SEO ROI calculator
Understanding the return on investment (ROI) of your SEO campaigns is the key to making smarter decisions and driving sustainable growth for your business. That’s where our SEO ROI calculator comes in.
This simple, yet powerful tool helps you measure the financial impact of your SEO efforts by analysing key metrics like website traffic, conversion rates and customer lifetime value (LTV). Whether you’re planning a new campaign or evaluating the performance of your current strategy, our SEO calculator provides clear, actionable insights to ensure every pound you spend on SEO works harder for your business.
Why use our SEO ROI calculator?
SEO can often feel like a long game. It takes time to see results, and measuring its success isn’t as straightforward as tracking a PPC campaign.
With our calculator, you can:
- Understand how SEO contributes to your bottom line.
- Set realistic KPIs and benchmarks for your campaigns.
- Refine your strategy based on data-driven insights.
Take the guesswork out of your SEO investment. Use the calculator below to discover how much revenue your SEO campaigns could generate – and whether you’re achieving the ROI your business deserves.
How to use the SEO ROI calculator – step-by-step guide
1. Estimated New Visitors from SEO
What it means: The number of new visitors you expect to attract to your website each month from your SEO efforts. This should be based on realistic traffic projections or past campaign performance.
Why it matters: SEO efforts aim to increase the visibility of your website, driving more visitors to it. The more visitors you estimate, the more potential there is for leads, sales, and, ultimately, revenue. This number forms the foundation of the ROI calculation.
Example: If your current monthly organic traffic is 5,000 visitors, and you expect SEO improvements to boost that by 40%, enter 2,000 (40% of 5,000).
2. Website Conversion Rate (%)
What it means: The percentage of visitors who take a specific action on your site, such as filling out a form, making a purchase, or downloading an asset.
Why it matters: This is crucial for calculating how many of the visitors from SEO will turn into leads or customers. A higher conversion rate means better utilisation of your website traffic.
Example: If 10 out of every 100 visitors typically complete an action (eg, a purchase), your website conversion rate is 10%.
3. Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) (£)
What it means: The average revenue you earn from one customer over the entire period they remain a customer.
Why it matters: Understanding the value of a single customer helps you gauge how much SEO efforts are worth over time, rather than just focusing on one-off purchases.
Example: If a customer spends £50 on their first purchase and returns twice more, spending £50 each time, the LTV is £150.
4. Profit Margin (%)
What it means: The percentage of revenue that remains as profit after deducting all costs associated with producing or delivering your product/service, including any spend on SEO itself.
Why it matters: Profit margin ensures that ROI calculations focus on actual profit rather than total revenue, offering a clearer picture of business success.
Example: If your business spends £90 to produce a product you sell for £100, your profit margin is 10%.
5. Monthly SEO Investment (£)
What it means: The amount of money you’re spending on SEO efforts each month, including tools, agencies, or in-house resources.
Why it matters: Your ROI is measured against this figure, so knowing exactly how much you’re investing ensures accurate results.
Example: If you’re spending £500 on an SEO agency and £500 on tools, enter £1,000.
Let’s see it in action
Imagine you’ve filled in the calculator like this:
- Estimated New Visitors from SEO: 2,000
- Web Conversion Rate: 10%
- Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) (£): £150
- Profit Margin (%): 10%
- Monthly SEO Investment (£): £1,000
When you hit calculate, here’s what you’d get:
- Estimated Lead or Orders per month: 200 (your 2,000 new website visitors who convert at 10%)
- Monthly Revenue: £30,000 (200 leads/orders with a LTV of £150 per lead/order)
- Profit after costs and SEO spend: £2,000 (10% profit from the £30,000 revenue, minus any monthly SEO investment)
- Average cost per lead or order: £5 (how much it costs to bring a single lead or order to your business via your SEO spend
- Return On Investment: 200% (Profit / SEO Investment) x 100 where profit is equal to monthly revenue minus monthly SEO investment
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) FAQs
SEO ROI (Return on Investment) measures the profitability of your SEO campaigns by comparing the revenue generated from organic search traffic to the cost of running those campaigns. Essentially, it answers the question: “Are my SEO efforts making me money?”
ROI is critical because it demonstrates the tangible value of SEO to your business. Unlike some marketing strategies, SEO can take months to show significant results, so tracking ROI helps you justify your investment and refine your approach.
Learn more about calculating SEO ROI from Moz.
Learn more about Submerge’s SEO agency services.
To estimate new visitors from SEO:
- Look at your current website traffic using tools like Google Analytics.
- Analyse the percentage of traffic currently coming from organic search.
- Use projections based on planned SEO efforts, like improved keyword rankings or content updates. For example, if you aim to rank higher for a keyword with 10,000 monthly searches, you might estimate a 20% increase in traffic.
Be realistic – while aggressive growth can be tempting, overestimating leads to disappointment and inaccurate ROI calculations.
Use a tool such as Ahref’s keyword planner to start you analysis.
Learn more about Submerge’s SEO audit services.
A good website conversion rate varies by industry but typically falls between 2% and 5%. Some sectors (like ecommerce) may see higher averages. If your conversion rate is below 2%, it’s time to optimise.
How to improve conversion rates:
- Simplify your website’s user experience (fewer clicks to complete an action).
- Improve your calls-to-action (CTAs) by making them clear and enticing.
- A/B test your landing pages to identify what works best.
- Build trust with customer reviews, testimonials, or guarantees.
- Use remarketing ads to convert hesitant users.
Read our guide to SEO ecommerce.
Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) helps you understand the true worth of a customer to your business. Instead of focusing on one-off purchases, LTV highlights how much revenue a customer generates over time.
For SEO, this is crucial because:
- SEO often attracts high-quality, loyal customers who return over time.
- A higher LTV makes your SEO investment more cost-effective.
Example: If you spend £50 to acquire a customer, and their LTV is £150, your profit margin justifies the investment.
Explore LTV in more depth with HubSpot’s guide.
Profit margin directly influences the profitability shown in your SEO ROI calculations. If you have a slim margin, your SEO must work harder to be worthwhile. On the other hand, businesses with higher margins see better ROI from the same amount of traffic and conversions.
Example:
- A business with a 10% margin on £10,000 revenue earns £1,000 in profit.
- A business with a 40% margin on £10,000 revenue earns £4,000 in profit – resulting in a higher ROI.
Understanding your margins helps set realistic expectations for your SEO campaign’s impact on profitability.
Read our guide to the top 5 marketing analytics tools you should be using.
Your SEO investment should depend on:
- Your goals – Do you need aggressive growth or steady improvement?
- Your revenue – A typical rule of thumb is to allocate 5-10% of your revenue to marketing, with a portion dedicated to SEO.
- Competition – Highly competitive industries (like finance or travel) require higher budgets.
- Expected ROI – Calculate potential gains from improved rankings and traffic.
Example: If you estimate £15,000 in monthly revenue from SEO, investing £3,000 is reasonable, as a 5x ROI is achievable over the long term. Remember, it takes a while for SEO performance to hit its stride, so expect to take around 4-6 months before you get to this level.
Check out this breakdown of SEO pricing by Search Engine Journal.
Short-term ROI
- Focuses on immediate wins, like ranking improvements and small traffic increases.
Typically lower, as SEO takes time to gain traction.
Long-term ROI
- Captures the ongoing benefits of higher rankings and organic traffic over months or years.
SEO tends to have a “compounding effect” as content matures and gains authority, driving higher traffic for minimal additional cost.
Example: A blog post optimised for a keyword may start with 50 visits per month but grow to 500 visits monthly over a year.
Learn more about Submerge’s blog writing services.
The key difference is in timeframes and cost models:
- PPC ROI tools measure immediate returns because PPC campaigns generate traffic as soon as you pay.
- SEO ROI calculators focus on long-term, sustainable growth. Although SEO has an upfront investment and takes time, its results continue without ongoing costs.
Both tools are valuable, but SEO ROI calculators emphasise organic efforts’ lasting impact.
Check out Submerge’s interactive free PPC calculator.
Not necessarily. A negative ROI can occur in the early stages of SEO because:
It takes time for content to rank and attract traffic.
Some industries have long sales cycles, meaning conversions don’t happen instantly.
If your ROI remains negative after 6–12 months, revisit your strategy. Look at:
- Targeting the right keywords.
- Improving your website’s UX and conversion rate.
- Checking whether your investment aligns with realistic revenue goals.
Read our guide on why SEO fails and what to do about it.
Track key metrics consistently:
- Traffic: Use tools like Google Analytics to monitor organic growth.
- Rankings: Check keyword performance using tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs.
- Conversions: Measure how many visitors take desired actions.
- Revenue and ROI: Regularly calculate your ROI to spot trends.
Refinement is an ongoing process:
- Identify underperforming pages and optimise them.
- Create fresh content targeting new keywords.
- Regularly audit your website’s technical SEO to maintain strong performance.