Will SEO pay for itself?
Project the leads, revenue, profit and payback month an SEO investment could produce, using your own close rate, customer value and margin.
Your numbers
Projection
Traffic ramps from zero extra in month 1 to your growth figure at month 12, then holds (no further growth is assumed). SEO usually takes months to compound, so early months show a loss. Revenue from repeat customers and referrals is excluded.
How to estimate SEO ROI honestly
SEO ROI is gross profit from the extra organic leads, minus what you spend, divided by what you spend. The inputs that matter most are the ones you already know: your close rate, your average job value and your margin. The uncertain one is traffic growth, so run the calculator with a cautious and an optimistic figure and plan around the cautious one.
Two things make the real number better than this projection: rankings keep working after the ramp, and the same pages increasingly get cited in AI answers. Two things make it worse: a slow sales follow-up, and targeting keywords that bring visits but not buyers. Work out what each lead is worth with the free lead value calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate SEO ROI?
Take the gross profit from the extra customers organic search brings in, subtract what you spent on SEO, and divide by the SEO spend. This calculator models the extra traffic ramping up over the first year.
How long does SEO take to pay back?
Often six to twelve months for local service businesses, depending on competition, the value of a customer and how quickly the sales team follows up. Early months usually show a loss while rankings build.
What is a good ROI for SEO?
It varies widely by industry. Because rankings keep working after the initial investment, SEO ROI tends to improve the longer you look, which is why the 24 and 36 month views matter.
Is this SEO ROI calculator free?
Yes, with no signup. Everything runs in your browser; nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
Related reading
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