The calculator prices one thing: the articles that SEO runs on. Set how many you need a month and how long they are, and it shows what a freelance writer, an SEO agency and Vibrant Media charge for that month. No email, no sign-up; the numbers come from the published surveys named below.
How the estimate works
Each column uses the unit its market actually charges in, so the three rows are not built the same way.
| Row | Formula | Why this unit |
|---|---|---|
| Freelance writer | words per article × 25–45¢ per word × articles a month | Freelance writers quote per word or per article |
| SEO agency retainer | a monthly range that does not move with the article count | Agencies sell a monthly scope, not a price per post |
| Vibrant Media | the smallest plan whose monthly article cap covers your count | Our plans are flat monthly prices with a fixed cap |
Article lengths match the three lengths our writer produces: short (600–850 words), standard (1,100–1,400) and in-depth (1,500–1,800). The calculator uses the middle of each.
Worked examples
Four common months, priced with the formulas above.
| Month | Freelance writer | SEO agency retainer | Vibrant Media |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 short articles (725 words) | $725–$1,305 | $500–$3,209 | $49 (Solo) |
| 8 standard articles (1,250 words) | $2,500–$4,500 | $500–$3,209 | $49 (Solo) |
| 20 in-depth articles (1,650 words) | $8,250–$14,850 | $500–$3,209 | $199 (Team) |
| 50 standard articles (1,250 words) | $15,625–$28,125 | $500–$3,209 | $499 (Scale) |
The agency column does not grow with the count because a retainer buys a scope, not a number of posts; how many articles fit inside it is the agency's call, so ask before you sign.
Market rates and where they come from
| Rate | Number | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Freelance blog writing | 25–45¢ per word | EFA rate chart, survey of 1,100+ members, fielded Nov 2025–Jan 2026 |
| Freelance 1,500-word post | $250–399 is the most common price | Peak Freelance, 213 writers, older data |
| SEO agency retainer, common | $500–1,000 a month is the most common band | Ahrefs SEO pricing survey, 439 providers, Aug 2024 |
| SEO agency retainer, average | $3,209 a month | Same Ahrefs survey; it assumes the top of each price band, so it runs high |
| Agencies under $1,000 a month | 64% of agencies | SE Ranking survey, 260 agencies, Dec 2024 |
| Agencies over $5,000 a month | 2% of agencies | Same SE Ranking survey |
The agency row in the calculator runs from $500, the bottom of the most common band, to $3,209, the survey average. We found no survey of agency prices per article: the vendor figures we could find start around $100–500 per 1,000 words and name no method, so the calculator does not invent a per-article agency price.
Our plans
| Plan | Price | Articles a month |
|---|---|---|
| Vibrant Media Solo | $49/mo | 12 |
| Vibrant Media Team | $199/mo | 20 |
| Vibrant Media Scale | $499/mo | 50 |
Above 50 articles a month the calculator says so instead of quoting a price: that is beyond what we sell today.
What the numbers leave out
| Cost | Freelance writer | SEO agency | Vibrant Media |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technical fixes on your site | Usually not included | Often inside the retainer | Not included: we do not edit site code |
| Keyword research and topic plan | Sometimes, billed extra | Usually inside the retainer | Included: the team plans the month |
| Publishing to your blog | If you give them a login | Usually | WordPress, Shopify, Ghost after you approve |
| Your own time reviewing drafts | Yes | Yes | Yes: a person approves every article |
How much does SEO cost
For a small business, SEO content costs anywhere from $49 a month for twelve articles with an AI team to several thousand dollars a month with an agency. Most agencies in the surveys above charge under $1,000 a month, and a freelance writer charges roughly $310–560 for one standard 1,250-word article. The difference is what you buy: an agency sells a scope that can include technical work on your site, a freelancer sells one person's writing, and an AI team sells a fixed monthly volume of written, checked articles that wait for your approval. For the longer comparisons, see Vibrant Media vs a marketing agency and Vibrant Media vs a freelance marketer.
Questions people ask about SEO cost
How much does SEO cost per month?
It depends on who does it. In SE Ranking's survey of 260 agencies, 64% charge under $1,000 a month; Ahrefs puts the agency average at $3,209. A freelance writer charges 25–45¢ a word for the articles alone. Vibrant Media is $49, $199 or $499 a month for 12, 20 or 50 articles.
How much do SEO freelancers charge?
In the Ahrefs survey, freelance SEO consultants averaged $1,348.63 a month on retainer, with $251–500 the most common band, and $71.59 an hour. Freelance writers are priced separately, by the word or the article.
Why is SEO so expensive?
Most of the price is people's hours: finding the queries, writing and editing the articles, fixing the site, and reporting. An agency retainer pays for a team's time across all of it, which is why it costs more than one writer.
Can I do SEO on my own?
Yes. Google Search Console is free, and nothing in SEO needs a licence. The cost moves from money to your time: researching topics, writing, editing and publishing every article yourself.
Can ChatGPT do SEO?
It can draft an article from a prompt. It does not know which queries your site already shows up for, does not check its claims against your business, and does not publish. That is the gap an AI team fills: Vibrant Media picks topics from your brief and measured search demand, skips queries your pages already compete for in Search Console once you connect it, runs every draft through quality checks, and publishes to WordPress, Shopify or Ghost after you approve.
When not to hire us
- Your site has technical problems. Speed, redirects, crawl errors and broken templates need a developer or an agency; we write and publish articles, we do not change your site's code.
- Nothing goes out without a person clicking publish. If you want articles appearing while nobody watches, this is the wrong product.
- You need more than 50 articles a month, or more than one brand. One brand per account, and 50 articles is our largest plan.
- Proof needs a connection. Rankings and traffic come from your Search Console and GA4. Without them you get published work and no evidence, and the report says so.