Compare
SEO agency vs Operator
What an agency actually costs
$18,000 – $60,000/year
A local SEO retainer runs $1,500 – $5,000 a month on a 6 – 12 month contract. Operator is $5,988 a year flat. The agency delivers reports. Operator's agents do the actual work.
Side by side
| Agency | Operator | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $1,500 – $5,000 | $499 flat |
| Contract length | 6 – 12 months | None |
| Time to results | 3 – 6 months | Immediate data |
| Review management | Usually extra | Included (Office Manager) |
| Competitor tracking | Basic | Real-time (Market Analyst) |
| Answer engine visibility | Rarely addressed | Core feature |
| Cancellation | Penalty or lock-in | Cancel anytime |
Three things a good agency does
- 1Keep your Google presence fresh
Weekly posts, photo updates, service edits, profile attribute coverage.
- 2Monitor competitors
Watch who's moving up in local rankings, whose ads ran this week, whose review rate spiked.
- 3Run your review engine
Request reviews after every completed job. Reply to every review on brand within 48 hours.
Sounds like a lot for $499/mo to deliver?
Your Marketing Manager does #1. Your Market Analyst does #2. Your Office Manager does #3. A human team with the same coverage runs $8,800 – $14,500 a month. Agents with the same coverage run $499.
You approve once a day. That's it.