How much does SEO cost for a small business in the UK?

• £100–£300/month — Avoid. Nobody in the UK can sensibly do SEO work at this price. You're getting automated reports, recycled links, or someone abroad spinning content.
• £500–£900/month — Entry-level. Suitable for a single-location service business in a low-competition niche. Expect 2–4 hours of strategist time and modest content output.
• £900–£1,800/month — Sweet spot for most UK SMEs. Proper monthly content, technical fixes, local SEO, and a real strategist on your account.
• £1,800–£3,500/month — Competitive niches (legal, finance, trades in big cities). Includes serious link earning and PR-led content.
• £3,500+/month — National brands, ecommerce, multi-location. At this level you're paying for a team, not a single freelancer.

You don't have to commit to a retainer. A good starting point for many small businesses is a one-off audit + implementation (typically £1,200–£3,000), which buys you a prioritised fix list and quick wins. Then move to a smaller retainer (or DIY the monthly content) once the foundation is solid.

1. A named strategist who knows your account (not a rotating offshore team)
2. Custom content written for your audience — not AI-spam at scale
3. Earned links from real publications, not packs
4. Monthly reporting in plain English with clear next steps
5. No 12-month lock-ins — month-to-month is the modern standard

• "Guaranteed #1 rankings" — impossible, and Google forbids it
• Fixed-price "SEO packages" with mystery deliverables
• No technical audit before they start charging
• Reports that show traffic and rankings but never leads or revenue

For a typical UK small business — a tradesperson, local clinic, regional B2B, or single- location shop — £700–£1,200 a month for 6 months is enough to see meaningful ranking growth and lead flow. If that's beyond reach, pay for a one-off audit first and implement it yourself. Either path beats paying £300/month for SEO theatre.