Optima | SEO Services & Pricing | Deliverables, Models & Costs

Explore Deliverables and Pricing

Understanding the cost of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services is crucial for businesses looking to enhance their online visibility and drive revenue. SEO services can improve a site's organic visibility, increase traffic quality, and grow organic revenue.

SEO pricing varies significantly based on the service type, pricing model, and various other factors unique to each business and provider.

Common SEO Pricing Models

Monthly Retainer

This involves a recurring fixed fee paid each month for ongoing SEO services. It's the most popular model due to its continuous nature, allowing for long-term strategies and consistent improvements.

Average Cost:

Between $1500 and $5000 per month. Some sources indicate ranges from $250 to $10,000 per month, with most businesses spending between $500 and $5,000.

Pros:

Fixed monthly rate, ongoing work, long-term strategy, scalability, and often includes comprehensive reporting. It keeps campaigns up-to-date with algorithm changes and provides regular access to expertise and reporting.

Cons:

Generally has a higher cost and requires a longer commitment, often involving a contract. Payment is required even if desired results aren't immediately met.

Hourly Rate

This model charges a fixed fee for each hour of work performed by the SEO professional.

Average Cost:

Between $50 and $600 per hour, depending on the specific service. Average rates can be found between $100 and $300 per hour. The most common hourly rate for SEO is $75-$100 or $100-$150, with some high-quality SEOs charging $125/hour+.

Pros:

Ideal for short-term projects or consulting services, with no long-term commitment. It allows businesses to test an agency or freelancer before committing.

Cons:

Total costs can be unpredictable, making budgeting difficult. It typically doesn't include a long-term or ongoing SEO strategy and requires close monitoring by the client.

Project-Based Fee

A one-time agreed-upon amount for a single SEO project or task.

Average Cost:

Between $1000 and $35,000 per project depending on the specific service. Average costs are typically $5000 to $30,000 for one-time SEO projects.

Pros:

Clients know the exact cost upfront. It's suitable for specific tasks like website audits or content creation without a long-term commitment.

Cons:

Requires clear project scopes and deliverables. Lacks ongoing monitoring and analysis.

Summary of SEO Services, Deliverables, and Pricing

Here's a summary of various SEO services, their common deliverables, and typical pricing structures

Service	Deliverables	Monthly Pricing ($)	Hourly Pricing ($)	Project Pricing ($)
On-page SEO	Website audit, keyword research, title tags & meta descriptions, image optimization, internal linking, headings, URL optimization, content optimization	2500 – 7500	50 – 100	1000 – 5000
Off-page SEO	Off-page SEO, Content development, link acquisition/outreach, directory listing management, social media management, Google Business Profile, blog implementation, infographics, networking	2500 – 7500	50 – 100	1000 – 5000
Technical SEO	Crawling, indexing, site architecture, sitemap, SSL certificate, page speed, structured data, mobile-friendliness, user experience	2500 – 7500	50 – 100	1000 – 5000
Local SEO	Local listing management, keyword research, review management, localized SEO content	2500 – 7500	50 – 100	1000 – 5000
Ecommerce SEO	Keyword research, Google Merchant Center management, structured data, on-page SEO, technical SEO	2500 – 7500	50 – 100	1000 – 5000
SEO Content	Keyword research, writing, editing, publishing, promotion	(N/A)	(N/A)	50 – 1500 / page
SEO for AI Search	Generative engine optimizations, on-page SEO, off-page SEO, technical SEO, SEO conten	2500 – 7500	50 – 100	1000 – 5000

Note: All SEO services should generally include a website audit, Google Search Console and/or Google Analytics 4 setup, and regular reporting.

Factors Influencing SEO Service Pricing

The cost of SEO services is not fixed and depends on several key factors:

Pricing Model:

As discussed above, the chosen model (monthly, hourly, project-based) will directly affect the overall cost.

Goals:

Your specific objectives, such as traffic growth (e.g., 1% vs. 50%), lead generation, or achieving first-page rankings, will influence the scope and cost of the SEO package.

Expertise:

Reputable agencies with a proven track record often charge higher rates due to their experience, performance, capabilities, and convenience of all-in-one solutions. More experienced SEOs (2+ years in business) tend to charge significantly more than less experienced ones.

Strategy Scale:

Larger businesses typically require more complex SEO strategies, leading to higher costs. Smaller businesses may have more affordable campaigns.

Team planning SEO strategy on whiteboard

Collaborative hands joined over SEO planning documents

Website Size:

Larger websites, which naturally target more keywords, require more SEO maintenance and thus incur higher costs.

SEO Focus:

The specific area of SEO you need assistance with (e.g., Ecommerce SEO, Local SEO, Technical SEO) can affect pricing based on specialization and market saturation.

Existing SEO Performance:

If your website has many pre-existing SEO issues (e.g., hundreds of issues found in an audit), it will cost more to fix them.

Add-ons:

Additional services like SEO content writing, graphic design, or web design can increase the total cost. Bundling with other digital marketing services (e.g., PPC) can also affect the price.

Tools:

The use of proprietary or third-party SEO tools by an agency can also contribute to higher costs, as these tools are essential for auditing, optimizing, and reporting SEO performance.

What SEO Services Typically Include

Generally, SEO service packages encompass: