The short answer
- Hire an agency if you need more than local search, like paid ads, social media or a brand, or you want someone to meet in person.
- Pick GrowLevel if what you need is more calls from Google Maps and you'd rather pay once the map shows it working.
Side by side
| A local SEO agency | GrowLevel | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $500 to $3,000 a month; about $1,557 on average for providers serving local markets | $750 or $997 a month |
| When you start paying | The first month | On the Partnership plan, when your map shows you in the top 3 in 5 of 25 squares, confirmed on two scans |
| Setup fee | Varies; ask for it in writing | None on the Partnership plan |
| A new website | Often quoted separately | Included in every plan, live in 14 days. Yours to keep after six paid months |
| How results are measured | Varies; ask how rankings are checked, and from where | 25 points on Google Maps around your business, scanned every week, every scan saved for you to see |
| If nothing improves | You keep paying until the contract ends | If the target isn't met by day 120, you can leave and owe nothing |
| Contract | Varies; ask for the minimum term | Six paid months, starting only once you reach the top 3. Then month to month |
| Competitors on the same team | Some agencies work for several businesses in the same trade and town | One business per trade in each area |
| Updates | Often a monthly report or call | A plain-English update every week |
What you're paying for
A retainer pays for time and tasks: so many hours, so many posts, a report at the end of the month. That can be good work, but the risk is yours. If the map doesn't move, you've still paid for the months.
GrowLevel is priced on the result you care about. We agree one search phrase and the map around your business before we start. On the Partnership plan, the monthly fee starts only when 5 of the 25 squares show you in the top 3, on two scans at least 48 hours apart.
Where an agency is the better pick
- You need more than local search: paid ads, social media, a new brand or a big custom website.
- You have many locations or a franchise with its own reporting and approval steps.
- You want someone local to meet in person each month.
- You only want advice by the hour and will do the work yourself.
Questions to ask any agency, including us
- How do you measure rankings, from how many points, and can I see the raw scans?
- What happens if nothing improves in four months?
- Who owns the website, the content and the Google profile if I leave?
- Is the website included, or quoted separately?
- Do you work for my direct competitors in the same town?
- What is the minimum term, and when does it start?
Our answers are on the Top-3 Promise and our pricing page. For what local SEO costs in general, with sources, read how much local SEO costs.