Local SEO pricing · Australia
Local SEO pricing: what it costs, and what you get for it.
Four monthly plans, priced by the size of your city because that is what decides the work: from AU$297 a month for a small town to AU$1,997 for Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane. No set-up fee, no lock-in, GST not applicable.
Every plan starts with a free written audit and a quote with one number on it.
In one paragraph
How much does local SEO cost in Australia?
On this site, local SEO costs from AU$297 a month for a town of up to about 50,000 people to AU$1,997 a month for Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, with regional cities at AU$997 and the smaller capitals at AU$1,497. The price follows the size and competition of your city because that is what decides how many suburb pages, articles and links it takes to rank. Across the market, packaged SEO from directories and resellers usually sits in the low hundreds a month and covers little more than listings; specialist agencies in the capitals typically charge well over a thousand, often with a contract. We do the work of an agency, priced for the size of the job, with no lock-in.
Plans and prices
Four plans, one rule: your whole city, built in phases
First the suburbs where you do most work and where search demand is highest, then outwards every month. The report shows which suburbs are covered, which are next, and where you rank in each.
AU$297/month, from
Towns up to about 50,000 people: Dubbo, Mildura, Gladstone, Busselton, Devonport…
- 1 main service
- Service page + 3 suburb or region pages
- Technical fixes and schema
- 1 article a month
- Directory listings (citations)
- Monthly report
No link campaign, no media outreach. 3-month minimum.
AU$997/month, from
Regional cities: Geelong, Newcastle, Wollongong, Toowoomba, Cairns, Townsville, Ballarat, Bendigo…
- 1 main service, whole city in phases
- New suburb pages every month
- Articles that answer real questions
- Local links and citations
- Monthly report
No minimum term.
AU$1,497/month, from
Smaller capitals and the Gold Coast: Adelaide, Perth, Gold Coast, Canberra, Hobart, Darwin
- Several services, whole city in phases
- Suburb pages by priority
- Articles, FAQs, answer and AI optimisation
- Local links, citations, media pitches
- Monthly report
No minimum term.
AU$1,997/month, from
The three big metros: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane
- Several services, whole metro in phases
- Suburb pages by priority and competition
- Full content program
- Links, citations, media and partners
- Monthly report
No minimum term. Multi-location and franchises: quoted separately.
Not sure which band your city is in? The estimator on the Local SEO services page works it out, or just ask in the audit form. Businesses in more than one city, and franchises, are quoted on the number of locations.
What changes the price
Six things that decide what local SEO costs
| Factor | Why it matters | In the price |
|---|---|---|
| Size and competition of your city | Decides the plan. Sydney has more suburbs and more agencies fighting for each one than Dubbo; the work scales with both. | Starter → Metro |
| Number of services | Each service you want to rank for is its own page, its own set of suburb pages and its own questions to answer. | Included up to the plan's scope; more quoted |
| State of your website | A slow template with one “Services” page needs foundation work first. A solid site goes straight to suburb pages and links. | Included; a new site is quoted separately |
| Content volume | How many suburb pages and articles go live each month. More pages, sooner, costs more hours. | Set by the plan |
| Links and media | Directory listings are in every plan. Link outreach, industry media and partner work are in Regional and above. | Regional, Capital, Metro |
| Multiple locations | Each real location is a second set of pages and listings. Franchises are quoted on the number of locations. | Quoted separately |
Interactive
What would the same visitors cost you in Google Ads?
Google Ads charges per click. Type what a click costs in your trade and city (Google Ads shows it in Keyword Planner; tradies in the capitals often see AU$20 to AU$60 for emergency searches) and how many visitors a month you want. The calculator compares that with the plan for your city. Simple arithmetic, no projections of enquiries or revenue.
Your numbers
Ads deliver visitors from day one and stop the hour you stop paying. SEO takes months to reach the same visitor numbers and keeps delivering after. Most businesses that can afford both run ads while the SEO builds.
Cheap local SEO
What AU$297 a month buys, honestly
Our Starter plan is deliberately small: one service, a service page and three suburb or region pages, the technical fixes, one article a month, directory listings and a report. In a town of 30,000 people with two or three competitors, that is often all it takes to be on page one, which is why we offer it. It does not include link outreach or media, and it has a three-month minimum because that is how long the first results take anywhere.
What we won't do at any price: suburb pages that are copies with the name swapped, bought link packages, or a promise of a map position. Those are how “cheap local SEO” packages are made, and they are what gets a site filtered. If your town is bigger than Starter can cover, we say so in the audit and quote Regional instead.
Terms, in plain English
How paying works
Free audit first
A written audit of your site, your listings and the three competitors above you, with a quote. No obligation, nothing to pay.
Monthly, by card
One monthly fee, billed in advance. The quote has one number on it, and that number is what you pay. GST not applicable.
No lock-in
Regional, Capital and Metro have no minimum term. Starter has a three-month minimum. Change plan up or down as your goals change.
Everything stays yours
Pages, content, listings, Search Console: all in your name. If you leave, you keep it all and get a list of what was done.
Questions about pricing
Straight answers
How much does local SEO cost in Australia?
On this site, from AU$297 a month for a small town to AU$1,997 a month for Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, priced by the size and competition of your city. Across the Australian market, packaged SEO sold by directories and large resellers usually sits in the low hundreds a month and covers little more than listings; specialist agencies in the capitals typically charge well over a thousand a month, often with a contract. We sit between the two: the work of an agency, priced for the size of the job, with no lock-in.
Is there a set-up fee?
No. The first month includes the technical fixes, the tracking and the first service pages. The only separate quote is a new website if you don't have one, or a rebuild if the current one can't be fixed; see Website design.
What does “from” mean on the prices?
The plan price covers the scope listed on its card. “From” exists because some businesses want more services than the plan includes, a second location, or a faster content pace. The free audit ends with a written quote with one number on it, and that number is what you pay every month.
Are there any hidden costs?
No. The monthly fee covers the work in your plan. Two things can cost extra, and both are agreed in writing before they happen: a new website, and the handful of directories or industry awards that charge a listing fee, which we only suggest when they are worth it. We never ask you to pay for links.
Do I pay for links or directory listings?
The listings and links in your plan are included in the fee; we do the work of getting them. A few Australian directories and industry bodies charge their own fee for a listing or a membership. When one is worth it for your business, we say so, you decide, and you pay them directly. We don't resell links and we don't buy link packages, because they are what gets sites filtered.
Is cheap local SEO worth it?
It depends on what the cheap price buys. Our Starter plan is deliberately small: one service, a few suburb pages, the technical basics and listings, for a town where that is enough to rank. What is not worth it is a cheap package that promises everything: those are paid for with copied suburb pages and bought links, and the saving disappears the first time Google filters the site.
Can I change plan or cancel?
Yes. Plans are billed monthly and you can move up or down as your city or your goals change. Regional, Capital and Metro have no minimum term; Starter has a three-month minimum because the first results take that long in any town. Everything built stays with you.
Does the price include GST?
SEO Mates is not registered for GST, so GST is not applicable and no GST is added to the prices shown.
Free local audit and quote
Get the one number for your business, in writing.
Tell us your trade and your city. Within two business days you get the audit, the plan that fits and the quote. No sales calls: everything in writing.
- Which plan your city falls into, and why
- Where you rank today for your top five searches
- The pages you are missing, against the top three
- The quote, with one number and no surprises