How Much Do Marketing Agencies Charge?

Typical Price Ranges (Australian Market)

The figures below are management fees. Google Ads spend is separate, you pay Google directly for the clicks, and the agency's fee covers the management of your campaign.

$500 to $1,500 per month At this range, expect one channel, limited scope, and often a templated approach. This may be a single-focus service, SEO only, or social media management, with minimal customisation and infrequent reporting. For a practice just starting out with a small budget, this can be a reasonable starting point, with the understanding that results will be modest and slower.

$1,500 to $3,500 per month This is the working range for most allied health practices. At this level, you should expect a multi-channel approach, a degree of customisation to your market and modality, regular reporting that shows real numbers, and an account manager who knows your account. A well-run mid-range engagement can drive significant growth for a single-location practice.

$3,500 to $7,000+ per month Comprehensive strategy across multiple channels, weekly optimisation, dedicated account management, advanced tracking, and regular strategy reviews. This range suits multi-location practices, practices in highly competitive markets, or practices with aggressive growth targets. At this level, the agency is functioning as an extension of your team.

These are ranges, not fixed prices. Every agency prices differently, and scope varies significantly within each bracket.

What Affects the Cost

Several factors move pricing up or down within these ranges.

Number of channels. SEO alone is cheaper to manage than SEO combined with Google Ads and Google Business Profile management. Each channel adds complexity, time, and cost.

Competition in your area and modality. A psychology practice in inner Melbourne competing for high-volume keywords requires more intensive work than a speech pathology clinic in a regional area. Competitive markets demand more resources.

State of your website. If your website needs a rebuild before any marketing channel can function properly, that is an additional cost. Agencies that quote low and then discover the website is unusable often add fees later. A quality agency assesses this upfront.

Number of locations. Multi-location practices require separate local SEO work, separate Google Business Profiles, and often separate landing pages for each location. This adds to scope and cost.

Reporting depth and strategy involvement. Basic monthly reporting costs less than quarterly strategy reviews, custom dashboards, and detailed attribution analysis. Know what level of involvement you want before comparing quotes.

Agency specialisation. Specialist agencies, those that work exclusively in a specific sector, typically charge more than generalists. In allied health, this premium is usually worth paying. A generalist agency will spend your first several months learning the sector. A specialist arrives already knowing which keywords convert, what AHPRA permits, and what the patient journey looks like for your modality.

What to Expect at Each Price Point

Understanding what you should and should not accept at different levels helps you evaluate quotes accurately.

At the lower end ($500 to $1,500/month): Expect limited scope and slower results. Personalisation will be minimal, you may be on a package template similar to other clients. Reporting frequency may be quarterly. This can work as a testing ground if expectations are calibrated accordingly.

At the mid range ($1,500 to $3,500/month): Expect a proper strategy document, multi-channel activity, monthly reporting with meaningful metrics, and an account manager who understands your practice. Results should be building within three to six months on SEO, faster on paid channels.

At the higher end ($3,500 to $7,000+/month): Expect proactive strategy, the agency brings ideas to you rather than waiting for direction. Weekly optimisation on paid campaigns, regular content production, advanced conversion tracking, and a direct working relationship with senior staff. At this level, you are paying for speed, depth, and accountability.

Thinking About Return, Not Just Cost

The more useful question is not "what does marketing cost?" but "what does a new patient return to my practice?"

Work through this calculation. What is the average value of a single appointment at your practice? How many times does a typical patient return over the course of their treatment? Multiply those numbers together to get a rough patient lifetime value. For many allied health practices, a single retained patient is worth $1,500 to $3,000 or more over the course of their care.

If a $2,500 per month marketing programme generates ten new patients per month, and each of those patients is worth $2,000 over their lifetime, the programme has returned $20,000 in value for a $2,500 investment. The question is not whether marketing costs money. The question is whether it returns more than it costs, and over what timeframe.

The patient cost calculator makes this calculation straightforward. It is worth doing before you evaluate any quote.

For context, a good agency will be willing to discuss realistic expectations for patient acquisition from your budget before you sign. If an agency cannot give you any indication of what outcomes to expect, that is a concern.