Cost & judgment
What does AEO actually cost for a contractor?
Answered by Ryan, RankNext strategist · Updated July 2, 2026
The short answer
For a single-location contractor, managed AEO in 2026 typically runs $800–$1,600/month, scaling with service breadth and cities covered; multi-location operators pay more. Ours is published: $899 to $2,500/month, month-to-month. Whatever you pay, demand two things — published scope and evidence-based reporting.
What drives the price up or down
Four factors move quotes: how many services and cities need dedicated pages (a one-truck plumber versus a three-county operation), the state of your foundation (a neglected profile and thin site cost setup effort), whether a website build is included, and how much is genuinely done-for-you versus advice you implement.
Beware both tails. Far below the range, the weekly operations — reviews, profile activity, content, measurement — can't all be happening. Far above it, you're often buying agency overhead or ad management bundled in, which is fine if you wanted those, and waste if you didn't.
The contractor's math
Price it against a job, not a feeling: one HVAC install, one repipe, one reroof typically covers one to three months of any plan in this range. The question isn't whether $1,000/month is a lot — it's how many jobs per month the visibility has to produce to be obviously worth it. Usually the answer is one.
Our pricing is on the site next to exactly what's included, and every result in your monthly report opens a stored receipt. Start with the free check either way — it prices the gap before you price the fix.
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