How much does local SEO cost? A budgeting worksheet

Short answer: local SEO costs two things: money and time. With software, you pay a fixed subscription and do the work yourself. With a managed service, you pay someone else to do it, and their fee depends on what they include. The best way to budget is to list the tasks, estimate the time each takes you, and compare that honestly with what software or a provider would cost. If you are still deciding between the two, see local SEO software vs a local SEO agency.

What you are paying for

Local SEO for a Google profile usually involves:

• keeping details, hours and photos current
• asking for and replying to reviews
• posting updates and offers
• checking visibility and performance
• occasional fixes (wrong edits, holiday hours, duplicates)

Website work, citation clean-up and link building are separate and are often where managed-service fees differ most.

Local SEO AI prices (verifiable)

These are our own published prices. Every price includes VAT. Plans are paid for 6 or 12 months; credits refresh monthly.

Extra credits: 500 for £12. Check the pricing page for the current figures before you buy. We do not publish typical agency fees because they vary widely and we cannot verify them; ask providers for a written quote with a clear list of included tasks.

Owner workload worksheet

Use this to estimate your own time. The minutes below are illustrative placeholders — replace them with your own estimates after a month.

Then compare: (your monthly hours × what an hour of your time is worth) + software cost against a managed-service quote. Include the time you would still spend with a provider — approving replies, sending photos, answering questions.

A simple decision rule (illustrative)

• If the worksheet total is small and someone in the business can own it, software is usually the lower-cost option.
• If nobody has time, or you also need website and link work, get quotes from providers and compare like for like.
• If a provider promises guaranteed rankings, treat that as a warning sign. Google's own guidance on hiring an SEO says no one can guarantee a number one ranking.

Questions to ask before paying anyone

1. What tasks are included each month, in writing?
2. Who owns the Google profile and keeps owner access?
3. Will you reply to reviews in my name, and will I approve them?
4. How do you ask for reviews — every customer, without filtering?
5. What is reported, and where does the data come from?
6. What is the minimum term and notice period?

Checklist

• Tasks listed
• Own time estimated with the worksheet
• Software cost checked on the pricing page (VAT included)
• Written quotes compared like for like
• No guaranteed-ranking claims accepted
• Owner access kept by the business

Where Local SEO AI helps

AI reply drafts, post scheduling and business profile tools are designed to shorten the tasks in the worksheet, with your approval on every change. The live Google connection is awaiting approval, and map scans require activation. See the practical local SEO guide for the work itself.