Chances are you have a few tabs open right now. Each one has a different agency's pricing page, full of promises about rankings, traffic, and leads. They all look… fine. But after more than a decade in this industry, I can tell you what they're not talking about.
They're selling you a strategy that was cutting-edge in 2019. They're charging you a premium for activities that are becoming less effective by the day, while completely ignoring the biggest shift in search behaviour since the iPhone.
The question isn't "how much does SEO cost?" The real question is, "Am I getting a complete, future-proof strategy for the money I'm already prepared to spend?" For most businesses, the answer is a hard no.
"Your agency isn't bad, they're just behind. And you're the one paying the price for it."
Let's get straight to the point. When you ask about SEO pricing, you're going to see monthly retainers. It's the standard model, and honestly, it's the right one for long-term growth. The numbers you see will depend on your size and how aggressive your market is.
I've seen proposals ranging from $1,200 to over $25,000 a month. Based on market data and my own experience, here's a realistic breakdown of typical SEO retainer pricing.
Typical Monthly SEO Retainers
| Business Size | Typical Monthly Range | What It Usually Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Small Business | $1,200 – $3,000 | Foundational on-page SEO, local citations, 1-2 blog posts. |
| Medium Business | $2,000 – $9,000 | Core SEO, basic link building, consistent content creation. |
| Large Business | $3,000 – $15,000+ | Comprehensive strategy, advanced content, technical oversight. |
| Enterprise | $7,500 – $25,000+ | Multi-faceted campaigns, deep technical SEO, large-scale outreach. |
For that investment, you'll get a list of deliverables that hasn't changed much in five years: keyword research, on-page tweaks, a couple of blog posts, some link outreach, and a monthly report on your keyword rankings.
This is the bedrock of SEO. It's important. It's the 80% you absolutely need. The problem? You're paying 100% of the price for only 80% of the strategy.
Here's what I've learned after a decade in this game: every major shift feels obvious in hindsight. Mobile-first, voice search—agencies that adapted early won big for their clients. Those who ignored it became irrelevant. AI search is that shift happening right now, only it's ten times bigger.
The "hidden problem" with standard B2B SEO pricing is that it completely ignores this shift.
Your customers aren't just typing keywords into a search bar anymore. They're asking AI assistants like ChatGPT and Google's SGE for recommendations. They're having conversations. If your SEO strategy is only focused on ranking #3 on a results page, you are invisible in those conversations.
Traditional SEO packages are built on an outdated labor model. You're paying for:
You're paying a 2024 price for a 2019 service. It's not that your agency is doing a bad job; it's that they're not doing the complete job.
This is where we do things differently. I got tired of watching businesses overpay for incomplete work. That's why we have a simple, direct promise: The Duty Digital Price-Match Guarantee.
It's not complicated. Show us a current invoice or a formal proposal from another agency. We will match that price and deliver a strategy that includes the 80% they do, plus the critical 20% they're missing.
More Value. More Results. Same Price.
How is this possible? It's not magic. It's efficiency.
We built our agency for this new AI-driven era from the ground up. We don't have legacy processes or bloated teams doing manual work that software can handle.
The process is radically transparent:
Let's make this tangible. Here's what a typical $10,000 per month SEO agency cost gets you, compared to what that same investment gets you with Duty Digital. The difference isn't the price; it's the output.
| Feature / Service | Typical Agency at $10k/mo | Duty Digital at $10k/mo |
|---|---|---|
| Core Strategy | Traditional keyword ranking focus | ✅ Future-Proof AI Search Focus |
| Technical SEO | Standard Audit (Speed, Mobile) | ✅ Standard Audit PLUS AI Readiness Audit |
| Keyword Research | Volume & Difficulty Analysis | ✅ Advanced Analysis PLUS Conversational Query Mapping |
| Content Strategy | 2-4 blog posts per month | ✅ Core Content PLUS Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) |
| Content Creation | Standard blog content | ✅ Standard Content PLUS Conversational Content for AI |
| Authority Building | Basic link building | ✅ Advanced Link Building PLUS Proactive E-E-A-T Signals |
| Reporting | Keyword ranking & traffic reports | ✅ Advanced Reporting PLUS AI Visibility & Snippet Tracking |
| Future-Proofing | Limited / Reactive | Built-in & Proactive |
For the same budget, you get the foundation plus the future. The math is simple.
I know what you might be thinking. "More for the same price sounds too good to be true."
Let me be clear: we are not a "cheap" SEO provider. This is not a discount. Credible SEO requires serious investment in top-tier talent and expensive software like Ahrefs and SEMrush. We pay for all of it.
The difference is philosophy.
We've invested heavily in a tech stack that automates the grunt work. We don't pay brilliant strategists to spend half their day pulling spreadsheets and sorting keywords. We let the machines do that, so our experts can spend 100% of their time on what you're actually paying for: growing your business.
You're not getting a cheaper service. You're getting a smarter, more efficient one that passes the value directly back to you.
"We didn't cut costs. We cut the outdated processes that force other agencies to overcharge for an incomplete service."
You're already prepared to invest in SEO. The only decision left is whether that investment will buy you yesterday's strategy or tomorrow's results.
Stop wondering how much SEO costs and start demanding more value for the price you're already willing to pay. The next step is simple, carries zero risk, and will give you a crystal-clear picture of what you've been missing.
Lock In Your Price for a Superior Service.
Upload Your Invoice & Get Your Price-Matched Proposal
Stop overpaying for outdated strategies. Get our price-match guarantee and complete AI-optimised coverage.
Get Your Price-Matched ProposalMost businesses spend $1,500–$5,000 per month on SEO retainers. In our experience managing 10,000+ campaigns, local shops can start near $500, while national or enterprise efforts often top $10,000. That fee covers strategy, content, links, and reporting. Review costs quarterly to be sure spend aligns with revenue targets.
Mid-sized firms (≈51-250 employees) typically invest $3,000–$7,000 monthly for a full-service SEO program. We've found this range funds advanced content, technical fixes, and competitive link building needed for regional or national reach. Lower budgets risk underfunding, while higher spend is justified in aggressive markets.
B2B SEO generally costs 20-40% more than comparable B2C work because long sales cycles require deeper content, niche keywords, and multi-stakeholder nurturing. For instance, our B2B SaaS clients average $8,000/month, while similar-sized e-commerce accounts run $5,500. The higher lifetime value of B2B customers offsets that premium.
Pricing hinges on four pillars:
In our experience, changing any one factor by a tier (e.g., local to national) can swing costs by 30-50%.
A complete package covers technical fixes, on-page optimization, authoritative content, quality link building, and transparent reporting. Expect a kickoff audit, monthly content calendar, secured backlinks, Core Web Vitals monitoring, and KPI dashboards. If any pillar is missing, results—and your ROI—will suffer.
Yes—SEO averages a 5–22× return on investment over three years, far outpacing most paid channels. Clients spending $4,000/month routinely see six-figure revenue lifts once rankings mature. It's a marathon, not a sprint, but the compounding "free" traffic makes the upfront cost pay back handsomely.
Allocate 1–3% of overall revenue or 20–30% of digital marketing spend to SEO, then map dollars to high-impact gaps revealed by an audit. Prioritize fixes, content, and links that tie directly to revenue-driving keywords. Re-evaluate the budget every six months against conversion data.
Experienced labor, premium data tools, and long-term effort drive higher fees. Our team licenses $3,000+ in software monthly and invests 50-plus expert hours per account. Compare that to PPC: once ads stop, traffic vanishes, whereas SEO builds a lasting asset—hence the larger but more durable investment.
We operate on a monthly retainer tied to clearly defined deliverables: audits in month one, followed by set quantities of content, links, and technical sprints. Fixed pricing gives predictable cash flow while letting us iterate strategy without nickel-and-diming you for every tweak.
We start with tiered packages for transparency, then customize each plan after a site and competitor audit. This hybrid model ensures core best practices at every level while tailoring content volume, link quotas, and reporting cadence to your unique goals and budget.
If a verifiable Australian agency offers an identical scope—same keyword count, content length, link quality, and reporting frequency—at a lower rate, we match it and discount an extra 10%. Proposals using black-hat tactics or overseas fulfillment don't qualify, protecting your site and our reputation.
Certainly. Typical line items:
Seeing the parts clarifies where your budget drives results.
Six to twelve months is the minimum runway to audit, implement, and watch rankings convert. Our data show 80% of accounts hit break-even between months 7–9, then compound. Shorter terms often end just as momentum starts.
Reputable firms spell out extras upfront, but watch for content overages, paid link placement fees, and early-termination penalties. We cap surprises by itemizing every deliverable in the contract and requiring written approval before any add-on work.
AI boosts efficiency yet raises value; expect 50-100% premiums for AI-augmented campaigns that deliver faster insights and scalable optimization. We reinvest savings from automation into higher-quality strategy and advanced testing rather than simply cutting price.
Based on three-year averages across finance, SaaS, and e-commerce, a $10k monthly budget can return $70k–$110k in attributable revenue, a 7–11× ROI, once the 6- to 12-month ramp passes. Tracking lifetime value, not just first-touch sales, is key.
Local packages run $500–$2,500 per location, while national efforts start around $2,500 and scale past $10,000. Local focuses on Google Business Profile, citations, and geo-content; national demands broader content depth and higher-authority links, driving the delta.
Enterprise retainers begin near $10,000 and often exceed $25,000 monthly because they cover thousands of URLs, multiple languages, and rigorous stakeholder reporting. One crawl-budget error on a 1-million-page site can cost millions—so specialized talent and safeguards command premium rates.
Choose based on need for flexibility, predictability, and long-term strategy.
Focus on deliverable quality, KPI alignment, and agency track record, not line-item prices. Ask: Are content topics mapped to revenue keywords? What's the link authority threshold? Who owns the assets? In our audits, the cheapest bid often omits critical steps, inflating true cost later.
No—sub-$500 "cheap SEO" usually relies on spam links and thin AI content that risk penalties. If budget is tight, invest in a professional audit or a few high-impact pages instead of a bargain bundle that can damage long-term rankings.
Review every 3–6 months against traffic, conversions, and strategic shifts. We revisit scope after major algorithm updates or product launches to ensure dollars chase the highest ROI activities, adjusting retainer size only when justified by data.
Track a balanced set:
When those metrics trend upward, your spend is paying off; rankings alone aren't enough.
Agencies get paid only after preset goals—usually rankings—are hit. While tempting, this model often pushes risky "black-hat" tactics to win fast, jeopardizing long-term visibility. We prefer shared-risk retainers tied to revenue KPIs, keeping strategy sustainable.
An online calculator gives a ballpark figure—useful for setting expectations—but it can't assess competitor strength, technical debt, or content gaps. Treat it as a starting point, then validate numbers through a professional audit for an accurate, customised budget.
