Pay-for-results SEO or a monthly retainer: which one to choose in 2026?
Data: price lists, terms and service descriptions of 17 SEO agencies in Poland (as of October 25, 2026), Google results collected through DataForSEO (November 4–5, 2026).
Short answer
For most small and mid-sized businesses, a retainer or a hybrid model is the better choice. Pay-for-results pricing lowers the cost at the start, but you pay for the rankings of the keywords in the contract, not for inquiries from customers, and the bill grows with the results. Of the 17 agencies we checked, 5 make part of the fee depend on results, 11 do not, and one does not state its model.
How the two models differ
With pay-for-results pricing you pay for an achieved result, most often for keywords that are on the first page of Google on the day of measurement. There is usually a fixed fee alongside it. In Polish offers, the phrases „płatność za efekt” and „pozycjonowanie za efekty” both mean the same thing.
With a retainer you pay a fixed amount for an agreed scope of work: an audit, technical fixes, content, links and management of your Google Business Profile. The amount does not depend on how many keywords rank high in a given month.
A hybrid model combines the two: a fixed fee covers the work, and a bonus or compensation depends on a target written into the contract. The difference between the models comes down to who carries the risk at the start and what exactly ends up on the invoice.
What agencies call a "result"
A "result" in a contract can mean three different things:
- the position of a keyword in the top ten or top three, counted for every day or based on the status on one day of the month;
- traffic from free search results;
- conversions, meaning forms, phone calls or purchases.
In our sample of 17 agencies, both variants with a fixed fee exist: a surcharge for every day a keyword is in the top 10, with a monthly cap, and a fixed base plus a fee for conversions whose value is agreed before the start. Outside the sample, we came across an offer in which the position is checked once a month, on the last business day. Before you sign, ask whether the position is counted daily or from a single day, who measures it and from which location.
Pay-for-results SEO or a retainer: 10 criteria compared
| Criterion | Pay for results | Retainer | Hybrid model |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you pay for | For results: most often days or months with keywords in the top 10, less often traffic or conversions; usually alongside a fixed fee | For an agreed scope of work: audit, technical fixes, content, links, business profile | A fixed fee for the work plus a bonus for an agreed result |
| Who picks the keywords | Usually the agency proposes a list for the contract; risk of keywords with little demand | You choose together and change them along the way | Bonus-linked targets in the contract, the rest flexible |
| Cost when results grow | Grows with the number of keywords in the top 10, up to a cap if the contract has one | Fixed | Fixed + bonus with a cap |
| Cost when there are no results | Low: the fixed fee, if there is one | Full | The fixed fee |
| Scope of work | Focused on the keywords in the contract | The whole service: technical work, content, links, business profile | The whole service, with emphasis on the bonus-linked targets |
| Measurement | Position in the agency's tool; the result depends on location and device | Work report + KPIs: traffic, inquiries | KPIs from your own accounts (Search Console, GA4) written into the contract |
| Contract | In our sample, also 12+ month contracts at low budgets | From monthly to 36 months; 1–3 months notice, where the agency publishes it | Same as a retainer |
| AI visibility (ChatGPT, AI Overviews) | Outside the billing: what counts is the position in regular results | Can be part of the scope (for example weekly measurement) | Can be one of the targets |
| What you keep after the contract ends | Depends on the contract; in our sample, one agency keeps links only for the duration of the contract | Depends on the contract: check the clause on content, links and accounts | Same as a retainer |
| Who it suits | A local business with a few keywords of known value that wants to limit the risk of getting started | A business that develops the whole site and measures inquiries | A business that wants a predictable cost and a shared goal with the agency |
Source: AI SEO COMPANY analysis based on the price lists and terms of 17 SEO agencies in Poland (as of October 25, 2026).
Pay-for-results pricing shifts the risk of getting started to the agency: until your keywords are on the first page, you pay little or nothing. A retainer shifts a different risk to you, that of weak work you pay for at the same rate as good work.
That is why two things matter most in both models: measurement from your own accounts (Search Console, GA4) and a contract that lets you leave when results do not come.
How agencies in Poland charge: 17 offers
We checked the price lists, terms and service descriptions of 17 SEO agencies operating in Poland (as of October 25, 2026). 11 of them bill without a pay-for-results component (retainer, hour bank or project), five make part of the fee depend on results – in four of the described cases alongside a fixed fee – and one does not state its billing model. The "you pay only for keywords on page 1" model exists, but outside our sample: among Google results for the phrase „pozycjonowanie za efekt” (pay-for-results SEO) on November 5, 2026, there was an offer of PLN 99 or PLN 149 net per month per keyword, billed by the position on the last business day of the month. Only 6 of the 17 agencies publish a notice period: four state about one month, two state three months.
| Feature | Number of agencies out of 17 |
|---|---|
| Bills without a pay-for-results component (retainer, hour bank, project) | 11 |
| Makes part of the fee depend on results (pay for results, success fee, KPIs) | 5 |
| …of which a described fixed fee + variable part | 4 |
| Does not state a billing model | 1 |
| Publicly criticizes or rejects billing by position | at least 6 |
| Publishes a "from" price or a price range | 12 |
| Publishes a notice period | 6 (4 × about 1 month, 2 × 3 months) |
Method: agency offer pages, price lists, terms of service and directory profiles, checked on October 25, 2026. We do not rate service quality. We are one of the agencies on the market: AI SEO COMPANY is not counted among the 17.
The sample: 7 large agencies from the top ten Google results for the phrase „agencja seo” (SEO agency), 3 brands of one capital group, 3 agencies that sell AI search optimization most aggressively, 2 companies closest to us in their cooperation model and 2 leaders of Google Maps results in Warsaw.
What each model costs: an example for 20 keywords
We calculate the cost of the pay-for-results model with a formula: cost = S + n × s, where S is the fixed fee, n is the number of contract keywords on the first page of Google on the day of measurement, and s is the rate per keyword. A retainer is a fixed amount A. The assumptions of the example:
- pure pay-for-results model: S = PLN 0, s = PLN 99 or PLN 149 net per month per keyword (an offer from the top ten Google results for the phrase „pozycjonowanie za efekt”, checked on November 5, 2026; minimum 4 keywords, measured on the last business day of the month);
- hybrid model: S = PLN 300, s = PLN 100 (an illustration; a fixed fee of PLN 300 appears in a published example from one of the agencies in our sample);
- retainer: A = PLN 1,900 net, which is our SEO Standard package (up to 20 keywords, 2 pieces of content and 2 links per month).
| Keywords on page 1 (n) | Pay for results, PLN 99 per keyword | Pay for results, PLN 149 per keyword | Hybrid: PLN 300 + PLN 100 per keyword (illustration) | SEO Standard retainer at AI SEO COMPANY (PLN 1,900 (€450) net, fixed amount) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | PLN 0 | PLN 0 | PLN 300 | PLN 1,900 |
| 4 | PLN 396 | PLN 596 | PLN 700 | PLN 1,900 |
| 6 | PLN 594 | PLN 894 | PLN 900 | PLN 1,900 |
| 10 | PLN 990 | PLN 1,490 | PLN 1,300 | PLN 1,900 |
| 13 | PLN 1,287 | PLN 1,937 | PLN 1,600 | PLN 1,900 |
| 16 | PLN 1,584 | PLN 2,384 | PLN 1,900 | PLN 1,900 |
| 20 | PLN 1,980 | PLN 2,980 | PLN 2,300 | PLN 1,900 |
The models cover different scopes of work. The rates of PLN 99 and PLN 149 per keyword and the PLN 499 flat fee come from an offer checked on November 5, 2026.
Break-even point: when pay for results costs more
The pay-for-results model is cheaper than a retainer as long as S + n × s < A. At PLN 99 per keyword and a PLN 1,900 retainer, the break-even point is 19 keywords on page 1; at PLN 149 per keyword it is 12; and in the hybrid model with a PLN 300 fixed fee and a PLN 100 rate it is 16. Above the break-even point you pay more than under a retainer, and the agency still works only on the keywords in the contract. The same provider that charges PLN 99 or PLN 149 per keyword also offers a fixed fee of PLN 499 per month, so with that provider pay for results already costs more at 6 or 4 keywords. That is why, in the pay-for-results model, you should watch for a monthly cap.
A ranking is not clicks: what AI Overviews change
A position in the top ten does not guarantee traffic. On November 4, 2026, we checked 30 keywords from the SEO industry (Google, Poland, desktop, DataForSEO data): for every one of them, Google showed an AI Overview with a ready answer and its own list of sources. A customer can therefore get an answer before clicking any result. That is why it is better to bill inquiries from customers than keyword positions in the contract.
How work on being present in such answers differs from classic SEO is described in the comparison SEO vs GEO.
If you are considering ads instead of SEO, see the comparison SEO or Google Ads.
When to choose pay-for-results pricing
Pay-for-results pricing makes sense when you meet most of these conditions:
- you have 3–10 keywords of known value, checked in Google Ads Keyword Planner;
- you run a local service where a few keywords bring most of the inquiries;
- the contract has a cap on the monthly fee;
- positions are measured in your own Search Console account, not only in the agency's tool;
- there is no exit fee, and the content and links stay with you after the cooperation ends.
If the keywords in the contract have no demand, a high position will not bring customers, and the invoice will arrive anyway.
When to choose a retainer
SEO on a retainer fits better when:
- you are developing the whole site: technical work, content, Google Business Profile and links;
- you measure inquiries from forms and phone calls in GA4, not just positions;
- you want to change the keyword list along the way, once you see which ones bring customers;
- you care about visibility in ChatGPT answers and in AI Overviews, which the pay-for-results model usually does not cover.
The condition: a transparent scope of work and a monthly list of changes. With us, progress and the work log are visible in the client portal with weekly measurement.
Hybrid model: a retainer with a bonus or a target
The hybrid model comes in two variants:
- a fixed fee for the work and a bonus for an agreed result, with an upper cap on the bonus;
- a retainer with a target written into the contract and compensation if the target is not reached.
We are an agency ourselves, so we have a stake in this comparison. Our model is a retainer with a target: a monthly contract, local keywords written into the contract, a top 3 target within 2–3 months measured in Google Search Console and in Maps, and if the target is not reached after 3 months, we work the next month for PLN 0. We do not guarantee position number 1: in its guide „Do you need an SEO expert?”, Google notes that nobody can guarantee it. The exceptions and the way of measuring are described in the top 3 target rules.
The contract: 6 clauses to check before you sign
- Contract term and termination: for how long, with what notice period and in what form it can be terminated.
- Activation fees and early exit fees.
- Who measures the result and from where: tool, location, device and day of measurement.
- A cap on the monthly fee in the pay-for-results model.
- Ownership of content, links and accounts: Search Console, GA4, Google Business Profile.
- Automatic renewal of the contract after the initial term.
Only 6 of the 17 agencies in our sample publish their termination terms on the website, so you usually have to ask about them directly. Under the general terms of one agency, the contract turns into an open-ended one by itself after the initial term, and on early termination the client pays the activation fee from the price list.
How to take over accounts and data when you change provider is described in our guide how to switch SEO agencies without penalties. Our terms are six rules of a fair contract.
This is not legal advice. For a contract involving a large amount, show it to a lawyer.
Download the 32-point checklist: what to check in the contract and what to take from your agency (PDF)
SEO without a fixed-term contract: how a monthly contract works
A monthly contract is usually a contract with no set end date, which you terminate with one month's notice, often by email. SEO without a fixed-term contract does not mean work without a contract: the scope, price and exit rules are still in writing, they just do not bind you for a year or two. The agency then has to show progress every month, because the client can leave when they do not see it.
With us, the SEO Standard and SEO Premium packages work this way, with no exit fees; the Booster Pack with a new website requires a minimum of 3 months. What to take from your agency before you terminate and how to send the notice itself is described in our guide on terminating a contract with an SEO agency.