Search Science

SEO Pricing Built Around Your Market, Not a Menu

No two markets are the same, so no two prices should be either. Every campaign is quoted to do one thing: win your specific market and pay back more than it costs. We only take on the campaigns we believe we can win, and once we are full, we stop.

Apply for Your Custom Campaign AnalysisSee How Pricing Works

Campaigns generally range from about $700 per month in mid-competition markets to $7,000 or more per month in the largest, most competitive metros. Where you land depends on your market size, your competition, and your niche. The free custom analysis tells you exactly where, before you commit to anything.

Direct Answer

Search Science prices SEO campaigns custom, based on three data points: your market size by population, the competition level in your vertical, and the scope needed to reach a positive return. Campaigns run from roughly $700 to $7,000+ per month. We accept a capped number of clients and decline markets we cannot win, so every campaign we take on is one we expect to succeed.

Key Takeaways

  • All campaigns are custom-priced. There is no fixed package, because no two markets are the same.
  • Price is set by market size (population), competition, and your niche, from about $700 to $7,000+ per month.
  • We charge what it takes to win and return, no more and no less.
  • If we cannot win your market, we will tell you for free and decline the work.
  • Our roster is capped. New campaigns join a waiting list so every client gets full attention.
  • The free custom analysis confirms your exact tier and hands you a complete strategy before you commit.

Why We Do Not Have a Pricing Menu

In short: a fixed price list crams every business into the same box, so someone always ends up overpaying for things they do not need or underpaying for the work that would actually move the needle.

Agencies love tiers because tiers are easy to sell. But a $1,500 package has no idea whether you are a plumber in a sleepy suburb or a personal injury attorney fighting it out in a top-ten metro. One of you gets nowhere near enough to compete. The other pays for work that was never needed.

We flip that around. Each campaign is priced at exactly what it takes to win your market and produce a real return. That is the entire philosophy: one price, for one reason, results. If the math works, we tell you the number and what it buys. If the math does not work, we tell you that too.

That last part matters. If the search demand in your market is not there, or if winning would cost more than it could ever return, we will decline the engagement rather than take your money. We turn down more campaigns than we accept. It is the most honest filter we know, and it is why the clients we do take on get results.

How Your Price Is Determined

Custom is not the same as arbitrary. Pricing starts from hard inputs, beginning with how big your market is and how crowded the field is within it.

In short: we sort markets into three population bands, then adjust for your industry and the scope it takes to win. The ranges below are illustrative starting points, not fixed quotes.

Mid-Competition Markets

Population 250K to 500K

Smaller metros and regional markets with moderate competition.

$700-$2,500
/month, set by your analysis
  • Local and regional service businesses
  • Single or few-location targeting
  • Moderate competitive density
  • Faster path to first results
Find My Tier
MOST COMMON

High-Competition Markets

Population 500K to 1.5M

Larger metros where more rivals are fighting for the same rankings.

$2,500-$5,000
/month, set by your analysis
  • Competitive verticals and metros
  • Multi-location or wider service areas
  • Heavier content and link requirements
  • Sustained investment to hold ground
Find My Tier

Largest Markets

Population 1.5M+

Top metros and the most competitive verticals in the country.

$5,000-$7,000+
/month, set by your analysis
  • The most competitive niches
  • Major metro or national reach
  • Aggressive content and authority building
  • Highest scope to reach return
Find My Tier

Your niche moves the number

Two businesses in the same city can sit in very different places. A personal injury attorney competes against some of the highest advertising budgets in local search, while a local plumbing company competes on a much flatter field. National service businesses are scoped separately again. We weigh your vertical against your market before we confirm a tier.

Scope is the final factor

The last input is how much ground there is to cover. A site that is already healthy needs less foundational work than one carrying technical debt or a past algorithm hit. Your custom analysis measures this directly, which is how we arrive at a number we can stand behind.

Example Campaigns

A few illustrative examples so you can see roughly where you might land. Your real number comes from the analysis.

Local Plumbing Company

Market: 300K metro

Competition: Moderate

$700-$1,500/mo

A less crowded field and a tight service area keep both the scope and the price on the lighter end.

Multi-Location HVAC

Market: 600K metro

Competition: High

$2,500-$4,000/mo

Multiple locations and a busier field mean more content and authority building, which lifts the investment.

Personal Injury Attorney

Market: 1.5M+ metro

Competition: Brutal

$5,000-$7,000+/mo

Few niches in local search are tougher, and winning here takes aggressive, sustained spend.

National Service Brand

Market: Nationwide

Competition: Varies

Custom/mo

National campaigns are scoped on their own terms, driven by how many markets and keywords are in play.

Figures shown are illustrative ranges for explanation only and are not quotes. Your campaign is priced from your custom analysis.

The Exclusivity Promise

In short: we limit how many clients we take on by design, so whether you are spending $700 or $7,000 a month, you get the full attention it takes to win.

The quickest way for an agency to let clients down is to bite off more than it can chew. Focus thins out, strategy hardens into templates, and results slip without anyone noticing. We will not work that way.

We keep our client count to what the team can genuinely serve. When we are full, new campaigns join a short waiting list and begin the moment a seat frees up. The trade is simple: fewer clients, each with a senior strategist who knows their market cold. Your budget sets your scope, never the quality of attention you get.

It is a velvet rope, and we keep it on purpose. The waiting list is not a sales tactic. It is the reason the work is good.

What You Get When You Apply

Your custom campaign analysis is a genuine forensic review, not a sales teaser. It is the same body of work we build for every campaign we run.

In short: you receive a complete audit, action plan, and master strategy, and you learn the exact tier your campaign falls into, all before you commit to anything.

Confirmed campaign brief

Your goals, market, and priorities captured and confirmed so the strategy is built on the right target.

Full site audit

Every important page reviewed and scored for AI-search and SEO readiness.

Technical audit

A structured technical review covering the issues that hold sites back in search.

Competitor intelligence

A clear read on who you are really competing against and where they are winning.

Keyword and entity research

The terms and topics that matter in your market, mapped with search intent and AI-search query fan-out.

Cannibalization check

Pages that compete with each other identified, with a plan to consolidate them.

Content gap analysis

The money pages and topics you are missing, prioritized by opportunity.

Primary-pages roadmap

Page-by-page upgrade specs for your most important pages.

Topical authority map

The pillar-and-cluster architecture that builds authority in your niche.

Internal linking plan

Specific linking recommendations that pass authority where it counts.

Editorial calendar

A month-by-month content plan aligned to your market and seasonality.

Master strategy and executive summary

Everything pulled together into one strategy document, plus a one-page leadership summary.

How It Works

Four steps from application to a campaign built to win.

1

Apply

Tell us about your business and market through the form below. It takes a couple of minutes and puts you in line.

2

Forensic analysis

We run the full audit and market analysis on your site, your competitors, and your niche.

3

Personalized strategy and tier

You receive your action plan, master strategy, and the exact tier your campaign falls into, with an honest read on what is winnable.

4

Waiting list or start

If we are a fit and have a seat open, we begin. If we are at capacity, you hold your place in line and start as soon as one opens.

Request Your Custom Campaign Analysis

Get a personalized review of your site and market, your complete action plan and strategy, and confirmation of the exact pricing tier your campaign falls into. Free, and with no obligation. Apply now to claim your place on the waiting list.

No obligation. We will review your market and reply with your analysis and tier. If we are at capacity, you will hold your place on the waiting list.

Frequently Asked Questions About SEO Pricing

Straight answers about cost, tiers, and how the waiting list works.

How much does SEO cost per month?
Campaigns typically run from around $700 a month for a moderately competitive market of 250,000 to 500,000 people, up to $7,000 or more a month for the biggest metros above 1.5 million in the most cut-throat niches. Most local service businesses sit somewhere between. Three things set your number: how big your market is, how fierce the competition is in your industry there, and how much ground you have to cover to reach rankings that actually pay off. We skip fixed packages because a fixed package nearly always leaves someone overpaying or underpaying.
Why don't you just list set prices and packages?
Because a menu jams every business into the same box, and markets are nothing alike. A plumber in a 300,000-person metro and a personal injury firm in a 1.5-million-person metro live in totally different competitive worlds. We price each campaign at exactly what it takes to win that market and turn a return, nothing more or less. The free campaign analysis is how we land on that number for you, and it is the same diagnostic we would run on day one as a paying client.
How do you decide my exact price?
Three things drive it. First, market size by population band: 250,000 to 500,000, 500,000 to 1.5 million, or 1.5 million and up. Second, how competitive your specific industry is in that market, since a plumber and a personal injury attorney in the same city fight very different fights. Third, the scope it takes to reach rankings that return real money, which we measure during your analysis. Your tier comes out of that work, rather than being a box you pick off a list.
What if my market is too small or too competitive to win?
Then we say so before you spend a cent. If the search demand is not there, or if winning would cost more than it could ever return, we will tell you straight and pass on the engagement. We turn away more campaigns than we take. That is the whole point of the honesty: we only accept work we are confident we can win, which is exactly why the clients we do take on get results.
Why is there a waiting list?
We limit our roster on purpose. Whether you spend $700 or $7,000 a month, we will never take on more clients than we can fully serve, because a thin-stretched team is how agencies quietly let people down. When we are full, new campaigns join the waiting list and begin the moment a seat opens. Requesting your free analysis is how you claim your spot in line and learn your tier while you wait.
Is the custom campaign analysis really free?
Yes. The analysis, the action plan, and the strategy summary all come free when you apply. It is a real forensic review of your site, your market, and your competitors, not a sales teaser dressed up as one. We hand it over up front because it is the most honest way to show you what is achievable and to pin down your exact tier before you commit to anything.
What do I actually receive with the analysis?
A confirmed brief of your goals and market, a full site audit scored for AI-search readiness, a technical audit, competitor intelligence, keyword and entity research, a cannibalization check, a content gap analysis, a roadmap for upgrading your primary pages, a topical authority map, an internal linking plan, an editorial calendar, a prioritization matrix, and a master strategy with an executive summary. It is the very same work we build for every campaign we run.
Do you require long-term contracts?
No. Everything runs month to month. SEO needs 6 to 12 months to reach full return and we suggest giving any campaign that long to mature, but we earn your business each month through results instead of trapping you in a contract. And if we are full and you are on the waiting list, there is no obligation while you wait.
How soon will I see results?
Most campaigns show early movement in 3 to 4 months and meaningful results in 6 to 12. Search engines need time to crawl, index, and learn to trust new and improved content. Your analysis includes a realistic timeline for your specific market, so you know what to expect at each stage instead of being sold overnight rankings.
What types of businesses do you work with?
Local and regional service businesses, including legal, home services, healthcare, and multi-location brands, plus a handful of national service campaigns. Pricing moves with the industry because competition does: a personal injury attorney is up against far more than a local plumber, even on the same street. Your analysis factors in your specific niche when it confirms your tier.

Ready to Find Your Number?

Apply for your free custom campaign analysis and find out exactly what it would take to win your market, and the tier your campaign falls into.

Apply for Your Custom Analysis

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