How much does SEO cost for a small business?

Three tiers in 2026: DIY ($0-50/mo on tools, but 5-10 hours of your time weekly), monthly software ($29-149/mo for monitoring + recommendations), and full agency ($1,500-5,000/mo with 6-12 month contracts). Most small businesses get 80% of the result with the middle tier — automated audits + recommendations they can implement themselves. Agencies are worth it only if you have $500k+ at stake from rankings.