SEO in Canada usually costs $500 to $5,000 a month on a retainer, $70 to $180 an hour, or $175 to $5,000 or more per project. In Ahrefs' survey of SEO providers, 79% of those in the U.S. and Canada charged at least US$1,001 a month. Local SEO for one small business is usually at the lower end.
I run Boxx Automations in Vaughan, where I set up local search for small businesses as part of my website work. Before I recommend any SEO, I measure what people in the area actually search for. Those numbers are in this post too.
| Pricing model | Typical cost | What you usually get |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly retainer | $500 to $5,000+ a month | Ongoing work: fixes, content, links and reports |
| Hourly | $70 to $180 an hour | Advice or one-off tasks, billed by time |
| Project | $175 to $5,000+ | A set job, like an audit or a site move |
| Performance-based | 5% to 20% of new revenue | A fee tied to results above a starting point |
How much does SEO cost per month?
Most monthly SEO retainers in Canada cost $500 to $5,000. In Ahrefs' survey, the single most common retainer was US$501 to $1,000 a month, charged by 20.4% of providers. But among U.S. and Canadian providers, 79.1% charged at least US$1,001 a month.
Why such a wide range? A retainer pays for time. A plumber serving one town needs far fewer hours than an online store competing across Canada. The more keywords, pages and competitors involved, the more hours the job takes.
Experience matters too. Ahrefs found that providers with more than two years in business charged an average of US$2,023 a month, about 33% more than newer ones.
How much does local SEO cost?
Local SEO usually sits at the lower end of SEO pricing, because the job is smaller: one area, fewer keywords and fewer competitors. A lot of local SEO is setup work you do once, not something that needs a big fee every month.
Here is what good local SEO setup covers:
- A complete, verified Google Business Profile with the right categories and services
- Your business name, address and phone written the same way everywhere
- Listings on Apple Maps, Bing, Yelp, Yellow Pages Canada and your local chamber of commerce
- One clear page on your website for each service you sell
- A simple, honest way to ask happy customers for reviews
Most of that is done once. If someone charges a monthly fee to keep doing setup that's already finished, ask what changes each month.
I set up these local search basics as part of my website work. You can see what is included on my SEO services page.
What do SEO packages in Canada include?
A typical SEO package includes a technical check of your site, keyword research, page fixes like titles and headings, local listings, new content, link building, and a monthly report. Cheaper packages often skip content and links, which do a lot of the work.
- Technical fixes: speed, broken links, and pages Google cannot read
- Keyword research: what your customers actually type, and how often
- Page fixes: titles, descriptions and headings written for the searcher
- Local listings: your Google Business Profile and directory listings
- Content: service pages and blog posts that answer real questions
- Links: other trusted sites linking to yours
- Reporting: rankings, traffic and, most important, leads
Ask for the list in writing, with how many hours or pieces of content you get each month. A package called "Gold" tells you nothing.
Getting a new website built? The search basics should come with the build, not as an extra package. See how much a website costs in Canada for what a build should include.
How long does SEO take to work?
SEO usually takes months, not weeks. In a Google video on hiring an SEO, Google said SEOs typically need four months to a year to make improvements and see results. Local results from a complete Google Business Profile can come sooner.
Source: Google, "How to Hire an SEO" (2017). SEO educator Jono Catliff puts local results at about one to three months, and regular SEO at up to a year or more, in his local SEO walkthrough.
Anyone who promises page one by a set date is guessing. Nobody controls Google's rankings.
Is SEO worth it for a small business?
SEO is worth it when people actually search for your service in your area, and your website turns visits into customers. If almost nobody searches for what you sell, or your site loses the visitors it already gets, fix that first.
The second part is where most money gets wasted. Ranking higher only helps if the page people land on makes it easy to call, book or buy. Otherwise you're paying to send more people to a leaky page.
That's why I check the page itself before I touch rankings. A free website audit covers both, so you know where your money does the most good.
What are the red flags when hiring an SEO company?
Be careful with any SEO company that guarantees a #1 ranking, won't explain what they do each month, keeps your accounts in their own name, or sells hundreds of links for a low price. Each one can cost you money, control, or your rankings.
- Ranking guarantees. Nobody controls Google. A guarantee is a sales line.
- Secret methods. You should get a plain list of what was done each month.
- They own your accounts. Your Google Business Profile, Analytics and Search Console should be in your name.
- Cheap bulk links or listings. Hundreds of low-quality links can hurt more than help.
- Long lock-in contracts. Ask how you can leave, and what you keep if you do.
What people in Vaughan actually search for
Before I set up local SEO, I measure demand. In October 2026, Semrush's Canadian database showed about 720 searches a month for "seo vaughan" and 320 for "web design vaughan". Most other service searches in Vaughan had fewer than 50 a month.
| Search | Monthly searches |
|---|---|
| seo vaughan | 720 |
| web design markham | 480 |
| web design richmond hill | 390 |
| web design vaughan | 320 |
| seo services vaughan | 260 |
| digital marketing vaughan | 170 |
| local seo vaughan | 70 |
| email marketing vaughan | 40 |
| shopify developer vaughan | 0 |
Two lessons. First, local numbers are small, and that's normal. Fifty people a month searching for exactly what you sell, close to you, can be worth more than thousands searching across the country.
Second, check before you pay. If a company wants to rank you for a phrase nobody searches, you'll pay for a ranking that brings in no one.
Common questions
How much does SEO cost per month in Canada?
Most Canadian SEO retainers cost $500 to $5,000 a month. The price depends on how many keywords, pages and competitors are involved, and how experienced the provider is.
How much does local SEO cost?
Local SEO usually costs less than national SEO because it covers one area and fewer keywords. Much of it is one-time setup, like your Google Business Profile, listings and service pages.
Is SEO a one-time cost?
Partly. Technical fixes and local setup are mostly one-time. Ranking for competitive searches usually takes ongoing work, like new content and links.
Can I do SEO myself?
Yes, for the basics. You can complete your Google Business Profile, ask customers for reviews, and write one clear page for each service. Paid help makes more sense for technical problems and competitive keywords.
How long does SEO take?
Google has said SEO usually takes four months to a year to show results. Local results from a complete Google Business Profile can come sooner.
Want to know if SEO is worth it for your business? Start with a free website audit. I'll show you how your site performs today and what I'd fix first, before you pay for any ongoing work.
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