By the Bear & Shark team · Updated October 2026
Short answer
Most businesses pay $500 to $5,000 per month for SEO. The average monthly SEO retainer is about $2,900, and agencies average about $3,200 (Ahrefs survey of 439 SEO providers). In the USA and Canada, most providers charge $1,000+ per month and $75–$200 per hour.
SEO prices at a glance
| Type of SEO work | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Local SEO for one location | $500 – $1,500 / month |
| SEO for a small or mid-size business | $1,500 – $5,000 / month |
| Competitive or national SEO, e-commerce | $5,000+ / month |
| One-time SEO audit | Often $500 – $5,000 depending on site size |
| Hourly SEO consulting | $75 – $200 / hour in the USA and Canada |
Source for retainer averages and hourly rates: Ahrefs SEO pricing survey of 439 providers. Other rows are typical market ranges for guidance.
What good SEO includes
- Technical SEO: site speed, indexing, structure and schema markup.
- Keyword research mapped to pages that can rank and convert.
- Content: service pages, location pages and articles that answer real questions.
- Local SEO: Google Business Profile, reviews and local citations.
- Links from relevant, real websites.
- AI search visibility: making the site easy for ChatGPT, Google AI and Perplexity to read and cite.
- Monthly reporting on rankings, traffic and leads.
What changes the price
- How competitive your keywords and city are.
- Website size and technical condition.
- How much content needs to be written.
- Number of locations or languages.
SEO at Bear & Shark
Bear & Shark runs SEO for clinics, real estate, e-commerce and local service businesses in Canada, the USA and the UAE. We start with a free SEO audit, then build a keyword and content plan and report monthly on rankings, traffic and leads.
Frequently asked questions
How much does SEO cost per month?
Most businesses spend $500 to $5,000 per month on SEO. In a survey of 439 SEO providers by Ahrefs, the average monthly retainer was about $2,900, and agencies averaged about $3,200. In the USA and Canada, most providers charge at least $1,000 per month.
How long does SEO take to work?
Usually 3 to 6 months to see movement in rankings and traffic, and 6 to 12 months for full results. Competitive keywords and new websites take longer.
Why is cheap SEO risky?
Very cheap SEO often means automated reports, thin content or low-quality links. These rarely move rankings and can lead to penalties.
Is SEO cheaper than Google Ads?
Over time, often yes, because organic traffic keeps coming without paying for each click. But SEO is slower. Many businesses run Google Ads for leads now and SEO for lower cost later.
What is included in Bear & Shark SEO?
Technical SEO audits, keyword strategy, content, local SEO with Google Business Profile, link building and monthly reporting. We start with a free SEO audit.