SEO Services Cost Comparison: SEO Agency vs In-House SEO

TL;DR

• In-house SEO costs between $80K–$170K/year in Australia and typically gives you 1–2 generalists. You’ll also need t o budget for tools, training, and hiring delays.
• SEO agencies charge $1.5k—$7k/month and provide a full team – strategists, tech SEO, content support, and more, with scalable execution and built-in tools.
• Agencies offer faster results, broader expertise, and lower risk for most SMEs.
• In-house SEO is best suited to large, resourced teams or enterprise environments
• For most businesses, starting with an agency delivers better ROI, flexibility, and speed to market.

If you’re serious about growing your business through organic search, you’ve likely asked yourself: Should we hire someone internally, or partner with an SEO agency?

It’s a decision that can shape how fast you grow and how efficiently you spend. Both approaches can deliver results, but your chosen path will affect your marketing budget, agility, and long-term outcomes.

Let’s break down the fundamental differences — not just in cost, but in what you get for that investment.

Why This Decision Matters More Than Ever in 2025

SEO is no longer a “nice to have” — it’s a core growth lever in a world where paid ad costs are rising and consumer trust in organic results remains high.

In 2025, competition will be tougher, AI content will flood the SERPs, and search algorithms will change faster than ever. Businesses that invest in smart, consistent SEO will see long-term gains in visibility, lead generation, and cost-per-acquisition.

However, how you resource SEO matters as much as whether you do it. Choose the wrong model, whether it’s a junior hire with limited experience or an agency that doesn’t understand your goals, and you could waste time and budget chasing rankings that never convert.

That’s why understanding the actual cost and value of SEO, either in-house vs agency, is critical.

Cost Breakdown — SEO Agency vs In-House Team

Let’s examine the costs of these two models—not just salaries and fees, but the tools, the time, and the opportunity cost of what you could gain or lose with each approach.

In-House SEO: Salary & Hiring Costs

Hiring a full-time SEO specialist in Australia typically costs between $80,000 and $100,000 annually. Senior hires can easily exceed $120,000, not including superannuation, recruitment fees, and onboarding time.

But SEO isn’t one skill, it’s many. So, unless you’re hiring a team (think: strategist, copywriter, technical SEO, developer, link-building support), you’re likely placing big expectations on a single person. That leads to burnout, slow implementation, or a strategy that lacks depth.

In-house SEO can work — but it’s rarely a low-cost option, and seldom a complete solution.

SEO Agency: Monthly Investment

SEO agencies like Click Click Media typically offer full-service SEO from $1,500–$10,000+ per month, depending on complexity and scope. That investment includes:

• Strategic planning and competitor research
• On-page and technical SEO
• Content strategy and production support
• Link-building and authority growth
• Analytics and transparent reporting

No hiring delays. No training required. Just a team ready to go, focused on results.

Full Cost Comparison

You can view the side-by-side comparison in the table above, but here’s the short version:

An SEO agency usually delivers more coverage, faster execution, and transparent reporting at a lower overall cost.

Hidden Costs Most Businesses Miss

Businesses often make this decision solely based on salary vs. agency fees. But many indirect costs quietly add up on the in-house side.

Tools & Technology

SEO requires a suite of paid tools: keyword research platforms (Ahrefs, SEMrush), auditing software, site crawlers, content optimisers, and more. These can easily cost $500–$1,000+ per month, and your in-house hire will need them to be effective.

Agencies already carry and use these costs across multiple clients, driving efficiency.

Training & Skill Maintenance

Google makes thousands of algorithm changes per year. Staying sharp in SEO requires constant learning. For in-house staff, that means time away from execution and budget for courses, certifications, or conferences.

At Click Click Media, ongoing training is part of our operation, and you benefit from that learning from day one.

Continuity & Downtime

Progress halts if your in-house hire is sick, resigns, or underdelivers. Hiring again can take months. With an agency, your campaign never stops. We’ve built a model that delivers reliable output regardless of who’s on holiday or out of office.

Team Depth and Strategic Coverage

What You Get With In-House SEO

There’s no denying the upside of having someone on-site. An internal hire learns your brand voice, understands your team dynamics, and can more easily integrate with other departments.

But they’ll often be stretched thin unless you’re hiring a team. They might spend half their time reporting or jumping into unrelated marketing tasks. That’s not just inefficient, it limits their ability to stay focused on growth.

What You Get With an SEO Agency

Agencies give you a fully functioning SEO department — strategy, content, link building, technical auditing, and reporting — all working in sync. That means faster testing, broader execution, and richer insights from dozens of active campaigns.

You’re not buying hours — you’re investing in momentum.

Strategic Flexibility and Long-Term Growth

One of the most significant advantages of working with an SEO agency is scalability. Want to double your content output next month? Add location pages? Tackle technical site issues? It’s all doable — without having to post a new job ad.

In-house teams, by contrast, are fixed. Their bandwidth limits them. And as your SEO needs grow, your only real option is to hire again.

Mini Case Study: From In-House to In-Demand

Pro-Cut Tree Services approached us after relying on a single internal hire to handle SEO and Google Ads. Leads were inconsistent, and their website didn’t appear for key service areas.

We rebuilt their SEO foundation from the ground up:

• 300,000 suburb-specific landing pages via our Locations Plus service
• Hyper-local keyword targeting
• Conversion tracking and heatmap optimisation

The result?

  900% increase in monthly leads

  Higher conversion rates, lower cost-per-lead

  A campaign that aligned with their real-world business goals

And all of it cost less than their former full-time marketing salary.

SEO ROI Isn’t Just About Cost — It’s About Output

An SEO budget isn’t just a line item — it’s a growth engine. But only if it’s managed well.

With an agency, you’ll receive consistent deliverables:

• Monthly strategy sessions and performance reviews
• Keyword research and on-page SEO
• Technical audits and improvements
• Link-building campaigns
• Progress reporting in plain English

With in-house, output depends entirely on your hire’s skills, workload, and experience level. And if they leave? So does your SEO momentum.

When an SEO Agency Is the Smarter Move

For most businesses — especially small to mid-sized brands — agencies offer clear advantages:

• You gain access to a team of experts, not just one person
• You reduce risk — no hiring delays, no skills gaps, no single point of failure.
• You move faster, thanks to tested systems and broader insights.
• You get accountability, backed by reporting and results.

If your goal is growth, not just activity, partnering with a proven SEO agency makes more sense.

Don’t Get Burned by $500 “Page 1” SEO Packages

You’ve likely seen the promises: “Guaranteed page one rankings for just $500/month.” Sounds tempting, right? Especially when budgets are tight.

Here’s the truth: those low-cost, cookie-cutter SEO offers usually come from overseas providers who rely on outdated tactics, spammy backlinks, and automated content that Google has been penalising for years.

What they don’t tell you:

• Google does not guarantee rankings, and neither can anyone else
• Cheap SEO often violates Google’s guidelines, which can hurt your domain permanently.
• You’ll likely receive little or no communication, and reports (if any) will be vague or misleading.
• Rebuilding after bad SEO is often more expensive than doing it properly from day one.

We’ve cleaned up the aftermath of these services more times than we can count. Unfortunately, the short-term savings usually lead to long-term losses in traffic, visibility, and trust.

Invest in a strategy that supports your goals. Your business isn’t generic, and your SEO shouldn’t be either.

What About DIY SEO — Can I Just Learn It Myself?

If you’re a small business owner or marketing manager, handling SEO yourself might seem doable, especially with so many free tips and tools online.

And to be fair, understanding SEO is valuable. But implementing it successfully is a full-time job for a reason.

Here’s what DIY SEO often looks like in the real world:

• You start with a few blog posts or YouTube tutorials
• You install an SEO plugin, tweak a few titles, and maybe do a little keyword research.
• You get pulled back into your actual job — managing staff, sales, operations — and SEO drops off your radar.
• Three months later, your rankings haven’t improved, and you wonder if it’s even working.

The problem isn’t your effort; it’s the complexity and consistency SEO requires to succeed:

• Algorithms shift constantly.
• Competitors are improving daily.
• Google rewards expertise, structure, and domain authority — not just good intentions.

Doing it yourself might help you understand the basics, but to compete? You’ll need experience, systems, and a team that lives and breathes this daily.

We provide that, so you can focus on your business while we ensure people find it.

FAQs: SEO Costs and Models

Final Thoughts — Choose the Model That Moves You Forward

This isn’t just about choosing between hiring someone or signing an agency contract — it’s about choosing a model that helps you grow.

SEO done well can drive serious revenue. But to get there, you need more than someone who “knows a bit about keywords.” You need strategic thinking, technical expertise, and a clear plan executed consistently.

That’s what we deliver at Click Click Media.

Ready to Find Out What SEO Could Do for Your Business?

We help businesses like yours grow through smart, ROI-focused SEO. Whether new to search or ready to level up your strategy, we’re here to help.

Call 1300 781 961

Or get in touch here and let’s discuss what’s possible.