If you’re reading this, you’re probably shopping for SEO and trying to figure out: “Is this going to cost me a few hundred bucks or a small fortune?” The answer is: it depends—but not in the vague, wishy-washy way you usually hear.
This guide will break down exactly what SEO should cost in 2025, why some SEO agencies are charging $500/month (and delivering nothing), and what you actually need to spend to get results.
Spoiler: SEO is not cheap, but neither is wasted money.
Quick SEO Cost Breakdown (Real Numbers)
| SEO Type | Monthly Cost Range |
| Fiverr Special | $100 – $500 |
| Basic SEO Freelancer | $500 – $1,500 |
| Small Agency SEO Package | $1,500 – $3,000 |
| Mid-size Business Strategy | $3,000 – $7,500 |
| Enterprise SEO | $10,000+ |
How much does SEO cost reddit thread
We came across a thread on r/seogrowth titled “What is the average price for monthly SEO?” and it’s… something.
It seems almost no one can agree on a standard rate.
This redditor is saying $400 – $500 for a 200 – 300 page site. If my math is correct, that’s about 2 bucks a page. (It typically takes 1 – 2 hours to properly optimize one page by the way)
One Redditor mentioned their retainers start at $2,000/month—which is actually a solid price, depending on what’s included. But then they added that their services are strictly month-to-month with no long-term commitment.
Here’s the thing: there’s a reason we require a 12-month commitment.
SEO takes time. If we left it up to the client, many would cancel just before the results start to show—and that’s when their investment becomes a waste.
We don’t lock people in because we want to trap them—we do it because we want to actually help them win. And that takes consistency, patience, and a clear long-term strategy.
Another redditor is saying $2,000 – $7,000 per month.
And then there’s the Redditor who says they’ll “do it all” for $499/month.
Let’s break that down: a single quality backlink costs around $250. So if that’s the case… how much time do you really think they’re spending optimizing your site, writing content, fixing technical issues, and building links?
At that price, something’s gotta give—and it’s usually quality.
You can absolutely find someone who will take your $300 and say they’re doing SEO—but they’re likely:
- Using AI tools to churn out garbage content
- Outsourcing links to shady networks
- Reporting on vanity metrics
Think of it like this: would you trust a $25 oil change for a Ferrari?
SEO cost breakdown
Here’s a breakdown of all the elements that go into an SEO agency costs.
| Cost Type | Monthly Cost Range |
| Backlinks | $250 each |
| Software Costs | $50 |
| Copywriting (per page) | $150 |
| Keyword Research (per page) | $50 |
| Technical SEO Specialist (per page) | $50 |
| Admin | $50 |
Related: What SEO Software & Tools Do We Use at HeyTony?
Our Agency Pricing (Real Deliverables)
At HeyTony, we offer two SEO packages:
-
$1,500/month (Steady Growth)
- 4 blog posts or page updates
- 2 high-quality backlinks
- Technical SEO optimizations
- Keyword Research
- Competitive Analysis
- Weekly updates
- Monthly analytics report
-
$3,000/month (Accelerated Growth)
- 8 blog posts or page updates
- 4 high-quality backlinks
- Technical SEO optimizations
- Keyword Research
- Competitive Analysis
- Weekly updates
- Monthly analytics report
Time to see results? 6–12 months for most clients.
This is what it actually takes to rank. Not some generic PDF report and a promise of “secret sauce.”
Want to learn more about our SEO services? Get in touch here
What You’re Actually Paying For
- Content – Real writers creating real blog posts and optimized pages
- Backlinks – Guest posts or placements from trusted sites (not forums or spam farms)
- Technical SEO – Fixing site speed, core web vitals, crawlability, and more
- Keyword Research & Strategy – Knowing what to rank for and why
- Competitor Analysis – Seeing what your competitors are doing and outpacing them
- Reporting – Clear updates on what we’ve done and what’s working
Oh—and we use premium tools like Semrush, our in-house audit tool, Watchdog (for monitoring competitors), ChatGPT for draft generation, and licensed image platforms. No shortcuts.
Real Results: Not Just Hype
We’ve had clients spend over $100,000 with us over two years—and triple their business.
One seasonal eCommerce client went from $20K/month to over $100K/month after we took over their SEO. Their sales increase even more during holidays periods. We helped them own those keywords.
Another client came to us after being burned by an agency that keyword-stuffed their content, created spammy URLs, and locked them into a contract. Google basically gave up on their domain. We tried fixing it for 6–12 months, but the site was toast. We rebuilt it from scratch on a new domain—and it started ranking within 2 months.
$63,000 of Free Traffic
Here’s the kind of ROI SEO can deliver when it’s done right.
One of our clients recently received so much organic traffic from Google, it would have cost $63,000 in one month if they had paid for that traffic using Google Ads.
That’s not an exaggeration—we calculated it using actual keyword CPC values from Semrush. That’s the power of ranking organically. Once the content is up and optimized, the traffic keeps coming… for free.
(We’ve got the graph to prove it—and it’s wild. We’ll drop it below.)
And in case you think that’s a one off, here’s another client:
Oh, and one more.
DIY SEO vs. Hiring an SEO Agency
I recently did a video breaking all of this down, so if you’d rather watch instead of read, here ya go!
Let’s do the math:
- Tools: $50–$150/month (Semrush, ChatGPT, etc.)
- Backlinks: $900/month for 4 quality links
- Time: 40–60 hours/month writing, editing, optimizing
- At $50/hr, that’s $2,000–$3,000 of your time
DIY SEO total: $3,000–$4,000/month
Our agency costs $3,000/month and includes all of that—plus years of experience, consistency, and a team behind it.
SEO Scams: Red Flags to Watch For
If you’re shopping for SEO and come across any of these, run. Fast.
“We have a secret formula.”
Yeah—so does McDonald’s, and it tastes exactly like Thousand Island dressing. We once lost a lead because we were too transparent. They kept pressing us for our “secret sauce,” and we told them the truth: content and backlinks. That wasn’t flashy enough for them, so they moved on. But here’s the thing—KFC’s 11 herbs and spices aren’t so secret anymore either. And neither is good SEO. It’s hard work, not magic.
Guaranteed results.
There are scammers out there promising they can rank you #1 for any keyword. My take? If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And in SEO, it definitely is.
Charging less than $1,000/month and promising the world.
After breaking down what SEO actually costs—even if you’re doing it yourself—do you really think someone out there is doing $3,000 worth of work for $999? Not a chance. Not unless they’re cutting corners, outsourcing poorly, or flat-out lying.
No mention of tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, or content strategy.
The biggest red flag? They don’t talk about tools. Real SEO experts use the same premium platforms—Ahrefs, Semrush, etc.—because they need real data to make real decisions.
If they’re relying on free trials or budget knockoffs, that tells you everything you need to know about the quality of their work.
Is the cost of SEO really worth it?
Absolutely—but only if you have the patience and the budget. SEO isn’t a magic switch. It takes time, consistency, and strategy.
That said, if you’re willing to put in the work, you can do it yourself. One example? A doctor in Dubai watched my videos on social media, followed the steps, and applied them to his own site.
The result? Over 8,000 monthly visitors—without hiring an agency.
Here’s the video showing exactly how he did it and what that growth looked like over time.
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We’ve even created a free SEO course to teach you the basics.
If there’s anything we missed in this guide, please reach out to support@heytony.ca and let us know!
Ready to Stop Guessing and Start Ranking?
If you’re tired of SEO that feels like a black box, or you just want a straight-up plan that works—we’ve got you.
• Transparent pricing
• Weekly & monthly updates
• Canada & USA based team
• Real results, not fluff
Book a call with us or check out our free SEO course if you want to DIY it first.
Originally published . Last updated .
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