What is an SEO Retainer? What’s Included and What to Charge?

This is a slightly different SEO Weekly post… Rather than something tactical, this is the post that could make a difference to YOUR agency. 

This post is not about some SEO process or strategy. Rather, it is about how SEO could change your agency. This is why delivering SEO matters for you. 

The challenge is structuring your retainer model in a way that delivers predictable results for clients AND sustainable profits for their business, whilst still earning you a profitable and predictable margin.

Why? Because it’s not just about throwing a bunch of SEO tasks into a monthly package and hoping for the best! 🤦 You want to offer enough value to justify the recurring cost, but you don’t want to overcommit and find yourself sinking when it comes to delivery. 

It’s not an easy balance to achieve at all. Don’t underestimate it. But when you get it right, it can change your business forever. I truly believe that it makes agency businesses stable. It pays my staff’s salaries. It helps them have a steady income and progress professionally. It changes their lives. 

So here’s exactly how we approach SEO retainers – what to include, how to price them, and most importantly, how to deliver value that keeps clients renewing month after month!

The Essential Components of a Successful SEO Retainer

1️⃣ Start Strong

The first month is make-or-break for client confidence. This isn’t just about performing tasks – it’s about confirming they made the right decision to hire you.

Your setup should include:

• Comprehensive technical audit
• Competitor analysis
• Keyword strategy aligned with commercial goals
• Analytics and tracking implementation
• Clear documentation of the current state and future roadmap

Remember: Clients often have buyer’s remorse in the first 30 days, so demonstrating that you know what you’re doing and that your approach will lead to a valuable return for them is crucial, even if rankings haven’t moved yet.

2️⃣ Define Clear Commercial Objectives

Generic SEO goals like “improve rankings” won’t cut it. Your retainer needs to tie directly to business outcomes that the client actually cares about. 

For each retainer, establish:

• Primary commercial KPIs (leads, sales, revenue)
• Secondary SEO metrics that drive those KPIs
• Realistic timelines for achievement
• Regular reporting that connects SEO work to business impact

This approach transforms your retainer from a cost center to an investment with measurable returns.

As a side note here: I absolutely agree that traffic needs to increase as a result of your work, but traffic is a vanity metric. Getting lots of people to see a site is easy. Getting potential customers to the site is very different. The KPIs MUST be tangible in the client’s business. 

3️⃣ Implement a Structured Meeting Schedule

Communication makes or breaks retainers – no one has ever been sacked for communicating too much!

Here’s the meeting structure that’s worked best for us:

• Quarterly Strategic Reviews: Include all stakeholders (decision-makers, business development leads, marketing teams, etc.) to assess progress against commercial goals and adjust strategy as needed.
• Monthly Tactical Meetings: Just with marketing managers or direct contacts to discuss implementation details, address roadblocks and celebrate wins.

This dual approach keeps everyone aligned without overwhelming executives with day-to-day details.

4️⃣ Deliver a Core Service Package

Every effective SEO retainer should include these fundamental components that allow you to be proactive, but also give you a manageable process:

• Ongoing technical SEO monitoring and fixes
• Content optimization and creation
• On-page SEO improvements
• Regular performance reporting
• Competitor tracking
• Strategy adjustments based on results

Additional services can then be layered on top based on client needs and budget.

5️⃣ Price for Value, Not Just Time

Here’s where many agencies get stuck. Why? Because your pricing needs to balance several factors:

• Value: What ROI will the client realistically see?
• Expertise: What specialized knowledge are you bringing?
• Workload: How many hours and resources will you actually commit?

Most importantly, you MUST aim for a minimum 50% profit margin to build a sustainable business.

Side note on profit: Profit isn’t bad. Profit is what keeps businesses alive. Running on a tiny profit margin isn’t good for you or your clients. Living on the breadline means that while you’re working for a client now, if your business doesn’t survive, you can’t help them in the future. Being profitable means that clients can have faith that you will be around to deliver for them time and time again. 

Practical Pricing Tiers That Work

While every client is different, having structured tiers gives you a starting point for conversations (the titles are examples – call them what you like!):

Foundational Package ($675-$1,250+/month)

Perfect for local businesses or those with limited scope:

• Local SEO optimization
• Google Business Profile management
• Basic on-page optimization
• Monthly reporting
• Competitor monitoring

I like to have an offering under $1,000 / month. If clients are new to this, having a service that is affordable means they can onboard with you and grow onto larger packages in the future. 

Growth Package ($1,250-$3,500+/month)

Ideal for established businesses looking for meaningful growth:

• Everything in Foundational
• Regular content creation (3-8 pieces monthly)
• Technical SEO maintenance
• Internal linking strategy
• Conversion rate optimization
• Expanded keyword targeting

Enterprise Package ($3,500+/month)

For businesses where SEO is a primary growth channel:

• Everything in Growth
• Comprehensive content strategy (8+ pieces monthly)
• Link building campaigns
• Advanced technical implementations
• Custom reporting dashboards
• International or multi-location strategy

Remember: These are starting points, not rigid structures. The best retainers are customized based on an initial SEO health assessment that identifies exactly where the client stands and what they need to reach their goals. Having an SEO Discovery Process is key to understanding this.

Why This Approach Works

This retainer structure isn’t just about packaging services. It hits on key factors that drive client satisfaction and retention:

✅ It ties SEO work directly to business outcomes that clients actually care about.

✅ It establishes clear communication rhythms that prevent surprises.

✅ It starts with a strong foundation that builds confidence.

✅ It allows for strategy adjustments based on real performance data.

✅ It scales appropriately with business size and objectives.

✅ Its prices are based on value delivery, not just hours worked

Most importantly, it transforms SEO from a confusing technical service into a predictable business growth process for agencies and clients alike.

Getting Started

If you’re still piecing together ad-hoc SEO services or struggling to retain clients long-term, a structured retainer approach could transform your agency. The upfront work to define your packages and processes pays dividends in client satisfaction and predictable revenue.

Plus, we’ve already covered the key tips for selling SEO retainers in a previous SEO Weekly post. 💪 

What’s your current approach to SEO retainers? Are you pricing based on value or just time? Let me know in the comments! 👇