What does a basic SEO audit usually cost?
Doing it yourself versus paying
Free crawlers and search console reports cover many common issues, such as broken links, slow pages and missing titles. Doing it yourself takes time, but it costs little beyond your effort. Paid tools add more detail and reporting for a monthly fee.
What changes the price
Site size is the biggest factor, since a 20-page brochure site takes far less work than a catalog with thousands of URLs. Technical depth matters too, especially for JavaScript-heavy sites or multi-language setups. Some agencies bundle a written action plan, which adds to the cost.
- Number of pages and page templates
- Technical complexity and the platform used
- Whether a written report and a call are included
- Whether fixes are included or only findings
Getting value from the report
A cheap audit with a clear priority list can beat an expensive one that nobody acts on. Ask for issues ranked by impact, with specific pages and steps to fix them. Good reports make the next month of work obvious.
Ask whether the audit covers mobile usability, indexing and internal linking, since those areas often matter more than cosmetic issues. Request a short walkthrough so you understand each finding before you act on it.
Common mistakes
- Paying for a long report without a plan to fix the top issues.
- Assuming a low price means the auditor checked the technical details.
