SEO retainers
What does a Newcastle SEO agency do each month?
A monthly SEO fee should pay for things that still exist at the end of the month: new pages, an up to date Google profile, mentions on other websites and a report you can compare.
Tell us about your business and what you need.
The short answer
The first month measures; every month after builds.
What an SEO agency does each month in Newcastle changes after the first month. Month one sets up the measurement, the Google Business Profile and the list of searches to target. Every month after should add pages, keep the profile current, earn mentions and report results.
An owner does not need to learn SEO to check this. A few questions each month show whether the work is happening.
Month one
What the first month should produce
Month one of an SEO retainer often looks quiet, because little of it is a new page. Skipping it is how a year of pages ends up aimed at phrases nobody types.
- A record of where the business stands
- Positions on named searches, measured from several points across Newcastle.
- A corrected Google Business Profile
- Categories, services, hours, service area and photos.
- A list of searches
- What customers actually type, agreed before any page is written.
- A plan with an order
- Which pages come first, and why.
Every month
What every month after should produce
A retainer is easiest to judge on one question: what exists this month that did not exist last month?
- New pages
- A page for each service or question, written properly. This is the largest part of the work, and the part that keeps working after a retainer stops.
- A profile that has been updated
- Posts, photos and replies to reviews.
- Mentions from real places
- Chambers, suppliers, clubs and local media. Slow work that is hard to copy.
- A report that names positions
- Where the business sits on the agreed searches, and how many enquiries arrived.
Pages
Why pages take most of the fee
A page is the part that keeps working after the invoices stop. The rest of a retainer mostly maintains what already exists.
- It answers one question completely
- A page that half answers three questions helps nobody.
- It is written for a customer
- It should make sense read aloud to someone deciding whether to call.
- It does not repeat another page
- Two pages competing for the same search split the result.
- Other pages link to it
- A page nothing links to is hard to find.
Pages written for a business belong to that business. If a page disappears when the arrangement ends, it was rented rather than built.
Checking the work
How to tell whether the work is happening
- Ask which pages went live
- You should be able to open each one.
- Open the Google profile yourself
- Recent posts, recent photos and replies to reviews are visible to anyone.
- Read the report for positions
- On the searches agreed in month one, not only visits and impressions.
- Count the enquiries
- Calls and forms, month on month.
Some quiet months are normal. Pages can sit still for weeks and then move several positions at once, and mentions arrive when other people publish them. Three months with no new page is not normal, and nor is a report that changes shape every month.
In Newcastle
What is different about Newcastle
The map is read from many points across the city, so one position is not one number. spareday measures a 7 by 7 grid across Newcastle, because a business can be in the top three in Wickham and missing in Charlestown.
The competition is also thinner than in a capital city. Across 2,165 Newcastle trade listings measured in September 2026, 23 per cent had no website, and no business held the top three across the whole city. The method and its limits are in our Newcastle trades visibility study.
The short version
Each month of SEO should leave something you can open: a new page, an updated profile, a new mention or a report on agreed searches. Ask every quarter what was published, what moved and what comes next.
From clients
What clients say about working with spareday
“Excellent in all facets of web design with particular expertise in SEO and email marketing. Online visibility has skyrocketed since working Reece which translates as flawless customer relations, new leads and new customers.”
“He was able to take our rough ideas, from concept through to reality. The site has provided an influx of new members, helping to keep our club viable.”
“I now have a custom dashboard that lets me track exactly what my competitors are doing, spot viral content trends in real time, and script high-performing content ideas on demand. The difference has been night and day. I’m no longer guessing.”
Official guidance
For independent background, read Google’s SEO starter guide and Google’s guidance on creating helpful content.
Common questions
Questions people ask.
What does an SEO agency do each month?
Writes pages, keeps the Google Business Profile current, earns mentions on other local websites, and reports positions and enquiries against the searches agreed at the start.
How do I know the work is being done?
Ask which pages went live and open them, look at the profile yourself, read the report for positions, and count calls and form enquiries.
Why is the first month so quiet?
It holds the measurement, the profile and the list of searches. Skipping it is how pages end up aimed at phrases nobody types.
Is a month with no new page a problem?
One is normal. Three in a row means the main part of the work has not been delivered.
Do the pages stay mine?
They should, along with the domain, the profile and the accounts.
How does spareday charge?
spareday quotes one price for the work your business needs, agreed in writing before anything starts. The figure depends on what the business needs, and it comes with your quote.
Who you’ll work with
Hi, I’m Reece.
spareday is my business, based here in Newcastle. You’ll deal with me from the first review of your website, and I’m the person you talk to each month about what’s working.
Find us
spareday in Newcastle.
12 Grey Street, Wickham, Newcastle NSW 2293.
Next step
Get a quote for monthly SEO.
Tell us about your business and the searches you want to be found for. We will talk through the details and send you a quote.
Get a free quoteOr call 0485 017 387.