Choosing a service
What Determines the Cost of a GEO Project?
Understand the factors behind GEO cost, from audit scope to content and implementation work. Compare proposals by deliverables without assuming a fixed price.
TL;DR
- GEO cost depends on markets, pages, evidence, implementation and ongoing review.
- Compare quotes for the same work, outputs, limits and tasks left to your team.
- Include internal time and tool costs, and keep cost estimates separate from return forecasts.
GEO cost is about who does the work as well as how much the supplier charges. First agree what the fee covers and how you will check each output. Then compare the quote with the time your own team must spend.
This guide does not give a price for all projects. Sementa scopes each proposal from the site, market, work needed and roles on both sides.
Use a scope-normalized cost worksheet
TrustRadius’s 2025 tech-buyer research reported value for price in 66% of purchases, perceived safety in 33%, and customer-review confidence in 24%. These are buyer criteria, not GEO price benchmarks. PMI found only 49% of surveyed organizations had adequate requirements resources in its 2014 study. Internal work deserves a line in your scope.
Worked comparison without made-up market rates
A made-up buyer receives two proposals. The review uses the proposal text and the buyer’s own capacity plan. The apparent price gap cannot be assessed until both cover the same job.
| Work boundary | Offer A: audit | Offer B: audit and support |
|---|---|---|
| Research and findings | Included for the agreed market and pages. | Included; confirm the same market and page count. |
| Drafting changes | Client team drafts from proposed changes. | Supplier drafts the agreed changes. |
| Approval | Client owns factual approval. | Client still owns factual approval. |
| Publication | Client developer publishes. | Confirm whether supplier publication is included or excluded. |
| Recheck | One agreed evidence review. | Agreed review cadence; define what changes are included. |
| Cost comparison | Fee + client writing and publishing time + required tools. | Fee + client review time + excluded publishing + required tools. |
Planning formula: total delivery cost = supplier fee + internal hours × your internal hourly cost + incremental tools + separately priced work. Keep currency, period and tax treatment consistent. Use your own figures; this guide does not supply market rates.
The two fees buy different work. You do not yet know which offers better value. Send the worksheet to each supplier and ask them to fill the gaps. The work is done when each material deliverable has a payer and an owner. Discuss Cost and timing alongside Responsibility in Sementa’s service-page framework.
Start with the work included
Ask what the fee buys. A review of gaps, work to fix those gaps and a monthly report are different jobs.
- Which markets, languages, buyer questions and rivals are in scope?
- Which pages and sources will the team check?
- Will you receive findings, briefs, finished drafts, code changes or all of these?
- How many rounds of review are included, and what is each one for?
- What must be handed over before the work is done?
Our services overview explains the scope of an audit and ongoing GEO work.
Account for internal responsibilities
List who will supply facts, approve claims, write copy, publish pages and fix code. A lower fee may mean your own team does more. A wider scope may include work you do not need.
Keep access needs, review owners and excluded work beside the quote. If a source or sign-off is missing, name the task it blocks and the effect on the date. The Sementa approach explains how we split the work with the client team.
Consider the factors that change scope
A new market can need new buyer research, proof and review. It is not always just another set of the same pages. Check how much of the current content can be used and what must be sourced afresh.
The same applies to a complex offer, a large catalog or several locations. Count the extra work to learn the facts, write them, check them and keep them current.
Ask for a comparable proposal
Give each supplier the same brief. Ask for outputs, excluded work, client tasks, report rules and the terms for adding pages or markets. Compare fees only after the work is clear.
Use the audit-versus-ongoing comparison to choose a starting point your team can support. Then discuss your scope with the site and target market ready to share.
Frequently asked questions
Does Sementa publish a fixed GEO price here?
No. This guide explains scope factors. Project pricing requires a confirmed brief and separately agreed proposal.
Is the cheapest proposal directly comparable?
Only after checking the deliverables, exclusions, evidence requirements, and work your own team must complete.
Can a fixed fee be compared with a retainer?
Yes, after choosing the same period and work boundary. Include what happens after the initial audit and which changes require a separate fee.
Should projected leads be subtracted from the cost?
No. Keep the cost estimate and outcome scenario separate. A forecast is not a discount or guaranteed return.
Share the market, page scope and internal capacity to request a scoped proposal.
