How much does SEO cost in Canada? An honest breakdown

“How much does SEO cost?” is one of the most common questions small-business owners ask, and one of the hardest to get a straight answer to. Here's an honest breakdown of what you're actually paying for, so you can compare quotes properly.

What “SEO” usually includes

• Technical basics: a fast, mobile-friendly site that search engines can crawl, with sensible titles and descriptions.
• Content: pages and articles that answer what your customers search for.
• Local SEO: your Google Business Profile, reviews and consistent listings on directories.
• Links and mentions: other reputable sites referring to you.
• Reporting: showing what changed and what it led to.

How SEO is usually priced

• Monthly retainers: the most common model for ongoing work. Price depends on how much content and local work is included each month.
• One-time projects: an audit, a website rebuild or a profile clean-up.
• Hourly consulting: advice and training if you'll do the work yourself.

Prices vary widely between freelancers, small studios and large agencies. Rather than trust a single “average” figure, compare quotes by what's actually delivered each month.

One real data point: our prices

We publish our prices. Our Starter plan is $499.90/month and includes 2 SEO articles, 8 Google Business Profile posts, 8 still video ads and a monthly report. Growth is $1,299.90/month and Dominate is $2,499.90/month, with more content, ads and landing pages. A website is $1,999.90 one-time. All prices are CAD plus HST.

Questions to ask any SEO provider

1. What exactly will you deliver each month?
2. Who owns the content and accounts if we stop?
3. Is there a minimum term?
4. How will you report results, in plain language?
5. Do you guarantee rankings? (If yes, be careful. No one can honestly guarantee them.)

Red flags

• Guaranteed first-page rankings.
• Vague deliverables (“we'll optimize your site”).
• Long contracts with no exit.
• Fake reviews or bought links.

For local trades, the fastest wins are usually free: a complete Google Business Profile and a clear website. Start with our Google Business Profile checklist and what a trade website needs.

Want help with this?

• SEO content for trades
• Our published prices