How much does SEO cost in the UK?

Ask ten SEO consultants what SEO costs in the UK and you’ll get ten different answers.

And that’s because SEO is not a fixed product. 

The price depends entirely on what needs doing, how competitive your market is, and the level of expertise required to actually make a meaningful difference.

Still, business owners deserve clarity.

You should know what you’re paying for, why prices vary so widely, and what a realistic investment looks like at different stages of business growth.

This guide breaks down, in plain English, how much SEO costs in the UK based on real pricing patterns across freelancers, consultants, agencies and specialist providers.

The short answer: typical UK SEO pricing

Here’s the quick snapshot for most UK businesses:

• Freelancers: £300 – £1,500 per month
• Independent consultants: £750 – £3,000 per month
• Small agencies: £1,000 – £5,000 per month
• Mid-sized agencies: £3,000 – £10,000 per month
• Enterprise agencies: £8,000 – £30,000+ per month

One-off audits, strategy builds and technical projects usually fall between £750 and £10,000+ depending on scope.

But these ranges don’t mean much until you understand what actually drives cost.
So let’s break it down properly.

The real factors that affect SEO pricing

SEO pricing rarely comes from the number of hours someone spends on your account.
It comes from the level of difficulty, the expected ROI, and the risk the consultant or agency is taking on.

Six factors drive the cost more than anything else:

• competition
• starting point
• scope of work
• content needs
• link building requirements
• expertise level

Factor 1: Competition in your industry

This is the biggest driver of cost.

If you’re in a niche where five competitors are doing little to no SEO, you don’t need to spend much to outperform them.

If you’re in a market where ten competitors are investing thousands per month — and have been for years — the price rises sharply.

Low-competition industries (£300–£1,000/month)

• local trades in small towns
• solo service providers
• hyper-niche B2B services

These businesses can see strong results with modest investment because the competitive field is smaller.

Medium-competition industries (£1,000–£5,000/month)

• regional service businesses
• growing B2B companies
• ecommerce brands in mid-range markets

Here, ranking is a marathon. Competitors produce content, invest in links and optimise consistently.

High-competition industries (£5,000 – £20,000+/month)

• law firms
• accountancy firms
• insurance
• healthcare
• nationwide ecommerce
• B2B SaaS companies

These are markets where SEO is the battleground — and everyone is spending aggressively.

Factor 2: Your starting point

Your site determines how much groundwork is needed before growth can happen.

If your website is new:

You’ll need heavier upfront investment:

• initial keyword research
• site architecture planning
• technical setup
• foundational content creation
• authority building

If your site is established but poorly optimised:

You’ll need:

• a full SEO audit
• content rewrites
• technical clean-up
• conversion fixes

This tends to land in the mid-range pricing tier.

If your site is already strong but underleveraged:

You may only need ongoing optimisation and content support — which is cheaper than full rebuilds.

Factor 3: The scope of the SEO plan

SEO isn’t one single task.
It’s a stack of disciplines:

• technical SEO
• on-page optimisation
• content strategy
• content production
• digital PR + link building
• local SEO
• conversion optimisation
• reporting and analysis

The more areas you need covered, the more the cost increases.

Small scope (£300 – £800/month)

For small websites needing:

• basic on-page fixes
• light content optimisation
• GBP (Google Business Profile) management

Medium scope (£1,000 – £4,000/month)

For businesses needing:

• regular content production
• technical improvements
• link building
• strategic planning

Large scope (£5,000 – £15,000+/month)

For brands needing:

• monthly digital PR
• large-scale content programs
• advanced CRO
• full funnel SEO

Factor 4: Content requirements

Content is usually the most expensive and time-consuming part of SEO.

Not because the words cost money — but because the research, strategy, subject expertise, SME interviews, and updates take real skill.

Content pricing varies dramatically depending on:

• the complexity of the subject
• the level of expertise required
• the volume produced
• whether it includes interviews or original insight

Typical UK content costs:

• Basic posts (not recommended for B2B): £50 – £150
• Mid-tier SEO content: £150 – £500
• Expert-led content: £500 – £2,500+
• Thought leadership: £750 – £3,000+

If your niche requires heavy expertise — finance, legal, engineering, medical — your content will naturally cost more.

Factor 5: Link building and digital PR

Links are expensive because earning them is slow, hard and competitive.

Good link building doesn’t mean buying cheap backlinks.
It means producing content and outreach campaigns that journalists, bloggers and publishers actually want to reference.

Typical UK link building costs:

• Basic outreach: £300 – £800/link
• Digital PR campaigns: £2,000 – £8,000/month
• High-end PR agencies: £10,000 – £40,000 per campaign

In competitive markets, backlinks are the main reason SEO is expensive.
You’re not just paying for the link — you’re paying for campaign creation, research, data sourcing, media lists, and journalist relationships.

Factor 6: Expertise level of the provider

SEO costs more when:

• the consultant has 5 – 15+ years of experience
• they specialise in your industry
• they’ve generated real ROI for similar businesses
• they build strategies instead of checklists

Cheaper SEO is usually cheaper for a reason:

• low expertise
• no strategy, only tasks
• duplicate content
• over-automated processes
• poor link quality

Quality varies widely in this industry.
That’s why pricing varies too.

How much different types of SEO typically cost in the UK

Below are realistic numbers based on hundreds of quotes and projects across agencies and consultants.

Local SEO pricing

• Basic local SEO: £300–£800/month
• Intermediate local SEO: £800–£1,800/month
• Multi-location SEO: £1,500–£5,000+/month

Local SEO tends to be cheaper unless you operate in a competitive vertical (legal, trades, healthcare).

Ecommerce SEO pricing

Prices rise because ecommerce websites:

• have more pages
• require ongoing CRO
• need product + category optimisation
• depend heavily on links

Typical ranges:

• Small ecommerce: £1,000–£3,000/month
• Mid-sized ecommerce: £3,000–£6,000/month
• Large ecommerce: £6,000–£20,000+/month

B2B SEO pricing

B2B is often the most expensive because:

• content must be expert-led
• sales cycles are long
• keyword competition is high
• buyers need research-grade content

Typical ranges:

• Small B2B: £1,000–£3,000/month
• Growing B2B: £3,000–£8,000/month
• Enterprise B2B: £8,000–£25,000+/month

One-off SEO project pricing

Not every business wants monthly SEO.
Some only want a strategy or a one-time audit.

Typical one-off costs:

• Basic site audit: £500–£1,500
• Comprehensive audit: £1,500–£5,000
• SEO strategy: £1,500–£7,500+
• Technical rebuild: £2,000–£10,000+
• Content strategy: £750–£3,000

These are useful if you have an in-house team who can implement the recommendations.

What you should expect for different budget levels

£300 – £800/month

• best for small local businesses
• light optimisation
• Google Business Profile management
• minor content updates

£1,000 – £2,500/month

• ongoing technical work
• regular content creation
• a structured SEO strategy
• basic link building

This is the sweet spot for many SMEs.

£3,000 – £8,000/month

• full SEO management
• subject-matter-expert content
• robust digital PR
• monthly strategy cycles

This tier suits competitive niches and scaling brands.

£10,000 – £30,000+/month

• enterprise SEO
• large-scale content production
• national campaigns
• multiple SEO specialists working at once

How to avoid overpaying for SEO

Good SEO providers will always show you:

• the strategy
• the deliverables
• the expected outcomes
• the KPIs they’ll measure
• the timelines

Bad providers will hide behind jargon, overpromise, or lock you into long-term contracts without clear deliverables.

If a provider can’t explain their process in plain language, walk away.

The honest truth about SEO pricing

SEO doesn’t have “cheap and effective” as a combination.

You can’t beat competitors who are investing heavily by spending next to nothing.

You can, however, spend intelligently.
Focus on:

• bottom-of-funnel keywords
• your most profitable services
• content built from real expertise
• technical foundations
• authority building from credible sources

Businesses that do this see significantly better ROI — no matter the budget.

Final thoughts

SEO in the UK usually costs:

• £300 – £2,000/month for small, local businesses
• £2,000 – £8,000/month for growing B2B and ecommerce brands
• £8,000 – £30,000+/month for competitive or enterprise SEO

The exact cost depends on competition, goals, scope, authority and the level of expertise you choose to hire.

SEO isn’t cheap.

But when done properly — with strategy, focus, and high-quality execution — it’s often the highest-ROI channel a business can invest in.