What Does an SEO & AI Search Retainer Cost? (original) (raw)
Retainer Pricing Matrix
Every client is different—goals, complexity, and pace all vary. But instead of just saying “it depends,” here’s a handy pricing matrix to give you a better idea of what you can expect at each level.
| 2,500–2,500–2,500–4,000 | 4,000–4,000–4,000–7,500 | 7,500–7,500–7,500–10,000 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ideal for | Brands building a search foundation | Brands scaling content + visibility | Brands focused on authority, brand equity, and AI-era readiness |
| SEO strategy | On-page SEO, technical audit + content strategy | On-page, technical, content + structured data | Full-funnel strategy incl. entity optimisation + AI citation readiness + knowledge graph alignment |
| AI search alignment | Monitor brand presence across 1 AI surface | Monitor across 3 AI surfaces (e.g. ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AIO) + perception tracking + content outreach + passage audits | Monitor across 4 AI surfaces + brand sentiment & surfacing trends + strategic outreach + passage audit optimisation |
| Content output | Up to 2 pieces/mo (new or refreshed) | Up to 4 pieces/mo (incl. refreshes, multimedia) | Up to 6 pieces/mo (incl. refreshes, multimedia) |
| Digital PR / Visibility | — | Proactive digital PR + light outreach | Proactive digital PR + quarterly campaigns + content placements |
| Local SEO | Single location + GBP optimisation | 2–10 locations + GBP optimisation + geo reporting | 11+ locations + geo reporting across locations |
| Support | Email + monthly call | Email, Slack + bi-weekly calls | Email, Slack + weekly calls |
| Reporting | Monthly performance report | Looker Studio dashboard + monthly reporting | Looker Studio dashboard + weekly reporting |