The two intervals that matter
The first is how often you review the site’s data. The second is how often you report to the client. Everything else in a plan hangs off those two, because a review is where findings appear.
In Sitearc, Free refreshes connected data when you ask. Pro also refreshes it on a schedule.
A filled plan
Cedar and Slate Interiors, one site, quoted at $420 a month.
cadence
- every 14 days refresh, read the findings, triage
- every month close what shipped, write the update
- every quarter re-read the search data, choose one theme
- every year review hosting, certificate, backups, and the offer
owners
- refresh and read Priya, Northline Studio
- approve a change Sam, Cedar and Slate
- merge a pull request Ravi, contract developer
- client update Priya, by the 5th of the month
included
- up to two shipped changes each cycle
- feedback triage and the search reading
- one written update a month
- access management for Search Console and Analytics
excluded
- new pages, sections or templates
- redesigns and brand work
- paid media
- work caused by a change we did not make
review trigger
- if shipped changes average more than two a cycle for two months,
we agree a new rate before the third month
Why owners belong in the plan
Every step that needs a decision needs a name. A plan without owners turns into a monthly email nobody answers.
Acceptance: the plan is signed when
- the cadence is written in days, not adjectives
- every decision has a named person
- the included work has a number in it
- the excluded list names at least four items
- the review trigger has a number and a date rule
- the price and the platform cost are separate lines
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The client approves nothing | No owner was named | Agree one approver, in writing |
| Scope creeps every month | The excluded list is vague | Add the specific item that crept in |
| The plan is ignored | It was sent as a PDF nobody opens | Put the cadence in the workspace where work happens |
| Two people approve conflicting changes | Two approvers | Name one, and a deputy |
| The retainer feels thin | The cadence is longer than the client expects | Move to 7 days, and re-quote |
Limits
A cadence is not a guarantee of a result. Some cycles find nothing worth changing, and the honest plan says so.
This covers one site. A roster uses the same plan per site, with the site count in the price.