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SEO ROI Calculator
Find out what SEO is actually worth for your business — projected leads, revenue, and the month you break even. Based on real industry benchmarks.
This SEO ROI calculator projects the leads, revenue, and break-even month an SEO program could produce for your business from three inputs: monthly organic traffic, visitor-to-lead conversion rate, and average deal value. Projections use industry-average organic click-through curves and conversion benchmarks; most businesses reach SEO payback between months 9 and 15. Treat the output as a directional estimate, not a guarantee — actual results vary with market competitiveness and execution.
Your numbers
Fill in what you know. Leave estimates for the rest — the tool will flag them.
From Google Search Console or GA4. If new site, enter 0.
Realistic 12-month target based on keyword research.
Visitors who become leads. Industry average: 1–3%.
First-year revenue per client or transaction value.
% of inbound leads you convert to paying clients.
Agency retainer or internal staff cost per month.
Your 12-month projection
Monthly leads at target
Annual revenue (new clients)
From organic leads, at your close rate
12-month SEO investment
Total retainer spend over 12 months
Projected payback
Month cumulative revenue > investment
12-month ROI
Revenue:
Investment:
Net return:
| Month | Est. traffic | Leads | New clients | Revenue | Cumulative invest. | Net position |
|---|
Traffic growth modelled using an S-curve: slow start (months 1–3), acceleration (months 4–8), plateau approach (months 9–12). This reflects typical Google trust-building and content compounding behaviour. Actual results depend on market competitiveness, domain age, content volume, and link building pace.
Ready to make these numbers real?
We'll audit your current SEO, validate your projections against actual keyword data, and build a roadmap to hit your traffic targets.
Get a free SEO auditFill in your numbers above and click Calculate to see your projections.
About this calculator
How accurate is this SEO ROI calculator?
The projections use industry-average benchmarks: organic CTR curves by position, typical conversion rates for service businesses, and realistic S-curve traffic growth timelines. Your actual results depend on market competitiveness, content quality, domain authority, and execution consistency. Use this as a directional estimate, not a guarantee.
What conversion rate should I use?
Average website conversion rates (visitor → lead) range from 1–3% for B2B service businesses, 1–2% for e-commerce, and 5–10% for high-intent local service searches ("emergency plumber Toronto"). If you have Google Analytics data, use your actual rate. Otherwise, start with 2% as a conservative baseline.
How long until SEO pays back?
Most businesses reach SEO payback (cumulative leads × deal value exceeds cumulative investment) between months 9–15. Established domains in less competitive markets can hit payback by month 6. New domains in highly competitive markets may take 18 months. The calculator shows your projected payback month.
What should I include in monthly SEO investment?
Include your monthly agency retainer or internal SEO staff cost. Typical professionally-managed SEO for a Canadian SMB runs $1,500–$5,000/month. Do not include one-time setup costs — those are sunk cost and don't affect ongoing ROI calculations.
Want us to validate your projections?
We'll audit your site, run real keyword research, and show you exactly what SEO should return for your specific market and offer.