What does SEO cost in 2024? Information on the current SEO costs
In this article, I want to help you get a better understanding of SEO costs and their composition. The goal is to give you a clear picture of what you get for your money when you invest in SEO.
So, let's dive into the world of SEO costs together!
- At what budget does SEO pay off: How much should you invest in your SEO success?
- Factors that influence SEO costs
- Types of SEO services
- The SEO process in different phases
- Pricing models
- The SEO pricing models in comparison
- Deciding between in-house SEO, SEO agency and in-house SEO expertise
- Is SEO expensive or cheap?
- Tips for choosing an SEO agency
- The underfunding of SEO
- Conclusion on "How much does SEO cost?"
- Frequently asked questions
At what budget does SEO pay off: How much should you invest in your SEO success?
A sensible budget for the SEO support of an already optimised site should be at least €1,000 per month; for new sites that first need to be optimised, we recommend an amount between €2,000 and €5,000. The higher the budget, the more effective the measures and the shorter the time until the first measurable results can be achieved.
One or two website operators who only have a tight marketing budget at their disposal might now ask themselves:
Why are SEO prices so high?
In fact, the amounts mentioned are not that high compared to the possible results and the resources required.
A small calculation example: With a budget of 1,000 euros per month and an average hourly rate of 140 euros for an SEO consultant, this results in around 7.5 hours per month for SEO measures. This amount of time is sufficient for the creation of a blog article or the SEO optimisation of an existing landing page, for example.
When creating a niche blog article or optimising an existing landing page, you can achieve several positive results that ultimately lead to a higher ROI and increased sales
- Visibility and rankings: Targeted SEO measures can improve the visibility of your website in search results. This makes it easier for potential customers to find it and therefore increases organic clicks.
- Increased user engagement: A good niche blog article or an optimised landing page ensures that users stay on your website for longer and interact with the content on offer. This increases the likelihood that they will convert to paying customers.
- Improved conversion rate: A professionally optimised landing page can significantly increase the conversion rate. This means that a higher proportion of visitors carry out a desired action, such as making a purchase or picking up the phone to enquire about the service offered.
- Increased brand awareness: Regularly published niche blog articles can help to establish your brand as an expert in the industry. This increases customer trust and makes them more likely to favour your products or services.
- Reduced reliance on paid advertising: Through successful SEO measures, you can attract organic traffic to your website in the long term. This reduces the dependency on cost-intensive advertising measures such as Google Ads.
- Better user experience: A well-structured and appealing landing page contributes to user satisfaction, which in turn can have a positive impact on your ranking in search results.
As you can see, investing in a solid SEO budget can increase the success of your website in the long term. The higher the budget, the more extensive the measures can be and the faster you can see measurable results. The important thing here is to find the optimal strategy for your company and utilise the resources wisely.
Let's take a look together at the factors that play a role in the cost calculation and how the costs for SEO measures are made up. This will make it clear why an appropriate budget for SEO is so important.
Factors that influence SEO costs
The company's goals
One important factor that influences SEO costs is the company's goals. What do you want to achieve with your SEO strategy? Perhaps you are aiming for better visibility in the search results or want to increase the number of website visitors. Or perhaps you want to generate more leads or increase sales.
Depending on which goals you are pursuing, the requirements for SEO measures and therefore the costs may differ.
For example, a strategy aimed at improving visibility requires a focus on technical optimisation, on-page optimisation and backlink building.
If you also want to generate more leads, content marketing and conversion optimisation also play a decisive role, which affects the level of costs.
Therefore, the more ambitious and specific your goals are, the higher the SEO costs will be.
But remember: a well thought-out and effective SEO strategy pays off in the long term and can help you achieve your business goals and increase your online success.
The initial situation
When considering the factors that influence SEO costs, the initial situation should not be overlooked. It is a crucial aspect that significantly influences the amount of work required for your SEO project and therefore also the costs.
The initial situation includes various elements that affect the current state of your website and your online marketing. Here are a few examples
- Technical state of the website: Is your website already search engine friendly? Are there any technical problems that need to be fixed? The more technical optimisations are required, the higher the costs can be.
- Content quality: What is the quality and relevance of your content? High-quality and informative content is essential for successful SEO. If you already have good content, the costs can be lower. If not, you need to invest in the creation of high-quality content.
- Backlink profile: Do your web pages have a solid backlink profile that comes from other relevant and trustworthy websites? If so, that's great! If not, building a better backlink profile can incur additional costs.
- Keyword strategy: Do you already have a clear keyword strategy based on your market and goals? If not, you need to invest in keyword research and strategy to ensure your website is optimised for the right search terms.
The bottom line: the better your starting point, the less effort is required to achieve the desired results - and that ultimately saves you money.
The resources
Another important aspect that influences SEO costs is the resources required to implement the SEO measures. These include human resources such as SEO professionals and web developers as well as technical resources such as tools and software.
Human resources
You may already have a team of marketing experts in your company that deals with SEO. In this case, your internal resources could take on some of the SEO work, which in turn will have an impact on costs.
However, you should bear in mind that SEO is a very dynamic and complex field that requires constant training and adaptation to the latest trends. Therefore, it is important to always keep your team up to date and bring in external experts if necessary to achieve the best results.
Technical resources
Technical resources also play a major role in the cost calculation. Professional SEO tools and software can help to carry out more effective and precise analyses, which in turn leads to better SEO strategies.
However, these tools are often cost-intensive and require an ongoing investment. Therefore, you should also consider whether it makes sense to invest in such resources or whether working with an SEO agency that already has these tools is the better option.
The size of the website
Do you have a large website? Then this is another factor that influences SEO costs. The larger your website is and the more pages it contains, the more time and resources it will take to optimise it.
Imagine you have an online shop with thousands of products and every product page needs to be optimised. In this case, the SEO work will naturally be more extensive and therefore more expensive than if you only have a small website with a few pages.
A large website not only requires more time for the optimisation of individual pages, but also for the strategic planning and implementation of SEO measures. This includes, for example
- in-depth keyword research,
- the creation of high-quality content or
- improving the technical aspects of your website.
Remember that while a larger website can result in higher SEO costs, it also offers the potential for more traffic and sales. It is therefore important to consider the size of your website when planning your SEO budget and develop a suitable strategy for it.
The choice of keywords
Keywords are crucial for search engine optimisation. They are the terms that users enter into search engines and for which you should deliver satisfactory results. When choosing the right keywords, it is important to consider the relevance and competition of the keywords.
Relevance refers to how well keywords fit your business. Competition describes how many other businesses are also trying to rank for these keywords.
Choosing the right keywords has a direct impact on SEO costs. Highly competitive keywords require more time and resources, which leads to higher costs, while less competitive but still relevant keywords achieve success faster and keep costs lower.
This selection process can be time-consuming and cost-intensive, but is crucial for long-term success in search engine optimisation.
The competitive situation
One criterion that can drive up SEO costs is the competitive situation in your industry. If you are operating in a highly competitive market, it is likely that your competitors are also investing a lot of time and money in SEO. In this case, you may need to spend more to keep up and achieve better rankings in search results.
It is therefore important to analyse your competitors closely and find out what strategies and tactics they are using to be successful.
A comprehensive competitive analysis can help you identify weaknesses and opportunities in your own SEO approach and make targeted improvements. Of course, a thorough analysis also means more work and associated costs.
Expertise of the agency
I'm sure you'll agree that expertise and experience in SEO are crucial for results. After all, you want your website to be at the top of the search results, right?
The expertise of an SEO agency is often reflected in the prices they charge for their services. In German-speaking countries, the hourly rates of SEO agencies are usually between 75 and 200 euros. As a rule, the larger and more experienced the agencies are, the higher the hourly rates can be, as they can deliver the best possible results.
Experienced SEO agencies have extensive knowledge of the latest SEO strategies and techniques, are familiar with the latest search engine guidelines and work with the best SEO tools. They also help to improve your online reputation and increase user trust in your company.
Additional services
Sometimes it's not enough to just work on the SEO strategy. In some cases, it may be necessary to restructure your website or even develop a new website if it no longer meets current SEO standards. Such changes can incur additional costs, which you should take into account when planning your SEO budget.
It's also important to regularly maintain, secure and update your website. These measures ensure that your website is always up to date, both in terms of technology and content. A well-maintained website not only provides a better user experience for your visitors, but also helps to improve your search engine rankings.
The cost of these additional services can vary depending on the scope of the work and the expertise of the SEO agency hired. It is advisable to keep these aspects in mind when planning your SEO investment and factor them into your budget if necessary.
And then there's something else that needs to be factored into the costs. Namely:
The costs of an SEO agency
SEO agencies have various costs that are included in the budget. These can be roughly divided into three areas.
Personnel costs
The main costs arise from personnel. An SEO specialist can cost between €40,000 and €80,000 per year, depending on their professional experience. An agency often employs various specialists with different skills, such as analytical, creative and technical skills. This diversity contributes to the overall costs of the agency.
Costs for equipment, tools and software
Various tools and software programmes are required for SEO work. These include keyword tracking tools, link analysis and monitoring tools as well as tools for checking website quality and on-page optimisation. The monthly costs for such analysis and SEO tools are usually between €2,000 and €8,000. Added to this are the acquisition costs of equipment such as computers, monitors, mobile phones, etc.
Fixed costs
In addition to personnel costs and costs for equipment, tools and software, an SEO agency also incurs monthly fixed costs. These include office rent, energy supply, expenses for office materials, cleaning services, insurance, internet and telecommunications providers and many more. These costs can quickly add up to several thousand euros per month.
So, now you know the cost factors. Now you probably want to know what happens to your money. Is that right?
Then let's take a look at that next.
Types of SEO services
An SEO agency offers various services to make your website more visible and better positioned in search results. The most common services include
- Keyword analysis: the agency researches relevant keywords for your industry that offer both high search volume and a good chance of better rankings.
- On-page optimisation: The experts optimise the structure and content of your website to increase its visibility in search engines. This includes, for example, meta tags, headings, alt tags and internal links.
- Off-page optimisation: The agency works to increase the number and quality of inbound links (backlinks) to your website. This can be achieved through link building strategies such as guest posts, influencer marketing and PR.
- Technical SEO: The experts ensure that your website functions technically flawlessly and can be easily crawled and indexed by search engines. This includes aspects such as loading times, mobile-friendliness and the elimination of errors.
- Content marketing: The agency helps you to create high-quality and appealing content that is relevant for both users and search engines. This includes blog posts, guides, videos and infographics.
The SEO process in different phases
A professional SEO agency works in different phases to achieve your SEO goals. Here is an overview of the usual process:
- Strategy and planning phase (approximately 1 month): In this phase, the agency conducts a comprehensive analysis of your website, your competitors and your industry. This also includes a keyword analysis. Based on this information, they develop a customised SEO strategy for your company.
- Setup phase (approx. 1 month): The agency sets up all the necessary tools and systems required to implement the SEO strategy. This includes Google Search Console, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager and special SEO tools for monitoring and analysis.
- SEO support (minimum term: 6 months): In this phase, the experts put the developed SEO strategy into practice. This includes regular on-page optimisation, content creation, link building and technical improvements. Progress is also monitored and monthly reports are created to present the results and make any necessary adjustments.
Professional SEO agencies use this process to ensure that your budget is used efficiently and purposefully to achieve the best possible results for your company.
Pricing models
When you hire an SEO agency to optimise your website, you will quickly notice that there are different pricing models. These models can have a big impact on how effective and cost-efficient the optimisation of your website is.
Criteria that influence the choice of pricing model
Choosing the right pricing model depends on your goals and expectations, your budget and your individual situation. You should also consider the experience and expertise of the SEO agency, as this can have an impact on the quality and scope of services.
The SEO pricing models in comparison
| Pricing model | Price description |
| Hourly and daily rates | >Maximum flexibility when hiring an SEO service provider. Costs are usually between €90 and €200 per hour or €720 and €1,600 per day. Disadvantage: lack of transparency regarding the actual working hours of the SEO expert. |
| Monthly flat rates | Popular pricing model with a fixed monthly fee. Contract terms are usually between 6 and 24 months, costs vary between €500 and €20,000 per month. Often included: certain hourly packages or complete packages for on-page and off-page optimisation. |
| SEO packages | Prefabricated service bundles that can be put together according to requirements and budget. Usually include: various SEO measures such as keyword analysis, on-page optimisation and link building. Provide a good overview of the services offered, but can be less flexible than customised solutions. |
| Performance-orientated payment | Payment of the SEO service provider based on the results achieved. Billing methods can be based on search result positions, number of visitors, leads or sales. Lower financial risk for the client, but only a few SEO service providers offer performance-based billing. |
| Profit sharing | Rare pricing model in which the SEO agency receives a share of the client's sales. Higher risk for the service provider, as they usually have no insight into the client's finances. Can be very lucrative for both parties if the SEO measures are successful. |
| Deliverables | Clear, defined intermediate results of a project that are clearly identifiable and verifiable. Objective: To make support services more tangible for the customer. Deliverables create clear relationships and help with the planning of internal resources. |
Recommendations for choosing the right pricing model
- If you have a limited budget and clearly defined goals, deliverables may be the best option.
- If you want maximum flexibility, hourly and daily rates are a good choice.
- For continuous SEO optimisation and long-term collaboration, monthly flat rates or SEO packages are recommended.
- If you want to pay the SEO agency on a performance basis, you should opt for performance-based payment or profit sharing.
Deciding between in-house SEO, SEO agency and in-house SEO expertise
When looking for the right SEO strategy for your company, you basically have three options to choose from: In-house SEO, an SEO agency or building your own SEO expertise. Let's look at the pros and cons of each option and find out which one suits your company best.
In-house SEO
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Closer collaboration and better understanding of the product or service | Higher entry and operating costs |
| Faster decision-making and implementation of measures | Difficulty in recruiting qualified staff |
| Better control over budget and resources | Limited expertise and potentially limited perspective |
Recommendation: In-house SEO is best for larger organisations with sufficient budget and staff resources. Unless: You don't want to waste time and want to start optimising as soon as possible.
SEO agency
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Access to a team of experts with different skills and experience | Possibly less familiarity with your product or industry |
| Scalable services that can be customised to the needs of your business | Communication and coordination effort |
| Cost transparency and short-term contract terms | Potential dependence on an external party |
Recommendation: An SEO agency is ideal for all companies that want to outsource their SEO strategy without having to set up their own team. Prerequisite: A sustainable relationship of trust should be established.
Build up your own SEO expertise
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Lower costs compared to in-house SEO or an agency | Time required to build up expertise and skills |
| Flexibility to develop and implement your own SEO strategy | Risk of mistakes due to lack of experience |
| Expanding your own expertise and understanding of SEO | Limited resources and support |
Recommendation: Building your own SEO expertise is a good option for individuals and start-ups who do not yet have sufficient financial resources for in-house SEO or an agency.
The choice between in-house SEO, an SEO agency and building your own SEO expertise depends on your budget, your resources and your individual goals. Consider which option best suits your business and make a smart decision to get the most out of it.
Is SEO expensive or cheap?
To answer this question, let's compare the costs and benefits of SEO and paid advertising (SEA). Let's look at this using an illustrative example.
Example SEO vs. SEA
Let's say you run a medium-sized service company that offers IT consulting and support. You have a monthly marketing budget of €10,000 and want to find out whether you should invest in SEO or SEA.
SEO costs and benefits:
If you decide to invest €7,000 per month in a professional SEO agency, you can improve your visibility in organic search results, bringing long-term and sustained high-quality traffic to your website. Expertise and trust are particularly important in the IT industry. With a successful SEO strategy, you can position your company as a trustworthy expert, which increases your chances of long-term customer relationships.
SEO does require patience to achieve the desired results, but the long-term benefits are considerable. Once you achieve high rankings, you'll benefit from continuous, "free" traffic without having to constantly invest in paid adverts.
SEA costs and benefits:
If you choose instead to spend your entire €10,000 budget on paid ad placements (Google Ads, Facebook and Instagram Ads etc.), you can achieve immediate results and target potential customers looking for IT advice and support. However, the cost per click (CPC) in the IT industry can be quite high, which means that your budget may not be enough to drive traffic to your website in the long term.
Paid adverts may provide visibility and traffic in the short term, but once your budget is used up, the influx of visitors will also end. Unlike SEO, the long-term benefits of SEA are limited as you need to constantly invest to stay visible.
Conclusion:
For a medium-sized service company, SEO can be a cost-effective investment to attract quality traffic and potential customers in the long term. Compared to SEA, SEO offers a sustainable strategy to increase your online presence without having to continuously invest in paid adverts.
However, a balanced combination of SEO and SEA can also be useful to achieve both short-term and long-term results. For example, you could allocate a portion of your budget to SEA to gain immediate visibility while investing in SEO to build a solid foundation for future growth.
Tips for choosing an SEO agency
When looking for the right SEO agency, there are some important aspects to consider. Here is a list of tips to help you make the right choice.
Criteria for evaluating agencies
- Experience and expertise: Make sure that the agency has sufficient experience. Also check whether they have expertise in the various aspects of SEO, such as on-page, off-page and technical SEO.
- References and customer reviews: Ask for references or look up reviews online to find out how satisfied other clients have been with the agency's work.
- Portfolio and case studies: Ask the agency for examples of their previous work and case studies to get an idea of how they work and the results they have achieved.
- Communication and transparency: Make sure the agency is open and transparent about their working practices, processes and expectations. Good communication is crucial for a successful collaboration.
Questions to ask
- How long has the agency been in business?
- What successes has the agency achieved in the past?
- What is the typical workflow when working with clients?
- What tools and technologies does the agency use?
- How often and in what form does the agency report on the progress of the project?
- How does the agency deal with Google updates and new ranking factors?
Contract terms and cancellation conditions
- Contract term: Most SEO agencies offer contract terms of 6 or 12 months. It's important to know the term in advance to ensure it fits your needs and expectations
- Cancellation terms: Find out about the cancellation conditions if you want to end the contract early. Some agencies have strict cancellation periods or charge a fee for early contract termination.
- Adjusting the contract: Ask the agency whether they are willing to adjust the contract to your individual needs. For example, you could ask to add or remove individual service modules or shorten the contract term.
With these tips and questions, you should be well equipped to find a suitable SEO agency for your company.
But there's one more thing we should discuss.
The underfunding of SEO
A common problem we encounter in our daily work as an SEO agency is the underfunding of SEO. Not enough financial resources are made available to implement effective SEO measures and thus achieve the desired results in the long term.
Why is this the case and what risks and disadvantages are associated with it?
Why does underfunding occur?
The reason for the underfunding of SEO is often due to a lack of understanding of the necessity and value of SEO. Many decision makers in organisations are not fully aware of the importance of SEO and the long-term benefits it offers. As a result, the focus may be more on short-term success through paid advertising measures such as SEA (Search Engine Advertising).
Another reason may be that the company has limited financial resources and is therefore forced to divide its marketing budget between different channels.
The disadvantages of underfunding SEO
The best way to explain the consequences of underfunding SEO is pictorially - without words.
The disadvantages of personnel
The disadvantages of the equipment used
But joking aside. This is what it could actually look like.
Underfunding SEO has the following disadvantages for your company:
- Slower and less effective results: With an underfunded budget, fewer resources and time can be invested in implementing the SEO strategy. This means that the results achieved are slower and less effective than they could be.
- Poorer visibility and rankings: If not enough is invested in SEO, your website may perform worse in search results than your competitors. This means less visibility and traffic, which in turn results in fewer leads and sales.
- Missed opportunities: Insufficient funding for SEO can lead to your business missing out on important opportunities to establish and grow in the online market. While your competitors continue to develop and optimise their SEO strategies, your business may fall behind.
- Dependence on paid advertising: If you focus mainly on SEA and neglect SEO, you will be more dependent on paid advertising to generate traffic and customers. This reliance can be more expensive in the long run, as the cost of paid advertising is usually higher than SEO in the long run.
To avoid underfunding SEO, it is important to recognise the long-term benefits of search engine optimisation, rethink the allocation of the marketing budget and allocate an appropriate budget for SEO measures. A balanced combination of SEO and SEA is the key to a successful online marketing mix that delivers quick and sustainable results.
Conclusion on "How much does SEO cost?"
Now that we have discussed the various aspects of SEO costs and strategies, I would like to briefly summarise the most important points.
The importance of SEO for business success cannot be emphasised enough. A well thought out SEO strategy can help you achieve better rankings on Google and other search engines, driving more traffic and potential customers to your website.
We've seen that the cost of SEO depends on various factors, such as the size and complexity of your website, the industry you're in and your individual goals. There are different types of SEO services that can incur different costs, and it's important to choose the one that best suits your needs.
You also have the option to choose between in-house SEO, an SEO agency and building your own SEO expertise. Each option has its pros and cons, but it's crucial to make a decision that best suits your business size and structure.
And always remember that it takes time and patience to get the results you want. But if you're willing to invest in SEO and work on it continuously, you'll surely see the SEO success you're hoping for.
Finally, I'd like to offer you our support in finding the right SEO strategy and investment for your business. Get in touch with us at
Frequently asked questions
What are the average SEO costs for 2024?
A sensible SEO budget should be at least EUR 1,000 per month for the management of an already optimised page. For new pages that need to be optimised first, we recommend an amount between €2,000 and €5,000.
Why are SEO prices so high?
Compared to the possible results and the resources required, the amounts mentioned are actually not that high. A successful SEO strategy can increase the success of a website in the long term and reduce dependence on cost-intensive advertising measures.
What factors influence SEO costs?
The company goals, the initial situation, the industry and the competition as well as the chosen SEO measures have an influence on the SEO costs.
What is included in a typical SEO budget?
An SEO budget can include services such as technical optimisation, on-page optimisation, backlink building, content marketing and conversion optimisation.
How do I find the optimal SEO strategy for my company?
To find the optimal SEO strategy for your company, you should precisely define your business goals and allocate resources wisely. It can be helpful to work with a professional SEO agency to help you with planning and implementation.
Any questions?
If you have any further questions on the topic or would like professional support, feel free to get in touch with us. Send an email to office@ithelps-digital.com, call us at +43 1 353 2 353, or reach out for us on our contact page.
