Quick answer
Most SEO agencies charge a monthly retainer between €2,000 and €10,000, with enterprise programmes running higher. Freelancers sit lower, around €600–2,000 a month, and bring one person rather than a team. At WGXL our retainers run €800–1,500 for a focused single-channel scope, €1,500–3,000 for most multi-channel engagements, and €3,000–10,000 for a full growth engine. One-off projects are scoped separately and start from €350. Every number here is real, and nobody who quotes you a price without scoping the work first should be trusted.
Why nobody gives you a straight number
Search “how much does an SEO agency cost” and you get ten pages that never name a price. There is a reason: cost genuinely depends on scope, and agencies are wary of quoting a figure that scares off a good-fit client or underprices a big one. Fair enough. But it has produced an entire category of evasive content, and it leaves you no wiser.
So here is the honest version, with real market data and our own rate card.
The market, in real numbers
According to Clutch’s 2026 SEO pricing guide, agency retainers typically run €2,000–10,000 per month, with national and enterprise campaigns exceeding €15,000 in high-cost markets. The Ahrefs pricing survey of 439 SEO professionals puts the average hourly rate at $111, with agencies and freelancers most commonly at $75–100 and consultants at $100–150.
Two things to notice. First, the range is enormous — a factor of ten — because “SEO” covers everything from a monthly audit to a full content-and-links programme. Second, geography matters: US metro pricing runs well above what a European engagement typically costs, so take dollar figures as a ceiling, not a benchmark.
The three ways agencies price
Monthly retainer
A fixed monthly fee for an ongoing programme. Best for SEO, because SEO is not a one-off — it compounds, and it needs continuous work. A good retainer includes strategy, execution, and monthly reporting against leads and pipeline, not just rankings.
Project-based
A fixed price for a defined piece of work — a technical audit, a migration, a set of landing pages. Best when the scope has clear edges. Ours start from €350 and scale with complexity.
Hourly
Useful for advisory or ad-hoc work, less so for a growth programme, because the incentive points the wrong way — you pay for time, not outcomes. We rarely recommend it for ongoing SEO.
What WGXL actually charges
Starter — €800–1,500/month. A focused scope, usually a single channel, for smaller teams or a specific goal. Enough to move one thing meaningfully.
Growth — €1,500–3,000/month. Where most engagements sit. Multi-channel — typically SEO paired with paid or web — with strategy, build and measurement in one place.
Scale — €3,000–10,000/month. The full growth engine: programmatic SEO, paid, and often software, run as one compounding system.
Projects are scoped separately, from €350 depending on the work. Whatever the band, the price is set after a free audit, and there are no hidden fees.
What actually moves the price
Within any band, four things decide where you land: how competitive your market is, how much has to be built from scratch versus fixed, how fast you want results, and how many channels you run at once. A dental clinic in one city and a SaaS selling across Europe are not the same job, and honest pricing reflects that.
A number that means nothing on its own
The real question is not “what does it cost” but “what does it return.” A €3,000 retainer that generates €30,000 in pipeline is cheap; an €800 one that generates nothing is expensive. Before you compare quotes, get each agency to tell you what outcome they expect and how they will measure it. That is the number that matters.
Book a 30-minute strategy call and we will scope your engagement and give you a real band on the call — no obligation.
FAQ
How much does an SEO agency cost per month?
Market retainers typically run €2,000–10,000 per month, higher for enterprise. WGXL retainers run €800–1,500 for a focused scope, €1,500–3,000 for most engagements, and €3,000–10,000 for a full growth engine.
Is a freelancer cheaper than an agency?
Usually yes — around €600–2,000 a month — but you get one person instead of a team of strategist, writer, technical specialist and account manager. It is the right choice for a narrow scope, the wrong one for a full programme.
Why won’t agencies quote a price up front?
Because cost genuinely depends on scope, and a number quoted before scoping is either too high or too low. A good agency gives you a real band after a short audit, not a guess on a landing page.
What is a fair SEO budget for a small business?
If you are testing the water, a focused single-channel retainer from around €800 a month is a sensible start. The key is matching budget to one clear goal rather than spreading it thin across everything.
Sources
Clutch, 2026 SEO Pricing Guide — clutch.co. Ahrefs, SEO pricing survey of 439 professionals — ahrefs.com. Verified at source on 11 July 2026.