It's the first question every business owner asks, and it's the one most SEO agencies avoid answering on their website. Instead, you're told to "book a strategy call" so someone can size up your budget before quoting a number.
We think that's backwards. So here's a straight answer, along with what you should expect for your money and how to tell whether a quote is fair.
The short answer
SEO for small business in Australia commonly ranges from a few hundred dollars a month for basic packages to several thousand dollars a month for full agency retainers. Most small, local businesses don't need anywhere near the top end. What matters more than the price is exactly what gets done each week, and whether you can see it.
The four common SEO pricing models
1. Monthly retainers
This is the traditional SEO agency model. You pay a set fee each month for ongoing work. Retainers can work well, but they're often vague about deliverables and usually come with 6 or 12-month lock-in contracts.
2. One-off projects
Some agencies charge a fixed fee for a specific job, like a website audit, a Google Business Profile setup or a technical clean-up. Useful as a starting point, but SEO isn't a one-and-done task. Rankings drift when the work stops.
3. Hourly rates
Consultants and freelancers sometimes charge by the hour. It's flexible, but it's hard to budget for, and you're paying for time rather than outcomes.
4. Productised packages
A newer model where you pay a fixed price for a fixed, clearly defined list of deliverables. No custom quotes, no scope creep, no surprise invoices. This is the model we use at Not Magic, because it's the easiest for small businesses to understand and budget for.
What are you actually paying for?
Good SEO for small businesses isn't one task. It's a combination of ongoing work, including:
Website audits to find and fix technical problems holding your site back
Google Business Profile optimisation to improve your chances of appearing in the Map Pack
Citation management so your business details are consistent across directories
Technical optimisation including speed, mobile performance and schema markup
Content that answers the questions your customers are searching for
AI search visibility so tools like ChatGPT and Google's AI Overviews can find and recommend you
If a quote doesn't clearly say which of these you're getting, and how often, ask. If they can't tell you, that's your answer.
For a deeper look at each of these, read our guide to SEO for small businesses.
Why cheap SEO often costs more
Those $99 a month offers that land in your inbox are tempting. The problem is what they usually involve: automated link spam, low-quality directory submissions or generic content written for no one in particular.
At best, it does nothing. At worst, it triggers problems with Google that take months to clean up. If a price seems too good to be true, it's worth asking exactly what work is being done and who is doing it.
Why expensive SEO isn't always better
On the flip side, a big price tag doesn't guarantee better results. With many traditional agencies, a large chunk of your fee covers things that don't help you rank:
Account manager salaries
Sales commissions
Weekly status meetings
Lengthy reports full of vanity metrics
For a local business competing in one or a few suburbs, paying enterprise-level fees rarely makes sense. You need the core work done consistently, not a big team billing hours around it.
Questions to ask any SEO agency before you sign
Before handing over your credit card, get clear answers to these:
What exactly will you do each week or month? You want a specific list, not "ongoing optimisation".
Is there a lock-in contract? If so, how long, and what does it cost to leave?
How will you report results? Look for leads, calls and Map Pack rankings, not just impressions.
Do you guarantee rankings? The honest answer is no. Nobody controls Google.
Who owns the content you create? It should be you.
Are there setup fees or extra charges? Get the full cost upfront.
Is SEO worth the money?
The simplest way to work it out is to look at what a new customer is worth to you.
Say your average job is worth $600. If SEO brings in one extra job a week, that's $2,400 a month in new revenue. For many local service businesses, a modest weekly investment only needs to deliver a small number of extra enquiries to pay for itself. And unlike paid ads, the visibility you build keeps working over time.
Run your own numbers: what's an average job worth, and how many extra enquiries a month would make SEO a clear win?
What SEO costs at Not Magic
We built Not Magic because small businesses deserved a clear, honest alternative to overpriced retainers and too-cheap-to-be-real packages.
Local Tier: $250 per week. Website audit, Google Business Profile optimisation, citation management, technical optimisation and monthly content. Built for one local market.
Growth Tier: $379 per week. Everything in Local, plus weekly content and AI visibility engineering. Built for more territory and more momentum.
No setup fees. No lock-in contracts. Cancel anytime with two weeks' notice. Prices are in AUD and exclude GST.
Frequently asked questions
How much should a small business spend on SEO?
It depends on your market and goals, but most local small businesses don't need a large agency retainer. A focused, consistent package covering your Google Business Profile, citations, technical health and content is usually enough to build solid local visibility.
Why is SEO an ongoing cost?
Search results change constantly, competitors keep improving and your content needs to stay fresh. SEO works like fitness: the results come from consistency, and they fade when you stop.
Are SEO agencies worth it for small businesses?
A good SEO agency can save you time and deliver better results than doing it yourself, as long as the work is clearly defined, reported honestly and priced fairly for your size.
Why does Not Magic charge weekly?
Most small businesses manage cash flow week to week. Weekly billing keeps costs predictable, removes large upfront payments and means we earn your business every single week.
The bottom line
SEO doesn't need to cost a fortune, and it shouldn't come wrapped in mystery. The right price is one where you know exactly what's being done, you can see the results and you're not locked in if it isn't working.
If that sounds like how SEO should be, see our plans.