"How much does an SEO audit cost?" has a frustrating answer — anywhere from free to several thousand dollars — because "SEO audit" describes wildly different things. The price reflects a real difference in depth and in who (or what) does the work. Here is what each tier actually gets you.
Free automated scans ($0)
Dozens of tools will scan your site for free in seconds — enter a URL, get a score and a list of issues. These are genuinely useful for a first look: they catch missing meta tags, obvious speed problems, and broken links. But they share three hard limits: they only see what is visible from the outside (no access to your Search Console or analytics), they cannot measure anything over time, and they cannot interpret — they hand you a list, not a judgment. A free scan tells you what; it cannot tell you what matters.
Mid-range audits ($300–$1,500)
At this tier a real person reviews your site, usually with access to your Search Console and analytics. You get a prioritised report: what is wrong, how bad it is, and what to fix first. This is the right level for most small and mid-sized businesses — it combines tool data with human interpretation and connects technical findings to your actual traffic.
Deep manual audits ($1,500–$5,000+)
Comprehensive audits go further: server log analysis, crawl-budget study, content and competitive analysis, backlink review, and a full technical deep-dive. At the top end this includes measuring how search engines actually crawl your site over weeks, not a single snapshot. Worth it for larger sites, e-commerce, or when significant traffic is at stake.
What actually drives the price
| Tier | Who does it | Sees inside (GSC/analytics)? | Measures over time? | Interprets? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free scan | Software | No | No | No |
| Mid-range | Person + tools | Yes | Sometimes | Yes |
| Deep audit | Specialist | Yes | Yes | Yes |
The question that matters more than price
Do not ask only "what does it cost" — ask "what does it measure". A free 30-second scan and a paid 30-day measurement are not the same product at different prices; they answer different questions. The scan checks whether your tags are present. The measurement tells you whether Google actually crawls, indexes, and serves your pages — and where in that funnel you are losing visibility.
Our audits sit in the mid-range on price but at the deep-audit level on method: a real 30-day measurement built on Google's own data, delivered as a clear verdict with a prioritised fix list. See what is included.
