Most small businesses pay between $500 and $3,000 a month for SEO from an agency or consultant. An Ahrefs survey of 439 SEO providers found the average monthly retainer is about $2,900, while local SEO averages closer to $1,550. GO-SEO’s plans are $750, $1,450, or $2,450 per month, month-to-month, plus a one-time $750 onboarding fee.
Below is what those numbers actually buy, how agencies structure their pricing, and how to pick a budget that fits your business. I’ve been doing this since 2007, so I’ll also tell you where cheap SEO goes wrong.
How much does SEO cost per month for a small business?
A small business typically pays $500 to $3,000 per month for ongoing SEO. Local businesses that serve one city usually land at the lower end. Businesses competing across several cities or nationally usually pay more, because the work takes more content and more links.
Here’s what the industry data shows, from Ahrefs’ SEO pricing survey:
| Measure | Monthly cost |
|---|---|
| Most common retainer range | $501 to $1,000 |
| Average retainer, all providers | $2,917 |
| Average for local SEO | $1,557 |
| Average, freelancers | $1,349 |
| Average, agencies | $3,209 |
| Average, providers with 5 to 10 years’ experience | $3,648 |
Experience changes the price. Providers who had been in business five to ten years charged more than double what newer providers charged. That gap usually reflects fewer mistakes and faster results, not just higher overhead.
What are the different ways SEO agencies charge?
SEO is sold three ways: a monthly retainer, an hourly or consulting rate, or a one-time project fee. Most ongoing SEO uses a retainer, because rankings come from steady work over months, not a single fix.
| Pricing model | Typical industry range | Best for | GO-SEO example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly retainer | $500 to $3,000+ per month | Ongoing rankings, content, and links | $750, $1,450, or $2,450 per month |
| Hourly or consulting | $75 to $150 per hour (average about $111) | Advice, training, or a second opinion | 90-minute SEO consultation, 90-minute consultation, $395 (credited toward a retainer) |
| One-time project | $2,500 to $5,000 is most common | Audits, migrations, or a site rebuild | $750 onboarding; websites from $2,000 to $25,000 |
A retainer makes sense if you want results that keep growing. A consultation makes sense if you have someone in-house to do the work and just need a clear plan. A project makes sense when there’s one defined job, like moving from Squarespace to WordPress.
How much should I budget for SEO?
Budget based on how competitive your market is, not on what your competitor spends. A single-location service business in a mid-sized market can grow on a smaller budget. A business competing across Los Angeles, or nationally, needs more content and links each month to move.
| Your situation | Realistic budget | GO-SEO plan |
|---|---|---|
| One location, one city, established site | $750 to $1,000 per month | SEO Essentials ($750) |
| Competing across several LA-area cities | $1,200 to $2,000 per month | SEO Growth ($1,450) |
| National market, or you want AI search visibility | $2,000 to $3,000+ per month | SEO + GEO ($2,450) |
| Brand-new website with little history | Plan on the middle tier for 6 to 12 months | SEO Growth, then reassess |
| Your current site is outdated or slow | Website build first, then SEO | New site plus 20% off your first three months of SEO |
Not sure which row you’re in? Our SEO pricing page breaks down each plan, or you can talk to me directly.
What does each GO-SEO plan include each month?
Every GO-SEO plan includes a technical audit and ongoing monitoring, keyword strategy, on-page optimization, and Google Business Profile optimization. The higher plans add content, links, and AI search work. Here’s what that looks like in actual monthly output:
| Included | Essentials ($750) | Growth ($1,450) | SEO + GEO ($2,450) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technical audit and monitoring | Included | Included | Included |
| Keyword strategy and on-page optimization | Included | Included | Included |
| Google Business Profile optimization | Included | Included | Included |
| Content production | Not included | Included | Included |
| Link building | Not included | Included | Included |
| GEO (AI search optimization) | Not included | Not included | Included |
| AI citation tracking | Not included | Not included | Monthly, with Otterly |
| Schema and structured data | Basic | Basic | Full |
| Reporting | Monthly email summary | Email plus visual snapshots | Live Looker Studio dashboard |
All plans are month-to-month. There are no long-term contracts, and the person building your strategy is the person doing the work.
Is $500 a month enough for SEO?
Sometimes. $500 a month can work for a small local business in a low-competition market, if the provider spends that time on real work: fixing technical problems, improving key pages, and keeping your Google Business Profile active. It won’t buy much new content or link building, so growth will be slower.
Where $500 falls short is competitive markets. If you’re a law firm, a contractor, or any service business in Los Angeles, your competitors are likely investing more, and a minimal budget usually means holding steady rather than climbing.
What does $300 a month SEO actually buy?
Very little real SEO. At $300 a month, after the provider covers their own costs, there’s roughly two to three hours of work left. That’s usually spent on automated reports and low-quality links, which can hurt your site instead of helping it.
Watch for these red flags in cheap SEO offers:
- Guaranteed rankings. No one controls Google. A guarantee is a sales tactic, not a promise.
- “Hundreds of backlinks” per month. Bulk links almost always come from spam sites.
- No access to your own accounts. You should own your Google Analytics, Search Console, and Business Profile.
- Reports full of vanity metrics. Impressions and “keywords tracked” mean nothing if calls and leads aren’t growing.
- Long contracts up front. A provider confident in their work doesn’t need to lock you in for a year.
For more on vetting a provider, read questions to ask your SEO agency, answered honestly.
Why do SEO agencies charge onboarding fees?
An onboarding fee covers the work that has to happen before any optimization starts: a full technical audit, a competitive analysis, keyword research, and building the strategy. That first month is heavier than the months that follow, so many agencies charge for it separately instead of hiding it in a longer contract.
At GO-SEO, onboarding is a one-time $750. It’s also why our plans can stay month-to-month: the upfront work is paid for, so you’re never locked in to recover it.
How does SEO cost compare to Google Ads?
Google Ads charges you every time someone clicks, and the traffic stops the day you stop paying. SEO costs a set monthly amount, and the rankings it builds keep bringing in visitors long after the work is done. Ads are faster; SEO is cheaper over time.
Many businesses use both: ads for immediate leads while SEO builds, then shift budget toward SEO as organic rankings take over. If your ad spend is climbing every year just to stay even, that’s usually a sign SEO would pay for itself.
How long does SEO take to pay off?
Most businesses see meaningful movement in 3 to 6 months, and newer websites often take 6 to 12 months. SEO is front-loaded: you pay for months of work before the results compound. That’s why choosing a budget you can sustain matters more than choosing the biggest one.
Want a straight answer for your business? Book a free 15-minute strategy call. I’ll look at your site and your market and tell you honestly which plan fits, or whether you need SEO yet at all. Book your call →
See what results look like in practice on our case studies page, or learn how AI search is changing SEO in what is Generative Engine Optimization.
