How much does a marketing agency cost? Public benchmarks
Most marketing agencies charge a monthly retainer, a fixed project fee, an hourly rate, or a share of ad spend. Public surveys state SEO fees and hourly rates. A single retainer for every service is not in those surveys. Scope, channels, who does the work, and ad spend move the price.
Pricing models agencies use
Agencies sell work in five ways.
- A retainer is a set fee each month for work that continues.
- A project fee is one price for a job with an end, such as a setup or an audit.
- An hourly rate bills the hours worked.
- A share of ad spend bills part of the media budget.
- A performance fee bills a result, such as a sale or a lead.
The retainer and the project fee are the pair to compare first.Retainer or project fee walks through that choice.
Public benchmarks
Each figure below comes from a public survey. The number links to that survey.
Ahrefs polled 439 SEO providers. Ahrefs builds the monthly averages from the high end of each price band.
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| SEO agency monthly average | $3,209 | Ahrefs |
| SEO freelancer monthly average | $1,348 | Ahrefs |
| SEO consultant monthly average | $3,250 | Ahrefs |
| SEO hourly average | $111 | Ahrefs |
| Businesses in the monthly SEO spend band | 63% spend$500 to $5,000 | Ahrefs |
| Agencies in this hourly band | 29% bill$175 to $199 | Promethean Research's 2026 Digital Agency Industry Report |
The Ahrefs rows are SEO prices. They are not a price for every marketing service.
The Promethean row is a share of agencies in one hourly band. It is not a single hourly rate for every agency.
What changes the cost
A wider scope costs more than a narrow scope.
More channels cost more than one channel.
Senior people cost more than junior people.
A larger ad budget raises a fee that is a share of spend.
Heavier reporting adds hours.
SEO agency cost
In the Ahrefs pricing survey, SEO agencies average$3,209 a month.
Freelancers in that survey average $1,348 a month.
Consultants in that survey average $3,250 a month.
The average hourly rate for SEO in that survey is $111.
63% of businesses in that survey spend$500 to $5,000 a month on SEO.
Open SEO agencies and read the line about who each one serves. The list is A to Z. An agency's position is not a rank.
The staffing choice is on SEO agency, freelancer, or in-house. Timing and AI search sit on what to ask before you hire an SEO agency.
PPC and paid social management fees
Promethean Research found29% of surveyed agencies bill$175 to $199 an hour. That band is an hourly rate, not a management fee.
Agencies price this work as a flat monthly fee or as a share of ad spend.
Ask which model the agency uses.
Ask what the share of spend covers.
Media spend is separate from the management fee.
Ask for both numbers in the quote.
Open Google Ads agencies and paid social agencies. Both lists are A to Z. Position on each list is not a rank.
CRO agency cost
Promethean Research found29% of surveyed agencies bill$175 to $199 an hour. That band is for every service in the survey, not a CRO retainer.
CRO work is priced as a test-program retainer or as an audit project.
Ask each agency to price the same scope.
Name the audit, the tests per month, and the reporting.
Open CRO agencies. The list is A to Z. Position is not a rank.
A landing page build and a CRO test program are different jobs.Landing page agency or CRO agency explains the split.
Budgets for startups
Start with one channel.
Set a short test period.
Put the scope in writing before you sign.
Use a project fee for a setup or an audit.
Use a retainer for ongoing ads or SEO.
What an email or CRM retainer covers names the work inside an email retainer. It does not publish email fees.
How to compare quotes
Send the same brief to every agency.
Ask for the scope.
Ask for the hours or the deliverables.
Ask who does the work.
Ask for the notice period.
Compare those answers.
A low fee on a thin scope and a higher fee on a full scope are different purchases.
Does Listed Agencies show prices?
No.
Listings show facts from each agency's own site.
They do not show rates.
Ask agencies for quotes directly.
FAQ
How much does a marketing agency cost per month?
Ahrefs' pricing survey found SEO agencies charge $3,209 a month on average. Your price depends on scope, channels, and ad spend.
How much does an SEO agency cost?
Ahrefs' pricing survey found agencies charge $3,209 a month on average.
What is a normal agency hourly rate?
Promethean Research found 29% of agencies bill $175 to $199 an hour. Ahrefs' pricing survey found the average SEO hourly rate is $111.
How much does a CRO agency cost?
Promethean Research found 29% of surveyed agencies bill $175 to $199 an hour. Ask each agency to price the same scope: an audit, a set number of tests per month, and reporting.
Is a retainer or a project fee better for a startup?
Use a project fee for a fixed job like a setup or audit. Use a retainer for ongoing work like ads or SEO. Start with a short test period either way.
Does Listed Agencies show agency prices?
No. Listings show facts from each agency's own site. Ask agencies for quotes directly.
Related guides
- Retainer vs project pricing: how to pay a marketing agency
- What an email or CRM agency retainer covers
Next step
Know your budget? Pick a specialty andshortlist two or three agencies.