WordPress,
Shopify,
Wix, Webflow and Ghost. Any other site, hosted on your own domain →Getting one SEO blog post written and published in the UK typically costs anywhere from almost nothing in cash (but several hours of your own time) to several hundred pounds, depending on who does the work. As a rough guide, a freelance writer usually charges around £75 to £400 for one finished post, an agency more, and AI tools or blog services far less per article. How much a blog post costs depends mostly on how much research, editing and uploading is included in the price.
What you are actually paying for in one blog post
Quotes for a blog post often look wildly different because they cover different amounts of work. Before comparing prices, check which of these stages each quote includes.
- Topic and keyword research: working out which search the post should answer, so it has a chance of being found. Skip this and you can pay for a well written post nobody looks for.
- Writing: the draft itself, usually 900 to 1,500 words for a useful small business post.
- Editing and fact checking: a second pass for accuracy, tone and anything wrong about your business. This is the stage cheap options most often leave to you.
- Formatting and uploading: adding headings, links and a meta description (the short summary that can appear under your page in Google), then publishing it on your site.
- Images: stock photos, custom graphics or your own photos, sized and given alt text.
A low quote that covers only writing can end up costing more than a higher one that covers everything, once you count your own hours.
Rule of thumb: compare the cost of a post that is live on your site, not the cost of a document in your inbox. The gap between the two is usually your own time.
Typical cost per post by route
The ranges below are typical guides for a roughly 1,000 to 1,500 word post in the UK, not fixed rates. Prices vary with the writer's experience, how technical your subject is and how much is included. If you want the per-word view, our guide to SEO content writing prices in the UK covers that separately.
| Route | Typical cash cost per live post | Your time per post |
|---|---|---|
| Write it yourself | Close to nothing | Often half a day or more |
| General AI tool, you edit and upload | A few pounds, via a monthly subscription | One to three hours |
| Freelance writer | Around £75 to £400 | Briefing, review and often uploading |
| Agency | Usually higher than a freelancer, often bundled in a monthly retainer | Mostly approvals |
| Blog autopilot or content service | A monthly fee spread across several posts | Reviewing drafts |
Writing it yourself
Doing it yourself costs no cash but plenty of time. Research, drafting, editing and uploading a decent post rarely takes less than a few hours for someone who does not write for a living. Price that time honestly: an hour of a plumber's or accountant's day is not free.
General AI writing tools
Tools such as ChatGPT or Claude make the first draft cheap. The real cost is everything after: choosing the topic, checking every fact, making it sound like you, and putting it on your site. Expect to edit heavily, because general tools will happily invent details about your business.
Freelance writers
A good freelancer brings judgement and can interview you for detail no tool knows. Cheaper freelancers often deliver a draft only, so ask whether research, images and uploading are included. Our comparison of a freelance SEO writer or AI content service covers when the extra cost is worth it.
Agencies
Agencies tend to cost more per post because you are also paying for account management, strategy and editing. That can be good value if they handle the whole process. It is poor value if you are paying a retainer for a handful of posts and a monthly report.
Blog autopilots and content services
These research, write and publish posts for a monthly subscription. Per article they are usually the cheapest outside option, but quality and accuracy vary a lot between providers, so read their published articles before you pay.
How to budget for a month of blog posts
Work out your monthly budget in three steps.
- Decide how many posts you need. For most small businesses, two to four useful posts a month is plenty. Consistency matters more than volume; see how many blog posts it takes before you see SEO results.
- Multiply by the cost of a live post on your chosen route, including anything the quote leaves out.
- Add your own time at a realistic hourly value for briefing, reviewing and uploading.
Worked example: four freelance posts at £150 each is £600 a month in cash. If each also needs an hour of your time to review and upload, add four hours on top. Four DIY posts cost no cash but might take two full working days.
Whichever route you choose, budget for at least three to six months. One or two posts rarely shows results, and stopping early is the most common way to waste the money already spent.
Where costs creep up
- Revisions: some writers include one round, others charge for each.
- Images: paid stock photos or custom graphics add up across a month.
- Specialist subjects: legal, financial and medical topics usually cost more because errors carry real risk.
- Uploading: if nobody is paid to publish, posts sit unpublished in a folder.
Where Helio SEO fits in
Helio SEO is a blog service of the autopilot kind: it finds the searches your buyers make, writes each post in your voice and publishes it to your own site after you approve it. The site currently lists it from £29 a month with 7 days free, no card, and the pricing page shows the details. If you enjoy writing your own posts or need a specialist interviewing you, a freelancer or doing it yourself may suit you better.
Common questions about blog post costs
Is a cheap blog post worth paying for?
A cheap blog post is worth paying for only if it is accurate, answers a real search and gets published without hours of rework. Many low-cost posts are thin drafts that need heavy editing. Judge a cheap option by the total cost of getting a usable post live, including your own time, rather than by the headline price alone.
Should blog post prices include images?
Blog post prices sometimes include images and sometimes do not, so always ask. A stock photo with proper alt text is often enough for a small business post. Your own photos of real jobs or products can work better than stock and cost nothing extra, provided someone resizes and uploads them properly.
Is it cheaper to pay per post or monthly?
Paying monthly is usually cheaper per post when you publish regularly, because subscriptions and retainers spread the cost across several articles. Paying per post suits a business that only wants an occasional article or wants to test a writer first. Compare both by dividing the monthly fee by the number of posts you will actually publish.
