How much should a small business pay for SEO?

The ranges floating around, "few hundred to few thousand per month," are technically true and practically useless. What matters is what you actually need.

A local barbershop or small clinic might get most of the win from a €300–€800 one-time setup plus a small backlink budget, no monthly fee at all. A business in a competitive niche needs ongoing content and link work, and that easily runs €1,000–€3,000+ per month.

Before agreeing to anything, ask for the specific deliverables, the expected timeline, and what counts as success. If the answer is vague, the work will be too.