What’s Included in Your Retainer — and What Isn’t
Clarity on scope protects both of us.
One of the most common sources of frustration between agencies and clients is an unclear understanding of what is and is not covered by a monthly retainer. This article sets out exactly how we approach this, so there are no surprises.
What is included in your retainer
Your retainer covers the specific services agreed in your contract. For most clients at the £2,000+ per month level, this typically includes a combination of the following, depending on your package:
- SEO: Technical SEO, on-page optimisation, monthly keyword tracking, and content recommendations
- Paid Advertising: Campaign management, ad creative, audience targeting, and monthly reporting across Google and/or Meta
- Social Media: Content creation, scheduling, and community management across agreed platforms
- Web Development: Routine maintenance, security updates, and a monthly allocation of development hours for minor changes
- Reporting: Monthly performance report delivered to your portal and inbox
- Support: A dedicated support inbox and helpdesk for day-to-day queries
What is not included
The following are outside your standard retainer and will be quoted separately before any work begins:
- New website builds or significant redesigns
- Development work exceeding your monthly hours allocation
- New platform setup (e.g., a new CRM, booking system, or third-party integration)
- Photography, videography, or professionally produced assets
- Copywriting for new products, services, or landing pages not covered by your content package
- Emergency out-of-hours work
How additional work is handled
If you request something outside your scope, we will confirm this in writing before proceeding and provide a clear quote. No work is undertaken without your approval. We do not add charges without notice.
How to check your scope
Your agreed scope of work is documented in your contract and summarised in your client portal under the ‘Services’ section. If you are unsure whether a request is in or out of scope, submit a support ticket and we will confirm before any work begins.