How Much Does SEO Copywriting Cost? (And Is It Worth It?)

Why do we all hate talking about money so much?

We don’t ask about costs. We hate saying our fees and charges out loud. And not many websites offer transparent pricing.

But if you’re a business owner you’ve probably wanted to ask the questions:

How much does SEO copywriting cost? And is it worth it?

It’s a fair question. If you look at the rates on Upwork or Fiverr and start comparing them to the rates (allegedly) charged by the hustle bros on LinkedIn, you’ve probably got a difference of thousands of pounds a month, from paying £50 per AI-generated blog post, up to four figures a month for an all-singing-all-dancing SEO strategy and content service.

The problem is that most SEO packages and guides focus on word counts, reporting and generic deliverables. What they don’t really help with is understanding how that investment will actually help you achieve your commercial goals – and make some money.

Because when it comes down to it, you don’t invest in SEO because you love publishing blogs. You do it because you want your business to get seen, make sales and grow.

It’s probably time to stop being scared of talking about money – and get clear on what an investment in content costs and what you can expect in return.

Why SEO copywriting services vary so much

The keyword here is service.

Not writing. Not blogging. Not reporting.

Let’s say you want to publish a weekly blog and you’re looking at how much that blog will cost.

Whether that’s a £50 (cough – AI) blog or a written-by-a-human masterpiece, it’s not just the quality of the writing that matters.

Writing great content is part of the job, of course – but it’s not an SEO strategy or service. Far from it, actually.

Good SEO content also involves:

• Understanding search intent
• Keyword research
• Competitor analysis
• Structuring content for Google – and humans
• Internal linking that makes sense
• Research and subject knowledge
• Editing and optimisation

Sometimes the biggest difference between a £100 blog and one that’s £500 isn’t the word count. It’s the SEO strategy and thought process that put the ideas together before the first header is written.

What are you actually paying for with SEO?

A lot of business owners know they ‘should be doing SEO’. They’ve read it on LinkedIn, or were told so by their website guy

But it’s one of those things that can get handed over to an ‘expert’ without much discussion. Because – let’s face it – unless you’re a bit of a nerdy wordy content geek (hello!), SEO isn’t the most riveting conversation topic for most people.

Traffic, data, impressions, bounce rate… snooze.

BUT… they also know that when SEO is done well, it helps their business. It gets leads. Makes sales. Generates profit. All the good stuff.

And that’s the point of good SEO.

People don’t pay me because they need to fill up their blog pages.

They want to get more people to their website, raise the profile of their offer, boost sign-ups to a course, or simply make more money.

Whether I’m writing for a leading university, an EdTech company, a SaaS business or a small local enterprise, content is always written to support a tangible business objective.

My actual job is helping people achieve their goals.

I just happen to do it through words.

What do businesses actually spend on SEO content?

Obviously, if we all lived and worked in a dream world where money was no object, I’d be telling every business out there to invest big chunks of cash into my SEO strategy and content retainer services.

But that’s not where every business is.

If you’re a start-up or small organisation and the budget is tight, spending money you can’t really afford on an expensive monthly service isn’t possible – or practical.

And not every business needs a huge monthly retainer.

Start with your goals. Your budget. And where your business really is – right now.

Then you can start to work out the right level of investment.

We can look at a current client as an example.

Initially, they just wanted to understand where they were at and get some advice on what the next steps should be.

The best option for them and their budget was a one-off fee of £400 for an audit, report and a clear, focused action plan and recommendations, some of which they could implement themselves without spending more money.

Read more about my website audit process in my blog – and use the checklist to get started.

From there, we moved onto a £500 per month package that includes:

• Ongoing SEO support
• One optimised blog per month
• Performance reporting
• Strategic recommendations

They feel happy and secure at this level of investment and are already seeing some momentum. It’s likely they will step up their investment in SEO when they’re ready.

At the other end of the scale, I have bigger clients that invest between £1,000 and £1,500 per month, or spend £4,000–£5,000 on an SEO-driven content campaign.

These organisations usually have SEO firmly embedded within a wider marketing strategy. They need multiple blogs, content planning, meaningful reporting and support across different channels.

The amount a business spends on SEO should depend on its size, budget, ambitions and commercial goals.

A good content strategy is more than just SEO

A good SEO strategy is worth investing in at the right level for your business.

But the strongest content strategies don’t stop at Google.

They also think about how you show up elsewhere – particularly on LinkedIn, where you can develop a personal brand and stand out clearly in your industry.

I work with clients who invest in SEO content for their business website, then use LinkedIn strategy and thought leadership to take their profile to the next level.

Depending on the client’s goals and budget, that might involve:

• Content planning
• LinkedIn strategy
• Ghostwritten posts
• Profile optimisation
• Monthly reporting and reviews

Some clients invest a few hundred pounds a month. Others significantly more.

As I said earlier, you’re not really paying for words.

You’re paying me to help you achieve your goals.

So is SEO copywriting really worth it?

In my experience, yes.

But I would say that, wouldn’t I?

Luckily, you don’t need to take my word for it, because the beauty of good SEO is that it’s backed up by cold, hard data.

You can track the success of an SEO strategy, identify what’s working and what’s not, and adapt it to make sure it’s always moving in the right direction.

Every blog isn’t guaranteed to generate enquiries, but over time, good content compounds.

Evergreen content like a guide or whitepaper can attract traffic for years after publishing. A well-planned library of content establishes you as an authority in your industry and can improve the performance of your website as a whole.

I’ve worked with organisations in education, higher education, SaaS and technology where content forms the foundation of a strong marketing strategy. It talks to the right people, answers important questions and builds trust before a sales conversation ever happens.

Like any investment, it’s about what you get out of it.

If a software company wins a contract worth £50,000 every year, all of a sudden that £1,500-a-month investment starts to look very reasonable.

If a university sees applications increase thanks to optimised course pages and supporting content, it’s clear that the investment has delivered value.

The challenge is remembering that SEO is a journey, not a one-off investment. The businesses that see the strongest results are the ones that commit to a consistent strategy over time and trust the process.

Read my case study for Access Education to read more about my SEO driven content campaign work.

What should you ask about SEO copywriting?

Instead of asking:

How much will SEO copywriting cost?

Try reframing it.

A better question is:

What return am I hoping to achieve from this investment?

If one blog costs £100 but never generates a visit, enquiry or sale, was it actually worth anything at all?

But if your content costs more and helps you win a client worth thousands of pounds, things suddenly look very different.

If you’re looking into SEO copywriting services for your business, don’t be afraid to ask questions that go beyond deliverables and monthly reporting.

Think about what you want to achieve – and ask how a content strategy will help you do it.

The best SEO strategy starts with your goals in mind.

Need help with your SEO content?

Whether you’ve already got a strategy but don’t know much about it, or you’re exploring SEO content services for the first time, take a look at my SEO content strategy service. And if you have any questions, get in touch for a chat.