Most UK small businesses will find SEO priced from about £99 to £1,000 a month, and established agencies often charge much more. The right figure depends less on the size of your business and more on how hard it is to compete in your market.
One UK pricing study looked at 45 published monthly prices from 16 providers in June 2026. It's a small sample, so treat it as a guide rather than a rule.
| Level | Typical monthly price | Usually suits |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | £99 to £300 | Local businesses in one town or area |
| Mainstream | £350 to £1,000 | Businesses serving several areas or a whole region |
| Established agency | £1,500 to £5,000+ | National brands and very competitive markets |
The same study found a median of £447 a month for entry-level packages and £799 across all prices. Published UK prices usually exclude VAT, so check this before comparing quotes.
What your money buys
SEO is mostly paid for in time. Prices differ because some of that time goes on skilled work and some goes on routine tasks.
At £99 to £300 a month, expect focused work on what matters most. That could mean setting up your Google Business Profile, fixing problems on your main pages, targeting your best local search terms and sending a simple report. For a plumber in Watford, this may be all that's needed.
At £350 to £1,000 a month, expect more regular work. That usually means new or improved pages each month, some effort to earn links from other websites, technical fixes and clearer reporting.
From £1,500 a month, you're usually paying for a larger team and a wider campaign across content, links and brand. This only makes sense if each new customer is worth enough to repay it.
Five things that change the price
- Competition: a solicitor in central London has a harder job than a dog groomer in a small town.
- Area covered: one town costs less than a whole county, and a county costs less than the whole UK.
- The state of your website: a slow or badly built site may need repairs before any other work pays off.
- Your starting point: a new site with no links will usually take longer than an established one.
- What's included: some prices include writing and links, while others charge extra for them.
How to set your budget
Start with what a customer is worth, not with what other firms charge. Here's a made-up example.
A kitchen fitter makes £1,500 profit on an average job. If SEO costs £300 a month, that's £3,600 a year. Three extra jobs a year would cover the cost.
Now try the same sum for a café making £3 profit per customer. It would need 1,200 extra customers a year to cover the same bill. The café may be better off with a simple Google Business Profile routine, which it can run itself.
Ask yourself three questions before you commit:
- How much profit does one new customer bring in, including any repeat business?
- How many extra customers a year would cover the cost?
- Can you wait several months for results? We usually tell clients to allow around three to six months.
Monthly SEO or a one-off project?
Not all SEO work needs a monthly fee. A one-off project can suit a clear, limited job, such as setting up your Google Business Profile, fixing technical problems or preparing a new website for launch.
A monthly plan suits work that builds over time, such as improving pages, gaining reviews and earning links. Many small businesses do well with both: a one-off job to fix the basics, followed by a small monthly plan to keep things moving.
Costs that may sit outside the quote
Check whether these are included before you compare prices:
- Writing: new service pages and blog posts
- Web development: fixes that need a developer
- Photos: real images of your team and your work
- Paid tools: any software you're expected to pay for
- Advertising: Google Ads spend is separate from any management fee
A low monthly fee with these included may cost less overall than a similar fee without them.
How long should you budget for?
Plan for at least six months, because SEO takes time to build. At £99 a month, that's £594. At £300 a month, it's £1,800.
This is why an affordable plan can work so well. A budget you can comfortably keep up is usually better than a bigger one you have to cancel after two months.
Questions to ask about any quote
- What exactly will you do each month?
- How many hours of work does the price cover?
- Are writing and link building included?
- Who owns the content and accounts if I leave?
- How long is the contract, and is there a setup fee?
- Does the price include VAT?
If a company can't answer these clearly, the price, high or low, tells you very little.
Do you need to pay agency prices?
Often not. A small local business doesn't need the same service as a national retailer, and a higher price doesn't automatically mean better work. What matters is what gets done and whether it brings in customers. We explain why in Is Cheap SEO Worth It?
What we charge
Want to know what your market would need? Ask for a free SEO assessment and we'll tell you honestly whether a small budget can work for you.