The cost of SEO in Australia ranges from $1,000+GST to $10,000+GST and above per month. For a local campaign, prices start at $595+GST/month (larger, more competitive suburbs will be more). Major City / National / International SEO campaigns range from $3,000+GST per month to $10,000+GST and above per month. A one-time consultation & strategy with a qualified SEO consultant starts at $5,000+GST, and execution of findings by a technical SEO expert is charged at $150+GST/hour.
How much does SEO cost across different cities in Australia?
We studied the websites of SEO agencies who publicly advertise pricing for their SEO services in each of the cities across Australia (Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast). Based on this research and gathered data, we took an average advertised SEO cost for each of the cities.
Here are the results compared to our own average pricing in each city.
What is the cost of SEO in Brisbane?
SEO agencies in Brisbane offer services ranging from approximately AUD $1,250+GST to over AUD $3,500+GST per month
We took a comparative average cost across our clients in Brisbane and found the average SEO campaign cost is $4,699+GST/month. The largest campaign budget is $11,000+GST/month and the lowest budget is $1,000+GST/month.
What is the cost of SEO in Sydney?
SEO agencies in Sydney offer services ranging from AUD $499+GST to over AUD $10,000+GST per month, depending on factors such as the scope of work, industry competitiveness, and the agency's expertise.
We took a comparative average cost across our clients in Sydney and the average SEO campaign cost is $3,710+GST/month. The largest campaign budget is $12,125+GST/month and the lowest budget is $1,128+GST/month.
What is the cost of SEO in Melbourne?
SEO services in Melbourne typically range from AUD $787+GST to over AUD $7,871+GST per month.
We took a comparative average cost across our clients in Melbourne and the average SEO campaign cost is $4,062+GST/month. The largest campaign budget is $4,125+GST/month and the lowest budget is $4,000+GST/month.
What is the cost of SEO in Perth?
SEO services in Perth typically range from AUD $1,000+GST to AUD $5,000+GST per month, with some agencies offering packages as low as AUD $500+GST or as high as AUD $39,000+GST.
We are currently working with one SEO client in Perth that's spending $3,125+GST/month on SEO.
What is the cost of SEO in Adelaide?
SEO services in Adelaide typically range from AUD $787+GST to over AUD $7,871+GST per month.
We took a comparative average cost across our clients in Adelaide and the average SEO campaign cost is $2,420+GST/month. The largest campaign budget is $3,960+GST/month and the lowest budget is $880+GST/month.
What is the cost of SEO on the Gold Coast?
SEO services on the Gold Coast typically range from AUD $277+GST to over AUD $3,000+GST per month.
One of our SEO clients on the Gold Coast is spending $5,940+GST/month on SEO.
What is the cost of SEO on the Sunshine Coast?
SEO services on the Sunshine Coast typically range from AUD $500+GST to over AUD $5,000+GST per month.
We took a comparative average cost across our clients on the Sunshine Coast and the average SEO campaign cost is $2,170+GST/month. The largest campaign budget is $3,450+GST/month and the lowest budget is $1,200+GST/month.
Costs For Different Types Of SEO Campaigns
What is the most common price point for SEO in Australia?
We took a sample across our clients and the most common price point for SEO ranges between $2,000-$5,000 per month.
Local SEO Cost
In 2025, the cost of SEO for local campaigns (including Google Business Profile optimisation) ranged from $880+GST/month to $12,125+GST/month. The cost for Google Business Profile optimisation ranged from ranged from $665+GST/month to $1,710
Larger Enterprises/Corporate SEO Cost
Larger companies often pay more for SEO because they require more extensive services due to the scale of their operations. We have worked on SEO projects for companies like Proctor & Gamble (Gillette, OralB) everything works on an hourly basis for these campaigns. Our hourly rate is $150+GST, and it's not uncommon for these projects to require anywhere from 200-500 hrs depending on the complexity of the project.
National SEO Campaign Cost
For clients working with us in 2025 on a nationally focused SEO campaign, including targeting multiple cities, costs ranged between $3,960+GST/month and $11,000+GST per month.
eCommerce SEO Cost
Our average spend on eCommerce SEO for clients selling products across Australia in 2025 is $5,157+GST/month.
Minimum SEO Investment
We have a lot of legacy clients spanning back 10 years, which we have on minimum budgets as low as $880. They have been spending this type of budget for many years and no more budget is required to defend and maintain their rankings. However in 2025 the minimum SEO investment to work with our company is $3,000+GST
Maximum SEO Investment
We have worked on one time SEO projects that have cost $15,500+GST, delivered within a single month, and quoted monthly SEO campaigns at $32,000/month targeting 32 different business locations across Australia.
Long-Term SEO Benefits
We have been helping sites rank since 2013. In those days, websites would increase in traffic and improved visibility in as little as 6 months.
In 2025, we have found that a brand new website will take a minimum of 12 months to gain traction in the market, and 12-24 months of consistent SEO to reach top 3 positions and gain the long term benefit of organic traffic and visibility in the market.
Factors Influencing SEO Costs
There are many factors that influence SEO costs, such as the location of the business or service offering, whose running the campaign (expert, junior, amateur, DIY, one man band, agency), the industry you're operating in and how big the campaign needs to be, to name a few. Let's break it down.
How does location affect SEO costs?
High density areas naturally attract more competition, with higher population and often higher income. This will generally mean the SEO costs are higher as many other companies are vying for the same traffic. On the other hand, targeting a lower level suburb won't have as much competition or as high a cost, but the traffic isn't there either due to socioeconomics and demand.
How does an SEO's expertise affect SEO costs?
Executing effective SEO strategies often results in higher costs because of the expertise required.
Experienced SEO providers don't often come cheap, and you don't want them to. Someone with a high level of understanding in different areas such as technical SEO, link building, on page optimisation, content marketing, semantic SEO, user intent, and comprehensive SEO strategies will cost an agency around 100-150k to hire, but they are worth their weight in gold.
The more an SEO knows, the higher cost it will be, but the more value they will bring.
How does industry competitiveness affect SEO costs?
If an industry is really competitive, there are only so many spots on the first page, and hundreds of people are competing for that one spot. The higher the competition, the higher the SEO cost, due to more resources required to get to the top.
How does the state and size of a website affect SEO costs?
The state and size of a website is a huge factor, and ranking a brand new website is more affordable on a technical and content level than an older site. This is due to older sites being all over the place and harder to 'clean up'. A newer site can be organised perfectly and rolled out with SEO best practices, with no extra cost of undoing penalties, disavowing files, fixing technical errors, performing website audits, auditing content, fixing old content, etc.
How does the complexity of an SEO campaign affect SEO costs?
Complexity comes down to how technically built is the website, what is the intent of the keyword, how well Google understands your site and the keywords you use. The more complex, the higher budget is needed to explain to Google what something means.
For example, if we're operating with a plumber, the keyword complexity is pretty low as Google is very familiar with this service. If we're operating with a more complex industry, the SEO cost will be impacted. If there are many locations or different services, or the campaign is international, there will be a higher budget needed due to more resources required.
Fact: The complexity of larger organisations necessitates collaboration with enterprise-level SEO providers who can deliver tailored strategies.
How does the scope of a SEO campaign influence SEO costs?
The scope and scale of your SEO project is what will determine your final cost. A good SEO company should understand the scope of your campaign and consider what it will take to achieve a successful outcome - there is no one size fits all cost.
What are the most common SEO pricing models?
SEO has come a long way since the late '90's, and with it has come many different SEO pricing models and ways to market them.
Different pricing models for SEO include monthly retainers, fixed contracts, one-time projects, or hourly payments.
SEO Hourly Rate
SEO pricing ranges anywhere from $50 per hour to over $250 per hour depending on the agency you hire. At Websites That Sell, our standard rate for 2025 is $150+GST/hour.
This is the simplest way to quote, and arguably the most accurate bang for buck. You'll get a budget based on how many hours the SEO company thinks they will need to get your results.
SEO Sprints
The SEO company will do a 'sprint' of a particular service, such as a 3-month sprint of content, then another 3-month sprint of backlinks. Each sprint will require different resources and prices as a result. This can be an efficient way to reduce costs.
Monthly Retainers
Monthly SEO services often start at around $400 and can go beyond $10,000.
This is one of the more traditional models and can vary greatly, with scarily low prices to overpriced. This generally means the SEO would do a set amount of things each month in a holistic manner, with the resources being shared.
Tiered SEO Packages
SEO agencies may offer tiered packages that include varying levels of service for different price points.
Another one of your traditional pricing models, you might see this as 'silver, gold, platinum', or 'basic, standard, advanced'. This works to provide more resources to different tiers within the package, and what you are quoted will depend on the competitiveness of your industry and the scope of your campaign.
Generally, the higher package will get you there faster (however there is no legislation to govern SEO agencies around this), and the lower packages will only be suitable for a handful of clients.
Project-based SEO
Fact: SEO pricing can vary from $500 to $5,000 per project based on the project's scope and requirements
This might look like a one time SEO audit, fixing the content across the site, a one-time SEO migration to a new site, or combining two sites into one. You will engage the company for a once off project and pay in full, or with a deposit model.
How Can I Get A Precise SEO Quote?
Quality SEO doesn't allow for a cookie-cutter approach.
The only way to provide a precise quote is to analyse your website and market. We do this with a free, no-obligation SEO analysis.
We'll show you exactly what your competitors are up to (and simple ways to outsmart them), what is and isn't working on your site and the hidden opportunities to accelerate results. It's perfect for busy people who need answers fast - but you must qualify.
1) You must have an active and healthy business already.
We do NOT work with:
Get Rich Quick Schemes
Network Marketing Companies
Adult Themed Material
Start-ups Without Funds
2) You’re already making sales.
Relying solely on SEO to bring in new traffic and sales is foolish. You need to have a system in place that currently generates leads and sales.
3) You have a solid product or service and a good reputation.
The way we work with every client is not only to generate more traffic, sales, and profits, but our secret system works in such a way that it generates goodwill (good karma if you like) in your market.
If you’ve read the above you know you meet the criteria, you know you can benefit from our services, and you think we’ll be a good fit, then we’d love to chat with you to determine the most accurate and effective SEO quote for your business.
Where to from here?
Learn more about the cost of our SEO services or what we think about SEO in general and if it's still worth investing into today.
Another common question we often get asked from prospects that are trying to understand the costs involved with SEO is "Can I just do it on the cheap?" we've put together a guide that helps you better understand the costs involved when cutting corners or doing SEO on the cheap. It's called the "Affordable SEO Guide" and a must read if you want to go deeper into understanding the costs involved in a SEO campaign.
At the end of the day the cost of SEO doesn't really matter as long as your SEO is generating ROI, you can learn more about how to calculate your SEO campaigns ROI here. If your SEO is providing good ROI and value to your business then the investment into SEO isn't really a cost, it's a marketing investment.