SEO Cost and Price Overview
At Cost City, clear pricing is an explicit principle - structured by service type, depth, and outcome.
Most Common
- Consultation: $520/hr
- Audit: from $15,500
- Retainer: from $10,500/month
- Implementation: from $10,500
SEO Pricing Calculation
Pricing follows a structured model aligning effort, risk, and expected impact.
Baseline
- Current visibility and rankings
- Technical condition of the site
- Existing content and structure
Scope Definition
- Number of pages, keywords, and markets
- Language and localization requirements
- Depth of technical and content work
Effort & Complexity
- Task-level time estimation
- Cross-dependencies (e.g. development, content, data)
- Required iteration cycles (aligned with in-house workflows)
Consulting & Delivery
| Execution | Involvement | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Consultation | Direction and decision-making. | $520/hr |
| Intervention | Hands-on direct implementation. | $800/hr |
Alternatives
Book a one-time quick call at or consider a monthly retainer starting at $4,200.
I am looking for something else
For more options, see below.
Core Advisory (Strategy & Thinking)
| # | Service | Format | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SEO Consultation | Hourly | $520/hr |
| 2 | SEO Consultation | 5h pack | |
| 3 | SEO Consultation | 10h pack | |
| 4 | Quick SEO Help | 30 min call | |
| 5 | Performance Consultation | Session (2h) | |
| 6 | Performance Consultation | With prep | $1,500-$2,450 |
| 7 | SEO Insights | Monthly | $640-$2,250 |
| 8 | Board-Level Presentation | Per session | $4,450-$8,600 |
Administrative & Entry Costs
| # | Service | Format | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quick Resolution | ≤10 min | $140 |
| 2 | Engagement Setup | Project entry | $1,750 |
Research, Analysis & Evaluation
| # | Service | Format | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SEO Research | Small | $1,850 |
| 2 | SEO Research | Medium | $3,700 |
| 3 | SEO Research | Large | $9,200 |
| 4 | SEO Research | Enterprise | $24,500 |
| 5 | SEO Audit | Standard | $3,100 |
| 6 | SEO Audit | Advanced | $15,500 |
| 7 | SEO Audit | Technical | $26,500 |
| 8 | Team Evaluation | Entry | $3,700 |
| 9 | Team Evaluation | Full | $15,000 |
Reporting & Monitoring
| # | Service | Format | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SEO Reporting | Setup | $6,800 |
| 2 | SEO Reporting | Monthly | $680 |
| 3 | SEO Monitoring | Monthly | $9,200 |
Strategy & Embedded Guidance
| # | Service | Format | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team Guidance | Monthly | $3,700 |
| 2 | Leadership Guidance | Monthly | $15,000 |
| 3 | Project Guidance | Small | $3,700 |
| 4 | Project Guidance | Complex | $22,500 |
| 5 | SEO Support | Monthly | $9,200 |
| 6 | Fractional Leadership | Limited | $9,800 |
| 7 | Fractional Leadership | Full | $43,000 |
SEO Consulting Retainers
| # | Service | Format | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SEO Retainer | Starter | $4,200 |
| 2 | SEO Retainer | Growth | $6,800 |
| 3 | SEO Retainer | Strategic | $10,500 |
| 4 | SEO Retainer | Premium | $21,500 |
Execution & Intervention
| # | Service | Format | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SEO Implementation | Small | $6,800 |
| 2 | SEO Implementation | Medium | $10,500 |
| 3 | SEO Implementation | Large | $20,000 |
| 4 | SEO Intervention | Hourly | $800/hr |
| 5 | SEO Recovery | Standard | $9,200 |
| 6 | SEO Recovery | Complex | $46,000 |
Training & Education
| # | Service | Format | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SEO Coaching | Package | $4,650 |
| 2 | SEO Workshop | Standard | $2,700 |
| 3 | SEO Workshop | Advanced | $10,500 |
| 4 | SEO Workshop | Custom | - |
| 5 | Webinar | Session | $2,250 |
| 6 | Event Speaking | Standard | $8,000 |
| 7 | Conference | Keynote | $18,500 |
Specialized & Custom Engagements
| # | Service | Format | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vendor Selection | Project | $9,200 |
| 2 | Specialist Vetting | Individual | $1,250 |
| 3 | Specialist Vetting | Team | $7,400 |
| 4 | Custom SEO Solution | Project | $61,500 |
SEO Cost Driving Factors
Competition
Higher competition increases required precision, content depth, and time to results.
Scope
More pages, markets, or languages scale workload non-linearly.
Technical Complexity
Custom systems, large architectures, and integrations increase execution cost.
Expertise Depth
Cost reflects:
- Strategic thinking across multiple domains
- Ability to diagnose root causes, not symptoms
- Experience with high-risk and high-scale environments
Linguistic Capability
- Native-level localization logic
- Search intent alignment across languages
- Semantic precision in content structures and schemas
Technical Execution Skill
- Direct work with code, structure, and performance
- Ability to bridge SEO with code engineering and data
- Reduced dependency on third parties
Efficiency
Faster correct decisions reduce total cost - especially long term.
Typical Pricing Scenarios
Local / Small Scope
- Limited pages and keywords
- Lower competition
- Focused improvements
Growth / National
- Expanding keyword sets
- Content and structure scaling
- Ongoing advisory + execution mix
Enterprise / International
- Multi-market and multi-language
- High technical complexity
- Continuous coordination and prioritization
Each tier reflects increased coordination, risk, and workflow depth.
Request a Custom Quote
Every project is unique. Get a precise pricing breakdown based on your scope.
Limited pro-bono work is available for selected cases where impact justifies time allocation. Valued at $4,900-$15,000.