FREE TOOL
SEO Cost Calculator: What Should SEO Cost Your Business?
Answer five quick questions and get an independent estimate of what UK businesses like yours typically pay for SEO each month. Already have a quote? Add it and we’ll tell you how it compares. Free, no sign-up.
An estimate tells you the right ballpark. It can't tell you whether a specific proposal is worth its price.
Get your proposal reviewedAll figures are estimates, not quotes, based on typical UK agency pricing and in line with published industry surveys (see below). Freelancers often charge less; specialist or enterprise agencies more. See how much SEO should cost for the reasoning behind these ranges.
How the estimate works
Where These Numbers Come From
The calculator starts from the typical UK monthly ranges in our guide to how much SEO should cost, chosen by where your customers are: local businesses typically pay £300–£750 a month, most SMEs £750–£2,500, established programmes £2,500–£5,000, and enterprise or highly competitive markets £5,000 and up.
Your other answers then move that range up or down: a crowded market, a large website, starting from scratch or wanting to grow quickly all mean more work each month, and more cost. A quiet market or a goal of simply holding your position means less. The result is a range, not a single figure, because two good agencies can price the same brief quite differently. Our guide to why SEO pricing varies so much explains why.
These are agency retainer prices. Freelancers often charge less for comparable experience, and a one-off project such as an audit is priced differently again. If you are setting a budget from scratch, our SEO budget guide works it out from what a new customer is worth to you.
How the estimate compares with industry research
Our ranges sit in line with the most recent published research we could find, though no study captures every agency and none should be read as a price list:
- SE Ranking and Duda, SEO pricing survey (December 2024). 260 agencies, 53 of them in the UK. The most common monthly retainer was $500–$1,000, and only 9% of European agencies charged more than $2,000 a month. The sample leans towards small agencies.
- Ahrefs, SEO pricing study (2023, updated 2024). 439 SEO providers worldwide. The most common retainer was $501–$1,000 a month, 68.8% charged $2,000 or less, and the average agency retainer was $3,209.
- Whito, UK SEO costs research (2026). A UK-specific analysis of published agency and freelancer prices, putting typical small-business SEO at £500–£2,000 a month, local-only campaigns from £300, and national or competitive work at £3,000–£10,000+. It does not publish a sample size, so treat it as a guide rather than a survey.
Every figure this calculator produces is an estimate, not a quote. Real prices depend on the specific scope, the team doing the work and the agency’s own costs. Use the range as a sense check before you talk to agencies, not as a number to hold them to.
FAQ
Questions About SEO Costs
As a broad estimate, most UK businesses pay between £300 and £5,000 a month for agency SEO. Local, single-location businesses typically sit at £300–£750, most small and mid-sized businesses at £750–£2,500, and larger or more competitive programmes at £2,500 and above. The calculator narrows that down for your situation.
No. It is an independent estimate of what businesses like yours typically pay, based on UK agency pricing. Real quotes depend on the specific scope, team and approach, which is why two agencies can price the same brief very differently.
Not always. Where agencies charge one, it usually covers an initial audit, research and tracking setup, and is often around one month’s fee. What matters is that it is itemised and you keep what it pays for.
Not necessarily. A higher quote can be justified by scope, seniority or extras like digital PR; a lower one may leave out content, links or reporting. Either way, the proposal should explain what you are getting for the price. If it does not, that is worth checking before you sign.
The calculator tells you whether a price is in the right ballpark. The SEO Proposal Review looks at the proposal itself: what is included, what is missing, the contract terms and whether the price matches the work, with a plain-English verdict before you sign.
Know the Ballpark. Now Check the Proposal.
A fair price is only half the question. The SEO Proposal Review checks what a proposal actually includes, what it leaves out and whether the terms are fair, delivered as a plain-English Decision Pack on up to two proposals before you sign.