What Is The Cost of SEO Outsourcing in 2026?

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SEO is everywhere. It is the very secret behind growing your business from a local name to a regional recognition. However, many businesses don’t prioritize SEO and only carry one or two people in-house at unprecedented costs. How do you gauge costs for services you don’t know about?

Well, it’s easy, read our article! We have jotted down important aspects of SEO outsourcing costs from a business perspective. In the article, we have covered why you should outsource SEO, the cost differences based on models, job type, scope of work, and location.

Whether you are a budding business or an established player in your field, this mini guide can help you make the right decisions when it comes to outsourcing SEO services.

Why Outsource SEO in the First Place?

Executing SEO for business growth is expensive. As of now, 65% of companies have at least one SEO expert, and larger enterprises with 1,000+ employees have 10+ SEO professionals. As you are a growing business, you can’t just bank on one professional to sort out your SEO requirements.

Hence, many companies chose to stay competitive and hire offshore SEO experts who share a deep knowledge of algorithms, ranking factors, and consumer behavior change. Outsourcing SEO is the most practical solution to making sure you get:

• Exclusive optimization for your business
• Generate higher quality leads
• Attract global search traffic and queries easily
• Faster result generation to rank you better on SERP

However, if these reasons are not enough, SEO outsourcing is also way cheaper and faster to scale, both of which a growing business needs. You can also expect consistency, which is important when it comes to SEO semantics.

How Much Does SEO Outsourcing Cost Based on Individual Vs. Team Model?

Outsourcing SEO is unlike any other service you externally request. It is a bundled chunk of tasks that need to be performed with precision and great knowledge of SEO tools. While there are SEO professionals for outsourcing, most likely businesses gravitate towards a team. The tasks are plenty:

• Keyword Research & Competitive Analysis
• On-Page Optimization (meta tags, headers, internal linking, content structure)
• Technical SEO Audits (site speed, crawlability, indexation, Core Web Vitals)
• AEO and GEO optimization
• Content Creation & Optimization (blogs, landing pages, product descriptions)
• Link-Building & Outreach Campaigns
• Local SEO Management (Google Business Profile, citations, local listings)
• Website Health Monitoring (broken links, errors, redirects)
• Analytics & Reporting (traffic insights, keyword tracking, performance dashboards)
• Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) for SEO-driven pages
• Penalty Recovery & Backlink Cleanup

And outsourcing everything to just one individual can be a lot. Let’s compare both models and understand what they have to offer for your business.

Hiring An Individual SEO Expert

You can hire an SEO expert from agencies, like Invedus, or try sites like Upwork and Fiverr. The difference is great both in cost and experience. SEO and digital marketing agencies like Invedus manage your resources closely and make sure that they deliver what’s promised. While freelancers work on their own discretion and come with no guarantee.

When it comes to the cost, Invedus SEO experts from India start from $7.99 per hour. Experts from Upwork and Fiverr start from $15 hourly. This cost can sometimes vary based on their experience and skill sets. However, mostly, you should consider a budget of $12 to $35 per hour.

Onboarding An SEO Team

SEO teams can be more expensive to hire than an individual SEO virtual assistant. However, they are usually better as they bring in different expertise and take on many more responsibilities under their belt. The starting price can be $500 to $1,500 monthly, in which you get 2 to 3 outsourced SEO executives. According to Ahrefs, 23% of SEOs charge $500-$1,000 per month

However, as your team size increases and your custom requests drop, it can increase to up to $7,000 per month. Now, SEO agencies like Invedus may offer a quote that is somewhere in between, as they may include 2 or more people with a high level of experience.

Cost Comparison Between Part-Time vs. Full-Time Outsourcing SEO Support

The definition of these two support models is not that different. Here is a comparison table to sum up things:

The most important part in this comparison is to remember the time commitment given by each model, part-time nearing 10 to 20 hours, while full-time offers 40 hours or more monthly.

Part-Time SEO Support

You can demand for commitment of 10 hours minimum per week with assisted or full support for SEO. Most outsourced SEO professionals you will be communicating with in this phase will provide you:

• Basic on-page optimization (titles, meta tags, headers)
• Keyword research and small-scale content guidance
• Light technical SEO checks (errors, indexing, speed issues)
• Periodic performance monitoring and reporting
• Minor content updates or optimization requests
• Local SEO updates (if applicable)
• Small link-building or outreach activities
• Troubleshooting SEO issues as they arise

Full-Time SEO Support

The higher the cost, the higher the commitment. Once you hire a full-time SEO expert, they will explicitly support your internal team in achieving high benchmarks in optimizations to fast-track lead generation. You can expect:

• 20 to 40% improvement in organic traffic within the first 3 to 6 months
• 2 to 3x increase in keyword rankings for core commercial terms
• 30 to 50% faster implementation of technical and content optimizations
• 10 to 25% higher conversion rates from better landing page SEO
• Consistent weekly deliverables (content, audits, fixes, reporting)
• 100% visibility into performance through structured dashboards and analytics
• Sustained growth momentum from ongoing link-building and authority gains

However, one thing to remember is that such numbers are achievable gradually, not just after 15 to 30 days.

How Scope of Work Shapes Your SEO Outsourcing Budget in 2026

SEO already consists of many optimizations, and the scope of work is huge. However, your business may not need every service there is to offer. Hence, you can maximize your benefits with limited cost if you know which services in SEO you should choose to outsource. The broader you keep your SEO requirements, the more your budget increases monthly.

Technical SEO Depth

This form of SEO runs deep and demands a website analysis. It checks the site architecture, crawl errors, indexing issues, mobile optimization, page speed, etc. These are quite advanced audits and fixes that require a highly specialized SEO expert. Hence, the cost can run you from $500 to $2,000.

Content Volume & Quality Expectations

Content is a priority when you are putting extra effort toward SEO. A good strategy follows this up with 4 to 20 optimized blogs per month, updating existing pages, and doing keyword research. The volume and word count, coupled with quality, can garner you $500 to $3,000 per month.

Link-Building Intensity

Off-page SEO is when you put efforts outside of your website to improve its credibility, authority, and trust for the search engine results page (SERP). This is an important part of SEO and is often the most expensive segment. High-quality backlinks can cost you about $100 to $500 per link. However, if you partner with a good SEO agency, they may sum up backlinks, guest posts, and outreach in under $1,000 to $5,000 monthly.

Local, National, or Global Focus

Your brand’s reach in terms of local, national, and global volume can also increase SEO outsourcing costs. More complexities develop as your business grows or if it is operational on a global scale. Businesses need support with local search results, Google My Business, citations, and reviews, all of which require time, expertise, and cost. Hence, you can expect:

• Local SEO: $60 to $300/month (basic), $96 to $600/month (complex)
• National SEO: $420 to $900/month
• Global SEO: $900 to $3,600+/month

Frequency of Reporting & Monitoring

There is constant monitoring in SEO. As changes in SERP happen, immediate changes are also made to the SEO strategy to keep your website safe from any dips in traffic and leads. Hence, daily reporting, custom data graphs, and competitor tracking information need to be collected. This is included in most bundle SEO outsourcing services; however, expect an additional $300 to $1,000.

Additional Services in SEO

Some lesser-known or newer services in SEO also exist at additional rates. Offerings like:

• E-commerce SEO
• Technical integrations
• Multilingual SEO
• Video SEO
• CRO (conversion rate optimization)

Can demand higher prices. These are very niche specializations, though. If you are covered on your basics, you can invest in these options.

Location-Based Pricing Differences in SEO Outsourcing (2026 Trends)

Here are the average rates of SEO outsourcing based on location in 2026:

Source: Floowitalent

Eastern Europe

Countries like Poland, Ukraine, and Romania also offer outsourcing SEO services to the Americas. The cost is higher, however, expect a better quality and fast communication due to minimal timezone differences.

• Estimated Costs: $35 to $50 (hourly), $800 to $2,500 (monthly)
• Best For: Fast communication and technical SEO execution.

Latin America

LatAm is usually called nearshore as most US clients align with their time zones and cultural communication styles. The talent is decent, but the cost of SEO outsourcing is still on the higher side here.

• Estimated Costs: $25 to $60 (hourly), $800 to $3,000 (monthly)
• Best for: Nearshore collaboration with mid-range pricing.

India

India is the best location for outsourcing SEO services. The cost is manageable for most small to mid-size businesses, and the expertise they offer is niche and result-driven. Most US clients prefer outsourcing to India as the communication style is also matched to their culture.

• Estimated Costs: $8 to $25 (hourly), $300 to $2,000 (monthly)
• Best For: Content, link building, scaling SEO over time, and outsourcing niche SEO requirements.

Philippines

This is the most affordable location for any business looking to outsource SEO. However, it comes with one catch: the quality can be varied with no guarantees. Some SEO agencies that operate have constantly changing staffing with little to no proficiency in English, hence communication also becomes tough.

• Estimated Costs: $4 to $15 (hourly), $300 to $1,200 (monthly)
• Best for: Affordable for content and VA support.

Are There Any Hidden Costs That Impact SEO Outsourcing?

Many businesses compare SEO providers only on monthly fees, but the hidden costs are what catch most teams off guard. Delayed timelines can push back key campaigns, content writing is often billed separately, and some providers expect you to cover tool expenses for platforms like Ahrefs, Surfer, or Screaming Frog. 

Others lock clients into rigid long-term contracts or use low-quality link-building tactics that create more problems later. Calling out these risks upfront helps readers understand the true cost of SEO outsourcing and reinforces your credibility.

What You Can Expect to Pay for SEO Experts or SEO Outsourcing in 2025-26

The cost of SEO outsourcing in 2025-26 varies depending on many factors that we discussed above. Here’s a clear breakdown:

Hiring an Individual SEO Expert

Most businesses begin with an individual freelancer or agency-backed SEO professional.

Typical costs include:

• Hourly Rates: $12 to $35/hour (India: $8 to $25/hour, Upwork/Fiverr: $15 to $50/hour)
• Monthly Retainers: $300 to $2,500 depending on skill level and workload

This is ideal for small businesses, basic optimization tasks, audits, and ongoing light support.

Outsourcing an Entire SEO Team

A team offers content, technical SEO, link-building, analytics, and strategy in one package. Average costs:

• Starter Teams (2–3 specialists): $500 to $1,500/month
• Growth-Focused Teams: $2,500 to $5,000/month
• Enterprise-Level Teams: $7,000+/month

This model works best for brands needing aggressive SEO execution or multi-channel scaling.Enterprise SEO campaigns can cost $7,000–$30,000+ per month.”

Overall, SEO outsourcing in 2026 fits every budget, from affordable part-time help to full-scale expert teams that deliver measurable, long-term growth.

SEO Outsourcing Isn’t Easy, But It Can Be

SEO experts are hard to find, but even harder to sustain. Your business may need to hire SEO experts in bulk. However, without analyzing your SEO agency, you can never decide whether SEO outsourcing is right for you.

Hence, we provided you with all factors that affect the cost of SEO outsourcing in 2026. This is an easy mini guide to help you decide your budget for your upcoming projects and requirements in SEO.

But what if you are still unsure? What if you want to directly talk to an expert and get to know the exact numbers for the cost of outsourcing SEO? Invedus can help! You can connect with one of our experts and start in 7 days. Your business requirements and budget will match what we have to offer.

To start calculating your estimates, connect with Invedus!