Count real locations and distinct local tasks

Local SEO pricing depends on what is being maintained for which real business locations. Start with eligible profiles, website location pages, business information, review-response ownership and reporting. Shared website templates and a central reporting process may be common to several locations; correcting an individual address or local page is a different unit of work. Counting locations without listing these tasks can multiply the wrong fees. This worksheet budgets responsibilities; the local citation guide separately records source-level business mentions.

Separate managed labor from software access

Public pages checked on 27 October 2026 illustrate why billing details matter. Website Depot advertised an automated Local Bronze tier starting at $395, but the inspected tier did not clearly establish its billing period, minimum or tax treatment. Do not borrow terms from another offer on the page. BrightLocal’s Track software band for two to five locations listed USD62 billed monthly or USD558 billed annually. Its displayed USD47/month annual equivalent is rounded: the annual bill is USD558, not USD564. Software access is not a quotation for someone to perform your local SEO work.

  • Website Depot automated Local Bronze: starting at $395, with ten keywords and listed local tasks. Billing period, minimum, taxes and explicit currency code remain unconfirmed for this tier.
  • BrightLocal Track software for 2–5 locations: USD62 billed monthly or USD558 billed annually. The displayed USD47/month annual equivalent is rounded; USD558 ÷ 12 = USD46.50. Tax and renewal details still require confirmation.

Build a three-location budget without double-counting

The fictional three-location bicycle retailer plans six months. Shared setup is USD600 and location setup is USD150 each, giving USD1,050 once. Shared monthly work is USD300 plus USD200 per location, giving USD900 monthly. The known six-month base is USD1,050 + 6 × USD900 = USD6,450. One additional location would add USD150 + 6 × USD200 = USD1,350 if shared scope stayed unchanged. Taxes, software and extra tasks are not priced, so this is not a final total. The example is authored, not a vendor’s package or a market estimate.

Compare local scope before multiplying a price

Ask whether a fee is per business, location, profile, directory submission, page or account band. Separate listing corrections, profile updates, local landing-page work, review handling and measurement. Do not multiply a two-to-five-location software band by the number of locations, and do not multiply a central website setup fee unless separate work is actually quoted. Mark one-time cleanup separately from maintenance. If a new location changes reporting, languages or site architecture, request a revised scope instead of assuming the marginal amount still applies.

Assign access, responsibility and acceptance

Confirm that every profile represents an eligible real business under Google’s rules; paying for a city package does not create eligibility. Record who owns each account, who approves information changes, who responds to reviews and what evidence proves a correction. A useful acceptance record names the location, source page or profile, task, observation date, responsible person and follow-up. This local worksheet does not create profiles, buy listings, send review requests or connect accounts. Retain control of business access and verify the actual published information separately.

  • List real locations and eligible profiles first.
  • Count central tasks once unless the quote says otherwise.
  • Separate software access from managed labor.
  • Use the actual annual bill, not a rounded equivalent.
  • Confirm published corrections and track results separately.

Do not turn a local budget into a ranking promise

The two advertisements are different product types and do not establish an average local SEO price. Google says there is no way to pay for better local ranking; relevance, distance and prominence remain distinct from the service invoice. More locations, directories or posts do not prove improved visibility. Recheck offers and location bands, confirm tax and renewal conditions, and keep unquoted amounts unknown. A full service budget needs both clearly assigned work and a complete written price, not a single attractive number.

Worked amounts are fictional USD examples unless a named, dated offer is identified. Unknown charges are not zero.