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How much does SEO cost in Australia?
There is no reliable Australian survey of SEO prices. Two global surveys put the most common monthly retainer at US$501 to US$1,000 (Ahrefs, 439 providers) and the median at US$1,200 (SE Ranking, 135 agencies, 2023). My SEO and AI-answer visibility work starts at $2,500 a month, with a 3-month minimum and then month to month.
By Jarek Piotrowski · Last updated
What the surveys measured
- Ahrefs (SEO pricing, page updated 15 Aug 2024): "We polled 439 SEO service providers"; "$501–$1,000 per month is the most popular monthly retainer rate for SEOs, with 20.4% of respondents charging this rate." Global, in US dollars, with no Australian breakdown; the page doesn't say when the survey ran.
- SE Ranking (2023 agency pricing survey): 135 agencies from the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, the UK, Ireland and continental Europe; "The median monthly retainer is $1,200" (US dollars). Its own caveat: "We only received 135 responses, which isn't enough to reach statistical significance."
Australian agency blog posts quoting price ranges don't publish a method, so I don't repeat their numbers.
What $2,500 a month covers here
- SEO and AI-answer visibility (GEO): fixes, new pages, measurement in Search Console, Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT. 3-month minimum, then month to month.
- A short weekly email report, and a monthly call with me (or whenever you want one).
- Pages drafted and source-checked by me, approved by you before they go live.
- You own every account: domain, hosting, Search Console, Google Analytics and the content.
Questions to ask any SEO provider
- Who does the work, and will I deal with them directly?
- What will you measure, and will I see it in my own Search Console?
- Do you check AI answers (Google's AI Overviews, ChatGPT), and how often?
- What's the minimum term, and who owns the accounts if I leave?
- Do you promise rankings? Google's own guidance says "No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google".
See exactly what the work includes: SEO and AI-answer visibility, or start with the AI Visibility Audit.
Jarek Piotrowski runs LayerOps from Canberra: fast, lead-ready websites, and SEO and AI-answer visibility for professional and service businesses Australia-wide.