Estimate the potential return on investment from your Search Engine Optimization campaigns.
Average monthly visitors from organic search.
Expected increase over the campaign period.
Percentage of visitors who become leads/customers.
Percentage of leads that result in a sale (use 100 for E-com).
Lifetime value (LTV) or average order value.
Retainer fee or internal cost.
Projected Monthly Traffic:0
Estimated Additional Revenue:$0.00
Net Profit (Monthly):$0.00
Projected ROI:0%
Understanding SEO Return on Investment (ROI)
Investing in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the most effective ways to build long-term digital equity. However, unlike paid advertising (PPC), where costs and returns are immediate and transparent, SEO is a compound effort. Calculating the ROI of your SEO campaign helps business owners and marketing managers justify the budget and set realistic expectations for growth.
How This Calculator Works
This calculator projects the potential financial impact of improved organic rankings based on your specific business metrics. It takes into account your entire funnel efficiency—from the initial click (traffic) to the final sale (close rate).
Traffic Growth: SEO efforts typically result in increased visibility. Conservative estimates often range between 20-50% growth year-over-year for mature campaigns, while new campaigns may see higher percentages.
Conversion & Close Rates: Getting traffic is only half the battle. Your website must convert visitors into leads (Conversion Rate), and your sales team must turn those leads into customers (Close Rate).
Customer Value: We recommend using the Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) rather than a single transactional value to truly understand the long-term impact of acquiring a new customer through organic search.
Why Monitor SEO ROI?
Tracking ROI allows you to pivot strategies effectively. If your traffic is increasing but your revenue isn't, the issue might lie in keyword targeting (bringing in the wrong audience) or conversion rate optimization (CRO) on your landing pages. A positive ROI indicates that your content strategy and technical SEO efforts are aligning with user intent and business goals.
Interpreting Your Results
An ROI of 0% means you are breaking even—your generated revenue covers your SEO costs. A negative ROI is common in the first 3-6 months of a new campaign due to the "sandbox" effect and the time required for indexing and ranking. A healthy, mature SEO campaign often yields an ROI of 200% to 500% or more, as organic traffic typically has lower long-term maintenance costs compared to paid ads.
function calculateSeoRoi() {
// Get input values
var currentTraffic = parseFloat(document.getElementById('currentTraffic').value);
var projectedGrowth = parseFloat(document.getElementById('projectedGrowth').value);
var conversionRate = parseFloat(document.getElementById('conversionRate').value);
var closeRate = parseFloat(document.getElementById('closeRate').value);
var customerValue = parseFloat(document.getElementById('customerValue').value);
var monthlyCost = parseFloat(document.getElementById('monthlyCost').value);
// Validation
if (isNaN(currentTraffic) || isNaN(projectedGrowth) || isNaN(conversionRate) ||
isNaN(closeRate) || isNaN(customerValue) || isNaN(monthlyCost)) {
alert("Please fill in all fields with valid numbers.");
return;
}
// Logic
// 1. Calculate projected new traffic total
var trafficIncrease = currentTraffic * (projectedGrowth / 100);
var totalProjectedTraffic = currentTraffic + trafficIncrease;
// 2. Calculate current generated revenue (baseline)
// Formula: Traffic * (Conv/100) * (Close/100) * Value
var currentRevenue = currentTraffic * (conversionRate / 100) * (closeRate / 100) * customerValue;
// 3. Calculate projected generated revenue
var projectedRevenue = totalProjectedTraffic * (conversionRate / 100) * (closeRate / 100) * customerValue;
// 4. Revenue difference attributed to SEO growth
var additionalRevenue = projectedRevenue – currentRevenue;
// 5. Net Profit (Additional Revenue – Cost)
var netProfit = additionalRevenue – monthlyCost;
// 6. ROI Calculation
// Formula: ((Revenue – Cost) / Cost) * 100
// Here we calculate ROI on the *investment* specifically regarding the *gain* provided by that investment.
// Usually ROI = (Net Profit / Cost) * 100
var roi = 0;
if (monthlyCost > 0) {
roi = (netProfit / monthlyCost) * 100;
}
// Display Results
document.getElementById('seo-results-area').style.display = 'block';
document.getElementById('res-traffic').innerText = Math.round(totalProjectedTraffic).toLocaleString();
// Format currency
var formatter = new Intl.NumberFormat('en-US', {
style: 'currency',
currency: 'USD',
});
document.getElementById('res-revenue').innerText = formatter.format(additionalRevenue);
// Color profit based on pos/neg
var profitEl = document.getElementById('res-profit');
profitEl.innerText = formatter.format(netProfit);
if(netProfit >= 0) {
profitEl.style.color = '#38a169'; // Green
} else {
profitEl.style.color = '#e53e3e'; // Red
}
// Color ROI
var roiEl = document.getElementById('res-roi');
roiEl.innerText = roi.toFixed(2) + '%';
if(roi >= 0) {
roiEl.style.color = '#38a169';
} else {
roiEl.style.color = '#e53e3e';
}
}