How much does SEO cost for a local business? Usually somewhere between a few hundred and a few thousand US dollars, and the spread comes almost entirely from scope. A business that needs its Google Business Profile cleaned up pays far less than one that needs a new website, content for every service and suburb, and months of work in a competitive city.
Here’s what the survey data says, what I charge, what drives the price up or down, and how long you should expect to wait for results. Few freelancers publish real numbers, so I’ll give you mine.
What the data says
The most cited pricing data comes from an Ahrefs survey of 439 SEO service providers, last updated in August 2024. The headline figures:
- Local SEO costs $1,557 a month on average.
- $501 to $1,000 a month is the most popular monthly retainer, charged by 20.4% of respondents.
- 78.2% of SEOs charge a monthly retainer rather than per project or per hour.
Averages hide a lot, though. A few large retainers pull the average up, and “local SEO” means very different amounts of work from one provider to the next. Use the figures as a reality check, not a price list.
What I charge
My local SEO work ranges from $500 to $5,000 USD, depending on what’s involved. I quote a fixed price for an agreed scope before I start, so there’s no hourly meter running and no surprise invoices.
Where a project falls in that range depends on the factors below. The quickest way to find out is to tell me about your business; I’ll reply with any questions, then a fixed quote.
What drives the price of local SEO
How much is broken
A business with a verified, complete Google Business Profile and a decent website needs less work than one starting from scratch, with duplicate listings, a suspended profile or a site that doesn’t explain its services.
How competitive your market is
Ranking a plumber in a small town is a different job from ranking a personal injury lawyer in a big city. Competitive markets need more content, more links and more time.
How many locations
Each location has its own Business Profile, its own reviews and usually its own page on your website. Two locations isn’t double the work, but it’s more than one.
Whether the website needs work
Google uses your website to understand what you do. If the site is slow, thin or missing service pages, fixing that is often the biggest part of the job. If you need a new site, see my guide to SEO-friendly web design.
One-off or ongoing
A one-off project, like a profile overhaul, citation cleanup or a set of service pages, has a clear end. Ongoing work, like reviews, content and links, is paid monthly because it never really finishes.
What you should get for your money
Whatever you pay, you should be able to see:
- A written scope: exactly what will be done, and what won’t.
- Access to your own accounts: your Business Profile, Search Console and website stay in your name. Your SEO is added as a user.
- Reports tied to business results: calls, direction requests, website clicks and leads, not only rankings.
- Methods that follow Google’s guidelines. Google’s own advice on hiring an SEO says no one can guarantee a #1 ranking, and to be wary of anyone who does.
Red flags in cheap SEO
Low prices aren’t a problem in themselves. A low price for a small, clearly defined job can be excellent value. The problems start when cheap ongoing packages rely on shortcuts:
- Guaranteed rankings. Nobody controls Google’s results.
- Hundreds of directory links or “backlink packages”. Low-quality links add little and some can cause harm.
- Fake or incentivized reviews. Google can block new reviews, unpublish existing ones and put a warning on your profile.
- Keywords added to your business name. Google says this can get your profile suspended.
If a package looks cheap because it skips the slow, honest work, it usually costs more to undo later.
Questions to ask before you pay
Google publishes its own list of questions to ask an SEO before hiring. The ones that matter most for price:
- Can you show me examples of your previous work?
- What results do you expect, in what timeframe, and how will you measure them?
- What’s your experience in my industry and my city?
- Will you tell me every change you make, and why?
A provider who answers these clearly, in writing, is usually worth more than a cheaper one who can’t.
How long does SEO take?
The honest answer is: it depends on where you start and who you’re up against.
- Weeks: fixing a profile that’s unverified, miscategorized or incomplete can show results quickly, because Google says complete and accurate profiles are more likely to appear.
- A few months: a steady flow of reviews, better service pages and cleaned-up listings usually start showing in this range.
- Six months or more: competitive markets, new websites and link building take longer.
For a real example, Otter Landscapes went from #14 to #1 in Google Maps for “yard cleanup tualatin” in under 60 days after a new website and focused local SEO. That’s one important search for one business, not a promise, but it shows that fixing relevance problems can pay off fast. The full story is in my guide on how to rank higher on Google Maps.
Is local SEO worth the cost?
Work it out against the value of a customer. If one new client is worth more than a month of SEO, and people in your area search for what you do, the maths usually works. If almost nobody searches for your service, or you can’t take on more work, spend the money elsewhere first. My local SEO guide for small businesses covers when it’s a good fit.
If you’re also weighing where to hire from, my guide on outsourcing SEO covers what to ask and what to watch for. And if you’d like a fixed quote for your business, that’s what my local SEO service page is for.
