How Much Should SEO Cost?

What the two surveys found

Both surveys report dollar prices from providers, not from buyers, and neither reports figures for Cyprus. Read them as a map of what sellers say they charge.

Three limits matter. Ahrefs calculated its averages from price bands, which tends to overstate them, and its page does not say when the poll was run; the page was last updated in August 2024. SE Ranking's survey was published in December 2024 and its authors say the sample may be too small to be statistically significant. SE Ranking does not name its currency, so we have assumed dollars.

Why the same work costs different amounts

Five things move a price, and the surveys show each of them.

Who does the work. Ahrefs' averages for monthly retainers were about USD 1,349 for freelancers, USD 3,209 for agencies and USD 3,250 for consultants. The most common retainer band was USD 101 to 500 for freelancers and USD 500 to 1,000 for agencies.

Experience. Providers with two years or less averaged about USD 1,541 a month. Those with five to ten years averaged about USD 3,648.

Local or worldwide scope. Local providers averaged about USD 1,557 a month, against USD 3,474 for those serving clients worldwide.

Where the provider is based. In the SE Ranking data, 22% of US and Canadian agencies charged over USD 2,000 a month, against 9% of European agencies. About 47% of European agencies charged under USD 75 an hour, against about 23% in the US and Canada.

How competitive your market is, and how big your site is. The surveys do not measure this, but it drives the hours a provider needs. A dentist in a village and an online shop with 5,000 products need very different amounts of work.

What a sensible spend looks like in your situation

This table is our reading of the ranges above, not a quote and not a survey result.

If the price is far below the common band, ask what is being left out. If it is far above, ask what the extra pays for.

A break-even sum with real arithmetic

The right price is the one your extra customers cover. This worked example is illustrative, with invented numbers.

A cleaning company earns EUR 150 gross profit on an average job and pays EUR 800 a month for SEO. It sees no extra enquiries in the first four months, because the early work is fixing the site and building pages. That is EUR 3,200 spent. From month five, SEO brings eight extra jobs a month, worth EUR 1,200 in profit. After the EUR 800 fee, that leaves EUR 400 a month. It takes eight more months to earn back the EUR 3,200.

So the company breaks even at month 12 and profits after that, if the assumptions hold. Change one assumption and the answer moves. If profit per job were EUR 300, break-even would arrive by month six. If SEO brought only four extra jobs a month, the company would never recover the cost. Run this sum with your own numbers before you sign. Our guide on whether SEO is worth it shows what to do when the sum fails.

Prices that should worry you

Google's advice on hiring an SEO lists the warning signs. A guarantee of rankings is the clearest one, because no one can promise a number one position. Others are unsolicited emails offering services, claims of a special relationship with Google, secrecy about changes and link schemes.

Very low monthly prices deserve a question about where the time comes from. Google's spam policies say buying or selling links to affect rankings counts as link spam, unless the link is marked nofollow or sponsored. A cheap package built on bought links can harm a site instead of helping it.

What to get in writing

Whatever the price, ask for:

1. A list of what will be done in the first month, and what will be done each month after
2. Who does the work and how many hours a month are included
3. Access to your own Search Console, analytics and Business Profile accounts, in your name
4. How results will be measured and how often you will receive a report
5. The minimum term and how to leave

Our guide to SEO packages and pricing explains how to compare proposals line by line, and what a real SEO audit includes is a good first purchase if you are unsure where to start.

Cyprus prices

The surveys above give no Cyprus figures. Our guide to SEO costs in Cyprus looks at the local market. Sempor Labs does not publish prices. We quote in writing after reviewing your site, so you know what is included before you agree. You can ask for a quote, or read about our SEO service first.

Before you request any quote, run the break-even sum with your own figures, then read how long SEO takes so you know how many months of fees come before the first customer.