Answer
How much does SEO cost in Australia?
Short answer
Most Australian SEO retainers fall between $800 and $5,000 per month. Local SEO for a single-location service business typically runs $800 to $1,500 a month; a competitive multi-location or national campaign generally sits between $2,000 and $5,000. One-off technical audits usually cost $1,500 to $4,000. Anything under about $500 a month rarely covers enough hours to change an outcome.
What drives the price
SEO pricing is really a measure of hours. A retainer buys a fixed amount of strategist, technical and content time each month, and the price differences between agencies mostly reflect how many hours you get and who does them. Competition matters too: ranking a plumber in a single suburb requires a fraction of the work needed to rank a national e-commerce store.
What each tier typically includes
At the $800 to $1,500 level, expect Google Business Profile management, on-page optimisation for a core set of pages, one piece of content a month and basic reporting. Between $1,500 and $3,000 you should also get competitor and keyword research, ongoing technical work, more content, digital PR and conversion tracking. Above $3,000 the work usually extends into multi-location strategy, sustained link acquisition and integration with paid channels.
Why cheap SEO usually costs more
A $299 monthly package cannot buy enough professional time to do anything meaningful. In practice these packages either recycle automated reports or build low-quality links that create risk. The most expensive SEO is the kind you pay for twice — once to have it done badly, then again to have it cleaned up.
Questions worth asking before you sign
Ask who does the work and where they sit. Ask what happens to your accounts and content if you leave. Ask to see a report from a real client with the numbers they measure. Ask whether the contract locks you in — and if it does, ask why they need it to.
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