How Much Do Local SEO Services Cost: The Ultimate Guide 2023
One of the most common questions I receive from business owners and marketing agencies is what to charge for local SEO services. Answering this question can be tricky as there are several factors to consider when developing a fool-proof SEO services plan.
Read on to learn how to charge and what factors to look for when determining local SEO pricing in 2023 with the help of my Ultimate Local SEO Pricing Guide.
Table of Contents
What is Local SEO?
Before diving into what to charge for local SEO services, let’s take a step back to better understand what local SEO is.Â
The ultimate goal of local SEO is to help businesses appear in front of potential clients who are searching for products or services in their local area.
Why is Local SEO important?
Local SEO is essential for businesses because it helps them effectively reach their target audience. Local business SEO breaks down into three main categories, your Google Business Profile (GPB), website SEO optimization, and local citation building, each carrying its investment.
Local search engines, like Google Maps, provide users with localized search results tailored to their location. Businesses that have improved their local SEO will appear higher in the Google search results when someone searches for a particular product or service in their area. With a solid local SEO strategy, businesses can increase their visibility, attract company customers, and drive more revenue.Â
Additionally, with the increasing use of mobile devices for local searches, having a robust local SEO presence has become even more critical for businesses to succeed in their local markets’ search ranking.
Check out the impact local SEO provides to businesses in this case study by WebFX >>>>
How Much Does Local SEO Cost in 2023?
A lot goes into determining the best local SEO campaign for your business, and on average, you should expect to pay between $200 and $4,000 monthly for professional local SEO consultants.
This may seem like an enormous pricing range, but the truth is that this range considers the different services, goals, and tactics involved with local SEO campaigns of various sizes.
Ultimately, the end price that you will pay for local search optimization will depend on your budget and your long-term marketing strategy.
Now that we have an extensive range of local business SEO costs let’s consider the different factors to consider so you can have a better idea of the pricing of YOUR regional SEO strategy.
What factors go into Local SEO pricing?
Different variables impacting the end cost must be considered when pricing local SEO services. Every business has different needs, so there isn’t a one-size-fits-all pricing model.
We’ll explore a number of these factors in more detail below to help you better understand what goes into determining the cost of local SEO services.
Scope of the project
The project’s scope refers to its size and complexity; the more significant the project, the more time and resources are required to execute it effectively. Within the scope, it’s essential to take note of the following factors that, more times than not, would heavily impact the price of the project:
- Does the business operate in a large city or local geographic area?
- Does the company have many competitors located in its region or city?
- Does the business owner want to promote multiple products or services through local SEO?
Local SEO Services Required
Local SEO services can include strategies and tactics, such as keyword research, on-page optimization, link-building services, content creation, reputation management, and more.Â
The more services included in the package, the higher the cost. Here is a quick breakdown of specific SEO services and examples of what the pricing could look like:
- Google My Business Management: A vital part of any local SEO strategy is setting up your Google My Business (GMB) listing and maintaining your local presence monthly. To have a local SEO professional write posts, optimize, and keep your profile in real time, you can expect to pay around $200-300/month.
- Local Business Citations: Maintaining local citations is vital for Google and other search engines to connect your business address, name, and toll-free customer service phone number within their business directories. For a local SEO professional to build and maintain your citation listings, you should expect to pay at least $100/month.
- Local Website Pages: Your website should have at least one page dedicated to your location. These local SEO pages should link regional keywords to your products and services. Local businesses also have many local pages based on unique services or product offerings. You can pay around $200/per page.
- Local Link Building Services: Your regional SEO strategy needs to include building some links from organizations and other sources in your local area. You can expect to pay ~$100-$1000/backlinks.
- Content Marketing: You should regularly create engaging and informative content that answers your potential local customers’ questions. This content can be in the form of a blog article copy. If you launch a blog article on your website, the content can be repurposed as Google My Business posts. When working with a freelance copywriter, you should expect to pay ~$200 minimum for each blog post on your sites.
- Monthly Local SEO Reporting: Monthly reporting, typically pulled from Google Search Console, is critical to know what results from your campaigns produce for your business’s search engine rankings. Reporting from a local SEO consultant can cost ~75/month for a comprehensive report.
Competition
Your average customer will shop around when they look for a service; you want to be sure you’re showing up in the 3-pack at the top of their search engine results when they make their decision.Â
“The 3 results in the map pack will gobble up nearly 50% of all clicks available on the SERP.” (rootandbranchgroup.com)
Local SEO is crucial in helping businesses improve their chances of ranking in the pack of 3 by optimizing their online presence to meet Google’s local search ranking factors. However, understanding the competitive landscape of a business’s industry and location is also essential before determining the cost of local SEO services.Â
For example, suppose you are working with a company in a highly competitive business niche, such as law, health care, or real estate. In that case, you may need to invest more time and resources into their SEO strategy to help them rank in the pack of 3. If the business is in a highly competitive location like New York City, you may need to invest more resources to help them stand out.
For less competitive industries or small towns, the cost of SEO services may be lower since the competition is less intense, and businesses can use less aggressive strategies to achieve results.
How many products and services do you offer?
The number of products and services a business offers will impact the total price of local SEO services. This type of business will require a much more comprehensive strategy to rank well in search results, requiring more time and resources from a local SEO consultant, leading to higher pricing.
Experience and expertise of the local SEO agency
Providers with more experience and expertise may charge more for their services, as they will likely produce better client results.
It is important to note that experience only sometimes equates to better results. It is equally important to review case studies and negative or positive customer reviews from past clients to determine if the provider has a track record of delivering results.
Determining Pricing for Local SEO Services
Now that we have gone over the factors that can affect the pricing of local SEO services let’s discuss how to determine the actual price for your services using this three-step process:
Step 1: Evaluate the competition and market demand
The first step is to evaluate your competition and market demand. Look at what other local SEO service providers in your area are charging and try to see how the prices are determined. If they offer additional services that you do not, or they have more experience or better qualifications, their prices may be higher.
Step 2: Determine the service offering
You can determine what services to offer your potential managed SEO clients by identifying their pain points. From there, you can decide which services can alleviate these issues.Â
For example, if your perfect client target audience struggles with creating local website landing pages, you can provide a service for creating and optimizing those pages.
Step 3: Consider the time needed for each service
It’s essential to consider the time cost and effort you will put into each service. Services requiring more time and expertise should be priced higher than those less demanding. For example, conducting in-depth SEO website audits would require more time and expertise than creating a local business citation, requiring a higher price point for the audit.
Generally, it would be best if you aimed to charge enough to make a profit while remaining competitive with other local SEO service providers in your area.
Local SEO Pricing Models
When approaching local search engine optimization services prices, digital marketing agencies and professionals use no “one size fits all” approach. Each model has advantages and disadvantages, and it’s essential to understand them to choose the best one for your business needs and budget.Â
This section will outline some of the most common pricing models for local SEO services and their features and benefits.
Package pricing
This type of SEO pricing offers services at a fixed price. For example, local search engine optimization packages could include keyword research, on-page optimization, local directory submissions, and monthly reporting.
Project-based pricing
This model charges a fixed fee for a specific project, such as creating a new website or optimizing an existing one.
Hourly pricing
With this model, the agency bills the client based on a time charge for their local SEO services. They tracked the amount of time spent on the project and charged accordingly for the agreed upon time frame.This pricing model is best for one-off tasks or consulting work.
Value-based pricing
This model considers the value the SEO services will bring to the client’s business. For example, an SEO provider might charge a percentage of the increased revenue that their services generate.
Retainer pricing
This model charges a monthly fee for an ongoing set of SEO services. Retainer pricing is best for businesses that require ongoing support and maintenance of their online presence and want to pay per month SEO pricing packages.
Examples of Pricing for Local SEO Services
Now that we’ve reviewed how to determine the price for local SEO services let’s look at some examples of what you could charge for different services.
To better understand local SEO services pricing, below are some examples of different basic pricing models for various services. Remember that these are just examples and that pricing can differ depending on the specific factors mentioned.
Creating a Google My Business listing: $200-$500
Creating a Google My Business listing is a relatively simple process, but it’s essential for local SEO. You can charge between $200 and $500 for this service, depending on the level of optimization you provide:
- Basic Google My Business listing creation: $200
- Google My Business listing optimization (including photos, posts and updates): $300
- Complete Google My Business management (including responding to reviews and Q&A): $500
Ongoing monthly optimization: $500-$2,500
Ongoing monthly optimization involves continually monitoring a website’s SEO performance and making adjustments as necessary. You can charge between $500 and $2,500 for this service, depending on the level of optimization required and the website’s size.
- A small local business with a simple website: $500/month
- A mid-sized business with a more complex website and a need for more in-depth optimization: $1,500/month
- A large e-commerce business with multiple locations and a highly competitive niche: $2,500/month
Introductory Local SEO Package Pricing: $300-$800 monthly
A basic local SEO package may include Google Business profile setup and management, on-page optimization, local keyword research, and local citation building. This package is best suited for small businesses with low competition in their local area, and this package can range from $300 to $500 per month.
- Google Business profile setup and management: $400 per month
- GBP + Local keyword research: $600 per month
- GBP + Keyword research + Local citation building and management: $800 per month
Local SEO Audit $500-$2,000
A local SEO audit is a one-time service that provides businesses with a detailed report on their current local SEO performance and recommendations for improvement. The cost of a local SEO audit can range from $500 to $2,000.
- Basic Local SEO Audit: $500
- Deep Level Local SEO Audit: $1,500
- Local SEO Audit + Action Plan: $2,000
Conducting keyword research and on-page optimization: $500-$1,500
Conducting keyword research and on-page optimization is more involved than creating a Google My Business listing. Depending on the size and complexity of the websites, you can charge between $500 and $1,500 for this service.
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- Small business website (less than 10 pages): $550
- Medium-sized business website (10-50 pages): $1,000
- Large business website (50+ pages): $1,500
Conducting comprehensive deep audits: $1,500-$5,000
A comprehensive site audit is a more in-depth process that involves analyzing a website’s technical SEO, content, and backlinks. This service can take several days to complete and requires high expertise. You can charge between $1,500 and $5,000 for this service, depending on the size and complexity of the website.
- Comprehensive site audit for a small business website: $1,500
- Comprehensive site audit for a medium-sized business website: $3,000
- Comprehensive site audit for a large business website with complex technical SEO and backlinks: $5,000
Comprehensive Local SEO Package $1,000-$3,000 monthly
A comprehensive local business SEO package may include the following:
- Google Business Profile management
- On-page optimization
- Off-page optimization
- Local citation building
- Local keyword research for content creationÂ
- Monthly reporting
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This package is best suited for businesses in highly competitive industries and locations. This package can range from $1,000 to $3,000 per month.
- A home services business such as a plumbing or HVAC company that operates in a single location requires a package that includes local citation building, local keyword research for content creation, and monthly reporting: $1,500/month
- A law firm in a highly competitive area that wants to rank for specific local keywords requires a package that includes ongoing optimization, citation building, and keyword research: $2,500/month
- A multi-location retail chain that wants to improve its visibility in local search results requires a package that includes Google My Business management, on-page optimization, off-page optimization, and monthly reporting: $3,000/month
Individual SEO Services are $50-$2000 per hour
Local SEO consulting is a service where a local SEO expert provides guidance and advice on improving a business’s local SEO performance. The cost of local SEO consulting can range from $50 to $2000 per hour.
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- Content Creation: $100/hour
- ​​Link Building/outreach: $250/hour
- Technical SEO Audit: $750/hour
How much should I budget for local SEO Services?
As a business owner looking to invest in local SEO services, how do you evaluate which package or service option is right for you and your growing business?Â
Here are some additional factors to consider when evaluating the pricing of local search engine optimization services:
Your goals
What do you want to achieve with your local SEO efforts? The ultimate goal of SEO is to rank higher in local organic search results. Pricing typically starts off at $500 a month, but can be priced as high as $10,000 a month based on the many factors mentioned, or any additional business goals like:
- Ranking higher in local organic search results
- Generating more leads
- Driving foot traffic to your business
- Building brand awareness and reputation
- Improving your local online presence
- Gaining a competitive edge over other local businesses
- Boosting your sales and revenue
- Increasing inbound phone calls
- Increasing lead generation form submits
Goals, like the ones listed, can vary by company and are a major player in determining the local SEO strategy produced by an agency or professional which will ultimately influence the pricing model you choose and the budget you put toward the project.
Number Of Locations
Do you have multiple locations? If yes, you’ll likely need to build several local listings, optimize several Google My Business profiles, and create additional contents to rank, like:
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- Google Business Profile Set Up: ~$500 one time fee; and management: $100-$500/month, including updates to the profile, posts section, replying to reviews, flagging fake competitors, and uploading photos
- Landing Page Creation: $250-$1500/page
- Location Page Creation: $250-$750/ page
- Local Blog Articles: $100-$300/article
- Technical SEO & Maintenance: $500-$1500/month
- Backlink Building: $250-$1000/link
- Citation Building: $0.5-$5/citation
- Reporting & Monitoring: $250-$1000/month
It takes time to optimize for each location, so expect your regional SEO provider to charge accordingly.
On average, businesses can expect to pay an additional $500-$2,000 per location for local SEO services. However, some agencies may offer discounts for multiple locations or charge a flat fee for a specific number of locations.
Size Of Your Website
How many pages do you have on your website? If you have many pages, that means more time optimizing each page. The more your local SEO provider has to optimize; the more local SEO costs you will incur. You can view some estimates based on website size here:
- Small website (1-10 pages): $500-$1,500
- Medium website (11-50 pages): $1,500-$3,500
- Large website (51-100 pages): $3,500-$7,000
- Extra large website (100+ pages): $7,000-$15,000+
Considering these factors, you can evaluate local SEO services pricing and choose a quote from a provider that works for your business model and helps you achieve your goals.
Still, how do I know that budgeting for local SEO will positively impact my business? See the difference local SEO made for this law office in this case study by Hennessey Digital >>>
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does local SEO cost for a small website?
Local SEO costs for a small website can range from a few hundred dollars per month for a basic package, to several thousand dollars per month for a more comprehensive package. Costs can vary depending on several factors, including the scope of the project and the competition in the geographic region.Â
It’s essential to remember that investing in local SEO is a long-term strategy and should be considered an investment in the future success of your business.
What is affordable vs. cheap local SEO?
Affordable local SEO is a service that provides quality work for a reasonable price. In contrast, cheap local SEO refers to a low-quality service that offers a low cost but may provide different expertise and results than a more expensive provider. Understanding the difference between the two is essential when considering SEO services.
How do you calculate local SEO cost efficiency?
Local SEO cost efficiency is calculated by measuring your local SEO efforts’ return on investment (ROI). One way to do this is to calculate the revenue generated from new local customers acquired through local SEO compared to the cost of the SEO services.Â
Say you hired a local SEO agency for $2,000 a month to improve your search engine ranking. Over the course of six months, you see an increase in organic traffic and the total revenue generated is $50,000. This means the local SEO cost efficiency is calculated as follows:
(Revenue – Campaign Cost) / Campaign Cost = Cost Efficiency
($50,000 – $12,000) / $12,000 = 316%
This example indicates that for every $1 spent on local SEO, the business generated $3.16 in revenue, demonstrating that the campaign was cost-efficient and provided a positive return on investment (ROI).
Summary
Determining local SEO pricing for services can be challenging. Multiple factors come into play that can increase or decrease the project’s overall cost. By exploring the various pricing models and understanding the factors that go into the cost of local SEO, businesses can make informed decisions and choose a provider that will best meet their needs and budget.
