How much does SEO cost in Australia?

What our customers say

SEO prices in Australia at a glance

Most Australian small businesses pay between $500 and $2,500 a month for ongoing SEO. Local businesses targeting a few suburbs in a less competitive market can sit below that range, while competitive industries, city-wide targets and multi-location businesses often pay $2,500 to $5,000 or more.

Quikclicks SEO for small businesses starts from $299 + GST per month, with no lock-in contract. Where your plan lands depends on your industry, location, competition and goals.

Under $500 a month: SEO for a single location in a less competitive market

$500 to $2,500 a month: hands-on SEO for most small and medium businesses

Over $2,500 a month: competitive industries, multiple locations, online stores and national campaigns

Six things that set the price of your SEO

Two businesses can both ask for “SEO” and need very different amounts of work. These six things shape the size of the job, and the size of the job shapes the monthly price.

How competitive is your industry?

Lawyers, dentists, finance and trades in big cities compete hard for the same searches. A niche service with few competitors needs far less work to reach page one.

Where do you want to rank?

Ranking in one suburb is easier than ranking across Sydney, and ranking across Sydney is easier than ranking nationally. Each extra location adds pages and Google Business Profile work.

How strong is your website now?

A fast, well-built website with good content needs less fixing. An old, slow site with thin pages may need technical work or a rebuild before SEO can do its job.

How much content is needed?

Service pages, suburb pages, articles and FAQs all take time to research and write. Content is often the biggest part of an SEO budget.

How much authority do you have?

Links and mentions from other trusted websites tell Google your business is credible. A new business with few links needs more outreach than an established one.

How fast do you want results?

More work each month usually means faster progress. A smaller budget still works, but it takes longer to build momentum.

Not sure where you stand?

That’s normal. We can review your website, rankings and competitors, and tell you what level of SEO makes sense for your business.

Who does your SEO changes the price

Here’s roughly what Australian businesses can expect to pay for SEO in 2026, depending on who does the work. Treat these as a guide only. Your own quote will reflect your goals and your market.

Who does it

What you’ll pay

What to expect

You, doing it yourself

Free to $100 a month in tools, plus your own hours

Workable for a simple local business with time to learn, but SEO is slow to master and easy to get wrong.

Cheap automated or overseas packages

Under $200 a month

Often automated reports and low-quality links with little real work behind them. Some can harm your rankings.

A freelance SEO consultant

$500 to $2,000 a month, or $100 to $250+ an hour

Can suit a small business, provided the consultant is experienced, reliable and has proven results.

A small business SEO agency

$300 to $3,000 a month

A team covering strategy, content, technical SEO, Google Business Profile and reporting, focused on bringing in enquiries.

A large agency or enterprise SEO

$5,000 to $20,000+ a month

Built for national brands, large online stores and businesses competing across many markets.

What a monthly SEO plan should include

Whatever you pay, a good SEO plan should cover the work below and show you what was done each month.

Want to see what’s included in ours? Read about our small business SEO services.

Keyword and competitor research: finding the searches your customers actually use and what it takes to rank for them.
Technical SEO: site speed, mobile usability, indexing and fixing errors that hold your site back.
On-page SEO and content: service, location and FAQ pages written for people first, and optimised for Google and AI search.
Google Business Profile: keeping your Maps listing complete and up to date so you show in local results.
Links and citations: earning mentions from trusted Australian websites and directories.
Tracking and reporting: rankings, traffic, calls and enquiries, so you can see the return.

Is SEO a cost or an investment?

It’s tempting to choose the cheapest SEO package. But SEO that doesn’t move your rankings, or relies on low-quality links that Google ignores or penalises, is money wasted, however small the fee.

Unlike Google Ads, where you pay for every click, good SEO keeps bringing in visitors after the work is done. The longer you invest, the more your results build.

A better way to judge price is to ask how many new customers SEO needs to win each month before it has paid for itself.

Check these before you sign an SEO contract

Comparing SEO quotes is easier when you know what to ask. Make sure every proposal answers these six questions.

What work is done each month?

Ask for a clear list of monthly tasks, not just “ongoing optimisation”. You should know what you’re paying for.

How will results be measured?

Rankings matter, but calls, enquiries and organic traffic matter more. Ask what will be reported and how often.

Who owns the work?

Your website, content, Google Business Profile and analytics should belong to your business, so you keep everything if you move on.

How are links built?

Ask where links come from. Bought or spammy links can earn a Google penalty that costs more to fix than the SEO did.

Is there a lock-in contract?

Check how long you’re committed for and what happens if results don’t come. A good agency earns your business every month.

Does it cover AI search?

More customers now ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Google’s AI Overviews for recommendations. Ask how the plan helps you appear there too.

SEO, Google Ads or GEO: where should your budget go?

Each channel brings in customers differently, and many small businesses use more than one.

SEO

A monthly fee builds your organic rankings over three to twelve months. Results last and you don’t pay per click. Our SEO services.

Google Ads

A management fee plus ad spend paid to Google. Enquiries can start in the first week, but stop when the ads stop. Google Ads management.

GEO (AI search)

Builds on SEO so AI tools like ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews understand and recommend your business. Our GEO services.

What SEO costs for different types of business

The type of SEO you need has a big effect on the budget. Most small service businesses need local SEO.

Local SEO

Typically $300 to $1,500 a month

For businesses serving customers in one area, such as trades, clinics and professional services. Focuses on Google Maps, suburb pages and local reviews.

Ecommerce SEO

Typically $1,500 to $5,000+ a month

For online stores, with work on category and product pages, site structure and technical SEO across many pages.

National or multi-location SEO

Typically $2,500 to $10,000+ a month

For businesses competing Australia-wide or with several branches, each needing its own pages and Google Business Profile.

Costs to budget for alongside SEO

Your monthly SEO fee covers the core work. These items can add to the total, so ask whether they’re included.

Website fixes or a rebuild

If your site is slow, outdated or hard to edit, technical fixes or a new website may be needed first. See what a website costs.

Extra content

Some plans include a set number of pages or articles each month. More content speeds things up but adds to the cost.

An initial SEO audit

Some agencies charge separately for a review of your site and competitors before work starts, while others include it in the first month.

Photos and video

Real photos of your team and work improve your Google Business Profile and website. A professional shoot is a one-off cost.

Call tracking and reporting

Google Analytics and Search Console are free, but call tracking shows which phone calls came from SEO. See our call tracking.

Google Ads while SEO builds

Many businesses run Google Ads for the first few months so enquiries come in while their rankings grow.

How to choose the right SEO agency

There are hundreds of SEO providers in Australia, and choosing the right one makes a big difference to what you get for your money.

Ask for real results

Look for case studies with real numbers from businesses like yours, not just promises of page one.

Check their own visibility

See where they rank and whether they show up in Google Maps and AI answers. It’s a good sign they know what they’re doing.

Read what clients say

Reviews on Google and other independent sites show how an agency treats its clients and whether it gets results.

Ask what your budget gets you

Share your budget and ask what work it pays for each month. A good agency will tell you honestly if it’s enough for your market.

Be wary of guarantees

No one can guarantee a number one ranking on Google. Treat any promise like that as a warning sign.

Find out who does the work

Ask whether your SEO is done in-house by a local team or outsourced, and who you’ll speak to each month.

How to get more from a smaller SEO budget

A smaller budget doesn’t have to mean poor results. These tips help your SEO money go further.

Start local

Target the suburbs and services closest to your business first, where competition is lower and customers are ready to buy.

Complete your Google Business Profile

Accurate hours, services, photos and regular updates cost nothing but time, and help you show in Google Maps.

Ask customers for reviews

A steady flow of genuine Google reviews helps your local rankings and gives new customers confidence.

Share your expertise

The questions customers ask you every day make great material for service pages and FAQs.

Fix the basics first

A fast, mobile-friendly website with a clear page for each service makes every SEO dollar work harder.

Stay consistent

SEO builds over months. Steady work every month beats short bursts that stop and start.

Frequently asked questions about SEO pricing

How much does SEO cost per month in Australia?

Most Australian small businesses pay between $500 and $2,500 a month for ongoing SEO. Local businesses in less competitive markets can pay less, while competitive industries, online stores and multi-location businesses often pay $2,500 to $5,000 or more. Quikclicks SEO starts from $299 + GST per month.

Are your prices inclusive of GST?

No. Our prices are shown plus GST.

How long does SEO take to work?

Most businesses see early movement within three to six months, with stronger results building over six to twelve months. Very competitive markets can take longer.

Is cheap SEO worth it?

Very cheap packages often rely on automated reports and low-quality links that don’t move rankings and can even harm them. A lower-cost plan can work for a local business in a smaller market, as long as real, hands-on work is done every month.

Can I do SEO myself?

Yes, especially the basics: a complete Google Business Profile, a clear page for each service, genuine reviews and a fast website. More competitive markets usually need specialist help with content, technical SEO and links.

Is SEO better than Google Ads?

They do different jobs. Google Ads brings enquiries quickly but stops when you stop paying. SEO takes longer but keeps working. Many small businesses run both.

Do you have lock-in contracts?

No. Our SEO is billed monthly with no lock-in contract.

Can you guarantee a number one ranking?

No one can honestly guarantee a ranking, because Google controls its results. We focus on the work that improves rankings and on the enquiries it brings in.

How much does local SEO cost?

Local SEO for a single location typically costs $300 to $1,500 a month, depending on how competitive your suburb and industry are.

Does SEO help me show up in ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews?

Yes. AI tools rely on many of the same signals as Google: clear content, a trusted website and consistent business details across the web. Our GEO services add structured data and answer-focused content to improve your chances of being mentioned.

What’s included in an SEO audit?

A review of your website’s technical health, content, keywords, links, Google Business Profile and competitors, with a prioritised list of fixes.

How do I know if my SEO is working?

Track your rankings, organic traffic and, most importantly, the calls and enquiries that come from search. We report on all of these so you can see the return.

Get a clear price for your SEO

Tell us about your business and goals and we’ll recommend the right SEO plan, with a clear monthly price and no obligation.

Prefer to talk it through? Call our team and we’ll answer your questions.