SEO pricing varies widely based on three factors: scope, competition, and delivery model. Local businesses in Ottawa or similar markets typically pay $500–$2,000/month for foundational work—technical fixes, local citations, and content updates. Mid-market companies competing regionally or nationally usually invest $2,500–$10,000/month for comprehensive campaigns including link building, content production, and ongoing optimization. Enterprise clients with large sites or highly competitive verticals often spend $10,000–$50,000+/month. One-time SEO audits cost $1,000–$5,000 depending on site complexity. A 50-page site audit is cheaper than a 10,000-page ecommerce platform. Project-based engagements—like a site migration, complete technical overhaul, or content refresh—range from $5,000–$30,000. Hourly consulting rates sit around $100–$300/hour in Canada, with senior strategists at the higher end. The pricing model matters. Monthly retainers provide ongoing optimization and adapt to algorithm changes, while project work delivers specific outcomes then stops. Retainers make sense for competitive markets where rankings shift constantly. Projects work when you need a defined fix—migrating to HTTPS, restructuring your site architecture, or recovering from a penalty. Watch out for dirt-cheap SEO. Anything under $500/month is almost always automated spam—link farms, scraped content, or black-hat tactics that trigger penalties. At Ottawa SEO, we've cleaned up dozens of sites damaged by $99/month services. The recovery cost always exceeds what the client saved. Also consider in-house costs. A junior SEO specialist salary in Canada starts around $45,000–$55,000, mid-level runs $60,000–$80,000, and senior strategists command $85,000–$120,000 plus benefits. Agencies provide team depth—technical experts, content writers, link builders—without the overhead of multiple full-time hires. For most businesses under $10M revenue, an agency retainer delivers better ROI than building an internal team.