How Much Does SEO Cost? Monthly, Project and Hourly Prices
SEO can be priced monthly, by project or by the hour. Compare the models, see what each published figure actually measures, and learn what to ask before signing.
What does SEO cost, and what does it buy?
Table of Contents10 sections
On 4 November I opened the pages that answer "how much does SEO cost" and wrote down what each number measures. Clutch says $2,000 to $20,000 a month. One seller lists $249.
Same word, SEO, and a gap of nearly a hundred times. So which price is the real one?
The short version: all of them are, for different work. SEO is sold monthly, as a one-off project or by the hour, and a price only means something next to its scope.
So compare the scope written under the number, and ignore the number itself until you have it. If you're in Australia, I wrote the local version with AU prices.
I run a digital marketing agency in Bali and sell SEO, so you should know where I stand.
Mersa is one row in the table below, with the same columns as everyone else.
Key Takeaways
- Monthly, project and hourly prices measure different things. Don't blend a survey, a directory and a price list into one average.
- Published monthly prices run from about $250 to about $5,000 for the sellers I checked. Clutch's range goes much higher.
- Scope explains the gap: how many pages, how many locations, who makes the changes.
- A one-off project fits a defined problem, such as an audit or a batch of fixes. Ongoing work fits a market that keeps moving.
- Ask what's included, who does it and what costs extra before you compare two quotes.
SEO Prices at a Glance
Here are the published figures I could read at their source. A survey, a directory and a seller measure three different things, so each row says which it is.
| Source | What it is | Monthly | Hourly | One-off project |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clutch, updated 21 Sep 2026 | Directory, reviewed projects | $2,000 to $20,000 | $100 to $149 (most agencies) | Usually under $10,000 |
| Ahrefs, data from 2023 | Survey of 439 providers | $2,917 average; $501 to $1,000 most common | $111 average | $2,501 to $5,000 most common |
| WebFX | Vendor's guide, date not stated | $1,000 to $5,000 | $75 to $200 | $500 to $5,000 |
| SEO.com, updated 29 Oct 2026 | Vendor's guide | $1,500 to $5,000 | $75 to $200 | $1,000 to $30,000 |
| BigRed, Oct 2026 | Seller's price list | From $1,000 local, $2,000 national | $100 consulting | Audit from $750 (under 100 pages) |
| DPOM | Seller's price list, date not stated | From $249 local, $499 national, $899 ecommerce, plus $249 setup | Not listed | Not listed |
| Mersa, fixed to 31 Dec 2026 | Seller's price list | IDR 4,800,000 Local SEO; IDR 12,000,000 Growth | Not sold by the hour | IDR 6,000,000 Marketing Audit; IDR 7,500,000 Implementation |
Sources, in table order: Clutch, Ahrefs, WebFX, SEO.com, BigRed, DPOM, and all Mersa service prices.
Notice what's missing. Nobody publishes one price for "SEO". Every seller splits it into models, and the numbers only line up once you pick one.
Two cautions. The Ahrefs rows are providers describing their own pricing, from charts dated 2023.
The vendor rows are sellers' claims. Use them to start questions, and check the page before you quote anyone.
What Changes the Price of SEO?
Scope moves the price more than anything else. The same two letters can mean 3 pages or 300, and the quote is for whichever one the seller had in mind.
Five things move it most:
- Competition: a villa in Canggu fighting dozens of others for "villa canggu" needs more work than a plumber in a small town.
- Locations: a clinic with three branches needs three Google Business Profiles, three sets of listings and three local pages.
- Content: two new articles a month cost more than fixing page titles.
- Who makes the changes: some sellers send a to-do list, others log into your website and do it, and the second takes more of their time.
- Your access: if the work needs a developer who answers in three weeks, the price grows or the work stalls.
BigRed's price list is a clean example. A local plan starts at $1,000 and a national one at $2,000, so the market you serve can double the price from the same seller.
Not sure what you need first?
A diagnosis and a fix are different purchases. Our marketing audit and implementation options split them.
Monthly SEO Costs
Ongoing work is the usual way SEO is sold. In the Ahrefs survey, about 78% of providers charge a retainer, and the average is $2,917 a month.
That's providers' own answers across mixed work, so don't expect it as your quote if you have one location, and a single-location business rarely needs what a big online store does.
The better question is what recurs. BigRed's $1,000 plan comes with a 3-month minimum, then month to month, and it lists its minimum scope:
- An initial SEO audit
- A strategy and a content plan
- On-page fixes
- Technical monitoring
- A monthly report
But what about the $249 plan? DPOM lists it as a local starting price with a $249 setup fee. Read what's included before you call it a bargain or a rip-off.
Monthly work pays off when there's always something to do.
But it pays off less when the site needs one batch of fixes and then nothing for six months. Buy that once.
One-Off SEO Project Costs
Still, a project has an end, and that's its main appeal. An audit finds problems, and fixing them is a second job with its own price.
The Ahrefs survey found $2,501 to $5,000 the most common project fee, and Clutch says the usual reviewed project is under $10,000. Neither says whether fixes were included.
That's why we sell them apart. Our Marketing Audit is IDR 6,000,000 and Implementation is IDR 7,500,000. The audit finds, the implementation fixes, and you can buy either one alone.
If your own team can make the changes, the audit may be enough. If nobody can, the list sits in a drawer for a year.
Six sellers' audit prices sit side by side in which kind of audit fits your problem, if you want the wider view.
One caution. A project price that doesn't name the pages or issues covered is a guess.
Ask what happens when the review finds more than expected, and who pays for it.
Hourly SEO Rates
Hourly suits advice, a second opinion or a bounded job. Clutch says most agencies on its site charge $100 to $149 an hour.
The Ahrefs average is $111.
Clutch also splits it by type, and that's the useful part:
- Technical SEO and link building: $25 to $49 an hour
- Local SEO and content creation: $100 to $149 an hour
BigRed lists consulting at $100 an hour for calls, second opinions, reviews of another agency's work and coaching an in-house team. That's a clear, bounded use.
Hourly gets risky when it replaces a plan. Ask for the expected hours and the output first. "Ten hours, ending in a prioritised list" is something you can check.
"It depends" isn't an answer, so ask again.
What a Quoted SEO Price Should Include
A price with no scope can't be compared. Check that the quote says these seven things in writing:
- The pages or tasks. Which pages, how many a month, and what "worked on" means.
- Who implements. Whether they change your website or send you a list, the quote says which, and names the person.
- How often. Dates.
- The report. What goes in it, and which numbers it shows. I wrote up which numbers an SEO report should carry, and which mislead.
- Access and ownership. You keep the accounts and content if you leave.
- What's excluded. Development, extra locations, paid ads and tool subscriptions are the usual surprises. A rebuild is its own budget: what a small business website costs.
- Term and exit. A 3-month minimum is common, and some sellers go month to month after it.
None of this needs SEO knowledge. If a seller can't answer one in writing, that is your answer.
How to Decide What Your Business Should Spend
I won't give you one number, because there isn't one, and you'd be right to distrust anyone who does. Start from the job.
- You need an answer: pay for an audit or an hour of advice.
- You know what's broken and have nobody to fix it: pay for a project.
- Your market keeps moving: pay for a monthly plan.
Then check three limits. How much can your own team do? How much time can you give the seller each month, and what will you do with the report?
For example, a clinic owner with a good website and no time to write pages needs a different quote than one whose site hasn't been touched in two years.
No seller can promise a ranking. The ones who do are selling you a number.
Unsure? Start small. And remember that a one-month trial or a defined project costs you far less than a year of the wrong plan.
Where Mersa Fits
We run Mersa from Bali. Local SEO is IDR 4,800,000/month, and Growth is IDR 12,000,000/month.
What's in each:
- Local: a managed Google Business Profile, listings kept consistent, one improved service page a month and a report.
- Growth: all of Local, plus two new pages or articles a month, technical SEO and schema, citations and links, three competitors tracked.
It starts with one month, then runs on 30 days' notice. Payment is in full before work starts, on an invoice from PT Mersa Business Consulting.
The one-off check is the Marketing Audit. Implementation does the fixes.
We don't reply to your customers' messages, and we don't promise rankings.
Every service and price is on one page.
Common Questions
How much does SEO cost per month for a small local business?
About $250 to $2,000 in the published prices I checked. DPOM starts at $249, BigRed at $1,000 for local work, and Mersa at IDR 4,800,000. Ask each seller what the monthly fee covers before comparing.
How much should I pay for SEO if I only need a few fixes?
A project covers it. Ahrefs found $2,501 to $5,000 the most common project fee, and Mersa's Implementation is IDR 7,500,000 for up to six fixes. Ask which pages or issues the price covers.
How much does an SEO audit cost compared with SEO fixes?
An audit costs less than the fixes. BigRed lists an audit from $750 for sites under 100 pages, and Mersa's Marketing Audit is IDR 6,000,000. Check whether the price includes someone doing the fixes.
Is monthly SEO worth it for a local business with one location?
Sometimes. It fits when there is steady work: local pages, listings, reviews and a report. BigRed's local plan starts at $1,000 a month and Mersa's at IDR 4,800,000. Skip it if you need one batch of fixes.
Should I hire an SEO agency or a freelancer for a small business?
Neither label tells you the scope. Clutch says most agencies charge $100 to $149 an hour, and a freelancer's rate may differ. Compare the named person doing the work, what is delivered, and what costs extra.
Can I pay for SEO once instead of paying every month?
Yes, for work with an end point. An audit or a set of fixes can be bought as a project, such as Mersa's Marketing Audit at IDR 6,000,000. Ongoing work needs a separate plan, and a handover that says what's yours.
