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Free SEO ROI calculator

See what ranking higher for one keyword would be worth a month, and how that compares with what you spend on SEO. It uses the keyword's searches, Google's 2026 click rates by position, your conversion rate and what a sale or lead is worth. Free, no sign-up, and your numbers stay in your browser.

Short answer

SEO ROI is the value your organic traffic brings, minus what SEO costs, divided by that cost. If ranking higher brings $800 a month in extra sales and SEO costs $500 a month, the return is +60%. The calculator works out the extra traffic from the keyword's searches and Google's 2026 click rate at each position.

From your keyword tool or Google's Keyword Planner.

The spot you aim for

Does Google show an AI answer for it?

Mixes searches with and without an AI answer, weighted the way US searches are. Pick this when you're not sure.

%

Sales or leads per 100 visits, from your analytics.

$

Profit on a sale, or what a lead is worth to you.

$

Tools, writers or an agency. Leave it blank to see the value only.

Return on SEO spend

+63%

A month, from one keyword, once the page holds the spot. These are example numbers until you type yours.

Visits today, page two
0 (counted as none)
Visits at position 3
41 (1.7%)
Extra sales or leads
0.82
Extra value a month
$816
SEO cost a month
$500

$816 a month against $500 of cost: it pays for itself once the page holds the spot. Breaking even takes 0.5 extra sales or leads a month.

Visits are searches times the share who click each spot: First Page Sage, Google Click-Through Rates (CTRs) by Ranking Position in 2026 (updated September 22, 2026). The study stops at position 10, so below that today counts as no visits. An estimate, not a promise: real rates vary by search, and no one can promise a ranking.

Serpwright finds the searches your site already shows up for in Search Console, then writes and publishes the articles you approve. The Monthly plan is $79 a month for 30 articles a month.

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How the return is worked out

Five steps, each one shown in the result. The last one needs your monthly cost.

  1. Visits at each position

    Monthly searches times the share of searchers who click that spot. On the US average, position 1 gets 7.1%, position 3 gets 1.7% and position 10 gets 0.2%. Below position 10 the study has no rate, so today counts as no visits.

  2. Extra visits

    Visits at the spot you aim for, minus the visits you get today.

  3. Extra sales or leads

    Extra visits times your conversion rate. 2% means 2 sales or leads per 100 visits.

  4. Extra value

    Extra sales or leads times what one is worth to you. Use profit on a sale, not the price, for a fair return.

  5. Return on spend

    Extra value minus the monthly cost, divided by the cost. +100% means SEO pays back twice what it costs; −50% means it pays back half.

The full table of click rates by position, with and without an AI answer, is on the CTR calculator page, which also checks whether a page gets the clicks its position should bring.

What the calculator leaves out

Add these yourself before you decide.

  • Time. The calculator assumes the page already holds the spot. A new page can take months to get there, if it does at all, so count the months before it ranks as cost with no return.
  • Other keywords. One page often ranks for many searches. Run the calculator for each main keyword and add up the value.
  • One-off costs. A page written once keeps bringing visits after you stop paying for it. If you pay per article, spread that cost over the months the page ranks.
  • Searches you already win. If you already rank first for your own brand name, more SEO won't add those visits.

More pages that rank, for one monthly price

Serpwright reads your Search Console data, finds the searches your site shows up for but has no page for, then writes and publishes an article for each one you approve.

  • The Monthly plan is $79 a month for 30 articles a month, AI included. Put that in the cost field to see how many extra sales it needs.
  • Articles publish to WordPress, Webflow or Shopify, with internal links to your related pages.
  • By default, you approve every title before anything is written.
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3 days free, no card.

Questions

How do you calculate SEO ROI?
Take the value organic search brings, subtract what SEO costs, and divide by the cost. With $800 of extra value a month and $500 of cost, ROI is (800 − 500) ÷ 500 = 60%. The hard part is the value, which needs searches, click rates by position, a conversion rate and what a sale is worth.
What is a good ROI for SEO?
Anything above 0% pays for itself. A page can keep bringing visits for as long as it ranks, while it was written once, so judge the return over a year rather than the first month.
Where do the click rates come from?
First Page Sage's "Google Click-Through Rates (CTRs) by Ranking Position in 2026", updated September 22, 2026, from Search Console data on desktop and mobile. It gives rates for positions 1 to 10, for searches with and without an AI answer and for the US average. The CTR calculator page shows the whole table.
How long does SEO take to pay off?
Google's own guide on hiring an SEO gives no timeline, and says no one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google. The calculator shows the return once the page holds the spot; count the months before that as cost with no return.
Does this tool save my numbers?
No. The math runs in your browser and your numbers are never sent to us. We count one anonymous use after you type your own numbers, recording only whether the return came out above, at or below zero, or that no cost was entered.