Compare
Thinking about an SEO agency? See how BOOSTD compares
An SEO agency retainer commonly runs $501–$2,000 a month or more, in Ahrefs’ survey of 439 providers. BOOSTD’s software plans start lower, with specialists on hand through Managed.
Published by Zubair Afzal, responsible editor
First published Updated 5 min read
What a retainer costs, next to a BOOSTD plan
20.4% of 439 surveyed providers
31.2% of surveyed providers charge more than this
Before you sign anything
What an agency retainer buys, and what it does not
An agency pitch is usually about the team, and the retainer is priced for their time.
- The proposal lists deliverables, but not hours.
- A retainer buys a team’s time for the month, and the deliverables are what that time should produce. A quiet month costs the same. A busy one stretches the team across every other client they hold.
- The account gets handed to whoever is free.
- The senior person in the pitch often reviews the work rather than doing it. Ask who does the day-to-day tasks and how many other accounts they run.
- Reporting arrives once a month, after the fact.
- Most agency reporting is a summary built for a meeting, not a live view. You find out what changed weeks later, and rarely see the reasoning behind a fix unless you ask.
Side by side
BOOSTD vs a traditional SEO agency
The same six questions, answered for both. Bring this to your next agency call.
| Dimension | Traditional SEO agency | BOOSTD platform plan | Managed by BOOSTD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $501–$2,000+ a month is the common range (Ahrefs survey of 439 providers) | From Local at $149 per month | Quoted per account after a scoping call, like a retainer |
| Who does the work | A named team, often with junior staff on day-to-day tasks | Software: it checks your site and rankings on a schedule and drafts routine fixes | The same software, plus our specialists setting priorities and checking changes |
| How fast you can start | Usually weeks: a pitch, a contract, an onboarding period | As soon as your plan is set up | After a scoping call, then set up the same way |
| What you can see day to day | A monthly report, plus whatever you ask for between them | A live account of what BOOSTD checked, found and changed, as it happens | The same live account, plus your specialists’ notes on the calls they made |
| Contract and notice | Typically a minimum term, then a written notice period | Published cancellation notice on /pricing/ | Set out in the account’s scope of work |
Trade-offs
When an agency is the better pick, and when BOOSTD is
Neither is right for every business. Here is when to look elsewhere.
An agency is the better fit when
- The work depends on relationships an agency already has, like press contacts for digital PR
- You want one team accountable for SEO alongside paid media, brand and content, not just search
- Your industry needs sign-off from someone who has personally handled your specific regulatory case before
- You would rather not have anyone in-house own the account at all
BOOSTD is the better fit when
- You want to see exactly what changed on your site and why, as it happens
- You want the routine technical and content work checked continuously, not once a month
- You have someone in-house with the judgement to set priorities, and want software to do the checking
- You want the option to add specialists later without switching provider
The published figures
What agencies charge, from one cited survey
- Most common monthly retainer, among 439 surveyed SEO providers
- $501–$1,000
- Source: Ahrefs SEO pricing survey of 439 providers, updated 15 Aug 2024
- Share of surveyed providers charging more than $2,000 a month
- 31.2%
- Source: Ahrefs SEO pricing survey of 439 providers, updated 15 Aug 2024
- Share charging between $501 and $2,000 a month
- 42.8%
- Source: Ahrefs SEO pricing survey of 439 providers, updated 15 Aug 2024
That figure is what providers said they charge, not a target for what your SEO should cost. Ahrefs ran the survey, providers chose to take part, and the figures are in US dollars across many countries.
Questions
Questions about BOOSTD vs an SEO agency
Is BOOSTD cheaper than an SEO agency?
Usually, for the software-only route. BOOSTD’s plans start at $149 a month, on the Local plan. Prices are in USD, before any applicable tax. Pay monthly, with no minimum term, or pay for the year upfront and get 1 month free. In Ahrefs’ survey of 439 SEO providers, the most common monthly retainer was $501–$1,000, and 31.2% of providers charged more than $2,000 a month.
National and Managed by BOOSTD is different: our specialists run BOOSTD with you, quoted per account after a scoping call, as an agency would quote a retainer. Compare software with software, and Managed with an agency retainer.
What does an agency do that BOOSTD’s software does not?
Judgement calls that weigh things software cannot see: brand risk, a sales team’s objections, a board’s appetite for a big website change, a relationship with a journalist. BOOSTD’s software finds and ranks technical and content fixes and drafts the routine ones. A person still decides the ones that carry risk.
That is what Managed by BOOSTD adds: our specialists make those calls and check every change before it goes live, on the same software.
What happens to the work if I stop paying?
The checking and drafting stop, and changes already published on your site stay published. You keep the record of what changed and when, because BOOSTD logs it as it happens.
Read your plan’s notice period on /pricing/ before you commit either way. A retainer and a subscription are both commitments; the difference is what you commit to.
Can I run BOOSTD myself instead of hiring an agency?
Yes, that is what the platform plans are for. Someone on your side sets priorities and approves changes, and the software handles the checking, finding and routine drafting on a schedule.
If nobody on your team has the time or confidence for that, Managed by BOOSTD or a traditional agency both fill the gap in different ways, as the comparison below sets out.
When is a traditional agency still the better choice?
When the work is mostly relationship-driven and hard to automate: digital PR needing existing journalist contacts, a highly regulated industry needing sign-off from someone who has done it before, or one accountable team for your whole marketing mix.
It is also simpler if you would rather nobody in-house owned the account, and are comfortable paying for that.
See what your site needs fixed before you sign a retainer
Get the free SEO audit, then compare what it finds with any agency proposal on your desk to see whether the scope matches the price.
Your BOOSTD score improves within 90 days, or your next month is free. After 6 months, more traffic or leads, or we keep working free (up to 6 free months in any 12 months). Read our guarantee
References
Sources for BOOSTD vs SEO agency
The official documents and research this page is based on. Platform rules change, so check the source before you act on a detail.
Related
Keep reading on BOOSTD vs SEO agency
- agency vs in-house vs freelancer, decided generallyFor the wider staffing decision, without BOOSTD in the picture.
- what SEO costs, with the full price-driver breakdown
- how to vet an agency, if you go that way
- warning signs in an agency pitch
- questions to put to any agency on your shortlist
- BOOSTD vs hiring an SEO freelancer
- what automatic SEO does without an agencyWhat runs on its own, and what still needs your OK.
- BOOSTD vs building an in-house SEO role
Start here
Prefer to try BOOSTD yourself first?
Start the 7-day trial and run the software on your own site before you decide anything.
Rather check it yourself? Try our free SEO tools