Most tradespeople don’t actually think the problem with SEO is that it’s expensive. Scroll through enough forum threads and small-business subreddits and the real complaint is that nobody can tell what they’re buying. A £30-a-month “SEO subscription” and a £500-a-month retainer both get sold with the same vague promise to “improve your rankings” — and neither tells you what happens to the phone.
So instead of another price table, here’s the more useful version: what should actually happen with your money, and how to tell a fair quote from a padded one.
The price range you’ll actually hear quoted
There’s no fixed rate for this, and anyone who gives you one number is rounding off a lot. Recent discussions across UK trade forums and small-business communities show quotes anywhere from around £250 for basic on-page tweaks, £750–£1,500 for a proper audit, £200–£500 a month for an ongoing local SEO retainer, £2,000–£10,000 for a full website build, up to £15,000+ for a custom build with a deeper strategy behind it. Those are community-reported ranges, not an industry rate card — treat them as “this is normal,” not “this is what you should pay.”
The spread exists because “SEO” covers wildly different amounts of actual work. A cheap retainer might mean a few directory listings and a monthly PDF report. A higher-end one might mean the website build, technical SEO, Google Business Profile management, and ongoing content all bundled together. You’re not comparing one product at two prices — you’re comparing two different products that happen to share a name.
What should happen in the first 30 days
This is the part most quotes skip, and it’s the part that actually matters. Before you agree to anything, whoever you’re talking to should be able to tell you: which specific services and towns you’re being targeted for (not “local SEO” — your services, in your actual area), what changes in the first month, and how you’ll actually see a call or enquiry and know it came from this work rather than a referral or a directory listing you’re still paying for.
If an agency can’t answer “how will I know this is working” with something more specific than “we’ll send you a ranking report,” that’s worth pushing on. Rankings moving is not the same as the phone ringing.
Watch for the fee structure, not just the number
A flat monthly fee, a percentage of ad spend, and a per-lead fee are three very different deals wearing the same “SEO cost” label. Per-lead pricing in particular can look cheap on paper — a handful of pounds a lead — until you’re paying for leads that don’t convert, indefinitely, with nothing left over once you stop paying. A flat fee for owned work (your website, your Google Business Profile, your content) at least leaves you with something when the relationship ends.
Where we sit on this
We don’t think trade businesses need to spend thousands a month to get this right. Our full SEO package bundles a full custom website build with ongoing Local SEO and AI visibility for £500 the first month, then a flat £500/month after — no lead fees, no percentage of ad spend. It’s not the cheapest quote you’ll get, and it’s not the most expensive. It’s priced to cover the actual work, and structured so you can leave without losing everything you’ve built.
The bottom line
Don’t pick a provider on price alone, and don’t assume the priciest quote is automatically the most thorough. Ask what happens in month one, ask how enquiries get tracked back to the work, and ask what you keep if you ever leave. That last question tells you more than the price does about whether you’re buying an asset or renting one.
If you want a straight answer on what this would actually cost for your specific trade and area, get in touch — no obligation.
