SEO pricing packages
Last updated . Figures are approximate and change with the market, so check current prices before you decide.
SEO quotes are hard to compare (our own SEO services page lists what we include) because two packages with the same price can contain very different work. This guide shows the published price ranges, what each type of package usually covers, how the three pricing models differ, and the promises that should end the conversation. Market figures come from SEO companies and their surveys. They sell the service they describe, so use the numbers as rough benchmarks.
The three ways SEO is priced
| Model | How it works | Published range | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly retainer | A fixed fee for ongoing work and reporting | 78.2% of 439 providers offer it; most common band is $501 to $1,000 | Ahrefs |
| Hourly | You pay for time | 47% charge $75 to $200 an hour; agency average $98.90, freelancer average $71.59 | Ahrefs |
| Project | A one-off audit, clean-up or build | Most common band is $2,501 to $5,000; another guide gives $500 to $5,000 for one-time tasks | Ahrefs, WebFX |
Retainers suit ongoing work, because SEO does not finish. Hourly pricing suits advice, a second opinion or a small fix. Project pricing suits a defined job such as an audit or a site migration, where the end is clear.
What the tiers look like
| Tier | Typical monthly price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Local, freelancer | about $1,150 | Ahrefs |
| Local, agency | about $1,819 | Ahrefs |
| Micro business (1 to 10 staff), self-reported spend | $100 to $500 | SEO.com |
| General or national, freelancer average | $1,348 | Ahrefs |
| General or national, agency average | $3,209 | Ahrefs |
| Ecommerce | no separate published benchmark we could verify | n/a |
Averages hide a wide spread. The Ahrefs survey reports retainers from $250 to $10,000 a month, and the cheapest providers tend to offer a narrower scope. For ecommerce we found no reliable standalone figure. A store with hundreds of products has more pages to fix and write, so expect quotes at or above general figures. That is our reading, not a measured number.
What each package should include
This is our own breakdown of common scope, not survey data.
Local package. The work centres on your Google Business Profile, reviews, directory listings and a few pages for the areas you serve. One published breakdown lists seven ongoing parts an agency can handle: profile optimisation, citation management, competitor analysis, keyword research, content creation, review management and reporting (SEO.com). Our guide to local SEO costs goes through each one.
National package. Here the work moves to your site: technical fixes, keyword research, new pages, internal links and some link earning. Content is the main cost, so ask how many pages or articles a month are included.
Ecommerce package. A store needs control over which URLs Google sees (filters, tags, sold-out items), better collection and product pages, product structured data and clean internal links. The details are on our ecommerce SEO services page.
Whatever the tier, ask for these in writing:
- A list of deliverables per month (pages written, fixes made, listings updated).
- Who does the work, and in what country.
- What the monthly report contains.
- Minimum term and notice period.
- Who owns the accounts, the content and the logins.
Red flags
Google's own guidance is direct: no one can guarantee a number one ranking, and you should be wary of SEOs who guarantee rankings, claim a "special relationship" with Google or sell a "priority submit" (Google Search Central). The same page says deceptive content such as doorway pages or throwaway domains can get a site removed from Google's index.
Watch for:
- Guaranteed rankings or guaranteed page one. A refund promise is not a ranking promise.
- Link packages. Google's spam policies list buying or selling links for ranking purposes, automated link creation and low-quality directory links as link schemes (Google). "50 links a month" is a quantity, and quantity is the problem.
- Secrecy. If a company will not explain what it plans to do, Google advises caution.
- No access. You should own your analytics, Search Console and website logins.
- Vague scope. "SEO services" with no list of deliverables cannot be checked.
- Long lock-in with no exit. A three-month minimum is common. Twelve months with fees to leave deserves a harder look.
When a project beats a retainer
A project price makes sense when the job has an end. An audit that ends in a prioritised fix list is one. So is a site move from one platform to another, where the redirects and URL map must be right once. A one-off clean-up of a store's duplicate pages is another. You pay for the work and keep the result.
A retainer makes sense when the work repeats: new pages and articles every month, listings and reviews to keep up, a report to read and act on. Some businesses start with a project to learn what is wrong, then move to a smaller retainer to keep going. If a provider only sells retainers, ask what you would lose by buying the audit alone.
How to compare two quotes
Put both on the same sheet. Write the monthly price, the term, the deliverables and the reporting side by side. Divide the price by the number of concrete items delivered. A cheaper quote with half the deliverables is not cheaper. Then ask each provider what they would do first and why. A good answer names specific pages or problems on your site, not a general plan.
FAQ
How much should a small business pay for SEO?
Published ranges are wide. Survey-reported spend for micro businesses is $100 to $500 a month, while 42.8% of providers charge $501 to $2,000 (Ahrefs). Start from your goal and scope, not from a price you saw in a blog.
Is hourly or monthly SEO better?
Monthly suits ongoing work, because rankings build over months. Hourly suits advice or a one-time fix. If you pay hourly for ongoing work, ask for a monthly cap so the bill does not drift.
Are cheap SEO packages worth it?
Sometimes, for a very small site with basic needs. Very low prices often cover a narrow scope, such as profile posts or a few pages. Read the deliverables and judge them against the price.
How long before SEO shows results?
Months, not days, and nobody can promise a date. Local profile fixes can show effect sooner than a new content programme, and a store with a lot of clean-up may need a few months before the pages start to move.
Do I need a contract?
Most agencies ask for a minimum term. Three months is common. Check the notice period and make sure everything made for you stays in your name.
How OnePDA prices SEO
We publish our prices on the pricing page. Local SEO is from €290 a month with a 3-month minimum, and a Google Business Profile setup is €249 once. National or ecommerce SEO is from €490 a month, with extra articles at €59 each. The Essentials plan at €390 a month combines website care with local SEO, and Growth at €890 a month adds SEO for the whole site and email flows. Prices exclude VAT where it applies. We do not promise rankings, and you own every account. See what is included on our SEO services page.