Search engine optimisation (SEO) typically costs EUR 75 to 200 per hour in the Netherlands, or EUR 1,500 to 4,500 per month for an ongoing B2B SME programme. One-off projects start around EUR 500. The price depends on competition, scope, and goal: rankings or pipeline.
SEO has no fixed price tag. It is an investment in organic visibility, and the outcome varies significantly by sector, competition, and ambition. Still, the rates and models can be mapped out clearly. Below are the current ranges, the three common pricing models, and why a B2B organisation should judge SEO not on cost but on pipeline return.
The three SEO pricing models
Almost every agency and specialist works with one of these three models. According to the annual agency survey by SE Ranking (2025), 53% of agencies prefer the monthly retainer over all other models.
| Model | Typical price (NL) | When appropriate |
|---|
| Monthly retainer | EUR 1,000 - 5,000+ per month | Ongoing growth, content + technical + link building |
| Hourly rate / consultancy | EUR 75 - 200 per hour | Advice, audits, one-off questions, in-house team that wants direction |
| Project price (fixed) | From EUR 500, rising with scope | One-off migration, technical SEO audit, restructuring |
Retainer is the most widely used model because SEO is an ongoing discipline: rankings are not a one-off purchase but a position you maintain and build on. Hourly rate suits organisations with their own marketing team that bring in external expertise for strategy or audits. Project price works for a clearly defined outcome, such as a technical SEO analysis or a clean migration.
What does SEO cost per month, per hour, and per project?
The Dutch market and international benchmarks run fairly close together. The table below sets the ranges side by side.
| Investment | Netherlands range | International benchmark |
|---|
| Per hour | EUR 75 - 200 (freelance from EUR 75) | Average approx. USD 125; EU agencies charge less than North America |
| Per month (SME programme) | EUR 1,500 - 4,500 | Average retainer approx. USD 3,200; median under USD 1,000 |
| Small site, limited competition | EUR 300 - 1,000 per month | 64% of agencies charge under USD 1,000 per month |
| Webshop / nationwide domain | EUR 2,000 - 5,000+ per month | Enterprise USD 10,000+ per month |
Source: SE Ranking SEO Agency Survey 2025 for the international figures; Dutch ranges based on common agency rates 2025-2026. Figures are indicative; SEO is always tailored to the situation.
A telling detail from the SE Ranking data: only around 6% of European agencies charge more than USD 125 per hour, versus 40% in the US and Canada. European price levels are therefore structurally lower than the American figures often quoted online.
What determines your SEO investment?
Four factors explain almost the entire price difference between EUR 500 and EUR 5,000 per month:
- Competition in your market. A niche player in B2B software competes for different terms than a nationwide webshop. Higher competition means more content, more authority, and therefore more hours.
- Starting position of your website. A site with technical debt (slow load times, indexing issues, no structure) needs a recovery phase first before growth becomes possible.
- Scope of the service. Technical work alone is cheaper than a programme combining technical, content production, and link building.
- Goal: ranking or revenue. This is where the paths diverge. Whoever optimises for vanity rankings pays for positions. Whoever optimises for pipeline pays for visibility on the search terms where buying intent sits.
SEO as a cost or as a pipeline investment
"What does SEO cost" is the wrong question for B2B. The better question is: what does organic traffic yield in qualified pipeline? A visitor is not a result. An SQL that comes from organic traffic and can be traced to deal level in your CRM, that is a result.
The difference lies in measurement. Classic SEO reports on positions and sessions. A RevOps approach links organic traffic through to lead, MQL, SQL, and won deal in HubSpot, so you can see per euro of SEO budget exactly which pipeline and revenue it produces. That turns SEO from a marketing cost into an investment with a traceable return.
That is why SEO performs strongest when it sits on a CRM foundation. The ranking is not the KPI, the contribution to the sales pipeline is.
Frequently asked questions about SEO costs
What does SEO cost on average per month in the Netherlands?
An ongoing SEO programme for a Dutch B2B SME typically costs between EUR 1,500 and EUR 4,500 per month, depending on competition and scope. Small sites in limited competition start around EUR 300 to 1,000 per month; nationwide domains and webshops run up to EUR 5,000 or more.
Is an SEO retainer or a one-off project better?
A retainer suits ongoing growth, since rankings require maintenance and expansion. A one-off project suits a clearly defined outcome, such as a technical SEO audit or a migration. Most agencies (53% according to SE Ranking 2025) prefer to work with a monthly retainer.
Why do SEO prices vary so much?
Because SEO is tailored to each situation. Competition, the technical state of your website, the scope (technical work alone versus technical plus content plus link building), and your goal determine the price. That explains the range of EUR 500 to EUR 5,000 per month.
When does SEO deliver a return?
SEO is a medium-term investment; the first meaningful results typically appear after three to six months. For B2B, what counts is not the ranking but the contribution to the pipeline: organic traffic that leads to SQLs and won deals in the CRM.
Want to know what SEO delivers in your market in qualified pipeline, not just rankings? See our approach to SEO, AEO and GEO and see how we link organic visibility to revenue on a HubSpot foundation.
Carel Schrier
