Most businesses pay between $1,000 and $5,000 per month for professional SEO services from an agency or experienced consultant. That range covers keyword research, on-page optimization, technical fixes, content creation, and link building for local or regional markets with moderate competition. If you're targeting competitive national keywords or operating in a saturated industry like legal or finance, expect $5,000–$15,000 monthly. Enterprise SEO for large e-commerce sites or multi-location brands often runs $15,000–$50,000+ per month because the scope includes extensive technical audits, hundreds of pages, custom content, and dedicated account teams. Pricing models vary. Retainer agreements are standard, with fixed monthly fees for a defined scope of work. Some agencies charge hourly ($100–$300/hour depending on seniority and location), which works for one-off audits or advisory roles but gets expensive fast for ongoing campaigns. Project-based pricing ($2,000–$30,000) suits website migrations, penalty recovery, or initial optimization sprints. A few providers still sell packages, though these are often cookie-cutter and don't adapt well to real business goals. What you get for the money matters more than the sticker price. A $2,000/month retainer should include monthly reporting, technical monitoring, content updates, and link outreach. If an agency promises page-one rankings for $500/month, they're either targeting zero-competition keywords or using tactics that will get you penalized. At Ottawa SEO, we typically see clients in the $3,000–$8,000 range because we're optimizing multiple sites in our portfolio and reinvesting revenue into content and links that actually move rankings. Geography affects cost modestly. U.S. agencies in major markets charge 10–20% more than Canadian counterparts for equivalent work, though remote services have leveled the field. In-house SEO salaries run $50,000–$90,000 annually in Canada, so hiring internally only makes sense if you need full-time capacity and have the workflow to justify it. For most businesses, a $3,000/month agency retainer delivers better results than a junior in-house hire working in isolation.