Frank the Local SEO Guy logo
Menu
Frank the Local SEO Guy > Local SEO Services for Small Local Businesses > How Much Does Local SEO Cost?

How Much Does Local SEO Cost?

Table of Contents+

Local SEO typically costs between $300 to $3,000 per month for small businesses in 2025, depending on your specific needs, market competition, and how many locations you have. For most of my small business clients, a solid local SEO campaign starts around $500 to $1,500 monthly to see meaningful results.

What Factors Impact Your Local SEO Investment?

Let’s break down why local SEO pricing varies so much and what you’re really paying for:

✔️ Types of Local SEO Services

There are basically three main pricing tiers I see in the market:

Automated Local SEO: $84 to $499 per year. These are basic directory submission tools that push your business info to data providers. Honestly, they’re better than nothing, but they won’t move the needle much on your rankings.

Small Scale Local SEO: $399 to $1,500 per month. This is where most small local businesses should start. These packages typically include:

Comprehensive Local SEO: $1,500 to $5,000+ per month. For businesses in competitive markets or with multiple locations, this level provides:

  • Advanced keyword strategy
  • In depth content creation
  • Technical SEO improvements
  • Review management
  • Link building (crucial for competitive markets)
  • Regular reporting and strategy adjustments

✔️ Your Market Competition

I’ll be straight with you, if you’re a plumber in NYC, you’ll need to spend more than if you’re the only locksmith in a small town. The more competitors fighting for those same local searches, the more aggressive (and expensive) your strategy needs to be.

✔️ Number of Locations

Each location typically adds costs to your SEO campaign. For multi location businesses, expect to pay at least 50% more per additional location, as each needs its own:

✔️ Your Business Size and Goals

A small mom and pop shop with modest growth goals might do fine with a $500/month campaign. But if you’re looking to dominate your local market and grow significantly, you’ll likely need to invest $1,500+ monthly.

What Should You Actually Spend?

Most small local businesses I work with allocate between 6% to 15% of their marketing budget to local SEO. For perspective, if you’re making $20,000 monthly in revenue, investing $1,000 to $1,500 in local SEO makes sense if you want real results. You can use my Local SEO ROI Calculator to see what return you might expect.

Remember, cheap SEO is like cheap shoes. They might feel fine at first, but you’ll end up paying more in the long run when they fall apart. That’s why I’ve written about why 99% of SEO plugins are garbage.

The ROI on good local SEO is outstanding. Nearly 90% of businesses report being happy with their return on local SEO investment because those Google searches represent people actively looking for your services right now. That’s what makes local lead generation so powerful.

If you’re struggling to figure out exactly what your local business needs from an SEO standpoint, let’s talk. I offer Free Strategy Sessions where we can dig into your specific situation and map out a plan that makes sense for your business and budget. You can also start with a Free Website SEO Audit to see where you currently stand.

 

How Much Does Local SEO Cost?