SEO cost calculator for Canadian businesses.
Estimate the realistic monthly SEO retainer for your specific situation. Adjustable across city, industry, location count, AI-search scope, bilingual requirements, and timeline. Calibrated to median Canadian agency pricing in Q1 2026.
The median Canadian SMB SEO retainer in 2026 is C$3,200 per month, with the typical band running C$1,500–C$6,500 for credible programs. Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal carry a 20–40% premium over national averages. Legal, healthcare, and financial-services verticals carry a 25–35% premium. Use the calculator below to model your specific situation.
The sweet spot for businesses where SEO is a meaningful revenue lever.
- City — Toronto×1.30
- Industry — Legal / Law firm×1.35
- Locations — 1 location×1.00
- Timeline — 9-month compounding (efficient)×1.00
- AI-search / AEO scope included×1.20
How the calculator works.
The base band — C$1,500 to C$2,500 per month — represents the realistic floor for a credible single-location, generic-industry SEO program in a mid-tier Canadian city, run on a 9-month compounding timeline with no AI-search scope and no bilingual requirements.
From that base, six multipliers stack: city (Toronto/Vancouver carry a 28–30% premium; smaller prairie cities run 5–15% below baseline); industry (legal and healthcare run 30–35% over generic; trades and restaurants run 15–20% under); locations (each additional pod adds 20–100%); timeline (faster results require front-loaded content and engineering); AI-search scope; and bilingual scope.
These multipliers are calibrated against our internal database of 412 anonymised Canadian agency proposals (Q1 2024 – Q1 2026, see /research/ca-seo-spend-median-2026). They are directional: any individual quote can land 20% above or below the modelled band depending on agency-specific positioning.
The calculator deliberately does not include below-market quotes (sub-C$1,000) because in our experience those engagements rarely produce business outcomes. If you have a budget under C$1,000/month, your highest-ROI move is usually self-directed work plus a one-off audit, not a retainer — see our DIY SEO guide.