Every business, from startups to SMEs, wants their brand to be the first thing users see on search engines. This is where SEO services come into play. For businesses, knowing - and understanding - the cost and pricing models of SEO is pivotal for making informed decisions and maximizing ROI.
Let's dive into the intricacies of SEO rates in the Philippines and take a look at some pricing models for such comprehensive SEO services.
Pricing Scale for SEO Services In 2025
Be warned, many "SEOs" (notice the quotes) will offer their SEO services at bottom-of-the-barrel prices just to get an unknowing business owner to sign a contract.
But think about it this way: How far can $250 to $300 per month really take your business?
Here's a typical pricing scale for SEO services if you're thinking of outsourcing in the Philippines:
If for any reason you decide to hire freelancers in the $300 price range, be sure to vet the SEO Specialist properly and ask what specific tasks will be included in their proposed SEO campaign. Ask questions like:
- How many target keywords will you optimize?
- Will you write the content yourself? How about creating linkable assets?
Breakdown: A Hypothetical Scenario on SEO Costs
Let me share with you a "hypothetical" scenario.
Let's say you're a real estate agent offering a rent-to-own scheme for homebuyers. You want to rank your website for terms like "rent to own homes in Maricopa AZ", with the following assumptions:
A typical SEO campaign might include these costs:
Task | Approx. Hours | 6-month cost |
|---|---|---|
Keyword Research | 10 hrs | $200 |
Content Creation + On-Page SEO I start creating relevant content. These tasks include using tools like SurferSEO and RankMath to make sure that each page is optimized for the SERPs. Let's say you want to cover 23 counties. That's 23 pages.. | 138 hrs | $2760 |
Technical SEO Ensure that each page is mobile-optimized, loads fast, and can be easily indexed by search engines. | 24 hrs | $480 |
Link Building Finally I kickstart a link building campaign to secure high-domain authority websites at a rate of about 5-7 links per month. Budget of links: $100/link | Outreach: 240 hrs Link Budget: $3000 | $7800 |
Conversion Rate Optimization Test various landing page set ups, button colors and placements, and landing page copies to find the version that converts the most leads. | 48 hrs | $960 |
SEO Tools | Cell | Shouldered by me |
Cell | TOTAL | $12,200 (for 6 months) |
Monthly Cost | $2,033.33/month |
An average of $2,033/month for everything. Take note that these are on the lower end of the cost spectrum. Depending on the expertise and scope of the project, the SEO Specialist might charge higher rates.
What Factors Affect SEO Services Cost?
Monthly SEO pricing varies based on several factors:
Competitive industries, such as finance, gambling, or e-commerce often entail steeper SEO costs due to the intensive efforts needed to rank.
The website's current SEO health can also influence prices: sites with minimal prior SEO might need more foundational work and, consequently, might be pricier to optimize.
Finally, the reputation and expertise of the SEO service provider come into play. Established industry leaders might charge more, banking on their proven track record, while newcomers might offer competitive rates to gain a foothold.
For example, 10 links per month for a local travel agency might be enough to take the first page, but a similar volume of links will be grossly inadequate for multinational companies in finance.
Our SEO Packages & Pricing for 2025
Our SEO packages come with a website audit, keyword research, content strategy and creation, on-page SEO, link building, and monthly growth reports.
Our general packages is indicated below, but please reach out to us for more details about the plans.
Great value: with my SEO packages you get the same or better services at up to 67% less cost. We're also not too affordable to the point that shortcuts or compromises has to be made to run your campaign.
Please note that custom campaigns come with a free SEO audit and SEO analysis to see if a custom SEO campaign is a good fit for you.
Price vs Other Countries
Here's a quick comparison of my rates vs how much it would cost you to hire locally.
Country | PH | USA | UK | Canada | AU | NZ |
Annual Salary (USD) | $24,400 | $64,527 | $39,526.80 | $53,845 | $45,547.64 | $36,027.81 |
Data taken from glassdoor.com on December 2024. There might be some discrepancy when you check it yourself, but probably only by a small margin. I only included 5 countries because these are where all my clients come from.
This means on average, a client with yours truly will save anywhere from 32% to 62% a year in SEO costs, depending on the package they avail with us. In dollar values, that's around $11,627.81 to $24,335.47 a year in SEO costs.
Full-Time Employee vs. Freelancers or Agencies
Should businesses rely on in-house teams, traditional SEO companies, or SEO freelancers or agencies ? Here are three reasons why many are finding that freelancers might provide a more tailored solution for ongoing SEO services:
Cost Efficient
Hiring a freelancer an agency means you don't have to bear the overhead costs associated with full-time employees, such as health benefits, retirement contributions, workspace, utilities, and equipment.
Additionally, freelancers and agencies often charge based on the project, by a monthly retainer, or by the hour but with set deliverables. This means you only pay for what you get, rather than a fixed monthly salary regardless of output.
Flexible
You can easily adjust the scope of work based on your current requirements. During lean periods or off-seasons, you can cut back, and during peak times, you can ramp up without the complexities of hiring or laying off staff.
Quick Onboarding
Most freelancers and SEO agencies are used to jumping into projects and quickly getting up to speed. This reduces the ramp-up time typically needed with new full-time employees.
Additionally, if things don't work out or if the freelancer or agency's expertise doesn't align with your needs, it's generally easier to part ways without the human resource complexities of ending full-time employment.
SEO Pricing Models In The Philippines
What's A Fair Price?
How much does it cost for a business to climb the search engine rankings? It's important to be familiar with the average pricing of SEO service providers in the Philippines and some common pricing models.
Below is a quick table to compare various pricing models, but you can find a detailed analysis of each below the table.
Model | Price Range |
|---|---|
Hourly | $10 - $200 per hour |
Monthly SEO Packages | $400 - $10,000 per month |
Project-Based | $1,000 - $10,000 |
Performance Based | Depends on the agreement |
Hourly
$10 to $100 per hour, depending on the experience and expertise of the SEO agency.
Paying an SEO expert on an hourly basis is akin to hiring a specialist for a focused task, much like getting a consultant for a business strategy session.
In this model, you’re billed for every hour the SEO professional or team dedicates to your project. The hourly rates for SEO services in the Philippines can range from $5/hour for new SEOs to $300/hour for industry veterans with a wealth of experience.
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Flexibility: Perfect for businesses that don't require full-time SEO but occasionally need expert guidance. | Costs Can Stack Up: Without a clear scope or if issues arise during the SEO process, the hours can quickly add up, leading to higher costs than initially anticipated. |
Transparency: You know precisely what you're paying for. If you've requested 4 hours of keyword research, that's exactly what you'll be billed for. This makes it easy to track and manage costs. | Require Oversight: To ensure efficiency, businesses might need to keep a closer eye on the tasks being performed in the allocated hours. |
Adaptability: SEO trends and search engine algorithms are constantly changing. With an hourly model, you can quickly pivot and request the expert to focus on a new development or strategy. | Inconsistency: Since you're not hiring them for a prolonged period, theremight be times when there's a gap in the SEO work, leading to inconsistent results |
Performance Based | Cell |
Scenario
Let's say you’ve just redesigned your website. While the visuals are on point, you're not sure if the structure is SEO-friendly.
Instead of opting for a comprehensive SEO package, you decide to hire an expert for a few hours to review the site. They identify areas of improvement, advise on changes, and you implement them.
In this situation, an hourly rate works perfectly as you need a specific service for a limited time.
Monthly SEO Packages
Including keyword research, page optimization, and more, can range between $400 to $10,000.
Choosing a monthly pricing model for SEO services is like entering into a continuous partnership. Businesses pay a fixed amount each month to an SEO company in return for a set of agreed-upon services.
In the Philippine market, monthly rates can vary significantly based on the depth and breadth of services provided, with packages typically ranging between $700 to $10,000/month.
Advantages
Challenges
Scenario
A Filipino restaurant chain is planning to expand nationally. They already have a significant online presence but need to maintain their search engine rankings and even improve them. They opt for a monthly SEO package from a reputable agency.
The agency conducts extensive keyword research based on different localities, keeps the website updated with fresh content, builds quality backlinks, and ensures that the site remains optimized as search engine algorithms evolve.
The restaurant chain started noticing a consistent uptick in online reservations and inquiries. The monthly model, in this case, provides the continuous boost needed for their expansion goals.
Project-Based
Tailored for specific SEO projects, these can vary significantly from $1,000 to $10,000 based on several factors like complexity and scope.
In the project-based pricing model, businesses and SEO service providers come to an agreement on a fixed price for a specific SEO project or set of tasks.
Unlike the ongoing nature of monthly packages or the hour-by-hour structure of the hourly rate, this model focuses on achieving particular objectives within a predetermined timeframe.
Depending on the complexity and range of services required, prices for project-based arrangements in the Philippines can span from $1,000 to as high as $20,000.
Advantages
Challenges
Scenario
An e-commerce company launching a limited-edition line of summer wear. They want a focused SEO campaign for these products for the next three months to complement their media buying campaigns.
They collaborate with an SEO company, defining clear objectives: keyword optimization for the new product range, creation of product-specific content, and a backlinking campaign to boost visibility. The agency, understanding the project's time-bound nature, dedicates resources to ensure maximum visibility for the summer line.
Once the campaign concludes and objectives are met, the engagement ends, unless the company has a new project in line.
Pay per Performance
Pay per Performance, sometimes also called "Performance-Based SEO," is a model where businesses pay the SEO service provider based solely on the results achieved.
This means that unless specific agreed-upon outcomes (like ranking for a particular keyword on the first page of search engines) are met, the SEO company might not receive their full payment. In the Philippines, where the market can be competitive, this model is attractive to businesses looking for guaranteed results.
However, personally speaking, this model has some unattractive downsides - both for the service provider and the client.
Advantages
Challenges
Personally, I'm not a big fan of performance-based models. Most Philippine-based SEO agencies - and more so, freelancers - don't have the financial capabilities to spend on search engine optimization services upfront.
Those who take on clients with this model will most likely find ways to lower their upfront costs, often resulting in shortcuts or sub-par work.
Scenario
A SaaS startup venturing into the organic health products market. They decide to employ an SEO company, agreeing to pay a substantial bonus if their website ranks among the top 3 for the keyword "organic health products NYC" within six months.
Motivated by the potential payout, the agency pulls out all the stops, from intensive keyword research, and on-page optimization, to aggressive backlinking campaigns.
Five months in, the startup's website reached the desired rank. Elated by the results, they happily pay the bonus. However, they also realize that they've paid more than they might have with a monthly package, albeit for guaranteed results.
Studies On The Cost of SEO Services
Since we make money off of offering SEO packages to our clients, I think it's fair to share some third-party studies or surveys of the cost of SEO.
It's a balancing act.
When it comes to SEO, the saying "you pay peanuts, you get monkeys" rings true. However, that doesn't mean you have to pay top dollar every time.
Finding quality SEO services is a matter of educating yourself on what price range decent SEO services are and knowing what price model is perfect for your business needs and financial situation.
I can help you no matter your SEO situation. Reach out to me if...