Pricing guide · Updated October 2026
We sent the same enquiry to 68 Irish agencies to find out what SEO really costs. Here’s what they quoted, what each budget actually buys, and a quick calculator to estimate your own budget.
Short answer
Most small and medium businesses in Ireland pay €500 to €3,000 + VAT per month for ongoing SEO. Hourly SEO help usually costs €75 to €150 an hour, and one-off projects like an audit cost €250 to €3,000. Under €300 a month rarely buys real work. Over €3,000 a month normally means a competitive national market, an online shop, or digital PR (getting press coverage and links) as part of the package.
Key takeaways
- Most Irish SMEs pay €500–€3,000 + VAT a month
- Only 5 of 68 agencies gave a written price
- Your market, area and content needs drive the price more than anything else
- Divide the fee by €75–€150 an hour to see the hours you’re buying
- AI search should be part of SEO, not an expensive extra
- Ask for leads and calls in reports, not just rankings
On this page
- SEO prices in Ireland at a glance
- We asked 68 Irish agencies for a price
- SEO cost by business size
- What you get at each budget
- What changes the price
- How AI search changes SEO pricing
- Estimate your SEO budget
- One-off SEO costs
- Agency vs freelancer vs doing it yourself
- Is SEO worth the money?
- Red flags that mean you’re overpaying
- Slyne Digital’s prices, in writing
- Can you get help paying for SEO?
- Frequently asked questions
- The bottom line
If you’ve tried to get an SEO price from an Irish agency, you probably got “let’s jump on a call” instead of a number. We wanted to know why, so we tested it. Then we put everything we learned into one page: the prices, what they buy, and a simple way to work out your own budget.
SEO prices in Ireland at a glance
There are three common ways to pay for SEO in Ireland. Most businesses use a monthly retainer, because SEO works best as steady work over months, not a one-off job.
How SEO is priced in Ireland
Monthly retainer
€500 – €3,000
per month + VAT
Ongoing SEO. The most common option for Irish businesses.
One-off project
€250 – €3,000
per project + VAT
Audits, Google profile setup, directory clean-ups, site moves.
Hourly
€75 – €150
per hour + VAT
Advice, training and small fixes from a consultant.
| Pricing model | Typical price (+ VAT) | Best for | Typical length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly retainer (agency) | €500–€3,000 a month | Businesses that want SEO handled for them | 3–6 months to start, then rolling |
| Freelancer | €400–€2,000 a month | Smaller budgets with a clear scope | Month to month |
| One-off project | €250–€3,000 per project | Audits, setups, website moves | 1–8 weeks |
| Hourly consultant | €75–€150 an hour | Advice, training, a second opinion | As needed |
| Do it yourself | €0–€150 a month in tools | Owners with time to learn | Ongoing, 5–10 hours a month |
We asked 68 Irish agencies for a price
In October 2026 we sent the same enquiry to 68 Irish SEO and digital marketing agencies. It came from a small Irish trade business asking for a monthly SEO and marketing price.
The other 9 wanted a call, a meeting or the website address first. One gave a starting price, then stopped replying when we didn’t share more details.
These are the starting prices we were given:
| What was quoted | Price per month | Contract |
|---|---|---|
| Starter SEO package | from €500 | 3-month minimum |
| One channel (e.g. SEO or ads) | from ~€600 + VAT | Month to month |
| Full package (ads + SEO + social + website) | from €1,500 + VAT | Month to month, 1 month notice |
| Dedicated SEO campaign | from €3,000 | Usually 6 months |
| “Outsourced marketing department” | €10,000–€35,000 | Not stated |
What this tells you: the range is huge, and it’s mostly about how much work and how much competition, not some secret SEO formula. A €500 package and a €3,000 package are very different products.
SEO cost by business size
The bigger your market and the more you need done, the more SEO costs. Here’s where most Irish businesses land.
| Business size | Typical monthly cost (+ VAT) | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Sole trader or micro business | €300–€700 | A tiler in Navan, a mobile beautician |
| Small local business | €500–€1,200 | A dental clinic, a plumber covering one county |
| Growing business | €1,000–€2,000 | An accountant serving several counties, a B2B supplier |
| Competitive Dublin or national | €2,000–€3,500 | Dublin solicitors, national service brands |
| Large online shop or several countries | €3,500+ | E-commerce with thousands of products |
What you get at each budget
Price only means something when you know what work it buys. Here’s what a typical Irish business can expect.
| Monthly budget (+ VAT) | Roughly how much work | Who it suits | What’s realistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under €300 | 2–4 hours | Very small sole traders | Basic checks and a report. Rarely moves rankings. |
| €300–€900 | 4–10 hours | Local trades, clinics, salons, single-location businesses | Google Business Profile, website fixes, 1–2 pages or posts a month, local directory listings |
| €900–€2,000 | 10–20 hours | Businesses covering several towns or counties, B2B services | All of the above, plus a content plan, link building and conversion tracking |
| €2,000–€3,500 | 20–35 hours | Competitive Dublin markets, e-commerce, national brands | Technical SEO, regular content, digital PR, AI search visibility |
| €3,500+ | A small team | Large e-commerce, several countries | Everything, at scale |
The quick hours test
Irish SEO specialists charge roughly €75 to €150 an hour. Divide the monthly fee by that rate to see roughly how many hours you’re buying. €900 a month buys about 6 to 12 hours. Then ask the agency exactly what those hours will be spent on.
What changes the price
Seven things decide most of what you’ll pay. They’re listed here from the biggest effect on your monthly price to the smallest.
How competitive your market is
“Solicitor Dublin 2” is far harder than “tiler Navan”. More competition means more content and more links before you show up.
Local or national
One town is cheaper than all 26 counties. Each extra area usually needs its own page and its own Google Maps work. How local SEO works →
Selling online
Online shops have hundreds of product and category pages to optimise, and usually compete nationally. E-commerce SEO →
Links and digital PR
Getting trusted Irish websites to mention and link to you is slow, skilled work, and often what makes the biggest difference. Link building →
Content
Someone has to write the service pages, guides and FAQs. If you write them yourself, the price drops.
Number of locations
Each branch needs its own Google profile, page and reviews. Multi-location SEO →
The state of your website
A slow or broken site needs fixing first. That’s usually a one-off cost of €500–€3,000, not a monthly one. What an audit finds →
How AI search changes SEO pricing
More customers now ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Google’s AI Mode who to hire. Some agencies sell this as a separate, expensive “GEO” or “AI SEO” service.
For most businesses, AI search should be part of normal SEO, not a big extra. AI tools find businesses by searching the web and reading the pages that come up, so the same work helps both: clear service pages, consistent business details, reviews, and mentions on trusted Irish sites. What’s genuinely extra is checking what AI tools say about you each month and fixing anything they get wrong.
What a fair price includes for AI search:
- Checking your business details are the same everywhere online
- Clear question-and-answer content on key pages
- Schema markup so machines can read your pages
- Letting AI crawlers read your site
- A monthly check of what ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity say about you
Watch out for
- “Guaranteed ChatGPT rankings”
- AI packages that ignore your Google basics
- Hundreds of AI-written pages
- Separate fees for work that’s already in your SEO plan
Estimate your SEO budget
Answer six quick questions to see what a business like yours typically pays in Ireland. It’s a rough guide, not a quote.
Typical SEO budget for a business like yours
€700 – €1,200 /month + VAT
Your score: 5 points
Our Growth plan at €950 a month would usually cover this.
A rough guide based on Irish prices in October 2026, not a quote. Prices exclude VAT.
No calculator? Use the points table instead. Add up one score from each row, then match your total below. The calculator above uses the same table.
| Question | Answer and points |
|---|---|
| Where are your customers? | One town 1 · A county 2 · Several counties 3 · All of Ireland 4 |
| How competitive is your market? | Low 1 · Medium 2 · High 3 |
| How many locations? | One 0 · 2 or 3 1 · 4 or more 2 |
| Do you sell online? | No 0 · Yes 2 |
| Who writes new content? | You 0 · Agency, 1–2 a month 1 · Agency, 4+ a month 2 |
| Total points | Typical monthly budget (+ VAT) |
|---|---|
| 2–3 | €300–€700 |
| 4–5 | €700–€1,200 |
| 6–7 | €1,200–€2,000 |
| 8–9 | €2,000–€3,500 |
| 10 or more | €3,500+ |
One-off SEO costs
Not everything has to be a monthly retainer.
| Job | Typical Irish price (+ VAT) |
|---|---|
| SEO audit (a full check-up with a fix list) | €500–€2,500 (ours is €295) |
| Google Business Profile setup and optimisation | €200–€600 |
| Local directory clean-up (citations) | €250–€750 |
| Website migration without losing rankings | €750–€3,000 |
| SEO training for you or your staff (half day) | €400–€900 |
If money is tight, an audit followed by doing the fixes yourself can be great value.
Go deeper What's included in our €295 SEO audit →Technical, content, local and AI checks
Go deeper Or start with our free check →A short video with your three biggest fixes
Agency vs freelancer vs doing it yourself
| Agency | Freelancer | DIY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | €500–€5,000 | €400–€2,000 | Your time + €0–€150 in tools |
| Best for | Businesses that want it handled | Smaller budgets with a clear scope | Owners with time and curiosity |
| Watch out for | Junior staff doing the work | One person means holiday and sick gaps | It takes 5–10 hours a month to do properly |
There’s no wrong answer. What matters is that someone does the work every month. If you go DIY, our small business SEO checklist is a good place to start.
Is SEO worth the money?
It depends on what one new customer is worth to you. Here’s a simple way to check:
In that example, SEO pays for itself four times over. Work it backwards for your business: how many extra customers a month would cover the fee? If the answer is one or two, SEO is usually worth testing for six months. Always ask an agency to track enquiries and calls, not just rankings.
How long until it pays off, for most Irish local businesses:
Months 1–2
Fixes and setup. Little visible change yet.
Months 3–6
First rankings move, Google Maps visibility improves, first enquiries come in.
Months 6–12
Steady enquiries, as long as the work continues.
Red flags that mean you’re overpaying
Walk away if you see these
- “Guaranteed #1 on Google.” Nobody can promise that. Google itself warns against it.
- No clear list of what happens each month. You should know where the hours go.
- Reports full of rankings for words nobody searches. Ask for leads, calls and form enquiries.
- Long lock-in contracts with no exit. Three to six months is normal at the start. Twelve with no way out is not.
- Hundreds of cheap links. Since Google’s 2026 spam updates, spammy links do more harm than good.
- They won’t give you access to your own Google Analytics, Search Console or Business Profile. These belong to you.
Go deeper 12 questions to ask any SEO agency →With good and bad answers
Slyne Digital’s prices, in writing
We think you should be able to compare prices before you talk to anyone, so here are ours. All prices exclude VAT, setup is included, and plans are rolling monthly with 30 days’ notice.
Local
€450/month + VAT
One location, local customers
- Google Business Profile managed
- Local SEO for up to 5 service pages
- Review-request system
- AI search setup
- Monthly report and call
Growth
€950/month + VAT
Full SEO and AI search
- Everything in Local
- Keyword, on-page and technical SEO
- 2 new pages or articles a month
- Monthly AI answer tracking
- Link building and citations
Lead Engine
€1,750/month + VAT
SEO plus Google Ads
- Everything in Growth
- Google Ads managed (ad spend separate)
- Landing pages and conversion tracking
- Call tracking and cost per lead
- Fortnightly check-ins
One-off: SEO and AI audit €295. New WordPress websites from €1,950.
Can you get help paying for SEO?
Possibly. Local Enterprise Offices run the Trading Online Voucher, which can cover 50% of eligible costs, up to €2,500 (excluding VAT), for small businesses with 10 or fewer employees and turnover under €2 million. Digital marketing strategy and online trading projects are typically eligible, but the rules vary between offices and you usually need to attend a short seminar and get approval before you spend. Check with your Local Enterprise Office before you sign anything.
Frequently asked questions
How much does SEO cost per month in Ireland?
Most small and medium Irish businesses pay between €500 and €3,000 plus VAT per month. Local businesses in one area are usually at the lower end. Competitive Dublin markets and online shops are at the higher end.
How much does local SEO cost in Ireland?
Local SEO for a single-location business usually costs €500 to €1,200 plus VAT a month. That covers your Google Business Profile, local pages, a reviews process and directory listings.
Why is SEO so expensive?
Because it’s skilled work that takes time every month: fixing your website, writing pages people want to read, and earning links and mentions from other sites. You’re mostly paying for hours. A low price usually means fewer hours, not a better deal.
Is cheap SEO worth it?
Usually not. Under about €300 a month buys only a few hours of work. That’s rarely enough to beat local competitors, and some cheap providers use spammy links that can hurt your site.
Can I negotiate SEO prices?
Yes, but negotiate the scope, not just the price. Ask what would be dropped for a lower fee, such as fewer new pages a month or no link building, so you know exactly what you’re giving up.
Should SEO pricing include AI search optimisation?
For most businesses, yes. The work that gets you found on Google is mostly the same work that gets you mentioned by ChatGPT and Google’s AI. Be careful of large extra fees for “AI SEO” that ignore the basics.
Do SEO prices in Ireland include VAT?
Usually not. Most agencies quote prices excluding VAT, which is 23% in Ireland. Always check before comparing quotes.
How long is a typical SEO contract?
Three to six months is normal at the start, because SEO takes time to show results. After that, many Irish agencies work month to month.
Is it better to hire an agency or a freelancer?
A freelancer can be great value for a clear, smaller job. An agency suits businesses that want several things handled together, like SEO, content and ads, without gaps when one person is away.
Can I do SEO myself?
Yes, especially local SEO. Start with your Google Business Profile, ask every happy customer for a review, and make sure each service you offer has its own page. Read our plain-English guide to SEO to get started.
The bottom line
SEO in Ireland isn’t cheap, but it shouldn’t be a mystery either. Ask every agency for a price in writing, a list of monthly tasks, and how they’ll measure leads. If they can’t tell you those three things, keep looking.
Want a straight answer for your business? Ask Slyne Digital for a free website check. We’ll send a written price, not a sales call.
Get a written SEO price for your business
No sales call needed. Send your website and we’ll reply with a plan and a fixed monthly price.