How Much Does SEO Cost in the UK? A Practical Guide for 2025

If you’ve ever asked “how much does SEO cost?” and received an answer that begins with “it depends,” you’re not alone. While every Search Engine Optimisation project is unique, it’s still possible to understand typical SEO costs in the UK, what you should expect to pay for different levels of service, and what kind of return that investment should deliver.

In this guide, we’ll break down SEO services pricing across freelancers, agencies and in-house teams, explain how scope and objectives affect cost, and highlight how Yellowball delivers strategic SEO packages UK businesses trust, starting from just £1,500/month.

What Is the Average Cost of SEO in the UK?

There’s no fixed price for SEO services—but here’s a breakdown of realistic monthly costs based on typical service tiers:

The average cost of SEO in the UK sits around £1,500 to £3,000/month for a professional service with proven results.

At Yellowball, our SEO packages UK clients trust start from just £1,500/month with flexible 3-month minimum terms. You can explore our full SEO services to find the right fit.

What Affects the Cost of SEO?

The cost of SEO isn’t just about hours – it’s about the scope, objectives, and competitiveness of your niche. Here’s what typically impacts SEO pricing:

1. Project Scope

A simple local business targeting 5–10 keywords will pay less than a multi-location eCommerce brand optimising hundreds of pages. Scope defines the level of keyword research, content creation, technical optimisation, and link building needed.

2. Market Competitiveness

Industries like law, finance, SaaS and healthcare are extremely competitive. Ranking for terms like “mortgage broker London” or “business accountant UK” requires a higher SEO investment due to the strength of competing sites.

3. Technical Needs

Some websites require significant technical SEO, schema markup, or even full SEO migration during a redesign. Learn more about our technical SEO services and SEO migration support.

4. International vs Local SEO

If you’re targeting international audiences, you’ll need multilingual SEO, hreflang, and region-specific content strategies. That’s where international SEO services come into play, and they typically cost more than local campaigns.

SEO Services Pricing: What Do You Get for Your Budget?

Here’s what businesses should expect at different investment levels:

£500–£1,000/month

• Usually freelance SEO
  
• Limited hours and low-touch service
  
• Basic keyword targeting, generic audits
  
• Slow progress or minimal ROI unless in low-competition niche
  

£1,500–£3,000/month

• Entry-level agency or boutique SEO
  
• Custom strategy, technical audits, on-page SEO
  
• Regular content creation
  
• Link building and reporting
  
• Flexible contracts (like Yellowball’s 3-month term)
  

£3,000–£6,000/month

• Full-service SEO agency support
  
• Scalable content and link strategies
  
• Conversion-focused optimisation
  
• eCommerce and international SEO
  
• Monthly strategy meetings
  

Need help understanding what SEO means in practice? Start with our guide to what SEO is and how it works.

SEO Costs vs PPC: Which Is More Cost-Effective?

It’s a question many business owners ask: Should I spend my budget on SEO or PPC (paid search advertising)?

Let’s compare:

While PPC offers immediate visibility, SEO builds long-term momentum. Over time, maintaining organic rankings is more cost-effective than continually paying per click—especially in high-volume search categories.

Want to compare SEO and paid campaigns side-by-side? Read our article on how much paid SEO audit services cost.

How Much Should I Spend on SEO Per Month?

There’s no one-size-fits-all number, but here’s a benchmark by business type:

• Startups / Local Trades: £500–£1,500/month
  
• Small Businesses: £1,500–£2,500/month
  
• SMEs & eCommerce: £2,500–£5,000/month
  
• National / Enterprise Brands: £5,000+/month
  

SEO costs for small business owners often fall between £1,000 and £2,000/month depending on competition. Yellowball’s packages are designed to make this accessible without long-term lock-ins.

Explore our full range of SEO services, including eCommerce SEO, SEO consultancy services, and SEO audits.

What Should Be Included in Your SEO Package?

When assessing SEO services pricing, it’s important to understand exactly what you’re paying for. A high-quality SEO package should go beyond surface-level tweaks and offer a comprehensive, strategic approach. Here’s what that looks like in practice:

• Keyword Research

This is the foundation of any SEO campaign. Your provider should identify high-value, relevant keywords based on user intent, search volume, and competitiveness, ensuring your content aligns with what your audience is actually searching for.

• Technical Site Audits

A full review of your website’s technical health, including crawlability, page speed, indexing issues, broken links, mobile responsiveness, and structured data. This ensures your site can be easily read and ranked by search engines.

• On-Page Optimisation

Fine-tuning page titles, meta descriptions, heading structure, image alt tags, and internal linking to improve relevance and user experience without overloading pages with keywords.

• Content Strategy & Creation

Developing and delivering original, valuable content that targets specific keyword themes, supports rankings, and provides useful answers for your audience. This includes blogs, service pages, and long-form guides.

• Internal Linking

Structuring links between pages to enhance site navigation, distribute page authority, and support SEO-friendly site architecture.

• Backlink Outreach

Earning high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites through digital PR, content promotion, and outreach. This is essential for building trust and improving rankings.

• Performance Tracking

Monitoring rankings, traffic sources, goal completions, bounce rates, and user behaviour to evaluate SEO performance and adjust strategy where needed.

• Monthly Reporting

Clear, honest updates showing progress, results, and next steps so you always know where your investment is going.

At Yellowball, we go beyond checklists. Our SEO strategies are tailored to your commercial goals, whether you want to increase leads, grow eCommerce revenue, or build long-term domain authority. It’s SEO with purpose, not just promises.

Is SEO Worth the Investment?

If you’re focused on sustainable business growth, Search Engine Optimisation is one of the most valuable marketing investments you can make. Here’s what a well-executed SEO strategy delivers:

• Increased organic traffic: Unlike paid ads, SEO builds visibility in search results that drives consistent, long-term traffic to your site.
  
• Lower customer acquisition costs: Organic clicks don’t carry a cost per visit, which means over time, SEO becomes more cost-effective than PPC.
  
• Higher quality leads: SEO targets users based on intent, meaning your site appears when people are actively looking for what you offer.
  
• Improved long-term visibility: Strong rankings on relevant keywords help keep your business front and centre without needing to constantly boost posts or renew ads.
  
• Greater authority and trust: Ranking highly on Google helps build your domain authority and signals credibility to both users and search engines.
  
• Reduced reliance on paid advertising: As your organic presence strengthens, you can scale back ad budgets or focus them more strategically.
  

Importantly, SEO is one of the few digital marketing tactics that delivers compounding returns. Done right, the value of your investment grows month after month.

At Yellowball, we treat SEO as a strategic growth tool. Discover why SEO still matters in 2025 and how we can help you get results that last.

SEO Can Be Affordable

One of the biggest misconceptions is that SEO is only for big brands. At Yellowball, we believe effective SEO should be accessible to growing businesses too.

That’s why our SEO agency in London offers:

• SEO packages UK businesses starting at just £1,500/month
  
• Flexible 3-month minimum contracts
  
• A clear roadmap and KPIs from day one
  

We focus on impact-first SEO: aligning keyword strategy, content, and technical work to drive results.

If you’re wondering how much does SEO cost for a small business, you don’t need to guess. Let’s talk about your goals and show you exactly what’s possible.

Choose the Right SEO Partner

Price is important but it’s not the only consideration. Here’s how to evaluate a provider beyond SEO prices:

• Do they offer a clear strategy and roadmap?
• Can they show proof of results (case studies, rankings, traffic gains)?
• Are they transparent with reporting?
• Will they tailor the strategy to your business, not just traffic?
• Do they have strong technical expertise in-house?

At Yellowball, a leading web design and SEO agency in London, we combine creativity, data, and technical skill to deliver SEO that works across all industries, from health and legal to retail and SaaS. We’re proud to be the strategic partner behind businesses that want more than just rankings.

Get Affordable, Effective SEO That Works for You

For service and product-based businesses, SEO is one of the most effective investments you can make because it ensures your digital assets are working at optimal levels.

At Yellowball, we don’t do one-size-fits-all pricing. We do real conversations, strategic roadmaps, and tailored packages that align with your budget and grow with your business.

Let’s chat about your SEO goals. Contact us to get the ball rolling, and get your business to number one!