How much does digital marketing cost in the Sutherland Shire?

Pricing is the question every business owner has before they pick up the phone, and digital marketing agencies are famously bad at answering it. Websites talk about "custom solutions" and "flexible packages" without ever naming a number.

I do it differently. Here is what digital marketing actually costs in the Sutherland Shire in 2026, including my own prices, what you get at different price points, and how to decide what makes sense for your business. All prices below are ex GST.

Why does pricing vary so much?

Pricing varies because digital marketing is not one service, and because who does the work matters as much as what the work is.

SEO, Google Ads, website builds, social media, content and branding each have their own cost structure. A one-off website build is priced very differently to an ongoing monthly retainer.

The other variable is the provider. A large CBD agency with 30 staff has overhead a solo specialist does not, and you pay for it whether or not it benefits you. Neither model is automatically better value, but you should know which one you are buying.

What does each service cost in the Sutherland Shire?

Typical market rates and my own prices, side by side:

• SEO. A quality local retainer typically runs $750 to $3,000 per month. Mine are $1,200, $1,800 and $2,500 per month depending on competition and content volume. Budget providers at $500 per month are unlikely to move anything. Large agency retainers above $5,000 per month are rarely necessary for a local business.
• Google Ads management. Typically $750 to $1,500 per month as a flat fee, separate from your ad spend. Mine are $750, $1,100 and $1,500 per month flat. Be cautious of anyone charging a percentage of ad spend, because that model pays them more when they spend more of your money.
• Websites. Professionally built sites typically run $2,500 to $12,000 depending on scope, with ecommerce at the higher end. Mine start from $2,500.
• Branding. A complete identity, covering logo, colour palette, typography and guidelines, typically costs $1,200 to $4,500 as a one-off. My packages are $1,200, $2,500 and $4,500.
• Social media management. Typically $800 to $2,000 per month for two to three platforms including content. I do not offer standalone social posting, so this one is market context only.
• Lead Engine. My combined package, covering SEO, Google Ads and the landing pages that convert the traffic, is $2,800 per month. For most trades and clinics wanting one accountable system rather than separate services, this is where I point people first.

What do you get at different price points?

At around $1,200 to $1,500 per month for SEO, expect keyword research, on-page optimisation, monthly content and local signals work, with movement in three to six months.

At $2,000 to $3,000 per month, expect a more aggressive program: deeper technical work, more content, stronger link building, and faster progress in competitive markets.

At $500 per month or less, you are almost certainly getting templated reports, offshore execution and no real strategy. The results reflect the price.

Two things to check regardless of price point. First, that every dollar of Google Ads spend goes to Google, not through the agency with a margin added. Your ad account should be yours, billed to your card. Second, that you keep access to your own Google Analytics and Search Console, so you can verify the reports rather than take them on trust. Both should be non-negotiable at any budget.

What are the two ways to work with me?

There are two engagement models, and which one fits depends mostly on your size.

Productised local retainers. The fixed-price services above: SEO from $1,200 per month, Ads management from $750 per month, or Lead Engine at $2,800 per month. These suit owner-operated businesses, typically trades and medical, that want a defined scope, a known price, and one person accountable for the result. This is most of my client base.

An embedded senior marketing lead. For businesses past roughly $1M in revenue, the constraint is usually not one channel, it is that nobody senior owns marketing as a whole. For those businesses I work as an embedded marketing lead from $5,000 per month: inside your tools, in your meetings, running strategy and execution across channels, without the salary, super and overheads of a $150k-plus marketing manager hire. My anchor client runs this way and it is where I do my best work.

If you are not sure which fits, the honest test is this: if you need one channel to produce leads, take a retainer. If you need someone to own the whole marketing function, that is the embedded model.

On contracts, whichever model you choose and whoever you choose it with: a minimum term of three to six months is fair, because the work needs time to compound. A 24-month lock-in is not fair, and you should ask hard questions of anyone who insists on one.

How do you decide what to spend?

Work out what a new customer is worth to your business, then work backwards. The right question is never "what does marketing cost", it is "what does a customer bring in, and how many do I need each month to make this pay".

If you are a plumber in Caringbah and each new customer is worth $800 over a year, a $1,500 per month investment that brings in ten new customers a month is an excellent return. If the same spend brings in two, it is not. If you do not know your numbers yet, that is the first thing to fix, before you spend a dollar with me or anyone else.

And sometimes the honest answer is to spend less. A brand new business with no revenue is usually better off with a tidy Google Business Profile, a simple site and a small Ads budget than a full retainer. I would rather tell you that on a call than sign you up for something you do not need yet.

If you want a straight answer on what your business should be spending, book a free strategy call.