A St. Petersburg business usually pays somewhere between a few hundred and a few thousand dollars a month for SEO, and the type of business you run decides where you land. A specialist shop on a quiet stretch of 4th Street North needs far less work than a personal injury firm downtown or a dental group with three offices. This guide sets out the prices by type of business, using the rates we see in proposals from Tampa Bay agencies, two published surveys and our own prices.
Learning objectives
By the end of this guide you’ll be able to:
- Place your business in one of five common price bands.
- Understand why St. Pete prices often sit below national averages.
- Compare local agency rates with published survey data.
- Judge what a fair quote looks like for your type of business.
SEO prices by type of business
These ranges are what we see in proposals from Tampa Bay agencies with US-based staff. They’re our own market observation, so treat them as a guide rather than a fixed price list.
One location in a quiet category: $500 to $900 a month. A specialist retailer, a niche trade or a B2B service with few established competitors nearby. The work covers the Google Business Profile, citations, on-page fixes, reviews and a page or two a month.
One location in a competitive category: $1,200 to $2,200 a month. Dental, legal, HVAC, roofing, med spas and real estate. More competitors with strong websites means more content and link building to keep up.
Two to four locations across Pinellas and Hillsborough: $2,200 to $3,500 a month. Each location needs its own profile, reviews, citations and page, plus work to stop the pages competing with each other.
Many locations with an ongoing content programme: $3,500 to $6,000 a month. Businesses competing across the whole metro area or the state.
A one-time cleanup: $1,500 to $4,000 as a project. Fixing a site after a redesign, cleaning up duplicate listings, or a full technical audit.
Why St. Pete prices often sit below the averages
Published averages mix in national and ecommerce campaigns, which need far more content and links than a local business. In Ahrefs’ survey of 439 SEO providers, the average local SEO retainer was $1,557 a month. A December 2024 survey of 260 agencies by SE Ranking and Duda found the most popular range was $500 to $1,000 a month, with 64% of agencies charging under $1,000.
Most St. Petersburg businesses compete within a few miles, not across the country. In our study of 120 Google Maps top-3 spots in the city, 58% of the businesses ranking in the top three were within a mile of the person searching. That’s a smaller, more focused job than national SEO, and it should be priced like one.
Where St. Pete businesses overpay
The most common overspend isn’t a high price. It’s paying for work that doesn’t fit the business. A single-location café on Central Avenue doesn’t need a national link-building campaign, and a contractor in Kenwood doesn’t need thirty blog posts a month. Ask each agency what it would do in the first three months and why, and drop any that can’t connect the work to calls or bookings. Our guide to SEO agency red flags covers the common traps.
Our prices
Our local SEO plans start at $300 a month and website SEO at $400, month to month, with everything listed on our pricing page. Businesses with several locations get a custom plan priced per location. You can see how we work in the city on our St. Petersburg FL SEO page.
SEO pricing in St. Pete: five terms
Key takeaways
- Your type of business sets the price. A quiet category costs far less than a crowded one.
- Locations multiply the work. Each branch needs its own profile, reviews and page.
- Most agencies charge under $1,000 a month, according to a survey of 260 agencies.
- Local work should be priced as local. It needs less than national campaigns.
- Our plans start at $300 a month, published and month to month.
Quiz: test what you learned
Five questions on this guide. Tap a question to see the answer.
1. What do Tampa Bay agencies usually charge one location in a quiet category?
About $500 to $900 a month, based on the proposals we see.
2. What share of agencies charged under $1,000 a month in the SE Ranking and Duda survey?
64% of the 260 agencies surveyed.
3. Why does each extra location raise the price?
Each one needs its own Google Business Profile, citations, reviews and page, plus work to stop the pages competing with each other.
4. In our St. Petersburg study, what share of top-3 map listings were within a mile of the searcher?
58%.
5. What's the most common way St. Pete businesses overspend on SEO?
Paying for work that doesn't fit the business, such as national link building for a single local shop.
Related reading
For Tampa prices by type of project, read how much SEO costs in Tampa. For the overview of both cities, see what SEO costs in St. Pete and Tampa. And to see exactly what our plans include, visit our local SEO services page.
