Here is the answer most Austin agencies will not put in writing: a competent marketing agency runs between about $1,500 and $10,000+ a month, depending on what you buy. So let us do the thing almost no agency does — publish the actual price list.
Why agency pricing feels like a hostage negotiation
Most agencies make you book a call before they will say a single number, because the price often depends on how much they think you can pay. We built The Blueprint Company to run on AI from the ground up, so software handles the repetitive work and we can publish prices and keep them — premium, but knowable.
What the market actually charges in 2026
- Local SEO: roughly $800 to $2,500 a month.
- Google Ads management: $750 to $5,000 a month, often plus a percentage of ad spend.
- Social media management: $1,000 to $8,000 a month.
- Websites: $3,000 to $15,000 for a professional build.
- Full-service retainers for local businesses: $2,500 to $10,000+ a month.
One quirk worth knowing: Austin agencies typically charge 20 to 40 percent less than San Francisco or New York firms for the same capability.
Our actual Austin price list
These are the real numbers from our rate card. Are we the cheapest in Austin? No — and you do not want the cheapest, because the $500-a-month agency loses money on you by month two and your campaign gets the attention a money-losing account deserves.
- Free marketing audit — we show you where you are leaking leads, no strings.
- SEO: $5,097 setup plus $1,597 a month.
- Google Business Profile management: $597 a month.
- Paid ads: $5,097 plus a 10 percent revenue share, or $15,097 one-time.
- Social media management: $5,097 setup plus $5,597 a month.
- Email and SMS marketing: $5,097 one-time.
- Websites: from $97 a month, builds $597 to $3,597, custom from $5,097.
- AI automation packages: $2,597 each.
- AI Receptionist that answers 24/7 and books appointments: $1,597.
The four pricing models, and the trap in each
A monthly retainer is predictable and best for ongoing work like SEO and social — the trap is vague scope, so get deliverables in writing. Project-based suits websites and funnels — the trap is the out-of-scope upsell. Percentage of ad spend is standard at 10 to 20 percent — the trap is the agency earns more for spending more, not for making you more. Hourly finances someone else's learning curve by the minute.
What changes your price
- Scope — SEO only is one number; SEO plus ads plus social plus email is another business entirely.
- Competition — ranking a med spa in Austin takes more work than in a small town, because every med spa had the same idea.
- Speed — ads buy speed, SEO buys compounding equity; most businesses need a mix.
- How much is automated — ask every agency what is automated and whether you keep the system if you ever leave.
What should an Austin small business budget?
A useful rule: established businesses invest 5 to 10 percent of revenue in marketing, and growth-mode businesses go higher. Under $500k in revenue, start with the free audit, fix your Google Business Profile, and get SEO plus AI follow-up running. From $500k to $2M, add paid ads and social. Past $2M, run a full-funnel retainer — at that point the real question is not cost, it is payback period.
Hiding prices is a sales tactic, not a service. You should know what you are walking into before the first call.
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Get Your Free Marketing AuditWritten by
Troy VallesFounder & CEO, The Blueprint Company
Troy Valles is the founder of The Blueprint Company — Austin's AI marketing & automation agency. He writes about what actually moves the needle for local businesses, from real agency pricing to AI lead follow-up.