SEO Agency · NZ, Australia, US, UK & Canada
SEO that gets you found.
EightySix Digital is an SEO agency that gets your business to the top of Google, and keeps it there. More rankings, more traffic, more enquiries, explained in plain English and proven with real numbers.
Not sure what SEO support you need? Answer a few quick questions and get a personalised recommendation. See pricing
Clear monthly pricing
How much does SEO cost?
then scale up as you grow
Every plan includes strategy, on-page, technical and local SEO and AEO as standard, plus monthly reporting in plain English. No lock-in contracts, no bullshit, just steady, compounding growth. How monthly plans work.
No bullshit
SEO, in plain English.
Not sure what SEO actually is? Here's the whole thing in three steps.
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People search
Every day, your future customers type exactly what you sell into Google, ready to buy.
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You show up
SEO gets you to the top of those results, where almost all the clicks actually go.
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They become customers
They click, they call, they book. And because they were already searching, they convert.
Not sure where to start with SEO?
Answer a few quick questions and find out whether DIY, professional guidance or fully managed SEO makes the most sense for your business.
Real results
Numbers from real campaigns.
A snapshot of what good SEO does over time. Reported clearly, every month.
The compounding curve
SEO is a snowball, not a switch.
Unlike ads, SEO builds on itself. The work you do this month keeps paying off next year. Most businesses see real movement by month three, and the curve only gets steeper from there.
- Traction in 2 to 3 months
- Compounding growth from month 6
- Results that keep working after you stop paying
What's included
A full-service SEO agency.
Everything that moves the needle, handled for you and reported every month.
Keyword research & strategy
We find the exact searches that win you work, and build a plan around them.
On-page SEO
Content, headings, meta and internal links tuned so Google knows what you do.
Technical SEO
Speed, mobile, indexing and schema, the foundations rankings are built on.
Local SEO
Google Business Profile, citations and the map pack that drive near-me searches.
Content & copywriting
Pages and articles that rank, answer real questions and turn readers into leads.
Link & authority building
Quality links that build the trust Google needs to rank you above the rest.
AEO for AI
Included as standard. Be the answer in Google AI Overviews, voice search and featured snippets.
Reporting & management
Clear monthly reporting in plain English, so you always know what's working.
The goal
Be the result they click.
The first three results on Google take the lion's share of the clicks. The businesses below page one are practically invisible. SEO gets you into the map pack and the top results, where the ready-to-buy customers actually are.
Share of clicks by Google position
- Position 1~27%
- Top 3~55%
- Page 2+<1%
Beyond blue links
SEO, AEO & GEO, all in one plan.
Search has changed. A huge chunk of it now happens inside AI answers, not a list of links. So SEO and AEO come as standard, and GEO is built right in too.
Search Engine Optimisation
The classic: ranking in Google's results and the map pack for the searches that win you work.
Google search · Maps · local packAnswer Engine Optimisation
Being the answer Google reads aloud and shows up top, in featured snippets, AI Overviews and voice search.
AI Overviews · voice · snippetsGenerative Engine Optimisation
Getting recommended inside generative AI tools when people ask them for a business like yours.
ChatGPT · Perplexity · GeminiAround 60% of Google searches now end without a click. So every EightySix Digital plan includes SEO and AEO as standard, no upsell. GEO is an optional add-on for the PR and content placement that generative AI rewards, so you show up wherever your customers are searching, or asking. Not sure where you stand in AI search yet? Start with an AI Visibility Audit.
Monthly SEO plans
What a monthly SEO plan actually is.
Some people call it an SEO retainer. It is the same thing: you pay a set amount each month for ongoing SEO work, instead of buying one project and walking away.
What you are paying for
The base plan is from $600/mo. It covers technical fixes, local SEO, AEO, rank tracking and plain-English monthly reporting. The price also covers the overheads behind the work, like rank tracking and backlink data, so it is not simply hours multiplied by a rate.
The full plan is from $750/mo: everything in the base plan, plus an extra hour of hands-on work each month. NZ prices add GST.
How priorities are chosen
I start with what brings you enquiries, not what is easiest to tick off. Anything stopping Google from reading your site is fixed first. Then the pages that earn calls and bookings, then content, local signals and links.
Each month I look at Search Console and your results, and the order changes if something is moving or stuck.
How the monthly time works
A plan is focused time, spent where it is most likely to matter that month. If you want more done, extra hours are $150/hr on any plan. A one-off job, like fixing a page move or rewriting a key service page, is when extra hours are worth it.
Not sure how much you need? The calculator below shows the price as you change the hours.
Need website fixes, not ongoing SEO? See hourly SEO support
Inside a month
What happens each month.
An example month for a local service business. It is an illustration, not a fixed checklist: what gets done depends on your priorities and the time in your plan.
- 01
Analyse
Review Search Console, your Google Business Profile and your enquiries. Which searches and pages gained or lost clicks, and why?
- 02
Implement
Fix what the review found: technical issues, slow or broken pages, titles and descriptions on pages that get seen but not clicked, missing schema, weak internal links.
- 03
Improve content
Rewrite or expand the page that matters most this month, such as a service page or a location page. Add answers to questions customers really ask, and keep your Google Business Profile current.
- 04
Report
A plain-English summary: what was done, how performance changed, what did not work, and what next month will focus on.
A quiet month can be mostly monitoring and small fixes. A busy month can be one big page rewrite. Either way, the report tells you which it was.
No long-term lock-in
Month to month, no lock-in.
If you are looking for SEO without a contract, here is the actual arrangement, including what it does and does not mean.
What no lock-in means
Plans run month to month. There is no lock-in contract and no long minimum term, so you stay because the work is worth it, not because you are tied in.
What it does not mean
No lock-in is not the same as no agreement. Before work starts we agree what the plan covers, what it costs and how it is reported, so you know exactly what the monthly amount buys.
What stays yours
Your website, your Google Business Profile and your Search Console belong to you. If you stop, you keep them.
What stopping looks like
SEO builds over months, so stopping early gives up some of that build. The work already done does not vanish, though. In the Canterbury Plumbing and Gas case study, SEO and Google Ads work stopped after 2025 and the site was still ahead of the year before.
Reporting and accountability
How you know it is working.
You get a plain-English report every month. If something did not work, it says so.
- What was done. The fixes, page changes and content work completed that month.
- How performance changed. Clicks and impressions from Search Console, how the searches that matter are ranking, and calls or enquiries where tracking is in place.
- What happens next. The priorities for the coming month and why.
Where this has worked
Monthly SEO · Dunedin
Honest Electrical
Monthly SEO alongside a low-budget Google Ads campaign through 2025. Year on year, active users rose 189.9% to 1.9K and tracked leads rose 113.7% to 109. Google Ads was switched off at the start of 2026 because SEO alone was keeping the leads coming, and the monthly SEO continues.
Read the case study →New site plus SEO · Hamilton
Karamu Horse Adventures
In the ten weeks to 6 October 2026, more than 3,000 clicks from Google from more than 16,000 impressions. Around 60% of those clicks included the business name, so the better test is the non-brand searches: over 250 averaged a top 5 position.
Read the case study →Site rebuild plus SEO · Christchurch
Canterbury Plumbing and Gas
SEO and Google Ads through 2025. Year on year, active users rose 75.8% to 1.3K and tracked leads rose 135.2% to 207, even though all SEO and Google Ads work has since stopped.
Read the case study →Each is a single client, not an average and not a promise. Results depend on your competition and your market, and in two of these cases Google Ads ran alongside the SEO.
Further reading: How much does SEO cost in New Zealand? and Do I need an SEO agency?
Not sure you need fully managed SEO?
Find out which approach best suits your goals, available time and budget before choosing a package.
Pricing
Two ways to start.
Pick a simple fixed plan, or build your own. SEO & AEO included as standard, no lock-in, ever.
from$600/mo
Local focus
Built for solo operators and one-person bands. We manage your Google Business Profile and handle the on-page basics, so you get found in your town without the big spend.
- Technical fixes
- Local SEO and Google Business Profile
- AEO included as standard
- Rank tracking
- Plain-English monthly reporting, no lock-in
from$750/mo
Everything in the base plan, plus an extra hour of hands-on work each month
For businesses chasing real growth. SEO and AEO included as standard, add more hands-on hours to suit, and add GEO for AI search. Need more? Extra hours at $150/hr.
- Everything in Small Business, plus an extra hour each month
- Keyword strategy, content & links
- AEO included, GEO optional
- Scales with your goals
Switch currency above. NZ prices add GST.
Build your Full SEO plan
The full plan starts at five hours a month. Extra hours are $150/hr on any plan, and the more competitive your market, the more you'll want.
SEO and AEO are in your plan as standard. GEO adds the PR, backlinks and content placement that get you recommended inside AI tools.
SEO and AEO as standard: keyword strategy · on-page, technical & local SEO · schema · content optimisation · monthly reporting in plain English. No lock-in contracts.
Get started
Get your plan & a fixed price
Send the plan you built above and I'll come back with a fixed price and a couple of ideas to get you ranking. No pressure, no lock-in.
- A fixed price, no surprises
- You'll talk to the person doing the work
- No spam, no lock-in. Cancel any time.
- 1 I review your site, rankings and competitors
- 2 You get a clear plan and a fixed monthly price
- 3 We get started, and you can cancel any time
Want a free check-up first? Get a free SEO audit →
How it works
A clear, repeatable process.
- 01
Audit
A deep look at your site, rankings and competitors to find the quick wins and the gaps.
- 02
Strategy
A focused plan built around the searches that actually win you work.
- 03
Execute
On-page, technical, local and content work, month after month.
- 04
Report
Clear monthly reporting in plain English, so you always see the progress.
Absolute legend to deal with! Makes things super easy, is honest, efficient and has helped us achieve everything he ever said he could! Don’t look past Stu!!!
Matt Maley · iPlumb & Flushmaster, Dunedin
Update tracker
Traffic dropped after a Google update?
Check if you were hit before you change anything. Google recommends waiting at least a full week after a core update completes before analysing Search Console. Our guide walks through the checks, and every update in the tracker has a source.
Where we work
Popular SEO locations.
Specialist pages
SEO for your trade or industry.
How much does SEO cost?
SEO starts from NZ$600 a month for the base plan, which covers technical fixes, local SEO, AEO for AI search, rank tracking and plain-English monthly reporting. The full plan is from NZ$750 and adds an extra hour of hands-on work each month. Need more? Extra hours are NZ$150/hr on any plan. GEO (generative AI search) is an optional add-on for the PR and content placement it needs. Use the calculator above to build your own estimate.
Will my new website rank on Google?
It depends on your competition. Every site we build has solid technical foundations (fast, well structured, with proper schema), and in a quieter niche or a smaller town that can be enough to rank well on its own. In busier markets, where competitors are actively investing in SEO, the website gives you the base, but climbing the rankings takes ongoing work: content, local signals and links built month by month. That typically takes 6 to 12 months to deliver strong results. Not sure which camp you’re in? Our free SEO audit will tell you.
What is SEO, in plain English?
SEO (search engine optimisation) is the work that gets your website to show up when people search for what you do. The top results get almost all the clicks, so SEO gets you there, and keeps you there, giving you a steady stream of customers who are already looking for you.
How long does SEO take to work?
SEO is a long game, not an overnight fix. Most businesses see movement within two to three months, with stronger, compounding results from around month six. The earlier you start, the sooner it compounds, and unlike ads, the results keep working after you stop paying.
Can you guarantee number one rankings?
No, and be wary of anyone who does. Nobody controls Google's algorithm. What we do guarantee is real, proven work: a clear strategy, transparent monthly reporting, and a track record of moving rankings, traffic and enquiries in the right direction.
What's included in your SEO service?
Keyword research and strategy, on-page SEO, technical SEO, local SEO and Google Business Profile, content optimisation, link and authority building, AEO for AI search, and ongoing management with monthly reporting in plain English, all as standard. GEO (generative AI search) is an optional add-on for PR and content placement.
What is a monthly SEO retainer?
A monthly SEO retainer, also called a monthly SEO plan, is a set price each month for ongoing SEO work, instead of a one-off project. At EightySix Digital the base plan is from NZ$600 a month (AU$520, US$360, £280, CA$480) and the full plan is from NZ$750 (AU$650, US$450, £350, CA$600). Extra hours are NZ$150 (AU$130, US$90, £70 or CA$120) an hour on any plan. NZ prices add GST.
Do you offer SEO without a contract?
Yes. Plans run month to month with no lock-in contract and no long minimum term. No lock-in does not mean no agreement: before work starts we agree what the plan covers, what it costs and how it is reported.
What do I get each month on an SEO plan?
A typical month covers analysis of Search Console and your Google Business Profile, fixes to what that review finds, an improvement to the page that matters most, and a plain-English report on what was done, how performance changed and what comes next. The exact work varies with your priorities and the time in your plan.
Do you offer hourly SEO?
Yes, for website fixes. Hourly SEO is usually on-page work such as titles, headings, internal links and technical issues, done after an audit shows what is wrong. The rate is NZ$150 an hour (AU$130, US$90, £70 or CA$120) and there is no minimum. For real ranking improvements you need a monthly plan.
Do you offer local SEO and Google Business Profile?
Yes. Local SEO is one of our core services. We optimise your Google Business Profile, build local citations and target the map-pack and near-me searches that send ready-to-buy customers straight to you.
Do you only work with businesses in New Zealand?
No. We're an SEO agency working with businesses across New Zealand, Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. We quote and bill in NZD, AUD, USD, GBP and CAD, and the whole thing runs online wherever you are.
Do I need SEO if I already have a website?
Almost certainly. A website nobody can find doesn't bring in customers. SEO connects your site to the people searching for what you do. Even a great-looking site needs SEO to rank, and most have quick wins waiting in their on-page and technical setup.
Ready to climb the rankings?
Start with a free SEO audit. I'll show you exactly where you stand and what it'll take to get to the top, no bullshit, no pressure.