How Much Does Search Engine Optimization (SEO) & Digital Marketing Cost in Edmonton in 2025?
Updated January 2025 – Curious how much Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and digital marketing cost in Edmonton?
SEO is constantly evolving. It’s no longer a destination, but an ongoing journey. Gone are the days of gaming the system, and what we’re left with is good old fashioned marketing, which just happens to be done online. The benefit of taking this approach (as seen by our clients) is no matter what change or update Google makes to its algorithm, your online assets will not be affected.
There’s still the technical side of SEO (which we look at in our SEO & Website Audit) which covers some of the following:
- Optimized meta titles & description
- Strong usability
- Appropriate content
- Speed optimization (website, images, hosting, server, etc.)
- Clear & concise Calls-To-Action
However, once the technical stuff is taken care of, what’s left? The answer is REAL MARKETING!
REAL MARKETING requires co-operation and participation from your team and the ability for your business to do awesome things both online & offline. The reality is you can’t fake being an awesome business – not even online.
What Are Your Goals & Expectations?
One of the most important things Adster can do as an ethical SEO company is to set realistic expectations with our clients.
- We often encounter some “old school” notions of what people expect from SEO and a challenge is getting their mindset away from “rankings”. Rankings are an outdated and ineffective way to measure the success of an SEO campaign, as they cannot be controlled by anyone, regardless of what you’ve heard.
- Even though Adster Creative is Alberta’s only Featured Google Partner, we do not control the search engine or website placements (unless you’re running a Google AdWords or PPC campaign ). What we can control however, is increasing qualified traffic over time and increasing important conversions on your website.
- At the end of the day, when you say you want “rankings” what you really mean is you want more traffic, leads and sales – and that is something we can help with, and to be honest, are quite good at!
We typically include the following graph in our proposals to give our clients a general idea of what they can expect with respects to timelines in our SEO and digital marketing programs (example: How Long Does SEO Take?). It’s worth noting that depending on your industry, competition (sorry realtor and insurance folks!) and geographic reach, it can change drastically.
| Month | Phase | Activities |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Campaign Start | Discovery phase (business needs, how customers discuss services & products, best offline sales pitches). Keyword research, business research, initial reporting. Initial website review & on-site optimization. |
| 3 | Significant Initial Results Show | Less changes typically required to the site at this point. Public relations, link building, and social media efforts ramp up. Traffic increasing, some additional leads and sales evident. |
| 6 | Typical Break-even on SEO Investment | Honing in on highly monetizable keywords. Marketing and link building continue. Site changes mostly completed, just copy addition now. |
| 9 | Earn Profitability on SEO Investment | Additional profits beyond total SEO investment realized. Outreach and online marketing efforts really hit their stride. |
| 12 | Strong Results + Very Profitable Campaign | Business relationship solid between company and client. Increased understanding of online marketing. Profits typically far beyond total SEO investment. |
| 24 | Top Rankings & Income | Site trusted and authoritative in search engines. More targeted and rewarding efforts due to accumulated knowledge of industry. |
Makes sense! So, what does a Digital Marketing Program Cost in Edmonton, Alberta?
The team at Adster Creative doesn’t typically work on one time SEO engagements: our fee structure is broken down into an initial audit, campaign setup and an ongoing campaign, which typically runs between 6 – 12 months.
- If you’d like a full breakdown of what various SEO companies across North America charge, Moz did a great survey of agency pricing structure.
- It’s worth noting that our pricing is quite competitive when comparing to other agencies of our caliber.
Here’s an expanded comparison of SEO, PPC, and traditional marketing in 2025, with dollar figures and insights, including average timelines:
| Marketing | Cost | Timeframe |
|---|---|---|
| SEO | $1,500 to $5,000/month (average) | Long-term (6 to 12 months for results) |
| PPC | $1.00 to $15.00+ per click (varies by industry) | Immediate (results within hours or days) |
| Traditional | $5,000 to $100,000+ per campaign | Long-term (months for planning and months for roll-out) |
Detailed Insights:
SEO (Search Engine Optimization):
- Investment: Ranges from $1,500 to $5,000+ monthly, depending on competition and strategy.
- Benefits: Builds long-lasting organic traffic, enhances brand credibility, and often provides a higher ROI over time.
- Challenges: Requires consistent effort and time; results may take months to materialize, which can be a barrier for businesses seeking quick wins.
Rough breakdown of SEO costs:
| Monthly SEO Services | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| On-Page Optimization | $300 | $1,000 |
| Off-Page Optimization | $300 | $1200 |
| Content Creation | $300 | $1000 |
| Technical SEO | $200 | $600 |
| Local SEO | $200 | $500 |
| SEO Tools/Software | $100 | $200 |
| Account Management, Reporting and Analytics | $100 | $500 |
| Total Monthly Cost | $1,500 | $5,000+ |
PPC (Pay-Per-Click):
- Cost Structure: Typically $1.00 to $15.00+ per click, with costs fluctuating based on industry competition and campaign settings.
- Advantages: Provides immediate visibility and traffic; allows for real-time adjustments to optimize performance.
- Considerations: Ongoing investment is necessary to maintain traffic; effectiveness can decline once the budget is exhausted.
Rough breakdown of PPC costs:
| Platform | Average CPC | Factors Influencing Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Google Ads | $1.00 to $15.00 per click | Industry competitiveness, keyword relevance, ad quality. |
| Facebook Ads | $0.50 to $3.00 per click | Audience targeting, ad format, and bidding strategy. |
| Instagram Ads | $0.70 to $3.00 per click | Visual content quality, audience engagement, and targeting options. |
| LinkedIn Ads | $2.00 to $15.00 per click | B2B targeting, industry, and ad relevance. Typically higher due to niche audiences. |
Traditional Marketing (Billboards, TV, Radio):
- Budget: Campaigns can range from $5,000 to over $100,000+, depending on the scope and medium (TV, print, radio).
- Effectiveness: Effective for building brand awareness and reaching a broad audience, particularly in local markets; often leverages established channels.
- Trust Factor: Can enhance credibility and brand perception if executed properly; however, consumers are becoming increasingly skeptical of traditional advertising methods.
Rough breakdown of Traditional Media costs:
| Medium (Radio, TV, Billboard) | Average Cost Range (CAD) |
|---|---|
| TV Advertising | $2,000 to $5,000 per spot |
| Radio Advertising | $1,000 to $2,500 per spot |
| Billboard Advertising | $1,500 to $4,000 per month |
SEO Costs Based on Adster’s ‘in market’ intelligence in 2025 for Edmonton Businesses:
Small Service Business
Estimated budget: $1000 to $1500 per month
Competition: Low
Geographic: Small Community / City
Are you a dentist in a community of 5000 people vs. a dentist in a city with 1+million people? This budget would be for an industry or city that is not very competitive, and isn’t what we typically experience here in Edmonton.
- If this is your monthly budget, your best bet might be a Google Ads campaign and you’re in luck! We do have a few options with respects to Google Ads management packages in this price range!
- If you’re a bit of a do-it-yourselfer and you’ve already got optimized tags, keywords, the proper site structure and a super fast website, perhaps all you need are some high quality links and bespoke content marketing opportunities.
Service & Retail (Potentially eCommerce)
Estimated budget: $1500 to $3500 per month
Competition: Moderate to High
Geographic: Single Location
Our team at Adster focuses mostly on the small to medium-sized business market and most of our clientele would fit somewhere in this range.
- If your business is service or retail in nature and is only targeting a single city then this budget should work fine for both organic and local SEO.
- It’s possible that this budget could also get you a larger campaign depending on competition and reach.
Service, Retail & E-Commerce
Estimated budget: $3500 to $6000+ per month
Competition: Moderate to High
Geographic: Regional & Multiple Locations
The increase in budget here typically allocates for service and retail businesses that have more than one location (think Edmonton, Calgary & Red Deer vs. Calgary only) as the ongoing work may need to be duplicated, or triplicated. If your target market is regional (multi-province) this also changes the strategy in how we use keywords and how we approach link building and content marketing for the company.
A good way of thinking of it is the more mainstream the product or service offering (especially for E-commerce), the more you’ll have to pay to rise above your competitors through way of authority building.
Examples:
- Calgary Lawyer vs. Lawyer (GEO specific vs. generic)
- Edmonton Flashlights vs Flashlights (GEO specific vs. generic)
Service, Retail & E-Commerce
Estimated budget: $8000+ per month
Competition: High
Geographic: National, International & E-Commerce
For national and international campaigns there is literally no end to what can be done with respects to inbound marketing. From high-value content creation (infographics, videos), seminars & educational workshops, to scholarship programs, the sky’s the limit!
- The same applies as above with respects to geo vs. generic (the more mainstream the product or service, the more competitive) so long term strategy is key here.
- It’s worth noting that from both a Google Ads and SEO perspective it can be very difficult for smaller businesses to compete in this space.
- Think Intact vs. a small brokerage based in Edmonton. Intact is willing to pay hundreds (potentially even thousands) to onboard a new customer as they’ve spent hundreds of thousands to get their sales funnel and cross-selling systems figured out to a T!
At the end of the day, your business needs to decide what’s most important to you. Some honest questions to ask yourself before undertaking a holistic SEO program in Edmonton might include:
- Do you have the capital, foresight and patience to see an SEO program to fruition?
- Are you aware that a proper SEO program is “never done” and requires constant care and attention?
- Are you the type of business owner that ‘panics’ when the phone isn’t ringing off the hook within 90 days?
If these sound like you, don’t worry, there’s hope! You’re likely better of running some form of a PPC or Google Ads campaign (which we can help with!) which is a little more effective in the short term, but, understand that when you turn that tap off, your leads will no longer come in. If you’re most interested in quickly generating leads, a PPC campaign is likely the best fit for your business at this time. We can help with either, but we want to make sure whichever direction you choose, that we continue to deliver value for your business!
Over the past decade, the landscape of SEO costs for digital marketing agencies has witnessed considerable shifts. In the early 2010s, the SEO industry was relatively nascent, and the costs associated with its services were more affordable. Agencies could often rely on a handful of tactics to achieve significant results, however, as search engine algorithms became more sophisticated, the strategies required to maintain and improve rankings and your digital presence grew in complexity, due primarily, to the following reasons:
- By the mid-2010s, the rise of mobile browsing, voice search, and local SEO led to an increased demand for specialized services, driving costs upward.
- Google’s frequent algorithm updates necessitated constant adaptation, further straining budgets.
- In 2025, the proliferation of AI and machine learning in search algorithms has made it imperative for agencies to invest in advanced tools and expertise.
This continuous evolution and the need for multifaceted strategies have generally elevated the cost of SEO services, reflecting the value and intricacy of modern search optimization.
Contact us today to build your very own customized digital marketing plan!