How much does an AI SEO agency cost?
A plain-English guide to how AI SEO and GEO agencies price their work, what drives the number, and what you should expect to get for it.
How agencies charge
Most common for AI SEO and GEO
A fixed monthly fee for an ongoing program. It fits AI search best because visibility, citations and authority build over months, not weeks.
Good for defined one-off work
A fixed price for a scoped deliverable such as an audit, migration or site build. Useful, but it stops when the project ends.
Common with freelancers and consultants
You pay for time, not outcomes. It can work for small tasks, but it rewards hours spent rather than results.
Some agencies also experiment with performance-based pricing. Read the fine print: who defines the metric, and what happens when an algorithm update moves it?
What AI search costs at every tier
AI search spend ranges from a few hours of freelance help to multi-million-dollar enterprise programs. Here is how the market breaks down.
| Option | Typical pricing | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Freelancers & consultants | Usually hourly or per project | Small, well-defined tasks with an internal owner |
| Specialized AI SEO agencies | AlchemyLeads: $6,850 to $10,888 a month; multi-brand from $15,000 a month | $5M to $150M companies that need AI search, SEO, content and PR working together |
| Enterprise GEO agencies | Commonly $30,000 to $50,000+ a month | Large enterprises with many brands, markets and stakeholders |
| AI search platforms | Software subscriptions; enterprise contracts vary widely | Teams that want software to track and optimize AI visibility, such as Scrunch (which AlchemyLeads uses) or AirOps |
| Enterprise programs | Combined agency and platform contracts can reach seven and eight figures a year | Global brands running AI search across many markets |
Scope sets the number
- Number of brands, sites or marketsEach brand has its own search footprint, competitors and content plan.
- Channel mixAI SEO and GEO alone, or combined with traditional SEO, paid media, digital PR and integrations.
- Content and PR volumeHow much new content and how many editorial mentions and AI citations the plan targets.
- Technical depthMigrations, site performance, schema and development work beyond day-to-day optimization.
Compare against the real alternative
- Head of Search$177,770
- SEO & content specialist$78,760
- Web developer$99,520
Median annual pay, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025. Benefits estimated at the BLS private-industry average of about 30% of employer compensation costs.
- Bronze · Foundation$6,850/mo
- Silver · Acceleration$7,688/mo
- Gold · Market Dominance$10,888/mo
- Enterprise · Multi-brand$15,000+/mo
Priced on experience and outcomes, not hours. See what each plan includes.
Want the full breakdown? Read AlchemyLeads vs. hiring an in-house SEO team.
What a low price usually means
Guaranteed rankings or citations
No one controls Google or AI engines. Guarantees usually mean vanity metrics or risky tactics.
Cheap packages, junior teams
Low retainers are often delivered by junior staff with templated work and little strategy.
Activity over outcomes
If the deliverable is a report instead of pipeline and revenue, you are paying for paperwork.
Straight answers
How much does an AI SEO agency cost per month?
It depends on scope. AlchemyLeads plans run from $6,850 to $10,888 a month, with multi-brand engagements from $15,000 a month. Pricing is driven by the number of brands, the channel mix, content and PR volume, and technical depth.
How much do enterprise GEO agencies cost?
Enterprise GEO agencies commonly charge $30,000 to $50,000 or more a month, and combined enterprise agency and AI search platform contracts can reach seven and eight figures a year. Specialized agencies like AlchemyLeads offer senior AI search teams from $6,850 a month for companies doing roughly $5M to $150M in revenue.
Is AI SEO more expensive than traditional SEO?
AI SEO and GEO build on strong SEO foundations, so most programs combine them. At AlchemyLeads every plan includes AI search and SEO technical optimization, AI prompt tracking and AI visibility dashboards.
Why do AI SEO agencies prefer monthly retainers?
AI visibility, citations and authority compound over months. A retainer funds the ongoing content, technical work and digital PR that AI engines reward.
Does AlchemyLeads bill by the hour?
No. Clients invest in experience and outcomes, not hours. Hourly billing only applies when it is specified for a specific development project.
Related guides
How AI search works
RAG, grounding and how AI assistants retrieve, rerank and cite sources.
AlchemyLeads vs. an in-house SEO team
Salary, benefits and tooling costs side by side with an agency plan.
AlchemyLeads vs. a freelancer or fractional lead
When a single specialist is enough and when it is not.
Scope your plan
Tell us about your brands, goals and current team. We will recommend the right plan and show you exactly what it includes.
