What are average SEO costs?

When looking at SEO prices, it’s common to gasp in shock at how expensive the service is.

Thousands of dollars at a minimum can feel like a huge expense.

It leads most to wanting to try SEO on their own.

Organic search (SEO) has the best ROI out of any channel. But SEO isn’t free. Just because you are not directly paying for advertisements like PPC doesn’t mean SEO doesn’t have expenses.

Let’s cover some of the most common payment models in SEO and what to expect from each.

Hourly rate

SEO companies that charge by hourly rate are usually doing maintenance and upkeep for your SEO strategy, or some form of audit and analysis.

It is not recommended to use hourly rates for traditional SEO services or if you are looking for a growth partner in an agency.

You want your SEO agency to be a part of your success, not a company that bills you hourly and racks up charges.

If you do use hourly rates, make sure you are trusting your money with a reputable, experienced company.

Long-term contract

Long-term contracts are a common SEO pricing model that companies will suggest after conducting an audit on your site.

They can be helpful as all-inclusive style packages where you can bundle services based on your needs so that you aren’t paying multiple companies for services or getting up sold for add-ons.

Monthly retainers

Monthly retainers are the most common form of SEO services and are usually put in place after you have done significant upfront work with an SEO agency or freelancer.

For example, once you’ve developed multiple projects, established a good infrastructure, and written good content, monthly retainers can be put into place to maintain results and continue development at a less aggressive scale.

These will often be very reasonable in pricing ranges, too.

Project-based

Project-based SEO pricing will allow you to be more selective on what you want to pay for.