How Much Does SEO Cost Per Month? Hourly Rates, Packages & Budget

If you are trying to boost your web traffic, search engine optimization is the way to go. SEO is what connects you and your clients and attracts leads to your business. And with more than 93% of customers searching for services with no particular brand in mind, having a well-performing website is what will set you apart.

Doing this alone can be taxing on you and your employees, and that is when hiring a third party for some assistance comes in handy.

So, how much do SEO services cost?

Today, we tackle the issue of SEO prices, how much they cost, and how you can budget for them.

What Will Affect the SEO Charges?

When you look at it, search engine optimization is an investment in your business. You get to create brand awareness, improve your ranking on search engine result pages, and increase your visibility online.

Therefore, the search engine optimization costs you incur will add value to your business. However, how much should you pay for SEO, and what affects these SEO rates?

1. The number of pages – the number of newly created pages on your website will affect your SEO prices. This is because making every page aligned to Google's algorithm takes work and flags it as worthwhile. Also, making your website rank highly for keywords needs expertise.

2. Time – Every SEO service provider is not the same. While some have SEO pricing models depending on the work done, others charge hourly rates. So, if you choose to go for a reputable SEO company and pay fixed pricing for local SEO prices, then the number of hours spent will determine the total amount you pay.

3. Link Acquisition – the quality of your backlinks affects how relevant Google thinks your content is. However, the algorithm is constantly changing. So, you will need to have stellar organic links pointing to your web page. This takes time, and depending on the SEO pricing package you choose, the time and effort spent to make your backlinks excellent will differ.

4. Geography – If you have many more local businesses competing with you, then the SEO service cost is bound to rise. The SEO service provider will have to spend more time creating even more creative content for your website to beat your competition.

Other factors that affect the SEO rates include how quickly you want to see the results, your campaign goals, the close rate of leads, your average revenue per sale, and your current state in search engines.

There is less work than websites with abysmal performance on search engine result pages if you are ranking better.

SEO Cost for a Small Business

The prices of SEO services vary depending on the resource required to give your website a competitive edge on search engines.

For instance, local SEO services cost between $1000-$5000 per month. However, when you shift the market to nationwide coverage, the prices hike to $2000 and $10,000 per month.

SEO budget will determine how many resources you focus on attracting organic traffic to your website.

Depending on the plan you choose, you get:

Monthly content updates on your website
Focus URL topics, even on your homepage
Website architecture improvement
Content analysis
Page optimization
SEO tools and analytics developments
Digital Marketing
High-quality link development strategies
Traffic Tracking and reporting, among other SEO services.

Depending on the amount of content you will need for your small business, the expectations and future business growth projection will influence how much you spend on search engine optimization.

Also, if you offer more services, the amount of work put in to promote each service on result pages increases the SEO optimization cost.

Do SEO Strategies Differ for Small Businesses?

It is right to assume that the SEO budget for a small business is cheaper compared to a conglomerate. And even though most features that define small businesses are similar, not everything works for every small business.

Considering the different SEO services costs, go for a multi-pricing agency rather than a fixed SEO rate.

The model you choose will define the services you receive. But if you are committed to investing in your SEO performance, you should spend at least $500 per month on SEO.

And what happens if you are operating on a tight budget? Just consider SEO as an investment.

Getting high-quality, optimized content for your website will, in some way, convert more leads into sales, giving you a worthwhile ROI.

And if you have a marketing budget, hiring professional SEO consultants to manage your social media and SERPs performance full-time is one way to give your business a competitive edge.

How to Budget for SEO

SEO comes with a price tag. And the better the results, the more likely you are to transform leads into sales. However, you cannot just jump into the sea of search engine optimization without a clear budget to operate on.

Truth be told, pricing for SEO services change dramatically, depending on the resources employed, your expectation, and the type of market you are in.

So, knowing how much to spend on SEO can be challenging.

Let's consider a few options and how to budget for SEO.

Breaking Down SEO Budget

Once you have set aside your marketing budget, go back to the drawing board and consider the emphasis you want to put on digital marketing strategies. If you have an entirely web-based business, you end up spending some or all of your marketing budget on SEO and social media presence.

Remember, different businesses have different needs, but your search engine marketing cost will depend on your model and niche. As you prepare your budget, try to find answers to the following questions:

How does your target audience learn about your business? If you have no personal links and bank on Google's search engine result pages, then you will need a considerable budget for paying for SEO
How aggressive are my competitors? Business does not exist in a vacuum. So, every plan you make will have something to do with another company. If all your competition has a strong presence in search engines, then your investment in SEO increases.
How is my business performing at the moment? If you are nowhere near the top ranks on Google, then you need some serious help. Additionally, you should take care of all penalties, which call for a higher SEO management cost.
What is my current business growth stage? There are 4 stages of business; prosperity, recession, depression, and recovery. Each of these stages calls for different marketing strategies, and consequently, SEO services.

How important is SEO to me right now? Not everyone shares the same thought about school. If you feel your business is an already established brand among your clients, then you invest less. However, if you want to expand, reach new markets, or convert more leads to sales, you need to include a sizeable budget to cater to the SEO service costs per month.

Once you have the answers, it is time to allocate funds to cover your SEO monthly packages.

There are reasonable prices for SEO, but you should be aware of the quality of service.

For instance, considering that the average SEO consultation cost is about $50,000 per year, working with a service provider charging $150 per month could mean a problem with their services. Maybe, they use shady methods and only offer minimal results.

So, depending on the professionals you go for, you expect to pay about $101-$200 per hour for SEO consultations.

Worldwide, SEO hourly rates average $148, while about 55.3% of all SEO consultants charge between $101 and $200 per hour in the US.

In 2023, these prices now range from $80 to $30,000, depending on the duration, type, and service frequency.

So, when budgeting and going for SEO hourly rates between $80 and $200, you can set aside $750-$2000 per month.

How Much to Charge for SEO Services

Different SEO pricing models guide the cost of SEO. For instance, SEO monthly packages go for $750-$5000 per month, while the fixed price SEO packages sell for $1500-$25,000 per contract.

On the other hand, SEO hourly rates range between $80 and $200, while project-based, also used one-time services go for $5000-$30,000 per project.

Of course, how much you pay for the SEO service will depend on the scope of the project and the agency. The different payment models for SEO services include:

Monthly retainers – Here, your client, or you as the client, will pay a monthly fee for your SEO services.
Fixed price – you sign a contract and pay for the services provided by the SEO specialists. Different services have different price tags. For instance, SEO copywriting averages at $0.15 to $0.50 per word, while SEO content audit sells for an average of $500 to $7500. On the other hand, a link profile audit averages $500-$7500, while social media site set-ups average $500-$3000.
Project-based – A project-based SEO pricing guide is similar to a contractual project; only this time, you pay a determined fee for certain custom SEO services. Usually, the cost ranges anywhere between $1000 to $30,000.
Hourly rates – If you invest in hourly consultations with an SEO specialist or offer hourly consultations, you can expect to charge about $100-$300.

Now that you have your payment model in mind and are already consulting for search engine optimization, it is essential to remember that SEO is not an overnight thing. You have to wait to see the results, and due to its extreme value to your business, you will reap the benefits for a long time to come.

In short, depending on the SEO service cost you incur, you will enjoy an impressive return on your investment when working with a credible SEO agency.

Which Is Better?

Now, you know the different SEO pricing packages that exist. How do you choose one for your business?

Overall, the choice of the best SEO service will depend on several factors.

If you are doing a one-time upgrade, then you might want to consider a project-based package. If you know that your website needs a lot of work, then a monthly plan would be better than an hourly contract.

If you invest in a monthly SEO package, you should be able to see results with time. Whether you target a specific demographic or want to generate leads, your SEO strategy of choice should suit your industrial needs.

Overall, the best SEO pricing package is one that increases your brand awareness, sends high-quality traffic to your website, and creates a stream of relevant content for your audience.

The package should expand your digital presence and optimize your web performance on search engines.

The package you choose should also improve your position in the industry, as well as foster a community of loyal customers.

How Much Does Local SEO Cost?

Unfortunately for all website owners, there are no clear guidelines to price SEO services. So, any service provider might claim to offer the service and charge whatever prices they feel like.

You get to determine what a fair amount is to spend on SEO services. You can only conclude whether an investment in your digital marketing was fruitful once you see the returns.

The pricing for local SEO services starts from $300 and varies to about $2,000 per month, depending on your location, competition, and business needs. Once you have paid this amount, you can expect deliverables such as:

Dedicated SEO consultants to work with you in upgrading your website

Local keyword research and inclusion in your products or services
Title and meta-description generation
SEO-optimized posts on your website
HTML tag addition
Custom reporting and review management for better content and interaction with your customers

Types of Local SEO

If you decide to improve your performance on search engines, chances are, you start by targeting your local market. And even though SEO rates tend to differ, local SEO rates are cheaper than global SEO, depending on the service provider.

There are different types of local SEO, which include:

Automated Local SEO – this search engine optimization service runs for $300-$500 per month. It is the cheapest option for use if you want your business information to be available in directories. This service makes sure that your company's contact information is available and correct. However, this alone is not enough to raise your rankings on search engines. Yes, your information is always up to date, but that is just it. It does not offer social media management or content marketing.
Small-Scale Local SEO – this plan, which runs between $400-$900 per month, involves creating highly targeted ads for a specific area within a limited timeframe. It could be paid-per-click ads localized for a particular audience. The service provider will be the one to understand the audience you target and develop optimized content for the relevant audience. However, it does not guarantee sudden improvement in your SERPs performance.
Comprehensive local SEO – these plans run from $4000 per month and offer an in-depth solution in all aspects of SEO. The SEO professionals then take care of everything you need to boost your performance on search engines, from content management, link building, social media marketing, citation optimization, and management of reviews. Although this plan is a little expensive for businesses, it provides you with a clear outline of where you spend your marketing money. You soon notice a growth in your online traffic, more visibility, and, more importantly, a higher conversion rate.

How Much to Charge for SEO Per Month

Did you know there are over 5.6 billion searches on Google every day? Of these, 28.5% click on the first link, followed by 15.7% who dare the second link. After that, the number drops drastically, to 2.5% of the people checking the 10th link.

The Importance of Ranking on the First Page

Keep in mind; these are results appearing on the first result page on the search engine, not the second or the third.

So, how do you get any leads when your page is not among the top 10 of these results? You are probably going through a hard time, wondering why your business performance is poor, despite putting effort into your products.

The truth is, without optimized content, the Google algorithm will probably forego you when looking for relevant results to present to end-users, and that is why you need an SEO strategy.

Search engine optimization cost per month varies, depending on the workload, completion, industry, and current position.

The monthly SEO costs range from $750-$2000, or even $30,000, depending on the amount of work, time and resources required.

Conclusion

By now, you understand the relevance of SEO services for businesses. And with online marketing taking over the industry, it is only fair for your business that you find a suitable SEO package.

It is a worthwhile investment that promises excellent ROI, and with time, you can affirm that.

Since SEO optimization cost is a long-term commitment, you can follow the guide to choose the pricing package that suits your business needs.