If you have started asking around about AI SEO, the quotes are all over the place, from a few hundred dollars to five figures a month. This guide gives you the honest ranges, what actually drives the price, and how to tell a fair quote from an overcharge, so you walk into the conversation knowing what you should pay.
The short answer
For most small and mid-sized businesses, AI SEO runs on a monthly retainer of roughly USD 750 to USD 3,000. Entry programs that mainly fix your structure and schema sit near the lower end. Programs with steady content and off-site authority work sit in the middle. Competitive categories, or a full SEO plus AI program, run higher. Project-only work exists, but AI SEO rewards consistency, so most of it is monthly.
Typical tiers, and what you get
| Tier | Typical price | What it usually includes |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | ~$750/mo | AI visibility audit, answer-first fixes on core pages, schema, llms.txt, AI crawler access, a monthly report |
| Growth | ~$1,500/mo | Everything in Starter plus an ongoing content cluster, a third-party authority and reviews push, and AI citation tracking |
| Authority | ~$3,000/mo | A full SEO plus AI program, digital PR for citations, a named strategist and priority support |
These are the indicative tiers we use ourselves on our AI SEO service for US businesses. Your exact number should be scoped to your category and goals, not pulled off a rate card.
What makes the price go up or down
- Competition in your category. The more businesses fighting for the same answers, the more content and authority it takes to be the one cited.
- How much content you need. Most of the result comes from content and authority, so a thin site costs more to build up than one with a strong base.
- Off-site authority and digital PR. Earning mentions on the third-party sites AI engines trust is the highest-value work, and the most labour.
- Whether it is bundled with SEO. Folding AI SEO into one SEO retainer is usually cheaper than buying it as a separate add-on.
- Your starting point. A measured baseline lets a good agency scope the real work instead of guessing high.
Not sure what your situation needs? Get a free AI visibility audit and we will tell you where you stand and what we would actually charge, before you commit to anything.
Get a free AI visibility auditWhat you should not pay for
Two things should make you close the tab. The first is a guarantee of a specific citation or ranking. No agency controls an AI engine, so that promise is not real. The second is a secret, a special AI markup or magic file sold for a fat fee. Google has said plainly that no special markup is required for its AI features. A fair quote pays for genuine work and honest measurement, not for promises or secrets.
Can you do it yourself for free?
You can start, and you should. Structure your key pages with a clear answer at the top and an FAQ block, add schema, and earn honest reviews and accurate listings. That costs only time, and we cover the steps in our AI SEO for small business guide. Paid help earns its keep when you need consistent content, off-site authority and digital PR at a pace you cannot keep up alone.
Want a real number for your business? Send us your site. The audit is free and the quote that follows is scoped to you.
Get your free auditFrequently asked questions
How much does AI SEO cost per month?
For most small and mid-sized businesses, about USD 750 to USD 3,000 a month. Structure-and-schema programs sit near the low end, content-and-authority programs in the middle, and competitive or full SEO-plus-AI programs higher.
What makes it cost more or less?
Category competition, how much new content you need, how much off-site authority and digital PR is involved, your site size, and whether it is bundled with full SEO.
Is AI SEO separate from SEO?
Usually it is folded into one SEO retainer, because it builds on the same foundation. One combined retainer is normally simpler and cheaper than a standalone add-on.
Should I pay for guaranteed results?
No. Guaranteed citations or rankings are not real because no agency controls an AI engine. Pay for the work and the measurement, not a promise.
Can I do AI SEO myself for free?
You can start, structuring pages, adding schema, earning reviews and listings costs only time. Paid help is worth it for consistent content and off-site authority at scale.