What is an SEO retainer?

An SEO retainer is an ongoing agreement between a business and an SEO agency or SEO consultant. A monthly SEO retainer provides ongoing and continuous work on your business's search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. This ensures your website maintains and improves in the search engine rankings over time.

Unlike quick-fix SEO tactics, a monthly SEO retainer focuses on long-term strategies, involving:

• content marketing—creating and optimizing blog posts, landing pages, and other content types.
• technical SEO improvements—enhancing site speed, fixing broken links, and ensuring mobile-friendliness.
• backlink building—improving domain authority through high-quality links to your website.
• performance tracking—monitoring traffic, conversions, and rankings to refine your SEO efforts.

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Why choose an SEO retainer over a one-time service?

It all depends on your business goals and budget. While one-time SEO campaigns can yield success, SEO is not a set-it-and-forget-it strategy. Search engines are constantly updating their algorithms. And developing a long-term relationship with an SEO agency is critical for long term success.

Unfortunately, many businesses hope a one-time project will generate the same results as a monthly commitment. But, a monthly commitment will always produce better results.  

Here's the deal:

• Google makes thousands of algorithm updates per year.
• Businesses are optimizing their content to outrank competitors.
• People create 177,372 new websites daily.

177,372 websites are created per day

A monthly SEO retainer ensures your website adapts to these changes and stays ahead of the competition. Without consistent updates, your search engine rankings can quickly decline, reducing visibility, traffic, and revenue.

Benefits of an SEO retainer.

With an SEO retainer service, you can help your website stay ahead of the curve through:

• consistent keyword and content optimization: New keywords and search trends emerge regularly. A monthly retainer ensures your content starts and remains relevant.
• ongoing technical SEO improvements: Google and other search engines prioritize fast, and user friendly websites. Regular audits help fix issues before impacting your rankings negatively.
• link building and authority growth: At the heart of SEO is building your website's authority via backlink building. SEO retainers will usually focus on link-building strategies for steady growth.
• performance tracking and analytics: SEO is an ongoing project. Monthly reporting helps refine your strategy and improve your approach long-term.

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What's included in my SEO retainer?

Every company is different. That's why you get a customized experience that focuses on strategies that move the needle. My retainers will almost always include:

• A full SEO audit—a deep dive into your website's performance.
• Keyword ranking audit—understanding where you stand in search results
• Keyword research—finding new opportunities to attract traffic.
• On-page SEO—optimizing meta-data, headers, content structure, and internal linking.
• Content creation—producing blog posts, landing pages, and website copy.
• Technical SEO improvements—fixing broken links, improving site speed, and ensuring mobile-friendliness.
• Backlink building—increasing authority with high-quality external websites linking to your site.
• Monthly reporting—detailed insights on your SEO progress.

Budgets aren't always available for a monthly commitment. That's why I created a small business package to get you started with SEO.

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Who needs an SEO retainer?

SEO will have an impact on business growth. But, an SEO retainer may not be suitable for every company. Some businesses are too small or don't generate enough revenue to justify a monthly commitment.

However, an SEO retainer is ideal if:

• You want sustained growth rather than temporary increases in ranking.
• You need regular content updates to stay competitive and relevant.
• Your industry is highly competitive and requires ongoing optimizations.
• Your business lacks an in-house SEO expert or marketing team.
• You want to increase your online presence and generate more traffic.

(If one of these describes you, schedule a free consultation.)

For businesses that aren't ready for a full SEO retainer:

I offer project-based SEO and coaching calls to help you build a strong foundation.

How much does an SEO retainer cost?

The cost of an SEO retainer varies depending on the scope, industry, and level of expertise needed. I offer flexible packages ranging from  $150/month to $10,000/month customized to your business's specific needs.

Rather than viewing SEO as an expense, it's essential to see it as in investment in your business's future. When executed correctly, an SEO retainer delivers growth in:

• Traffic—more visitors viewing your website and business.
• Leads—increased quote requests and conversions on forms.
• Revenue—more customers and sales driven through organic search.

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Is an SEO retainer right for you?

If you're looking for consistent and long-term growth, an SEO retainer is the best solution.

If a partnership doesn't make sense, I’ll point you in the right direction and provide transparent recommendations. I can only show SEO value when it genuinely exists. Schedule a free consultation with me and see how SEO can benefit your business!

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