How much does SEO cost?

What SEO freelancers, consultants and agencies charge, from published survey data, and what you can do yourself first.

We.Inc is free to start, no credit card. AI building from $20/mo.

The short answer

In Ahrefs' survey of 439 SEO providers, the most common monthly retainer was $501 to $1,000 (20.4% of providers), and 68.8% charged $2,000 a month or less. The most common hourly rate was $75 to $100, and the most common price for a one-off project was $2,501 to $5,000. The survey page was last updated on August 15, 2024; we read it on October 28, 2026.

Agencies charge more than freelancers, and the work on offer varies widely at every price, so compare what is delivered each month, not only the fee.

How SEO providers charge (Ahrefs survey of 439 providers)

	Share who charge this way	Most common price band
Monthly retainer	78.2%	$501 to $1,000 a month (20.4%)
Hourly	34.8%	$75 to $100 an hour (24%)
Per project	48.9%	$2,501 to $5,000 (21.2%)

Price bands from Ahrefs' published survey of 439 SEO service providers (page last updated August 15, 2024, read October 28, 2026). They are survey results, not quotes.

Pros and cons

Freelancer or consultant

Best for: Small businesses with one site and a clear local market

Price: Survey's most common bands: $501 to $1,000 a month retainer, $75 to $100 an hour

Pros: Lower monthly cost; You work with the person doing the work

Cons: Limited capacity for content and links; Quality varies widely

Agency

Best for: Businesses that need content, technical work and outreach together

Price: Usually above the survey's most common bands; 31.2% of providers charged more than $2,000 a month

Pros: A team covering content, technical and links; Reporting and process

Cons: Higher cost; Your account may be handled by junior staff

We.Inc

Best for: People who want to describe a site or web app in plain English and have AI build it

Price: Free plan: up to 3 template sites on a we.inc address, no AI. AI building from $20/mo (Starter, 250 credits). Pro $50/mo, Max $99/mo.

Pros: Describe what you want in chat and AI builds a full, editable site or app; Edit by clicking on the page, by asking in chat, or in a real code editor; Export the React and TypeScript code to GitHub, so you are never locked in; Unlimited sites on paid plans, custom domains from Starter

Cons: The free plan is templates only; AI building needs a paid plan; Newer platform with a smaller app marketplace than the big names; Store features are simpler than a dedicated ecommerce platform

What the money usually buys

A monthly retainer typically covers ongoing work: fixing technical issues, improving existing pages, writing or editing new pages and building links. Project fees cover one-off jobs such as an audit or a site migration. Hourly rates suit advice and small fixes.

Ask any provider for a written list of monthly deliverables and the reports you will receive. A low price with no deliverables is not cheaper.

Red flags

Avoid anyone who guarantees a number-one ranking, sells a set number of backlinks per month, or will not tell you what they changed on your site. Google's own guidance warns against buying links, and a penalty costs more than any retainer saves.

What you can do before paying anyone

Set up Google Search Console and Google Business Profile, both free. Give every page a clear title that says what you do and where, answer the questions customers really ask, and make sure the site loads quickly on a phone. These basics cost time, not money, and make any paid work more effective later.

Where We.Inc fits: the free plan publishes up to 3 template sites on a we.inc address, with no AI and no custom domain, and needs no credit card. AI building, where you describe the site and it is written for you, starts at $20 a month (Starter, 250 credits); Pro is $50 and Max is $99.

About these figures

These are price bands reported by providers in a published survey, not quotes. Prices in your market may differ, and the survey is from 2024. We did not run our own survey.

Start from a template

Sources

Ahrefs: SEO pricing survey (updated Aug 15, 2024) (Checked Oct 28, 2026)
We.Inc: Pricing (Checked Sept 25, 2026)

Frequently asked questions