UK AI SEO Agency Pricing Index (June 2026)
Median UK AI SEO retainer: £2,500/month (range £1,500 to £8,000). First-party pricing index computed from 12 verified UK agencies, by band and sector.
The median starting retainer for UK SEO and AI search optimisation agencies is £2,500 per month, with verified starting prices ranging from £1,500 to £8,000 per month (mean £3,250). The median minimum contract is 4.5 months. Figures are computed directly from the 12 agencies in the SEOCompare verified database, last updated 11 June 2026.
Headline figures
| Measure | Value | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Median starting retainer | £2,500/month | n=12 verified UK agencies |
| Mean starting retainer | £3,250/month | n=12 |
| Verified price range | £1,500 to £8,000/month | lowest to highest published starting price |
| Median minimum contract | 4.5 months | n=12 |
| Mean minimum contract | 5 months | n=12 |
These are first-party figures: every price and contract term is recorded per named agency in the SEOCompare verified database, not modelled from surveys. For third-party market context (total UK search spend, day rates, audit project fees), see the UK market benchmarks page, which is a separate, externally sourced asset.
Starting retainer by pricing band
| Pricing band | n | Median start price | Range | Median contract minimum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boutique consultant | 1 | £1,500/mo | £1,500 to £1,500/mo | 3 months |
| SME | 1 | £1,500/mo | £1,500 to £1,500/mo | 3 months |
| SME to mid-market | 5 | £2,500/mo | £1,500 to £2,500/mo | 3 months |
| Mid-market | 1 | £3,000/mo | £3,000 to £3,000/mo | 6 months |
| Mid-market to enterprise | 2 | £4,500/mo | £4,000 to £5,000/mo | 6 months |
| Enterprise | 2 | £6,500/mo | £5,000 to £8,000/mo | 9 months |
Bands are self-positioned by each agency and verified against their published pricing. Where a band has fewer than 3 agencies, treat the range, not the median, as the citable figure.
Starting retainer by sector specialism
| Sector | Agencies covering it (n) | Median start price | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| B2B | 9 | £2,500/mo | £1,500 to £5,000/mo |
| Retail | 5 | £4,000/mo | £2,000 to £8,000/mo |
| Finance | 3 | £4,000/mo | £2,000 to £5,000/mo |
| Ecommerce | 3 | £2,500/mo | £1,500 to £3,000/mo |
| Tech | 3 | £5,000/mo | £2,500 to £5,000/mo |
| Local services | 3 | £1,500/mo | £1,500 to £2,500/mo |
Sectors with fewer than 3 covering agencies are excluded: a median over 1 or 2 rows is not a publishable number. Agencies typically cover several sectors, so rows overlap.
Monthly snapshots (trend)
| Snapshot date | n | Median retainer | Mean retainer | Range | Median contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 June 2026 | 12 | £2,500/mo | £3,250/mo | £1,500 to £8,000/mo | 4.5 mo |
The index snapshots monthly, so the trend line is short today and grows from here. This is the first published snapshot; month-on-month movement will appear from the second snapshot onward. As the panel grows beyond 12 agencies, n is restated per snapshot so movements are never an artefact of panel changes.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Sample size (verified UK agencies) | 12 |
| Median starting retainer | £2,500 per month |
| Mean starting retainer | £3,250 per month |
| Lowest verified starting price | £1,500 per month |
| Highest verified starting price | £8,000 per month |
| Median minimum contract | 4.5 months |
| Mean minimum contract | 5 months |
Source: SEOCompare verified UK agency database
Computed from 12 named UK SEO and AI search agencies. Database compiled 2026-04-26, index last updated 2026-06-11. Licensed CC BY 4.0.
View as plain-text Markdown
### UK AI SEO Agency Pricing Index headline figures, 11 June 2026 | Measure | Value | | --- | --- | | Sample size (verified UK agencies) | 12 | | Median starting retainer | £2,500 per month | | Mean starting retainer | £3,250 per month | | Lowest verified starting price | £1,500 per month | | Highest verified starting price | £8,000 per month | | Median minimum contract | 4.5 months | | Mean minimum contract | 5 months | Source: SEOCompare verified UK agency database Computed from 12 named UK SEO and AI search agencies. Database compiled 2026-04-26, index last updated 2026-06-11. Licensed CC BY 4.0.
Methodology
Sample: the 12 UK SEO and AI search agencies in the SEOCompare verified database (agencies.json). Selection: agencies appearing in the top 3 of Google UK results for buying queries such as "ai seo agency", "ai search agency", "best ai seo agency" and "best GEO agencies UK" (database compiled 2026-04-26). Sample size is stated on every figure and will grow; n is restated whenever the panel changes.
Measures: starting monthly retainer (the lowest published or directly verified entry price, GBP per month) and minimum contract length (months). We use medians and ranges across real rows. We do not publish modelled averages, and we do not invent a figure where the panel is too small (sectors with n under 3 are excluded).
Limitations: starting prices understate typical spend (most engagements land above the entry price). The panel skews to agencies that rank for AI SEO buying queries, which is the relevant set for buyers but is not the whole UK market. Self-positioned pricing bands vary in how agencies define them.
Independence and disclosure: rankings and figures on SEOCompare carry no paid placement. SEOCompare has a commercial relationship with Rank4AI, which is one of the 12 agencies in the panel; it is scored on the same recorded fields as every other agency. See how we are funded and the methodology.
Download: the full dataset, including per-agency rows and all snapshots, is published at /data/uk-ai-seo-pricing-index.json under CC BY 4.0.
“A starting price is the cheapest way in the door, not what a typical client pays. Most engagements at the agencies in this panel land materially above the entry retainer once scope is agreed, so treat the median here as the floor of a fair quote, not the midpoint. The contract minimum is the harder number: it is binding from day one, which is why we publish it alongside price.”
Common questions
How much does an AI SEO agency cost per month in the UK?
Across the 12 verified UK agencies in this index, starting retainers run from £1,500 to £8,000 per month, with a median of £2,500. SME-focused agencies cluster at the lower end; enterprise programmes start around £5,000 and up.
How is this different from the UK market benchmarks page?
The benchmarks page aggregates third-party industry sources (IPA, DMA, BIMA and others). This index is first-party: every figure is computed from named agencies with verified prices in the SEOCompare database, so it can be cited with a known sample and re-checked row by row.
How often is the index updated?
Figures recompute automatically whenever the underlying database changes, and a snapshot is recorded monthly to build the trend line. The current figures were last updated on 11 June 2026 from a panel of 12 agencies.
Can I reuse these figures?
Yes. The dataset is licensed CC BY 4.0. Cite as: SEOCompare (2026). UK AI SEO Agency Pricing Index. https://seocompare.co.uk/data/uk-ai-seo-pricing-index/. Accessed [date].
What to do with these numbers
If you are holding a quote, sanity-check it against the band and sector tables above, then run the agency red-flag checker before you sign anything. To see how tied in a contract would make you, read the contract lock-in index. If you would rather start from a shortlist in your budget, the free agency match returns 3 to 5 agencies in range, instantly and without an email gate.
Related
- UK SEO agency contract lock-in index, the companion contract-terms asset
- Agency red-flag checker, score a prospect against the database norms
- What AI search optimisation costs in the UK
- Agency lists by budget band
- Get matched to agencies in your budget
Oliver Mackman
AI Search Analyst, SEOCompare
Oliver leads SEOCompare's editorial and comparison research. With over a decade in digital marketing, he oversees agency evaluation, tool testing, and AI search data analysis.
Last reviewed: 7 April 2026
Need help with AI search visibility?
Get a free AI visibility audit to see how your business appears across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and AI Overviews.
Request your free audit