DIY SEO, freelancer or agency? What SEO really costs

What does SEO cost? Anything from almost nothing to several thousand euros a month, depending on whether you do it yourself, hire a freelancer or bring in an agency. As rough guide values (as of 2026), in Germany freelancers charge about 60 to 150 euros per hour, agencies 90 to 200 euros, and monthly budgets run from around 500 euros for small local businesses to over 5,000 euros for larger companies. Which route suits you depends on your size, your competition and your time. This article helps you decide.

What does SEO cost for small businesses? What the price depends on

SEO – search engine optimisation – is not an off-the-shelf product. (Our article SEO explained simply explains what is behind it.) The effort depends mainly on four things:

• Competition: A bakery in a small town has it easier than a nationwide online shop for trainers.

• Reach: Local, nationwide or international? Each level means more effort.

• Size of the website: Ten pages are optimised faster than 5,000 product pages.

• Starting point: A technically clean website needs fewer repairs than an outdated one.

Option 1: Do SEO yourself

Costs: mainly your time – a few hours to get started with the basics, then a few hours a month. Plus possibly an analysis tool, from free to a low three-figure amount per month, depending on scope.

Suits: sole traders, small and local businesses, companies with manageable competition – and anyone who wants to understand the basics before spending money.

• Pros: cheap, you know your business best, knowledge stays in the company.

• Cons: takes time, learning curve, and you quickly reach your limits with technical topics.

Good starting points are our articles Finding keywords and Why can't Google find my website?.

Option 2: Hire a freelancer

Costs: Freelance SEO specialists in Germany usually charge about 60 to 150 euros per hour, very experienced specialists even more. A one-off analysis of the website (a so-called SEO audit) often costs between €800 and €3,000 for small and medium-sized websites.

Suits: small and medium-sized businesses, clearly defined projects such as an audit, keyword research or support with a website relaunch.

• Pros: a personal contact, flexible, often cheaper than an agency.

• Cons: limited capacity, a lot grinds to a halt during holidays or illness, and not everyone covers technology, copy and links equally well.

Option 3: Hire an agency

Costs: Agencies usually charge about 90 to 200 euros per hour. Monthly retainers are more common, often with a minimum term of three to six months. Rough guide values:

Suits: mid-sized and larger companies, strong competition, large websites or online shops – wherever technology, content and strategy have to work together.

• Pros: a whole team with different specialists, capacity for large projects, resilience when someone is away.

• Cons: more expensive, more coordination, and small clients sometimes get little attention.

All options compared

The middle way that often works best

Many businesses do well with a combination: they do the basics – copy, Google profile, reviews – themselves. For technology or a strategy, they bring in a professional once. And with an analysis tool they keep an ongoing eye on whether everything is working. By the way, this also helps you check a service provider's work.

Warning signs in SEO offers

Google itself also gives pointers on what to look out for when choosing an SEO provider.

Questions to ask before signing the contract

1. What exactly will you do in the first three months?

2. How do we measure success – and how often will I get a report?

3. Can you name references from my industry or of my size?

4. How long does the contract run, and how can I cancel?

5. How do you take AI search such as ChatGPT, Claude or Google's AI Overviews into account? (More in What is GEO?)

Conclusion: understand first, then invest

The cheapest solution is not automatically the best, and neither is the most expensive. What matters is that effort and goal match. The bakery does not need an agency with a ten-person team, and the online shop with 3,000 products won't get far with a few hours at the weekend. Anyone who knows their starting point can make the right decision – and judge offers better.