SEO pricing breaks into three models: monthly retainers, hourly rates, and project-based fees. Monthly retainers are most common for ongoing SEO, ranging from $1,000–$2,500/month for small local businesses working with freelancers or micro-agencies, $2,500–$7,500/month for mid-sized companies using established agencies, and $7,500–$25,000+/month for enterprise clients needing technical audits, content teams, and link acquisition at scale. Hourly rates typically run $75–$150/hour for experienced freelancers or small agencies, and $150–$300/hour for specialized consultants or senior strategists at larger firms. Project-based work — like a technical audit, site migration, or penalty recovery — usually costs $2,500–$10,000 for straightforward jobs and $10,000–$50,000+ for complex multi-site or enterprise projects. What drives the range is scope and expertise. A $1,500/month package might include basic on-page optimization and monthly reporting. A $5,000/month retainer typically covers technical audits, content strategy, link building, and conversion tracking. At $10,000+/month, you're getting dedicated account teams, custom development, PR-level link outreach, and serious competitive analysis. Geography matters less than it used to — a Toronto agency and an Ottawa agency charge similar rates for equivalent work — but offshore providers in Eastern Europe or Asia often quote $500–$1,500/month, though quality and communication vary wildly. At Ottawa SEO Inc., we run retainers from $2,000–$8,000/month depending on competitiveness and goals, because we're managing a 500+ domain portfolio and bring that operational experience to client work. We've seen clients burned by $300/month providers who deliver worthless directory links, and we've seen $15,000/month contracts that mostly paid for account management overhead. The real question isn't the price — it's what you're buying per dollar. Ask for a breakdown: hours allocated, who's doing the work, what reports you'll see, and how they measure success. If an agency can't explain where your budget goes, that's the red flag, not the number itself.