The SEO retainer, versus buying exactly what you need
A disclosure before the math: our parent agency, Kadima Digital, sells retainers. We are not neutral observers writing a takedown. We built Kadima for the teams a retainer does not fit, and knowing both sides is exactly why you should read this version instead of the usual one.
What a retainer actually buys
A good retainer buys continuity. Someone owns your account, watches your rankings weekly, reacts when an algorithm update lands on a Tuesday, and carries context from quarter to quarter. At enterprise scale, with daily stakeholders and multiple markets, that continuity is worth real money.
What a retainer hides
The hours. Most retainers price a block of monthly capacity, and you rarely see how much of it turned into deliverables versus meetings about deliverables. Light months cost the same as heavy months. Month 9 costs the same as month 1, even though the heavy lifting usually happened in the first quarter.
The math, side by side
| Item | Retainer year | Kadima task year |
|---|---|---|
| Strategy and roadmap | bundled | $1,795 Growth Plan |
| Technical audit and fixes list | bundled | $1,050 audit |
| Keyword strategy | bundled | $795 strategy |
| On-page optimization | bundled | $725 on-page |
| Content, six months | bundled | $5,970 content |
| Year total | $36,000 to $60,000 | $10,335 |
The retainer column is the going mid-market rate of $3,000 to $5,000 a month. The Kadima column is itemized, public, and each line ships as a named deliverable you approve. Full menu on the pricing page.
When the retainer wins
- You need someone in your Slack, reacting same-day, every day.
- You run five markets in four languages and coordination is the product.
- Your organic channel already drives eight figures and the downside of a bad month exceeds the entire task budget above.
If that is you, hire a retainer agency. We know a good one.
When tasks win
You know roughly what needs doing, or you want a plan that tells you. You want senior work without funding an account team. You want to stop paying for continuity you are not using. That is most companies, most of the time.
Start with the plan, not a contract
The Growth Plan maps your 12 months and names what to run first. If it says you need less than you thought, that is the plan working.