Search Intelligence Pricing in 2026: Campaign Costs & Is It Worth It?
Search Intelligence prices in GBP per campaign, not per link or per month. A single campaign is £5,500. Bulk volume drops to £4,000 per campaign. Typical client spend is £7K-£35K per month, placing it at the top end of UK digital PR agency pricing.
Search Intelligence campaign pricing
| Volume | Price Per Campaign | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 1 campaign | £5,500 | £5,500 |
| 2 campaigns | £5,000 each | £10,000 |
| 4 campaigns | £4,500 each | £18,000 |
| 20+ campaigns | £4,000 each | £80,000+ |
Prices are as published on Search Intelligence's campaign onboarding page. Bulk deals for 20+ campaigns typically run as multi-month retainers.
What each campaign delivers
Every campaign is guaranteed to produce:
- 8-12 links earned on high-tier news and media outlets
- At least 2 links from sites at DR 70+
- At least 1 million Similarweb traffic on the linking site (minimum)
- Mix of dofollow and nofollow, expected for press coverage
Campaigns frequently exceed the guaranteed minimum, sometimes generating 20, 50, or 100+ placements when a story picks up. Syndicated links and unlinked brand mentions don't count toward the guarantee.
Campaign timeline
One campaign runs approximately 12 weeks from brief to landed links:
- Weeks 1-3: Ideation, identifying data angles and story hooks
- Weeks 3-6: Execution, data research, press release writing, asset production
- Weeks 6-12: Pitching, re-angling, and links landing
What's included in every campaign
- Story ideation and angle development
- Original data research or data sourcing
- Press release writing and asset production
- Pitching to hundreds of journalists worldwide
- Re-angling and follow-up if initial pitches don't land
- Reporting with placements and link metrics
You want to run 4 Search Intelligence campaigns. What's the per-campaign rate and total?
Correct! The 4-campaign tier is £4,500 per campaign, total £18,000. The £4,000 rate requires 20+ campaigns.
The 4-campaign volume tier is £4,500 per campaign for a total of £18,000. The £5,500 rate applies to single campaigns, and the £4,000 rate kicks in at 20+ campaigns.
Hidden costs to watch for
- Story ideation is key. Campaigns work when there's a genuinely newsworthy angle. Weak stories don't hit the guaranteed minimum as cleanly, and while Search Intelligence guarantees the links, thin stories may underperform the typical "20-50+ links" upside.
- 12-week cycle means slow ramp. Budgeting £5,500 but expecting links in 4 weeks will cause friction. Plan 3 months from sign-off to first reporting.
- Mix of dofollow/nofollow. News sites commonly nofollow links. If your SEO model requires only dofollow, your effective per-dofollow cost is higher than a per-campaign rate suggests.
- No guarantee of specific outlets. You're guaranteed the DR/traffic tier, not specific publications. Forbes, Bloomberg, The Guardian are common landing spots but not promised per campaign.
Is Search Intelligence worth the price?
Search Intelligence is worth it if you:
- Need top-tier press coverage on major news outlets
- Have £5,500+ per campaign (or £7K+/mo for ongoing programs)
- Have stories or data that are genuinely newsworthy (or can fund original research)
- Want a guaranteed deliverable, not a best-effort agency
- Compete in a vertical where Forbes/Bloomberg/Guardian-tier links move the needle
Search Intelligence is probably not worth it if you:
- Are a small business or solo founder with <£5K PR budget
- Need dofollow SEO links specifically (news links are often nofollow)
- Want niche-specific content backlinks rather than general press (use Stellar SEO or The HOTH)
- Need a faster cycle than 12 weeks
- Want to build outreach capability in-house (MentionAgent lets you run digital PR yourself for $99/mo)
Cheaper alternatives
| Tool / Service | Starting Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| MentionAgent | $99/mo flat | DIY automated journalist outreach |
| Prowly | $258/mo | PR CRM with journalist database |
| Stellar SEO | $2,500/mo | Managed link building (not PR) |
| Authority Builders | ~$250/link | Traffic-vetted guest posts |
| FATJOE | ~$45/post | Budget productized guest posts |
For a full breakdown, see our 7 best Search Intelligence alternatives.
Your SEO strategy requires exclusively dofollow links. Is Search Intelligence the right agency?
Right! Their link mix includes both dofollow and nofollow. Most major news publications default to nofollow. If you need strict dofollow, productized guest posts from Authority Builders, Stellar SEO, or FATJOE fit the brief better.
Search Intelligence campaigns mix dofollow and nofollow because major news sites often default to nofollow. For strict dofollow SEO value, managed link building agencies like Stellar SEO or productized guest posts fit better.
Digital PR at a flat $99/mo
MentionAgent finds relevant journalists, looks up their contact details, writes personalized pitches, and handles follow-ups. You still craft the story; the outreach runs itself.
Start Getting Mentioned For $99/moFrequently asked questions
How much does Search Intelligence cost?
£5,500 for one campaign, £5,000 each for two, £4,500 each for four, and £4,000 each at 20+ volume. Typical client spend is £7K-£35K/month.
Does Search Intelligence have a free trial?
No. Managed agency engagements start with a consultation. Each campaign takes 6-12 weeks from brief to landed links.
Is Search Intelligence worth the price?
For brands needing top-tier news-site coverage with guaranteed deliverables (8-12 links, 2+ at DR 70+), yes. For small businesses or when news coverage isn't the goal, alternatives like MentionAgent ($99/mo) or Stellar SEO offer better value.
What's the minimum engagement?
One campaign at £5,500. Most clients run multiple campaigns to access bulk tiers, and typical monthly spends of £7K-£35K suggest 2-8 campaigns per month is standard.
What is cheaper than Search Intelligence?
MentionAgent ($99/mo), Prowly ($258/mo for PR CRM), Stellar SEO ($2,500/mo for managed link building), and FATJOE (~$45/post) are all cheaper options.
How many links does a Search Intelligence campaign produce?
Each campaign is guaranteed to deliver 8-12 links, with at least 2 at DR 70+ on sites with 1M+ Similarweb traffic. Campaigns often exceed this when a story picks up, sometimes landing 20, 50, or 100+ placements. Syndicated links and unlinked brand mentions don't count toward the guarantee.
Does Search Intelligence guarantee placement on Forbes or The Guardian?
No. The guarantee covers DR 70+ and traffic tier, not specific publications. Forbes, Bloomberg, The Guardian, ITV News, Yahoo News, MSN, and TechRadar are common landing spots but never promised per campaign, the mix depends on which journalists pick up the story.
Is there a minimum contract length?
The published minimum is one campaign at £5,500. Bulk tiers (£5,000 down to £4,000 per campaign) kick in at 2, 4, and 20+ campaigns. Typical client monthly spends of £7K-£35K suggest most clients run ongoing multi-campaign programs rather than one-offs.