zaDojoSEO pricing and cost: tools, freelancers, agencies
SEO pricing explained. Tool prices from vendor pages, plus what drives the cost of freelancers, agencies and in-house staff, so you can judge a quote.
SEO pricing depends mostly on who does the work. Doing it yourself costs your time plus tools, which range from free (Google Search Console) to a few hundred euros a month for an all-in-one suite. Paying a freelancer, an agency or an employee costs far more, and the price is set by how many hours of work you buy, how competitive your market is, and whether content and links are included. There is no fixed market rate, so this guide shows what we can source and explains how to judge the rest.
The four ways to pay for SEO
| Option | What you pay for | Main cost driver |
|---|---|---|
| Do it yourself | Tools, plus your own hours | Which tools, and how much data you pull |
| Freelancer | Their hours | Hourly or monthly rate, and scope |
| Agency | A team's hours and process | Retainer size, content and link building included or not |
| In-house | A salary, plus tools | Local salary levels and seniority |
Do it yourself: tool costs
These figures come from the vendors' own pricing pages; the linked pages show the check date and full details.
- Google Search Console: free. It shows the searches that already bring people to your site.
- Ahrefs: from €26 a month for Starter, with Lite at €115. Full breakdown: Ahrefs pricing.
- Semrush: paid plans from €124 a month for one user. Full breakdown: Semrush pricing.
- zaDojo: €10 a month with €10 of usage included. Search Console and Analytics reads and plain site audits use no credits; a keyword research search costs about €0.07. See pricing.
For more low-cost options side by side, see cheap SEO tools.
Your time is the bigger cost. A small site can be kept in shape in a few hours a month once the basics are done; our SEO for small business guide lays out that routine.
Freelancers and agencies: what drives the price
We have not found a pricing survey we can verify, so we do not quote typical rates here. Instead, these are the factors that move a quote up or down, and the questions to ask.
Scope. "SEO" can mean a one-off audit, monthly reporting, writing pages, technical fixes or link building. A low monthly fee often covers reporting only. Ask for a list of deliverables per month, and for a sample report; our SEO report template shows what a useful one contains.
Content and links. Writing new pages and earning links are the most labour-heavy parts. Check whether they are in the fee or billed on top, and how many pieces per month.
Competition. A local trade in one town needs far less work than a national ecommerce site. Expect quotes to rise with the number of pages and competitors involved.
Pricing model. Hourly, monthly retainer, fixed project, or performance based. Performance deals tied to rankings can reward the wrong searches; tie them to leads or sales if you use one.
Contract length. Many agencies ask for a minimum term because results take months. Ask what happens if you leave early and who owns the content and accounts.
Tool costs passed on. Agencies pay for tools too. Some include them, some add them to the invoice.
Red flags in any quote: guaranteed first-place rankings, a fixed number of backlinks for a low price, and no access to your own Search Console or analytics data.
In-house
Hiring someone costs a salary in your local market plus their tools. It pays off when you have enough pages, products or markets to keep a person busy full time. For smaller sites, a part-time freelancer or doing it yourself with good tools is usually cheaper.
How to decide
- Write down what you need done this year: fixes, new pages, links, reporting. The SEO checklist helps you spot the fixes.
- Estimate the hours you can give it yourself.
- Price the tools for the part you will do yourself.
- Get quotes for the rest, each with a written list of deliverables, and compare them line by line rather than by the total.
If an agency is your route, SEO tools for agencies shows what they typically work with, which helps when reading their reports.
Questions people ask
How much does SEO cost per month?
Doing it yourself costs from nothing (Search Console) to a few hundred euros a month in tools. Paid help depends on scope, competition and who does it, so compare quotes by their deliverables.
Why is SEO so expensive?
Most of the cost is skilled hours: writing pages, fixing sites and earning links. Results take months, so the hours add up before the return shows.
Is cheap SEO worth it?
Only if the deliverables are real and clear. A low monthly fee that buys a report and nothing else will not move rankings.