SEO quotes vary wildly because there are three different pricing models. Learn each one and spot the promises that should worry you.
SEO is harder to price than a website build because results depend on your starting point, how competitive your keywords are, and factors outside anyone's control. Still, the cost structure itself is easy enough to read.
Three pricing models
Monthly retainer
A fixed monthly fee for an agreed volume of work: a number of articles, pages optimized, regular reporting. Easy to budget and suited to a long-term strategy. The risk: if the scope of work isn't spelled out, you can end up paying for months where almost nothing happens.
Pay per ranking
You only pay once a keyword reaches the agreed position. It sounds appealing, but it tends to steer agencies toward easy keywords nobody actually searches for. If you choose this model, check the search volume of each keyword yourself before signing off.
Per project
A single fee for a clearly defined scope, such as a technical audit and optimization of 50 pages. This works well when you need to fix the foundation first and then run things yourself.
Where the cost actually goes
- Technical audit: checking site structure, speed, URLs, and duplicate content
- Keyword research: finding keywords people actually search for that you have a real chance of ranking for
- On-page optimization: titles, meta descriptions, content hierarchy, internal linking
- Content production: the most labor-intensive part, and the one that matters most
- Link building: the part most often done carelessly, and the one that needs the most caution
Three warning signs
A promise of #1 within a month. Nobody controls Google's algorithm. A firm commitment on ranking and timeline usually means either the keywords chosen are meaningless or the agency is using risky tactics.
No keyword list shown upfront. You need to know exactly which terms you're paying to rank for.
Bulk cheap links. This approach worked years ago. Today it's the fastest way to a penalty.
How long results take
For a new website, expect three to six months before you see a clear shift. A site with an existing foundation moves faster. Anyone who says otherwise is selling expectations, not a service.
See how we approach this in our SEO service, or read more about what makes a website SEO-ready to check your own foundation first.
