How much money is needed for SEO?

The amount of money needed for SEO can vary significantly depending on several factors, but it's possible to get started with a relatively small budget and scale up as needed.

For a basic SEO setup on a small website, you could potentially start with just $500-$2000 for the following:

- Keyword research tool subscription ($10-$100 per month)

- On-page optimization ($300-$1000 one-time)

- Basic technical SEO audit/fixes ($200-$500)

As you move beyond the basics, typical SEO costs can range from $1000 to over $10,000+ per month for more comprehensive services like:

- Dedicated SEO specialist/coordinator ($2000-$5000 per month)

- Extensive link building ($1000-$5000+ per month)

- Higher-end SEO tools/software ($200-$1000+ per month)

- Content creation/marketing ($1000-$5000+ per month)

- Local SEO ($300-$2000 per month)

For larger enterprise sites, an effective yearly SEO budget can be $50,000 to $300,000 or more for services like technical audits, extensive content, national/international campaigns, SEO-focused developers, etc.

A good rule of thumb is to budget at least $500-$2000 upfront for initial setup and optimization. Then plan for monthly SEO spend of $1000-$5000 for smaller sites or $5,000-$25,000+ for larger sites/enterprises.

It's best to start with a realistic budget based on your goals/needs and scale up SEO costs as your business grows and you can measure positive ROI from the investment.