An SEO audit is a critical step in any SEO service. This analysis offers a clear and often detailed insight into the state of a website. The price range for an SEO audit typically lies between 500 € and 3,000 €, and sometimes even more.
However, as there’s no one-size-fits-all method for SEO auditing, defining a fixed price can be quite challenging.
Factors influencing the cost of an SEO audit
The service provider, their level of experience, the nature of the audit, and the size of the site are all elements that will influence the cost of the SEO audit. The price can range from being affordable to being somewhat more expensive. Let’s start by looking at the content of the audit.
Contents of the SEO audit
Inherently, an SEO audit addresses the three essential elements that determine a website’s visibility on search engines: the technical aspect, content, and links. At a high level, while considering these three key SEO elements, an audit should examine:
- The site’s crawlability
- The site’s indexability
- Website loading speed
- Semantic and lexical quality of content within pages
- HTML tagging
- Backlink profiles
- Link anchors
- And more…
The context of the SEO audit defines its content
Depending on your specific situation, you might not need to audit all three aspects. Perhaps you’d only want to audit certain pages of your site that aren’t driving traffic or conversions.
What I refer to as a “specific SEO audit” addresses a unique facet of your online visibility. Naturally, the cost of such an analysis will differ from a more comprehensive one.
An SEO audit can also delve into other scopes of your visibility. We’ve known for some time that social media presence affects the credibility and trust that search engines attribute to a page or site.
An SEO audit might encompass an analysis of your social media presence and even your role as an author if you publish articles on web media or press platforms.
It could also explore your site’s visibility on other search engines like Yandex or YouTube.
The more holistic the diagnostic, the higher its price. But the audit’s content isn’t the sole determinant of its cost. Now, let’s look at the professional conducting the audit.
The professional conducting the audit
Whether the service is provided by an agency or a freelancer affects the audit’s price. Factor in the freelancer’s experience and their standards for an SEO audit, and the costs can vary considerably.
Cost of an SEO audit conducted by an agency
SEO agencies and digital agencies often have fixed SEO audit prices. They have their rate cards and stick to them. On average, expect to pay around 2,000 € for an audit conducted by an agency. Keep in mind that prices vary based on the audit’s context and content. Some agencies might charge more, others less.
Cost of an SEO audit conducted by a freelancer
There’s a misconception that services by freelancers are cheaper. The reality is different. If you choose a freelance SEO consultant based on their rates, your audit might indeed cost less – around 500 € per audit. However, there’s a risk the work might not meet your expectations or, worse, be subpar.
On the other hand, if you opt for an experienced freelance SEO consultant, the audit’s price will likely be higher, even approaching or matching agency rates – with audit costs ranging between 1,500 and 2,500 €. The difference lies in the quality of service. An independent SEO specialist may be more meticulous than an agency that might sometimes provide a basic diagnostic to less-informed clients.
To aid in your decision-making, pay attention to the questions posed by both SEO service providers. If they simply offer a quote without understanding your needs, they might not be the right choice. If your provider, whether an SEO agency or an independent consultant, asks detailed questions about your objectives and expectations from the site audit, you can be more assured of the quality of their work.
The SEO audit’s price depends on the site’s size
It’s evident. The cost of auditing a small business site with 50 pages will be less than auditing an SME site with an average of a hundred pages. And, of course, if your site has thousands of pages, it will take longer to analyze, leading to a higher audit price.
The SEO audit’s price varies based on the website’s nature
The type of site being audited also impacts the diagnostic price. For instance, e-commerce sites often have thousands of pages due to product volume and faceted navigation. Technically, they require more attention during the audit. The stakes are higher; a technical issue on an e-commerce site can significantly affect revenue compared to the same issue on a lead-generation site. SEO audits for e-commerce sites often have higher prices, possibly exceeding the averages mentioned in this article. Yet, this is justified by the specialized attention and technical considerations these sites demand.
Conducting a free SEO audit
Free solutions exist for auditing your site’s SEO. While these might seem appealing initially, they provide only a superficial view of your site’s status. They won’t highlight specific technical or editorial issues.
However, if you can’t afford to pay 1,500 € for an SEO audit and have a small site, this might be your best option.
The price of an SEO audit depends on numerous factors. Your first step should be understanding the nature and size of your site before seeking a service provider. For instance, if you’re certain your site doesn’t exceed 50 or 100 pages and its main goal is to generate contacts via a form, then an audit shouldn’t cost more than 1,500 €.