SEO prices for external experts range from zero to thousands of dollars per month.

Where?

Because every company has its own unique goals and needs. And every SEO provider has its own pricing packages and models.

Understanding SEO pricing and the factors that influence these costs will help you make decisions that align with your marketing budget and business goals. That’s why we’ve created this SEO pricing guide for you.

Let’s get started.

Is SEO free?

Organic (unpaid) placement in search engine results pages (SERPs) is free, meaning Google doesn’t charge for it.

But doing things like creating high-quality content requires experienced professionals. And implementing schema markup—code that helps search engines understand what your pages are about, which can lead to personalized search results.

In short, they know what can lead to better rankings (higher placement in search results) and more traffic. And they know what tactics to avoid to reduce the likelihood of losing rankings.

For these reasons and more, the services of SEO experts, content marketers, freelance SEOs, and other specialists can be expensive.

And letting someone who isn't a legitimate SEO expert work on your website to save a little money can be detrimental to your search rankings, organic traffic, and conversion rate, and end up costing you significantly more in the long run.

What are the general SEO pricing criteria?

We’ll get into the details of SEO pricing later. But here are some numbers to get you started, based on a survey of nearly 400 respondents who do SEO for their clients:

• SEO agencies around the world charge an average of $134.14 per hour
• SEO agencies in the US charge an average of $147.93 per hour
• SEO consultants around the world earn an average of $139.29 per hour
• SEO consultants in the US earn an average of $144.68 per hour
• Half of SEO service providers around the world charge less than $3,000 per month

How are SEO prices determined?

The main factors that will affect your SEO prices are:

Even if you do it yourself
It’s common to work with an outside expert (or experts). But there are many SEO tasks you can do yourself, as long as you have the right tools.

For example, the Keyword Magic Tool makes it easy to find related search terms to focus on when creating and updating web pages.

Go to the tool, enter a general term related to your niche, and click “Search.”

Your choice of SEO provider

SEO agencies typically have more resources and staff to handle all aspects of your project. They may also offer special options specific to your business.

However, agency prices are generally high. Operating expenses like office space rental and staff salaries mean they have to charge more to cover these basic expenses.

And you usually don’t get much of a personal experience with an agency. More often than not, you won’t have direct contact with the SEO experts working on your site. Instead, you’ll work with an account manager or other point of contact.

If you’re looking for a more personalized experience, you might consider hiring a freelance SEO consultant. You’ll have direct contact with the expert working on your site, and you’ll be more involved in the process.

The downside to working with a freelance consultant is that it can be difficult to scale services. And you often can’t find just one person who can help you with all of your SEO needs.

Location of your provider

Agencies and freelancers located in areas with a higher cost of living may charge higher fees to cover their costs.

On the other hand, providers located in areas with a lower cost of living may offer more competitive rates.

And if you’re planning on doing local SEO, remember that the location of the agency can make a big difference. As they may have more knowledge of related areas.

Your provider's experience

Experienced SEO agencies with a proven track record of successful campaigns, credible case studies, and in-depth industry knowledge will typically charge higher fees.

Individual consultants who are considered industry influencers can charge more than other freelancers. And in some cases, more than agencies.

You should keep this in mind whenever a temptingly low price catches your eye.

Yes, freelancer hiring sites like Upwork allow you to set a budget as low as $5. But that often means the provider doesn’t yet have years of expertise to guide them.

Characteristics of your business

SEO pricing can depend on things like the size of your business, the industry you operate in, and even the competitiveness of your target keywords.

For example, small businesses that want to compete with well-known brands often need more extensive SEO efforts to stand out from the crowd.

However, it’s important to remember that SEO is a long-term process and it can take several months to start seeing significant results. So consider the ongoing costs and commitments required to improve and maintain your organic search visibility.

The services you need

The specific SEO services you need can significantly impact your costs.

For example, a link building campaign will cost much less than a comprehensive SEO audit combined with technical optimizations.

On-page SEO

On-page SEO is about improving various elements of your web pages to increase visibility in search engines.

These include actions such as:

• Keyword Research
• Meta Tag Optimization (improving snippets of HTML code that help search engines and people better understand your content)
• URL Structure Optimization
• Content Optimization
• Internal Linking (linking from other pages on your site to your own pages)

Technical SEO

Technical SEO involves improving the technical aspects of your website, specifically increasing crawlability and indexability (making it easier for search engines to find your content and store it in a database).

Services may include:

• Website Audits
• Site Speed ​​Optimization
• Hreflang Attribute Implementation (adding HTML that specifies the language and target location of a page)
• Website Migrations
• XML Sitemap Creation (creating a file that lists all the important pages that you want search engines to crawl and index)

Content Creation

Content creation is an integral part of any SEO strategy. Without content, there is nothing to rank for and drive traffic to.

Content creation also includes keyword optimization and ensuring that the content is aligned with the search intent of your target audience (searcher query intent).

Cost of content creation; Depends on the expertise of the content creator, how many editing stages there are, and many other factors.

It also depends on the format and can include:

• Blog Posts
• Videos
• E-Books
• Podcast Episodes
• Infographics

Create a connection

Link building is the process of acquiring high-quality links from reputable websites. Obtaining backlinks in this way can improve your website’s authority and ranking in search results.

Link building services typically include:

• Creating Related Assets
• Accessing Relevant Websites
• Guest Posting
• Building Relationships with Influencers and Journalists
• Building Skyscrapers (Creating and Sharing the Best Content on a Targeted Topic)

Local SEO

Local SEO focuses on optimizing your online presence to increase your visibility among nearby audiences. This is especially important if your business has physical locations.

It includes activities such as:

• Extract local directory listings
• Manage online reviews
• Find local keywords
• Get referrals from other local businesses
• Optimize your Google Business Profile (can appear in search results)

Model of your choice

The SEO service model you choose plays a big role in determining your exact costs.

Let’s take a look at your options:

Project-Based SEO Pricing
Many agencies and freelancers offer a flat fee for specific projects, such as website audits or content optimization.

The cost of these projects varies depending on their complexity and the time it takes to complete them.

Typically, the provider will review your SEO goals and give you a project quote based on the size of the project and the expected results. They should also let you know if there are any situations where additional fees may apply.

Monthly retainers

Some SEO agencies use a monthly retainer model. This means you pay for ongoing SEO services every month.

Costs can vary greatly depending on the services included and the results you want.

Some options combine SEO with paid media and public relations services. To help you manage all aspects of your marketing strategy.

This is a good option if you have high goals and want to take a hands-off approach.

Hourly rates

Some SEO agencies or freelance consultants charge an hourly fee for their services.

This can help you control costs, as you can limit the number of hours worked on your project.

Just be aware that you may end up purchasing more hours than you planned. Since many SEO tasks take a significant amount of time.

SEO Performance-Based Pricing
Some SEO agencies and freelancers offer a performance-based pricing model.

Here, compensation is tied to specific results, such as meeting specific key performance indicators (KPIs). SEO KPIs can include keyword rankings, organic traffic growth, and conversions.