Pricing

What marketing actually costs.

Most agencies hide the number until they have you on a call. We don't. Here's what digital marketing really costs in 2026 — and exactly how Spec prices it.

Retainers from $2,500 a month.

No mystery pricing — you see the number and the plan up front, scoped to the channels your business actually needs.

The terms

  • A clear price and scope up front — before any work starts.
  • Nothing ships without your approval.
  • A senior marketer accountable for everything that ships.
  • Month to month: the site, the ad accounts, and the data go with you.
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What the market charges, channel by channel.

Typical 2026 ranges for U.S. agencies, so you can sanity-check any quote — ours included. Spec runs these together as one retainer rather than billing each as a separate line.

SEO
$1,500 – $5,000 / mo
Scales with competitiveness and number of locations.
Local SEO
$500 – $3,000 / mo
Per location; map-pack and reviews focus.
Google Ads management
$1,500 – $8,000 / mo
Often 10–20% of ad spend. Spend is separate and stays yours.
Meta / social ads management
$1,000 – $7,000 / mo
The channel most agencies underuse — and where we lead.
Social media management
$1,000 – $5,000 / mo
Content, calendar, and posting across platforms.
Content marketing
$2,000 – $10,000 / mo
Search content, copy, and scripts built from real questions.
Email & SMS
$1,000 – $3,000 / mo
Campaigns, automated follow-up, and win-back flows.
Website design & build
$5,000 – $50,000+
One-time; the build is the on-ramp to the retainer.
Full-service retainer
$2,500 – $20,000 / mo
Every channel run as one operation — where Spec starts at $2,500.

Ranges are general U.S. market figures for comparison, not Spec quotes. Advertising budget is always separate and stays in your own accounts.

Pricing questions, answered straight.

How much does Spec cost?

Retainers start at $2,500 a month. The exact number depends on which channels you run — you see the full price and plan up front, before any work starts. You're month to month.

Is ad spend included in that?

No — and no honest agency includes it. Your advertising budget goes to Google, Meta, and the other platforms directly, in your own ad accounts. Our retainer covers the strategy, creative, and management of that spend. You always own the accounts and the data.

Why publish prices at all?

Because the alternative is making you book a call just to learn whether you can afford us. We'd rather you know where you stand up front. If $2,500 a month is out of range today, that's useful for both of us to know now.

What makes Spec cheaper than a traditional agency at this depth?

We run the work as one AI-accelerated operation instead of stacking account managers and junior staff on every account. That efficiency is why real, full-service marketing is profitable for us at a tier the large agencies can't staff.

See what your marketing should cost.

Run the free audit for a read on your site, or book a call and we'll scope the number to your business.

Let's talkOr run the free audit