For web retainer services, we suggested a dual-pronged approach that focused on website maintenance plus a support retainer. This enabled both reactive and proactive development work, offering flexible packages on a monthly or quarterly basis to explore new features, or simply address tasks like WordPress/plugin or form functionality updates and broken links.   In the case of conversion rate optimisation (CRO), we thought a monthly retainer would work best. Our plan encompassed regular incremental tests to pinpoint any website changes that might improve engagement and conversion rate improvements.   On the PPC front, we actually have a full YorkTest PPC case study outlining this side of the brief! However, most notably, we wanted to address the ineffective use of signals and machine learning, as this was unnecessarily throttling reach and performance potential.   SEO and Content were also essential services, as we needed to uncover relevant topics that could either be briefed to the YorkTest team to write (based on search volumes and intent), or created by our own content experts. Because YorkTest’s scientific team was on hand to review all content for accuracy, it was soon apparent that the latter approach would be best!   Finally, both organic and paid social were included in the agreement. There were many US-specific factors to consider, as tastes and terminology differ geographically and we wanted to ensure all social content was engaging and contributing to solid ROI.

ROAS and revenue targets were established, traffic goals for any content pieces that we planned to create and deploy were agreed upon, and KPIs for conversion rate were set. This allowed us to say objectively whether we were performing as required, or if any particular area needed more focus.   Agreeing ways of working, meeting frequencies, lines of communication, and nuances like differing approaches for international territories were all covered in onboarding. Integration to our development suite was made, and access to tools like GA4, plus WordPress and Paid Search accounts were all arranged in advance so we could hit the ground running.   As our retainer with YorkTest evolved, we also introduced service-specific workflows that reflect our strategic plans of action, task trackers to ensure that nothing is missed, weekly meetings, and an interactive dashboard to monitor our KIPs according to each service area.