Find your exact rate
Typical project work, moderate complexity.
Factor in AI tool subscriptions
Your Rate
Day Rate
$450
Project Est.
$2,200
Retainer
$8,350/mo
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Community Data
What do you actually charge?
Anonymous. Helps improve market benchmarks.
How to Price SEO Services as a Fixed-Fee Project
Project-based SEO engagements typically range from $1,000 for a targeted audit to $20,000+ for a full site migration or content strategy overhaul. Most mid-size projects fall between $2,500 and $8,000.
Floor
$1,000
per hour
Typical
$4,000
per hour
Premium
$15,000
per hour
Find your exact rate
Typical project work, moderate complexity.
Factor in AI tool subscriptions
Your Rate
Day Rate
$450
Project Est.
$2,200
Retainer
$8,350/mo
Was this helpful?
Community Data
What do you actually charge?
Anonymous. Helps improve market benchmarks.
What changes the price
- Scope and deliverable list defined upfront
- Estimated hours to complete
- Complexity of the website or industry
- Whether the project includes implementation or just recommendations
- Revision rounds included
- Deadline pressure
- Client size and budget expectations
Real quote breakdowns
Keyword Research & Content Strategy
A B2B software company needing a 90-day editorial calendar backed by keyword and competitor research.
Breakdown
10 hours: keyword gap analysis, topic clustering, content brief templates, and a prioritized 12-post calendar.
Site Migration SEO Support
An e-commerce brand migrating from WooCommerce to Shopify needing redirect mapping and pre/post-migration monitoring.
Breakdown
Pre-migration audit, redirect map for 2,000 URLs, staging review, post-launch crawl, 30-day monitoring window.
Full SEO Overhaul Project
A healthcare services company with a penalty-afflicted site needing a full recovery and re-architecture plan.
Breakdown
Technical audit, penalty analysis, information architecture redesign, content gap analysis, link audit, 6-month implementation roadmap.
Frequently asked questions
When should I use project pricing instead of a retainer?
Use project pricing for defined, time-bounded deliverables like audits, migrations, or keyword research. Retainers are better for ongoing work with no clear end date.
How do I protect myself from scope creep on fixed-price SEO projects?
Define deliverables explicitly in the contract with a clear exclusions list. Use a change-order process for any work outside scope and include it in your proposal template.
Should I require a deposit for project-based SEO work?
Yes. A 50% upfront deposit is standard for projects under $5,000. For larger projects, use a milestone payment schedule (e.g., 30% upfront, 40% at midpoint, 30% on delivery).
How do I estimate hours for an SEO project I've never done before?
Break the project into tasks, estimate each task individually, then add a 25% buffer. Track your actual time religiously on early projects so future estimates improve quickly.