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If you run a trade or service business in the UK, you’ve probably heard about SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and its vital role in growing your online presence. But when you’ve asked for quotes, the costs may have left you wondering, “why is SEO so expensive?”
It’s a common question, and the answer lies in understanding what SEO involves and why you should consider it as an investment—not just an expense. Let’s break it down.
Why Is SEO So Expensive?
Let’s define what “Much” means for you. Big corporations are willing to pay £10k – £100k monthly for SEO because they understand the benefits. For a small business, a monthly cost of £600 – £1500 for local SEO is more than enough to ensure a positive ROI within 6 – 12 months. Let’s look at why SEO costs so much.
1. You’re Paying for Expertise and Knowledge
SEO isn’t something you can pick up overnight. It’s a specialised field requiring in-depth knowledge of search engine algorithms, consumer behaviour, and technical skills like website optimisation and content strategy.
Think of SEO as hiring a skilled tradesperson—like an experienced gas engineer or a roofer. If you want the job done right the first time, you’ll pay for someone who knows their craft. The same applies to SEO professionals. Their expertise ensures your website gets noticed by the right people and stands out from the competition.
SEO isn’t rocket science, but it’s complex and includes many different components, from creative to technical and strategic.
2. SEO is Labour-Intensive
SEO isn’t a one-and-done process—it’s an ongoing effort requiring significant time and resources. Here’s what SEO professionals typically handle:
- Keyword Research: Discovering the exact terms your potential customers search for, such as “boiler repair in Leeds” or “roof repair near me.”
- Technical Optimisation: Fixing issues like slow page speeds, broken links, or ensuring your website is mobile-friendly.
- Content Creation: Writing blog posts, service pages, location pages or FAQs to answer customer queries and target high-value keywords.
- Link Building: Acquiring backlinks from reputable websites to increase your credibility in Google’s eyes.
- Competitive analysis and SEO strategy: Just like when you’ve started your business, you want to find out who are your competitors, how they are doing, how they find their customers and how you can use that to your advantage to compete with them.
Each of these tasks requires time and attention to detail. For example, crafting one well-researched blog post can take several hours, and that’s just one piece of a much larger strategy.
3. SEO Takes Time to Deliver Results
Unlike paid advertising, which delivers instant results, whether negative or positive, SEO is a long-term strategy. You might see some progress within 3-6 months, but in competitive industries, it can take a year or more to achieve significant results.
Think of SEO as planting a tree. You won’t get fruit the day you plant it, but with consistent care and attention, that tree will bear fruit for years to come. This is what we preach at The Nurtur. The earlier you start working on your SEO, one step at a time, the better.
4. Advanced Tools and Technology Add to the Cost
Professional SEO agencies invest heavily in premium tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and BrightLocal to track rankings, monitor competitors, and measure progress. These tools cost hundreds of pounds each month but are crucial for driving effective results.
5. The Level of Competition Affects the Cost
If you’re in a highly competitive industry—think “roofers in London” or “plumbers in Manchester”—your competitors are likely already investing in SEO. Standing out will require even more effort, strategy, and budget.
For instance, if a competitor is publishing weekly blogs and has dozens of quality backlinks, your SEO agency will need to outpace them with better content, smarter link-building strategies, and consistent optimisation.
How SEO Agencies Estimate Costs
SEO pricing can feel like a mystery, but it’s based on several key factors:
- Scope of Work: How much needs to be optimised? Are you starting from scratch or building on existing efforts?
- Current Website Condition: If your site is outdated or has technical errors, fixing it will take extra time.
- Industry Competition: High-competition industries often require more investment to see results.
- Content Requirements: Do you already have content, or does the agency need to create it all?
Most SEO agencies charge a monthly retainer, which typically ranges from £500 to £5,000 or more, depending on the level of work required. A reputable agency will break down exactly what’s included so you know what you’re paying for.
SEO Cost Estimation: Example
Let me now give you an example of what to expect when you work with a professional SEO agency. No hidden fees, no dust in the eyes, no blindfolds. As a business owner, you should demand full transparency from your SEO provider.
For this example, I’d assume a 12-month SEO contract for a website with 20-30 existing pages. This works for any trade or service business including estate agents, solicitors, plumbers and a gas engineers.
Initial work required (One-off):
- Competitive analysis + research
- Complete site audit – SEO + Technical
- Keyword research and strategy
- Developing a site structure
- Initial On-page SEO (fixing page and heading structures, assigning keywords to corresponding pages, image optimisation and more)
- Fixing critical technical problems and improving site speed
This could take up to 100 hours of work but it’s unique to every website and business. Depending on how much an SEO agency charges per hour, it can vary from £3,500 up to £15,000. For this example, we assume the agency charges £35 per hour.
Ongoing work (Monthly):
- Writing service pages, location pages, guides and articles
- Backlink-building
- Performance monitoring and further optimisation on pages that gain upward momentum or do not get any traction at all
- Weekly and monthly reporting
Let’s assume that, based on the level of competition in your area, you need to produce 3 pieces of content per month and acquire 2 backlinks.
The average price of 1 professionally written SEO and conversion-optimised piece of content will be £200 and 1 backlink would cost around £150.
The total for the ongoing work will be £200 x 3 = £600 for content production and £150 x 2 = £300 to acquire backlinks.
Performance monitoring and further optimisation are typically charged per hour and SEO agencies need around 5 hours every month. If an agency charges £35, it will cost £175.
Here’s the total monthly cost:
£3,500 initial costs / 12 months = £290 (per month)
£600 (content) + £300 (backlinks) + £175 (management) = £1,075
£1,075 + £290 = £1,365 per month.
Note, this is an example to make it easier for you to understand the process. £1,365 per month might be applicable for a website that has a ton of technical errors and the pages need a complete re-write and redesign.
For other websites the cost could be £950 per month. Also, not every SEO agency would agree to split the initial costs into 12 months or would be able to cope with only 5 hours for campaign management.
It’s crucial to demand transparency from your SEO provider and ask for a detailed breakdown of the monthly price including hours of work requried and price per hour.

Do you want a free SEO cost estimate for your business?
Do You Need SEO for Your Business?
If your customers search online for services like yours, SEO isn’t optional—it’s essential. For example, if someone in Birmingham types “emergency plumber near me” into Google, will they find your business?
SEO is especially important if:
- You’re in a competitive industry.
- Your competitors are already ranking on Google.
- You want to grow your business sustainably over the long term.
- You want your business to become independent and not reliant on lead generation platforms or PPC campaigns.
Is Now the Right Time to Invest in SEO?
This depends on your goals and budget. If you want immediate results—like during a busy season—paid ads might be a better short-term solution. But if you’re looking for long-term growth, the sooner you start SEO, the better.
I always ask my clients questions that make me understand whether they are ready to transform their business. If you are in a position where you have another stream of leads, perhaps PPC campaigns or getting leads through Checkatrade or have a strong referral booster, you should invest in SEO 100%. The investment doesn’t have to be significant, but just to get the momentum going.
If you are in a position where you don’t have a consistent stream of leads and want to try SEO, don’t do it. The chances are that you run out of money around month 6 and have to stop the campaign just before you start reaping the rewards.
Think of it this way: SEO has a compounding effect. The longer you invest in it, the more Google trusts your website, and the higher you’ll rank.
In Summary: Why SEO is Worth the Cost
Yes, SEO can seem expensive, but it’s a long-term investment in your business’s future. When done right, it can:
- Attract more qualified leads.
- Reduce your reliance on paid ads.
- Help your business stand out from competitors and become an authority in your industry.
If you’re ready to grow your online presence, partner with a trusted SEO agency. Ask plenty of questions, understand what’s included, and focus on the long-term benefits. Think of SEO as the foundation of your digital presence—it may not be flashy, but it’s essential for sustainable success.
FAQs
As an estate agent, solicitor, or a plumber, the competition in your local market can be fierce. SEO requires time to build credibility with search engines, optimise for location-specific keywords, and create valuable content to rank above your competitors. It’s a gradual process of consistent improvements.
Can’t I just run ads instead of investing in SEO?
While paid ads provide immediate visibility, they stop working the moment you stop paying. SEO is a long-term investment that builds organic traffic over time. For a solicitor or gas engineer, organic leads are often more trusted than those from ads.
Can’t I just do SEO myself to save money?
DIY SEO can work in small ways, but it’s a time-consuming task that requires expertise in technical areas like keyword research, on-page optimisation, and analytics.
Of course you can do it yourself, it’s not a rocket science, but as a trade or a service business owner your time is better spent on acquiring new clients and delivering outstanding service rather than learning a highly specialised skill.
How can I tell if I’m getting value from SEO for my business?
Ask your SEO provider for reports on key metrics like increased traffic, local rankings, and leads generated. For example, if your estate agency sees more enquiries for property viewings or a solicitor’s site gets more calls, you’ll know the strategy is paying off.