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SEO ROI calculator: see your two-year payback

Pick the numbers closest to your business. The results update as you choose. You see the revenue SEO could add in year 1 and year 2, and whether it pays back its cost.

Your numbers

Monthly organic visits today

Your current visits from search each month.

Traffic growth per month

It compounds, so small rates add up.

Conversion rate

Share of visits that turn into a sale.

Average order value

What one sale is worth to you.

Cost per sale

Product, shipping and fees for each sale.

SEO spend per month

Agency, content, tools and links combined.

Your two-year forecast

Year 1 added revenue
$47.1k
Year 2 added revenue
$159.1k
Two-year ROI
110%
Added profit, 24 months $126.0k
SEO spend, 24 months $60.0k
Month 0Month 12Month 24 At 1% a month, SEO adds visits equal to 27% of today's traffic by month 24. At 2% a month, SEO adds visits equal to 61% of today's traffic by month 24. At 3% a month, SEO adds visits equal to 103% of today's traffic by month 24. At 5% a month, SEO adds visits equal to 223% of today's traffic by month 24.

Want a forecast based on your real data? Talk to our team.

Get a custom SEO ROI forecast

Profit is revenue minus cost per sale. ROI compares that profit with 24 months of SEO spend. Figures are rounded down.

How the maths works

Four steps, no black box. The example column uses the default choices above, so you can check every figure by hand.

  1. 01

    Added visits

    Each month, traffic grows by your rate on top of today's base. We count only the visits SEO adds, not the ones you already get.

    visits × ((1 + growth)^month − 1)

    Example: 26,178 in year 1, 88,415 in year 2

  2. 02

    Added sales

    Added visits times your conversion rate. Use your real rate from GA4, not an industry average.

    added visits × conversion rate

    Example: 524 in year 1, 1,768 in year 2

  3. 03

    Added revenue and profit

    Revenue is sales times order value. Profit takes off what each sale costs you to deliver.

    sales × (order value − cost per sale)

    Example: $206,267 revenue, $126,052 profit

  4. 04

    Two-year ROI

    Profit minus 24 months of SEO spend, divided by that spend. Above zero means SEO paid for itself.

    (profit − spend) ÷ spend

    Example: ($126,052 − $60,000) ÷ $60,000 = 110%

What your ROI number means

A single percentage hides a lot. Read it next to the year 1 and year 2 split. SEO is slow at first and stronger later, so a weak year 1 is normal.

Do not judge SEO on traffic alone. Revenue and payback are the numbers your finance team cares about.

Below 0%

Not paying back yet

Two years of spend costs more than the profit it adds. Check your margin and conversion rate first. A better page often beats more traffic.

0% to 100%

Pays back, slowly

SEO covers its cost and adds some profit. Ask how long it takes to break even. Then compare that with what paid ads would cost you.

Above 100%

A case worth testing

Each dollar spent returns more than a dollar of profit on paper. Now check the inputs against real data before you take it to your CFO.

Calculator estimate vs a real forecast

The calculator is a fast first look. A forecast is what you take into a budget meeting. Here is the difference.

Comparison of this calculator with a custom SEO ROI forecast
Topic This calculator Custom forecast
Inputs Six ranges you pick Your own GA4 and Search Console data
Growth One flat monthly rate Rates set from your site, market and competitors
Costs One monthly spend figure Costs tied to the actual work in the plan
Output An estimate on this screen A roadmap with traffic, sales, revenue and cost targets
After launch Nothing to check against Monthly reporting against the forecast

Common questions

Is the calculator free to use?

Yes. There is no sign-up and nothing to install. Pick your numbers and the results update on the page.

How accurate is the result?

It is a model, not a promise. It assumes one steady growth rate and one conversion rate. Real traffic moves with seasons, updates and competitors. Treat it as a sanity check, then build a forecast on real data.

Why does year 2 earn so much more than year 1?

Growth compounds. Each month adds visits on top of last month's gains. That is why SEO often looks slow early and strong later.

Do you guarantee the ROI shown here?

No. We do not guarantee rankings or returns. We set a realistic forecast with you and report against it every month.