over time.
Sources
- Ahrefs: SEO Pricing: How Much Does SEO Cost?
- Google Search Central: Spam policies for Google web search
- Google Search Central: Do you need an SEO?
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