How much does SEO cost, and is it worth it ?

SEO costs can vary widely depending on the scope of work and the provider. It can range from a few hundred dollars per month for a local small business campaign to several thousand dollars per month for extensive, competitive industry campaigns. Some freelancers or smaller agencies might charge lower, whereas top-tier agencies or extremely competitive niches might go much higher. Pricing can be structured as a monthly retainer, project-based, or hourly consulting. When done correctly, SEO is absolutely worth it for most businesses due to its return on investment. Unlike paid advertising, the traffic you gain from organic search is free in the sense that you’re not paying for each click. This often makes leads from SEO more cost-effective in the long run. Additionally, SEO’s effects are cumulative and long-term. Content you optimized or published today can keep bringing in visitors next month or even years from now without additional spend. It’s also worth considering the opportunity cost of not doing SEO. Since over half of web traffic comes from organic search, the potential upside is huge.