How much does SEO cost in Toronto? Toronto agency Seologist publishes monthly retainers from $2,500 CAD, and the invoice is $2,825 once 13% HST (Ontario's sales tax) goes on. Its range tops out at $15,000 a month, per its pricing guide updated June 25, 2026. A First Page Sage report from October 7, 2026 puts the median SEO retainer at $4,740 USD, with AI-search work 45% higher.
SEO here means the monthly work of getting a business found on Google: fixing pages, writing content, earning links and managing the Google Business Profile. Each Toronto figure comes from that agency's own page, so read it as a sales figure, not a survey. Prices are CAD unless marked USD. Where we convert, we use the Bank of Canada rate for October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4038 CAD.
For the continent-wide picture in USD, see our SEO cost guide. Everything below is Toronto and CAD.
Key facts
- Seologist publishes Toronto retainers of $2,500 to $15,000+ CAD a month and one-off projects (audits, redesigns) of $4,000 to $30,000 CAD.
- Zyppy's Toronto directory averages $1,000 to $5,000 USD a month across its five listed providers, about $1,404 to $7,019 CAD at the October 27 rate.
- Ontario HST is 13% (CRA). None of the three Toronto price pages we read mentions it.
- First Page Sage's agency-published study puts AI-search retainers (AEO and GEO) at a $6,850 USD median, 45% above SEO's $4,740.
How much does SEO cost per month in Toronto (CAD)?
Toronto agencies that publish prices start at $2,500 CAD a month, and the published ranges run to $15,000 and beyond. Two local sources agree on the floor.
| Source | Published range | Currency | Page date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seologist (Toronto agency) | $2,500 to $15,000+ a month; projects $4,000 to $30,000 | CAD | Updated 2026-06-25 |
| Wisevu (Mississauga agency) | Canada $3,000 to $5,000 a month; "SEO services typically start at $2,500 CAD" | CAD | 2025-01-31 (older) |
| Zyppy directory | $1,000 to $5,000 a month, average of 5 listed providers | USD (about $1,404 to $7,019 CAD) | "October 2026 Scoring Matrix" |
| First Page Sage (agency study) | SEO median $4,740 a month | USD, not Canada-specific (about $6,654 CAD) | 2026-10-07 |
Wisevu's page is from January 2025, so read it as an older benchmark. It still lands close to Seologist's 2026 floor.
The First Page Sage numbers come from 214 agencies and give no geography or currency; we read them as US dollars. First Page Sage also sells AI-search services itself, so treat it as an agency's view of the market. It is not a Toronto number.
Local SEO pricing in Toronto
None of the Toronto pages we read publishes a separate local SEO price. Seologist says local packages "vary widely" and lists what they usually contain: keyword work, Google Business Profile management and local link building.
The nearest published figure is American. Wisevu's older page says US local campaigns average $1,400 USD a month, about $1,965 CAD at the October 27 rate. Use it as a rough marker, not a Toronto quote.
A single-location business (a clinic, a contractor, a restaurant) needs four things from local SEO:
- a Google Business Profile that is complete and kept up to date,
- consistent name, address and phone listings across directories (citations),
- service and location pages that answer what customers search for,
- reviews, and replies to them.
A multi-location business pays more because each location needs its own profile and pages. Seologist puts "multi-location or international SEO" in its top tier.
Do Toronto SEO quotes include HST?
Assume they do not. Seologist, Wisevu and Zyppy all quote prices without mentioning HST. Ontario's 13% rate applies on top, so ask any agency to show it as its own line.
| Monthly retainer (CAD) | 13% HST | Invoice total | Year one (12 months) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1,500 | $195 | $1,695 | $20,340 |
| $2,500 | $325 | $2,825 | $33,900 |
| $3,000 | $390 | $3,390 | $40,680 |
| $5,000 | $650 | $5,650 | $67,800 |
| $15,000 | $1,950 | $16,950 | $203,400 |
The tax is not always a cost in the end. The CRA's input tax credit rules let GST/HST-registered businesses claim back tax paid on purchases for their business activities. A business that isn't registered pays the full total. Either way, it hits cash flow every month, so budget for the total.
Watch the currency too. A quote in USD from a US agency moves with the exchange rate. At 1.4038, a $1,000 USD retainer costs $1,403.80 CAD before any tax.
What do you get at $500, $1,500 and $3,000+ a month?
Each step up buys more work every month: maintenance at the bottom, content and links in the middle, a full program at the top. Seologist describes what each tier includes but doesn't price them, so this table matches its inclusions to the published price floors.
| Monthly budget (CAD) | Where it sits | What it usually buys |
|---|---|---|
| About $500 | Below every published Toronto agency floor | Upkeep: Google Business Profile updates, a few on-page fixes, a report. Close to the scope of Seologist's unpriced Basic tier: an audit, basic keyword research, on-page titles and headers, Profile setup |
| About $1,500 | Near the bottom of Zyppy's USD band (about $1,069 USD), below Seologist's floor | Steady local work: Profile management, citations, a post or two a month, basic tracking. Usually a freelancer or small studio |
| $3,000 and up | Inside Seologist's $2,500 to $15,000 range and Wisevu's $3,000 to $5,000 Canada band | Seologist's Advanced tier: full keyword research, local SEO, content and blog management, link building, technical fixes |
Two things matter more than the tier name.
How much new work ships each month. A $3,000 retainer that produces a monthly report and no new pages is worse value than a $1,500 one that publishes and earns links. Our post on SEO agencies that act as glorified webmasters covers how to spot the gap.
What you're paying for when rankings swing. On October 27, 2026, Search Engine Roundtable reported spikes in Google ranking volatility on October 16, 20 to 21, 24 and 27, none of them confirmed by Google. Monthly results move for reasons nobody controls. Judge a retainer by the work it delivers, not by one month's positions.
Is AEO included or extra?
Whether AEO is included depends on the agency, so ask. Answer engine optimization (AEO) is the work of getting a business named inside answers from ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews. Some agencies bundle it into SEO. Others sell it as a separate, pricier service.
Seologist lists AEO, generative engine optimization and AI Overviews optimization as their own services in its site menu. Its Toronto SEO packages page gives them no price. The First Page Sage study shows how big that extra line can get:
| Measure (USD, not Canada-specific) | SEO | AEO / GEO |
|---|---|---|
| Median monthly retainer | $4,740 | $6,850 |
| Change since Q1 2024 | +6% | +66% (from $4,120) |
| Starter tier range | Not reported | $1,800 to $4,200 (median $2,950, 3-month minimum) |
| Agencies publishing any pricing | Not reported | 23% of 214 |
At the October 27 rate, the $6,850 USD median is about $9,616 CAD a month before HST. A Toronto business paying $3,000 CAD for SEO and quoted the median for AEO would more than quadruple its spend.
Whether that extra spend pays off is the question our guide to AEO budgets works through, using the October 2026 traffic studies. If you want AI-search work without a second retainer, see what affordable AEO services cost.
Questions to put to any Toronto agency:
- Is AEO or AI-search work in this price, or a separate line?
- Which AI tools do you track, and how often?
- Is the quote in CAD or USD, and does it include HST?
- What is the minimum term?
Where Space & Story fits
Our plans are priced in Canadian dollars: Local CA$300 a month, Growth CA$700 and Authority CA$2,000+, plus HST. The plans come with a site we build and host; build prices and full plan details are on our pricing page.
| Plan (CAD) | Monthly | Local SEO work | AEO work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local | $300 | Google Business Profile management, local citations, on-page tuning, 1 post a month | Included |
| Growth | $700 | Everything in Local, 4 posts a month, link building, competitor tracking | Included |
| Authority | $2,000+ | Everything in Growth, content sprints, digital PR | Included, plus work to get you named in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI |
AEO work is in every plan, so there is no second line for it. Before you compare quotes, our free 24-page AI search and speed audit shows where your site stands, delivered within 24 hours. If you also need a new site, our Toronto website cost guide covers build prices in CAD.
What this guide can't tell you
We did not request quotes from Seologist, Wisevu or the providers in Zyppy's directory. We didn't judge their work either. The prices here are only what each company publishes. Many Toronto agencies publish no prices at all. First Page Sage's 23% figure is about AI-search pricing worldwide, not Toronto, but it points the same way: most quotes happen in private.
The $500 and $1,500 rows above have no Toronto agency source, because no agency we read publishes a tier that low. Read them as a description of scope, not a market rate.