SEO Pricing in the US: What 33 American Agencies Charge in 2026
Prices taken from the pricing pages of 33 US agencies in 19 states, read and archived on 8 November 2026. USD, monthly, before any sales tax.
Short answer: a US agency's cheapest monthly SEO plan costs $999 at the median, and half of the 33 agencies we checked start between $499 and $1,500. Their most expensive published plans sit at a median of $3,499 a month, and 12 of the 33 list a top plan of $5,000 or more.
Where do most US agencies price their entry plan?
Most US entry plans fall below $1,500 a month: 24 of 33 agencies start under that line, and none starts above $2,400. The most crowded bracket is under $500, where 11 agencies compete.
Entry plan = the cheapest monthly SEO plan each agency publishes. Source: PMN SEO Pricing Index, US sample, captured 8 Nov 2026.
The spread matters more than the median. A $400 plan and a $2,000 plan are both "entry" plans in the US market, but they are built for different jobs. Sub-$500 plans are usually local maintenance: profile upkeep, a short keyword list and a monthly report. The $1,500 to $2,400 starters belong to agencies that only take on clients ready to fund content and links from month one.
How much more does national SEO cost than local SEO in the US?
Among the 5 US agencies that price local and national plans separately, the cheapest national plan costs a median 3.8 times the cheapest local plan.
The jump comes from competition, not geography. A local plan fights for a map pack and a handful of service keywords in one city. A national plan competes against every site in the country for the same terms, which pushes up the content and link volume needed each month. Multi-location businesses sit in between: one agency in our sample charges $800 a month for each extra Google Business Profile after the third.
82% of the US plans we checked (27 of 33) include Google Business Profile work, which tells you how local the US SEO market is. If you sell nationally and your quote is mostly profile and citation work, it is probably a local plan with a national label.
What do real US SEO plans include at each price?
Six published US plans, from $299 to $2,400 a month, show what each price actually buys. All figures are taken from each agency's pricing page on 8 November 2026.
| Monthly price | Agency (state) | Keywords | Content per month | Links or listings | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $299 | Rank & Scale (NJ) | 5 to 10 | 2 blog posts | 5 business listings | 2 page optimisations, monthly report |
| $350 | L3ad Solutions (FL) | 5 | 2 blog posts | 10 citations | 5 pages optimised |
| $497 | Milwaukee SEO Services (WI) | 20 | 2 blog posts | None; 4 profile posts | 15 pages optimised, no setup fee |
| $1,000 | Atlanta SEO Agency (GA) | 10 | None | No link budget | 5 pages optimised, dashboard |
| $1,100 | Jen Ruhman (CA) | 5 primary | 2 pages added or optimised | 3 authority placements | 10 hours of work |
| $2,400 | M16 Marketing (GA) | 50 | Not counted | Citations | 25 AI queries tracked, 6-month term |
Agencies are named because they publish their prices openly. Inclusion is not an endorsement or a criticism. Plans change; the archived copy linked in our CSV shows each page as we read it.
Two things stand out. First, price and output are loosely linked: the $1,000 plan above includes no content and no link budget, while the $299 plan includes two posts a month. Second, the more expensive plans count different things, such as hours, AI queries or authority placements. That makes a straight comparison hard unless you ask every agency to quote the same four numbers: keywords tracked, pages optimised, content pieces and links.
What contract terms do US SEO agencies use?
Month-to-month is the norm in the US: 15 of 33 agencies say so on their pricing page, only 4 state a minimum term (all of them six months), and 14 do not say.
| Term on the pricing page | US agencies | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Month-to-month stated | 15 of 33 | You can leave with notice, usually 30 days. Ask what happens to content and accounts if you do. |
| 6-month minimum stated | 4 of 33 | Common for national and ecommerce plans. Budget for the full term before you sign. |
| Setup or onboarding fee published | 4 of 33 | $350 to $1,500 one-time. One agency rolls setup into the first month instead. |
| Says rankings are not guaranteed | 10 of 33 | None of the 33 US agencies offers a ranking guarantee, which matches Google's advice to be wary of anyone who does. |
| Bundles Google Ads management | 2 of 33 | The SEO price includes paid search work. Compare it with ad-inclusive quotes only. |
Do US agencies charge extra for AI search (GEO)?
Mostly no. 15 of the 33 US agencies mention AI search, GEO or AEO in their plans, but only 2 publish a separate price: $500 a month on top of an entry plan. A third bills advanced AI work at $185 an hour.
In practice, US agencies are folding AI visibility into mid and top tiers rather than selling it alone. The useful question is not whether a plan "includes GEO" but what gets measured: which assistants are checked, how many prompts, and how often. One US plan in our sample tracks 25 AI queries at its entry tier and 250 or more at the top. Plans that cannot give you a number are describing an intention, not a deliverable.
What we tell US clients about their SEO quotes
Many of our US clients are local service businesses, such as movers and HVAC contractors. For them, the US data says something simple. Under about $500 a month you are paying someone to keep your Google Business Profile tidy. That has value, but it will not take a competitor's spot in the map pack or in ChatGPT's answer.
The quotes I would question hardest sit between $1,000 and $1,500, because that is where the widest gap in output lives. In this sample, one $1,000 plan includes no content and no links, while a $1,100 plan includes ten hours of work, two pages and three placements. Same budget, very different month.
If you are national, plan for roughly three to four times a local budget. That is what the US agencies that sell both kinds of plan actually charge.
Jahid Hussain, Founder, Paradigm Media Networks · works with US movers, HVAC contractors and B2B SaaS teams
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Compares your price with the published entry plans or top plans of 33 US agencies. Published prices only; agencies that quote on request are not included.
PMN's US plans, for comparison
These are Paradigm Media Networks' own prices in USD, not survey data. Starter, at $700 a month, combines SEO, GEO and basic Meta Ads for small businesses and sits below the US median entry plan of $999. The plans above it add more content, links and ad platforms.
All plans: 3-month minimum, then month to month. Search and above carry a $1,000 one-time setup, waived on a 6-month commitment; Starter’s is $350, also waived on a 6-month commitment. For SEO-only work for heating and cooling companies, our HVAC SEO plans start at $1,200 a month. Full scope is on PMN's plans page, and the work itself is described under SEO services.
Results from US SEO programmes we run
Running a moving company? Our moving company SEO page shows what that programme includes.
US SEO pricing FAQ
How much does SEO cost per month in the US?
The median US agency in our index starts its SEO plans at $999 a month, and half of the 33 agencies start between $499 and $1,500. Top published plans have a median of $3,499, and 12 agencies list a top plan of $5,000 or more.
How much does local SEO cost for a small US business?
US plans aimed at one location mostly start between $300 and $1,100 a month in our sample, and 27 of 33 plans include Google Business Profile work. Multi-location pricing rises per profile; one agency charges $800 a month for each profile after the third.
Why is national SEO so much more expensive than local SEO?
National plans compete with every site in the country for the same keywords, so they need more content and more links each month. Among the five US agencies that publish both, the cheapest national plan costs a median 3.8 times the cheapest local plan.
Do US SEO agencies require long contracts?
Usually not. 15 of 33 US agencies say their plans are month-to-month, 4 state a six-month minimum, and 14 do not say. Always get the term and notice period in writing.
Are SEO setup fees normal in the US?
They are uncommon on US pricing pages. 4 of 33 agencies publish a setup or onboarding fee, between $350 and $1,500, and some waive it or roll it into the first month.
Is $300 a month enough for SEO in the US?
It buys a small local package. At $299 to $350 a month, the US plans we read include about 5 to 10 tracked keywords, two short blog posts and a few listings or citations. That suits a business in a quiet local market, not one trying to overtake established competitors.
Do I need to pay extra for AI search optimisation in the US?
Rarely as a separate line. 15 of 33 US agencies mention AI search or GEO, but only 2 publish a separate price, $500 a month. Ask which AI assistants are tracked and how many prompts are checked each month.
Method and data
- Sample: 33 US-based SEO agencies that publish monthly prices on their own website, across 19 states (most in Florida and Georgia, 4 each). Address or registration was checked on each site. Directories, marketplaces, software tools and PMN were excluded.
- Collection: each pricing page was read by hand on 8 November 2026 and archived on the Wayback Machine. Prices are recorded as published, in USD, without sales tax.
- Measures: entry plan = cheapest published monthly plan; top plan = most expensive stated monthly plan. "Local vs national" uses only the 5 agencies that publish both.
- How we used AI: AI research tools helped locate pricing pages and summarise them. Every figure was checked against its source page, and the commentary was reviewed and approved by Jahid Hussain.
- Refresh: every 90 days; next update due February 2027.
Change log: 8 Nov 2026, first edition. Corrections or a missing agency: info@paradigmmedianetworks.com. For UK and Indian prices, see the full SEO pricing index.
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