AI SEO for a small local business usually costs a few hundred to a few thousand dollars a month. Our plans cost $257, $425 or $675 a month, month to month. Across the wider market, pricing varies widely: many agencies quote somewhere between $250 and $2,500 a month for local work, and more for multi-location or enterprise campaigns. The real question is what sits inside the fee.
This guide covers what AI SEO actually is, what moves the price up or down, the pricing models you will run into, and the warning signs that a quote is not worth signing. We publish our own prices, so you can compare them against anything else you are offered.
The short answer
AI SEO is the work of getting your business found in two places at once: the normal Google results and Maps, and the answers given by AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews. Most of the groundwork is the same as good local SEO. A complete Google Business Profile, steady reviews, consistent listings and clear service pages help you rank on Google and also give AI tools the facts they need to recommend you.
Because the groundwork overlaps, AI SEO should not cost wildly more than solid local SEO. If a quote doubles in price just because the word "AI" was added, ask what extra work you are getting. You can read more about the service itself on our AI SEO services page.
What drives the price of AI SEO
Two agencies can quote very different numbers for what sounds like the same service. These are the factors that usually explain the gap.
- How competitive your market is. A plumber in a small suburb needs less work to stand out than a law firm in a big city. More competition means more pages, more listings work and more time each month.
- Number of locations. Every location needs its own Business Profile, reviews and usually its own page. Pricing tends to rise with each one.
- Where your website starts. A slow site with missing pages or broken tracking needs fixing before new content can do much. That early work adds cost.
- What is in scope. Some plans only cover your Google Business Profile. Others add on-page work, technical fixes, new landing pages, call tracking and lead capture.
- How much is automated. AI tools can speed up research and drafting. Good agencies still have a person check the work. Plans that are fully automated are cheaper, but the output often needs cleaning up later.
- Reporting and contact time. A monthly meeting and detailed reports take staff hours, so plans that include them cost more.
Common AI SEO pricing models
Most agencies use one of a few pricing models. Each suits a different kind of project. The figures below are general ranges you will see quoted, not fixed market rates.
| Pricing model | How it works | What many agencies quote | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly retainer | A fixed fee for an ongoing list of monthly tasks | Roughly $250 to $2,500 a month for local businesses | Steady, ongoing work on rankings and AI visibility |
| One-time audit | A single review of your site, profile and listings with a fix list | Often $300 to $1,500 once | Finding problems before you commit to a plan |
| Project fee | A set price for a defined job, such as a site rebuild or a batch of new pages | Depends heavily on size | Large one-off jobs with a clear end |
| Hourly consulting | You pay for an expert's time | Varies by experience | Businesses with an in-house team that needs direction |
| Multi-location or enterprise | Custom scope across many locations or a national brand | Often $2,500 a month and up | Five or more locations, or complex sites |
For a single-location service business, the monthly retainer is usually the best fit, because AI visibility and rankings build over time. Whether that retainer should come with a contract is a separate question. We cover it in month-to-month vs contract SEO.
What our AI SEO plans include and cost
We sell three plans. Each one is month to month, with no contract and no setup fee, and you can cancel anytime. Full details are on our pricing page.
| Starter Growth | Growth Pro | Growth Elite | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $257 | $425 | $675 |
| Google Business Profile | Optimization plus a new post every month | Advanced optimization | Advanced optimization |
| Reviews and listings | Review strategy, basic citation cleanup | Included from Starter | Included from Starter |
| Website SEO | Not included | Complete on-page and technical SEO, content optimization | Advanced technical SEO, unlimited SEO improvements, content strategy |
| Multiple locations | Not included | Multi-location SEO | Multi-location SEO |
| Research and tracking | 3 premium audit reports a month | 10 premium audit reports a month, keyword tracking, competitor analysis | Everything in Pro, plus call tracking |
| New pages and lead capture | Not included | Conversion rate improvements | New landing pages, AI chatbot lead capture, CRM automation, AI automation |
| Reporting and contact | Monthly strategy update | Monthly strategy update | Full monthly reporting and a monthly strategy meeting |
Starter Growth suits a single location that mainly needs a stronger Google Business Profile, since that profile feeds both Maps and many AI answers. Growth Pro adds the website side: on-page work, technical fixes and tracking against competitors. Growth Elite is for businesses that want the work done for them, plus tools that turn more of the new visitors into leads.
AI SEO vs traditional SEO pricing
In practice, AI SEO and traditional local SEO share most of the same tasks, so they tend to sit in similar price ranges. If you have already read how much SEO costs in Denver, the ranges here will look familiar for that reason.
Where AI SEO can add cost is in the extra work aimed at AI assistants. That can include writing pages that answer common questions directly, making sure your business details match everywhere they appear online, and checking how AI tools describe you. Some of this is a small add-on to normal SEO work. Some agencies sell it as a separate product.
| Traditional local SEO | AI SEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Main goal | Rank in Google search and Maps | Rank in Google and get recommended in AI answers |
| Core tasks | Business Profile, reviews, listings, on-page and technical SEO | The same core tasks, plus content written to answer questions clearly |
| Typical pricing | Monthly retainer | Monthly retainer, sometimes with an AI add-on |
| What to watch for | Vague task lists | A big markup for the word "AI" with no extra work behind it |
The fair test is simple: ask both kinds of agency for a written list of monthly tasks. If the AI SEO quote costs more, the list should be longer.
Red flags when buying AI SEO
AI is a popular label right now, which makes it easy to sell. Watch for these signs before you sign anything.
- Promises to get you into ChatGPT by a set date. No one controls what AI assistants say. A guarantee here is a sales line, not a plan.
- Guaranteed top rankings on Google. The same applies to search. Google decides rankings, not the agency.
- No written list of monthly tasks. If the agency can't say what it will do each month, you can't check whether it was done.
- Long lock-in contracts with heavy exit fees. Read the notice period and cancellation terms before you agree to anything.
- You don't own your accounts. Your Google Business Profile, Search Console, analytics and website should stay in your name.
- Mass AI content with no human review. Pages churned out in bulk can be thin or wrong about your services. Ask who checks the content before it goes live.
- I have a written list of what gets done each month
- I know the notice period and any exit fee
- I know whether there is a setup fee
- All accounts and pages stay in my name
- A person reviews any content before it is published
- Reports show calls or leads, not only rankings
FAQ
How much does AI SEO cost per month?
For a small local business, many agencies quote somewhere between $250 and $2,500 a month, with multi-location and enterprise work costing more. Our AI SEO plans cost $257, $425 or $675 a month, with no contract and no setup fee.
Is AI SEO more expensive than regular SEO?
Not necessarily. Most of the work is the same: a strong Google Business Profile, reviews, consistent listings and clear service pages. If an AI SEO quote is much higher, ask for the extra tasks in writing.
Can I buy a one-time AI SEO audit instead of a monthly plan?
Many agencies offer one-time audits, often for a few hundred dollars up to around $1,500. An audit shows what to fix, but rankings and AI visibility usually need ongoing work to build and hold.
Do I need a long contract for AI SEO?
No. Month-to-month plans let you stop if you don't see progress. All of our plans are month to month and you can cancel anytime.
Which of your plans should I start with?
Starter Growth at $257 a month suits one location that mainly needs a stronger Google Business Profile. Growth Pro at $425 adds full website SEO. Growth Elite at $675 adds new landing pages, lead capture and a monthly strategy meeting.
