How much does an SEO audit cost?
It depends on the size of the site, how deep the review goes, and who does it. Prices range from free automated reports to manual reviews priced per project. Rather than compare headline prices, compare scope: ask each provider what they will look at, what you will receive, and who explains the findings to you.
We deliberately do not quote a single "average" figure here. For transparency, our own audit report is a flat $50 USD, covered at the end of this post. Published averages mix together automated scans, agency retainers and one-off consultant reviews, which are very different products, so the number tells you little about what you would actually get.
What makes one SEO audit cost more than another?
Five factors account for most of the difference:
- Site size. A 20 page service site and a 5,000 product store need different amounts of work.
- Platform and complexity. Shopify, WordPress and custom builds each have their own typical problems. Multi-language or multi-country sites add more.
- Depth of the review. A crawl with a summary is quick. A manual review of templates, content, internal links and search intent takes far longer.
- Deliverable. A raw export of issues costs less to produce than a prioritized plan with explanations and effort estimates.
- Follow-up. Whether a call, implementation guidance or a re-check after fixes is included.
What should a good SEO audit include?
A useful audit covers technical health, content, and search visibility, and it ends in a ranked list of actions. Use this as a checklist when you read a proposal:
- Crawlability and indexing: robots.txt, XML sitemap, canonical tags, redirects, duplicate URLs, pages blocked or dropped from the index.
- Site architecture: how pages link to each other, depth of key pages, orphan pages.
- On-page elements: titles, meta descriptions, headings, image alt text, structured data.
- Content review: thin or overlapping pages, missing topics, how well pages match what searchers want.
- Performance and experience: page speed, Core Web Vitals, mobile usability.
- Search data review: what Search Console shows about queries, positions and click-through rates.
- Competitor snapshot: who ranks for your target terms and why.
- A prioritized action list: what to fix first, what is quick, what needs development time.
If a quote does not say what it covers, ask. An audit you cannot act on is not worth any price.
What is the difference between a free audit and a paid one?
A free audit is usually an automated scan or a scoped first look. A paid audit is a manual review of your specific site with a full written plan. Both have a place.
| Free audit | Paid audit | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical depth | Headline issues and quick wins | Full review across technical, content and search data |
| Who does the work | Often tool driven, with human review in better versions | A specialist working through your site |
| Best for | Finding out if there is a problem worth solving | Fixing a known problem or planning a growth push |
| Watch out for | Generic reports that list every minor warning | A long PDF with no priorities |
A low priced, clearly scoped report is a fair way to test whether a provider understands your site before you commit to larger work.
What are the red flags when buying an SEO audit?
Be careful if you see any of these:
- A guaranteed ranking or traffic number. No one controls search results.
- A report that is a tool export with a logo on it. If the findings are not explained in terms of your business, you are paying for a scan you could run yourself.
- No prioritization. Hundreds of warnings treated as equally important is a sign nobody has looked at the site.
- Pressure to buy ongoing work immediately. A good audit should stand on its own, and you should be free to act on it yourself or with another provider.
- Vague scope and no sample deliverable. Ask to see what a finished audit looks like, with client details removed.
How should I compare quotes in USD, CAD, GBP and AUD?
Check four things so the numbers are comparable:
- Currency. Confirm whether a quote is in US dollars, Canadian dollars, pounds or Australian dollars. Providers working across borders sometimes quote in one currency for everyone.
- Tax. In the UK, VAT is usually added to a business service price. In Australia it is GST. In Canada it is GST or HST depending on the province. In the US, sales tax on services varies by state. Ask whether the quoted price includes it.
- Time zone and availability. If you want a live walkthrough call, confirm it is possible in your working hours.
- Local relevance. If you target one market, ask whether the review will look at that market's search results, not only a generic view.
How often should I get an SEO audit?
Run a full audit when you launch or rebuild a site, when traffic drops without an obvious reason, and before a major content or marketing push. Between full audits, a lighter check every quarter catches problems early, especially after redesigns, plugin changes or migrations, which are the usual causes of sudden technical damage.
What happens after the audit?
The audit only helps if the fixes happen. Sort the action list into three groups: quick wins you can do this week, medium tasks that need a developer or writer, and larger projects that need planning. Do the quick wins first, then re-check the numbers in Search Console after a few weeks. If you want ongoing help, read how our SEO engagements are structured.
How much is OffLift's audit report?
A flat $50 USD, one time. The report covers a technical health check, a keyword and competitor snapshot, a site structure review and a prioritized list of quick wins, for Shopify, WordPress or custom sites. You send us your site, we confirm the scope and email an invoice, and work starts once it is paid. We deliver the findings in writing and offer a call to walk through them. There is no obligation to hire us afterward. Order your audit report, or see all of our SEO services.