TL;DR: Most U.S. companies pay between $500 and $15,000 for a one-time SEO audit, depending on website size, depth, and the pro you hire. A solid “standard” audit for a 200-page site usually falls in the $2,000 – $6,000 window. Anything under $500 is typically automated; anything over $10k should be enterprise-level and come with a battle plan, not just a spreadsheet.
Quick Snapshot: Typical Price Ranges in 2025
| Audit Type | Pages Covered | Typical Price |
|---|---|---|
| Lite “Health Check” | ≤ 25 pages | $300 – $1,000 |
| Standard Comprehensive | Up to 250 pages | $1,500 – $7,500 |
| Enterprise / eCom | 1,000 + pages & sub-domains | $8,000 – $25,000 |
Why the spread? You’re buying time, tools, and expertise. Bigger sites simply take longer to crawl, analyze, and prioritize.
What an SEO Audit Actually Includes
Even a lightweight audit should cover four pillars:
- Technical Crawl – Indexing errors, Core Web Vitals, HTTPS, architecture.
- On-Page & Content Gap Analysis – Title tags, keyword cannibalization, thin pages.
- Backlink & Off-Page Signals – Toxic links, anchor-text profile, authority score.
- Local/Mobile/Accessibility Checks – Google Business Profile, schema, ADA issues.
A worthwhile report ends with a prioritized action plan (easy wins first, dev-heavy tasks later). The deeper the dive, the higher the price.
Key Factors That Drive Audit Pricing
- Website Size & CMS Complexity
A 20-page Wix blog gets scanned in minutes; a 50,000-URL Magento store needs advanced crawlers and server resources. - Business Model & Goals
Local plumber? You may skip international hreflang checks. Global SaaS? You’ll pay extra for sub-folder, sub-domain, and language audits. - Depth of Analysis
A “surface” audit flags issues. A forensic audit tells you why they happened, how to fix them, and what they’ll be worth. - Tool Stack Costs
Enterprise crawlers like Lumar or Botify charge thousands per crawl. Providers bake that into your fee. - Provider Type
- Freelancer (solo consultant): $50 – $150/hour
- Boutique agency: $1,500 – $10,000 per project
- Big-4 or global firm: $10k – $25k+ for enterprise sites
- Turnaround Time
Need it in 48 hours for a board meeting? Rush fees of 20–40 % are common.
Common Pricing Models Explained
1. Flat-Fee Project
You agree on scope and pay a lump sum. Great for budgeting, risky if requirements change.
2. Hourly Consulting
Perfect when you only need spot checks or second opinions. Expect $100 – $300 per hour from seasoned U.S. consultants.
3. Retainer-Based Monitoring
Ongoing mini-audits (quarterly or monthly) bundled into a broader SEO contract. Helpful if you push code weekly.
4. Bundles Inside Larger Engagements
Some agencies discount a one-time audit when you sign a 6-month implementation plan. Read the fine print so you’re not locked in.
5. “Free” Automated Audits
Chrome plugins and SaaS dashboards give you color-coded scores. They’re fine for a quick pulse check but miss context and ROI forecasts.
Price Benchmarks (Real-World Ranges)
- Lite Audit (≤ 25 pages) – $300 to $1,000
- Standard Audit (up to 250 pages) – $1,500 to $7,500
- Enterprise Audit (1,000 + pages, multiple sub-domains) – $8,000 to $25,000
- Add-Ons
- Local SEO (multi-location): +$500 – $2,000
- Shopify or Headless CMS nuances: +$1,000 – $3,000
- International hreflang validation: +$2,000 – $5,000
These figures blend public pricing tables from agencies such as EZ Rankings, WebFX, and Neil Patel Digital.
Cost vs. Value: Calculating Potential ROI
Imagine your online store drives $50,000/month but organic traffic has plateaued.
- Audit uncovers duplicate content and slow CLS scores on product pages.
- Dev team fixes issues in one sprint.
- Traffic bumps 15 % → revenue up $7,500/month.
- You paid $4,000 for the audit + $3,000 in dev time.
- Break-even in one month, then pure upside.
Use this simple formula:
Potential ROI = (Projected Monthly Lift – Audit Cost – Fix Cost) / Audit Cost × 100
Plug in your own numbers before writing the check.
Hidden & Indirect Costs to Watch Out For
| Hidden Cost | Why It Matters | How to Control It |
|---|---|---|
| Implementation Hours | Fixing 404s or schema may need dev time | Bundle a dev retainer or get a fat dev-ops estimate upfront |
| Tool Licenses | Some agencies expect you to buy Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, etc. | Clarify who pays for what in the SOW |
| Stakeholder Training | Marketers need to learn new content briefs | Ask for Loom videos or live hand-off calls |
| Re-Audit Fees | Verification crawl after fixes | Negotiate a 30-day follow-up included in price |
DIY vs. Professional Audit: Which Saves You Money?
Go DIY if you:
- Run a sub-50-page site
- Already know Screaming Frog and GA4
- Have <10 technical errors to chase
Time cost: 15–30 hours × your hourly wage. If you make $100/hour, your true DIY “cost” is $1,500–$3,000.
Hire a Pro if you:
- Own a revenue-critical site (eCom, SaaS)
- Suspect a manual action or algorithmic hit
- Need a bulletproof plan for devs and C-suite
Hybrid Tip
Run a free Sitebulb crawl yourself, then pay a consultant for a 4-hour walkthrough. You spend $400–$600 instead of $4,000 and still get expert eyes.
How to Choose the Right Audit Provider Without Overpaying
- Ask for a Sample Report – Does it include prioritized fixes and effort estimates?
- Check Tool Access – Are they licensed for enterprise crawlers or reselling free scans?
- Look for E-E-A-T Signals – Speaking gigs, case studies, niche experience.
- Request an RFP Response – Include site size, CMS, goals, timeline; compare apples to apples.
- Red Flags – Guaranteed rankings, no discovery call, PDF dump with zero next steps.
- Negotiate Scope – If a vendor quotes $10k, trim deliverables to core issues and lower cost.
Real-World Mini Case Studies
| Business | Audit Spend | Key Fix | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Bakery (20 pages) | $1,200 | Fixed duplicate domain indexing | +45 % organic traffic in 60 days |
| Mid-Market SaaS (180 pages) | $6,000 | Consolidated thin blog posts & improved CWV | $400k ARR lift in 3 months |
| Global Fashion eCom (3 sub-domains) | $25,000 | Prioritized CLS & image optimization | +9 % checkout conversions |
FAQs About SEO Audit Pricing
1. Can I get a quality audit under $500?
Yes, if your site is tiny and you’re okay with a high-level scan. Expect minimal strategy.
2. How long does a $5k audit take?
Roughly 2–4 weeks: kickoff, crawl, manual review, report, and hand-off call.
3. Is a monthly audit subscription worth it?
Only if you ship code weekly or operate in highly regulated niches (finance, health).
4. Will Google penalties make an audit cost more?
Yes. Penalty recovery involves in-depth link analysis and reconsideration requests, adding $1,000–$5,000.
5. How often should I budget for audits?
Most businesses re-audit every 12 months; fast-growing SaaS teams do it quarterly.
Conclusion & Next Steps
- Seo audit pricing isn’t one-size-fits-all. You’ll see quotes from a few hundred bucks to tens of thousands.
- Focus on scope, depth, and deliverables, not just the sticker price.
- Run the ROI math: if fixing the issues can unlock an extra $5k/month, even a $7k audit is cheap.
- Ready to budget? Download our free SEO Audit Cost Calculator (Google Sheet) and plug in your own numbers.
- Or, if you’d rather skip spreadsheets, book a 15-minute discovery call. We’ll tell you in plain English how much your audit should cost—and whether you even need one right now.
