SEO Cost Calculator
How to Use The SEO Calculator
Tools Used
This calculator is designed to allow businesses to calculate how much managed SEO services should cost based on the variables of their current position and the competitiveness of their industry.
To keep things simple, focus on your most valuable keyword—typically your primary keyword and often the hardest to rank for. For an example, I’ll demonstrate using my website as I aim to rank for the term “SEO consultant Sydney,” so you can follow along.
Checking Positioning
To check your ranking, use the “What’s My SERP” checker, which provides 20 free searches daily and lets you select a location—crucial for local SEO since rankings vary by region. Simply enter your target keyword and your URL (homepage or base URL) to view your position.
Using my example, my page is currently in the 21st position, which places it within the “Top 30” on the calculator
Calculate Difficulty
This calculator uses Semrush data, with the difficulty ranges refined for greater accuracy. If the difficulty score exceeds 60, the calculator may not provide reliable results, and you should contact me or another provider for a precise quote.
To use, simply create a free Semrush account, input your keyword into their tool, and retrieve the difficulty score. Then add this in the calculator based on the ranges in the table below
Difficulty | Low Range | High Range |
Extremely Low | 0 | 8 |
Low | 8 | 15 |
Low Medium | 15 | 25 |
Medium | 25 | 40 |
High Medium | 40 | 50 |
Hard | 50 | 60 |
Using my example keyword, I would be in the high medium position, since it is inbetrween 40 and 50 (48)
Keep in Mind
For most small businesses in local areas, your keyword difficulty will typically fall in the low to medium range. This means your SEO costs are likely to be lower than expected. You can experiment with keyword difficulty and website positioning to see how this impacts your results.
If you want to learn more about the logic why these factors affect the cost, you can read my article about SEO costs
Accuracy
This is an estimate and may not fully account for various factors, such as potential inaccuracies in Semrush data, the strength of your backlink profile, the current state of your website’s content, the number of additional pages required to target desired keywords, or necessary web development changes.
For an accurate quote and explanation of costs feel free to schedule a call
