Starting with a new client is great, but so is the need to send a perfect contract that communicates your specific services and payment terms. You’ve probably tried to write one by yourself, or you need more guidance on how to write the perfect template.
You’re in the right place. In this article, I will explain what a link-building retainer agreement is, why you should have one, and how to develop one that fits your needs.
What is a Link Building Retainer Agreement?
A link-building retainer agreement is a formal contract between a client and a service provider that explains the terms and conditions of your work with said client. It helps you align the client on what you’ll do, how your work can help them improve their domain rating, and how you want to be paid.
Why Do You Need a Link Building Retainer Agreement?
A link-building retainer agreement brings structure and consistency into the typical agency/freelancer-client relationship. It helps you manage the client’s expectations and promise only what’s attainable based on your experience and the resources available. Here are other reasons why you need a retainer agreement:
- It protects your business interests and holds you and your client accountable for any breach of contract.
- It analyzes what services you will provide to help you align client expectations with what you’ll do.
- It helps you prevent scope creep. This way, you can work on pre-agreed services without an unpaid add-on service from the client’s side.
- It ties you into a monthly commitment to specific services for a specific client. This ensures you dedicate quality time to your client's work without compromising other responsibilities.
- It establishes the framework for long-term partnerships rather than a one-time service. This way, you can dedicate specific working hours to a client’s project without thinking about losing your basic means of income.
- It secures consistent and reliable income (as long as your contract lasts).
- A retainer agreement also sets clear expectations on when and how progress will be measured.
Link building takes time because it relies on consistent SEO efforts and building topical authority. If the client’s website isn’t considered an authority in their niche, it’s harder for Google to recognize it, which can slow down increases in domain rating. So, it helps to tie specific KPIs to the kind of domains you’ll land your client, not the number of domain ratings you’ll get them.
For example, “The service provider will help the client get mentions from 10 domains with at least 60% domain rating every month” rather than “After the 6 months, the client’s website will increase from 30 domain rating to 70.” That’s harder to achieve, given that many things factor into a high domain rating.
- Add a clause on deadlines, payment structure, the scope of work, etc., to avoid disputes later.
Disadvantages of Not Using a Link Building Retainer Agreement
Clients can forget what they agreed to or misunderstand the context of what you communicated. Having an agreement helps you prevent this, but aside from these scenarios, other reasons why you need it include:
- Unclear expectations about what services to provide and when each deliverable will be submitted
- Without a contract, clients can refuse to pay in full or on time, putting you at risk of unpaid work and unfulfilled agreements.
- Scope creep, especially when clients cramp additional work into the preexisting arrangement without additional pay
- Lack of legal protection, especially when it comes to resolving conflicts regarding performance and payment terms.
- There is no job security because clients can terminate your contract anytime, even at short notice.
Key Components of Your Link Building Retainer Agreement
Now that you understand the importance of having a contract to guard your link-building efforts, here are the key components it should have:
1. The parties involved: Write the details of the parties signing the contract you're working on, i.e., the service provider and the client. The business names, contact details, and any relevant information on who you and your client are should be written at the top of the page of your contract.
2. Scope of the services: write the specific link-building services you’ll offer so your client knows exactly what to expect from the campaign. For example, if your service involves PR outreach, specify: “The Service Provider will send well-written cold emails & LinkedIn DMs to 50 journalists at 30 high-authority websites per month to acquire backlinks to the client’s high-value pages.”
The “high-value page” in this context may be an industry report, an eBook, a product launch, or any other page the client wants more eyes on.
The goal is to be precise in writing what your services (and deliverables) are to ensure clarity about the scope of work.
3. Payment terms are perhaps the most important. Specify when payments should be made (monthly, quarterly, etc.) and how you would like to be paid (bank transfer, online payment platforms, etc.). You can also include a penalty for late payments and specify if extra services can be added. If you'll allow extra services outside of the initial agreement, write how you'll be paid for them.
🔥 Tip: Read this article to know what to do if a client doesn't pay.
4. Deliverables and timelines: Be clear about the deliverables and the frequency with which they will be provided. This helps you communicate what you’ll “submit” and when you’ll deliver these results every month till the end of the contract.
Also, set realistic timelines for each task to avoid being overwhelmed by your commitment to other clients.
5. Duration and termination clause: A duration and termination clause indicates the required notice period for termination (e.g., 30 days) and whether any penalties or compensation apply for early termination. It also defines the length of the retainer agreement, whether it is for a fixed term (e.g., six months, a year) or on a rolling monthly basis. It also specifies the conditions under which either party can terminate the contract early.
For instance, you can write that the only grounds for early termination are a breach of contract, poor performance (not meeting feasibly set KPIs after three months), or non-payment for more than 30 days.
6. Client Responsibilities: To help you do your work more effectively, list your client's responsibilities. If they don't play their part, it could be considered a breach of contract, which could affect the integrity of your work.
Their responsibility could involve providing access to the website, approving content for link placements, or giving you access to Google Analytics or other tools to analyze their performance.
7. Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Clauses: Include a section about how both parties will protect sensitive information shared during the project. This can cover proprietary strategies, client data, or any information deemed confidential by either party. (See our retainer agreement template for more context.)
The essence of a Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Clause is to prevent both parties from disclosing sensitive information during and after the agreement.
8. Dispute resolution: Define how disputes will be handled if they arise. This can include mediation, arbitration, or legal proceedings. Specifying this in advance can save you time and money.
9. Signatures and Date: This is the final part of your link-building retainer agreement that shows that your client agrees to your terms. Create space for you and your client to sign and write the date, too—this formalizes the contract and makes it legally binding.
Tips and Best Practices for Creating a Link-Building Retainer Agreement
Here are a few things you should do when creating your agreement:
1. Be specific about the deliverables.
2. Set clear payment terms. Avoid ambiguity. Write the exact payment structure (50% upfront and 50% after the work is done, net zero) as eCommerce & SaaS writer Kaleigh Moore does.
If you want to include late payment fees, write them and explain how they work. For example, “The (agency name) will charge a standard $25 weekly for late payments.”
Or
“The (agency name) will charge 2% of the unpaid invoice per month of delay. If an invoice of $1,000 is unpaid for a month, a 2% penalty would add $20 to the total owed.”
Lastly, mention that you’ll charge extra fees for add-on tasks.
3. In the contract, set expectations for communication frequency, preferred channels, and availability. This lets clients know how often they'll be updated about their tasks and how you'll reach out to them. Some agency owners say they won't respond to emails anytime after 4 PM and on weekends. You can include this in your contract, too.
For Kaleigh Moore, it’s every three days:
For some agencies, it is more regular.
This means you need a custom client portal like ManyRequests to manage communications and, by extension, client projects. This alternative helps you avoid switching between multiple apps to chat with clients, receive their tasks, assign them to your team members, and manage invoices and payments.
You can read more about how ManyRequests can help you centralize client communications and improve project management here. You can also sign up for a free 14-day trial to see how it works firsthand.
4. Include that you’ll bill for work that is outside the scope of the original agreement. For example, if your clients request more backlinks from more domains outside the agreed-upon scope, mention that you’ll charge for it so the clients know that what is included in the agreement is what you’ll strictly provide.
You can either write a separate contract on how you’ll bill for the extra work or use our client portal to create an add-on service.
5. Review your link-building retainer agreement regularly to update your services and prices and tighten any loopholes that may have emerged since you started using the contract.
How to Use Our Free Link-Building Retainer Agreement Template
Our free template is designed to save you time while building your legally binding contract. Here's how to use and customize it for your link-building services:
- Edit the text to include your name, address, and other details you should fill in.
- Add your brand elements (name & logo) and format the font and colors.
- Add the specific services you’ll offer to clients and let them reflect your specific roles.
- Review it thoroughly before sending it to a client.
Wrap up
I'm glad you read to this point.
A link-building retainer agreement helps secure your business interest before starting any work with a client.
Once your contract is in place, use the ManyRequests client portal to automatically manage client communications, projects, invoices, and payments in one easy-to-use platform. This helps you focus on scaling your business without using 4 or more software for administrative tasks and automation needs.
Sign up for a 14-day free trial today to use our fully customizable platform to onboard clients, handle all communications, and work with team members or other freelancers easily.
