SEO costs between $500 and $5,000 per month for most Canadian businesses, with the wide range reflecting differences in market competition, business size, and campaign scope. A local Ottawa plumber competing in a small service area might pay $500–$1,000 monthly for basic local SEO, while a Toronto e-commerce site targeting competitive product categories could easily spend $3,000–$5,000 or more. Pricing models break down into three main structures. Monthly retainers are most common, ranging from $750 to $3,500 for small-to-midsize businesses. Project-based SEO (like a technical audit and site migration) runs $2,500–$15,000 depending on site size. Hourly consulting sits around $100–$250 per hour, though few businesses buy SEO purely hourly since results require sustained effort. What drives cost differences is mostly competition and work intensity. Ranking for "personal injury lawyer Toronto" demands far more content, links, and technical work than "craft brewery Kanata" because thousands of sites compete for the first keyword. Site size matters too—a 50-page service site takes less ongoing optimization than a 5,000-product e-commerce catalog. At Ottawa SEO Inc., our engagements typically start around $1,200–$2,000 monthly for local service businesses and scale up for clients in competitive verticals or those running multi-location campaigns. We've seen the portfolio approach work well: owning the domains means we control quality and timelines instead of relying on outreach that may never land links. Beware of $299/month SEO packages. They either automate low-value tasks, outsource to cheap labor with no strategic oversight, or rely on tactics that risk penalties. Real SEO requires experienced strategists, quality content, and legitimate link acquisition—all of which cost real money. If your market has 50+ competitors fighting for the same keywords, assume you need at least $1,500–$2,500 monthly to make measurable progress within 6–12 months.