Before the numbers, the framing matters. Accounting firms buy marketing services on a rhythm most agencies don't track: the buying window opens in late spring after personal tax season closes, and closes again in late summer before year-end advisory ramps up. If a quote lands on a partner's desk in mid-February, it's going to wait. That timing is the first thing we ask about on the audit call, because it shapes whether the right starting point is a $2,500 Site build or a $9,000 Engine build.
The four build tiers, with what each one ships for a CPA firm
Build tiers are one-time. The retainer is separate and starts at $60 a month.
Site, $2,500
Up to eight pages with foundational AEO setup. For a CPA firm, that's: homepage, a services overview, two to three service-line pages (usually tax filing, bookkeeping, and one third, depending on the practice), about, pricing or process, FAQ, contact. AccountingService schema on every service page, FAQPage schema on the FAQ, the basic llms.txt file at the root. This is the starter for a one-partner firm that's still on a Wix or Squarespace site and needs the marketing presence working before the next buying window. Book the audit first to confirm eight pages is the right count.
Story, $5,000
Up to fifteen pages plus the audio/video pipelines (Loom-to-blog, podcast-to-article, partner interview to content piece). For a mid-size CPA firm, this is where the full service-line lineup gets its own page (tax, bookkeeping, payroll, advisory, audit, controllership) and one or two niche pages start to appear (cannabis, crypto, expat, real estate investor). The compliance-checked copy step is included by default at this tier, and most firms see the per-service-line pages picking up long-tail traffic within sixty to ninety days of indexing.
Engine, $9,000
Up to 200+ programmatic pages with structured-data automation. For an accounting firm this is the per-niche × per-city pattern (cannabis tax Toronto, crypto tax Vancouver, expat filing Calgary), plus the tax-deadline FAQPage schema that updates with the CRA and IRS calendar, plus bookkeeping software integration pages (QuickBooks, Xero, Wave, Sage) with Service schema. This is the tier for multi-partner firms that want to own the long tail in their region, and the closest reference point in the portfolio is Starlit Homes at thirty programmatic pages.
Studio, $15,000 and up
Custom apps, multi-domain rollouts, embedded conversational layers. For an accounting firm this usually means a Calendly plus structured intake form wired into the firm's CRM, a multi-jurisdiction rollout if the firm operates in both Canada and the US, and (sometimes) an AI surface that answers FAQ-style questions from the public site without crossing into specific tax advice territory. The compliance work at this tier is heavier, so the timeline runs ten to fourteen weeks.
The four retainer tiers, monthly
The build is one-time. The retainer is what keeps the AEO working as the calendar rolls. For a CPA firm, the tax-deadline FAQPage schema alone is reason to be on at least the Care tier, because the deadlines themselves change every year and the firms that don't refresh fall out of the AI Overview the week buyers search.
- Care at $60/mo. Cite-met hosting, llms.txt and schema maintenance, monthly AI-traffic tracking (the Human/SEO/AI visitor split). The floor for any firm that wants the build to keep working.
- Local at $300/mo. Care plus one SEO post a month plus local schema plus Google Business Profile sync. The right tier for a one-partner firm.
- Growth at $700/mo. Local plus four posts a month plus brand-mention tracking plus light link building. The replacement for a typical $1,200-a-month agency retainer.
- Authority at $2,000/mo and up. Growth plus Reddit and Wikipedia seeding, digital PR, original research. For multi-partner firms with a real growth target.
The full retainer detail lives on the solutions page.
What about a $1,200-a-month agency retainer?
The most common comparison we hear. The honest answer is that a $1,200-a-month retainer usually buys a generalist agency writing a couple of blog posts (often on a template that doesn't know what an AccountingService is) and a quarterly status call. The schema work is missing. The per-service-line page depth is missing. The compliance check on copy is missing. And the firm's site is invisible to ChatGPT and Perplexity because the structured-data layer was never set up. Our Growth retainer at $700/mo plus a one-time Story build at $5,000 typically lands a CPA firm in a stronger position inside six months than a $1,200/mo agency retainer would over two years. That's the bet we'd make on any free audit.
The rule of the house
We quote below what your current SEO or marketing agency is charging you. The audit is free, the report comes back inside three business days, and the quote (if there is one) sits below the number on your most recent invoice. For accounting firms specifically, the audit includes a compliance redline on any current site copy that might be exposing the firm to CPA Ontario or Circular 230 risk, which is sometimes the most useful single output even if you don't end up hiring us. The siblings on the regulated-buyer side, law firms and dental practices, get the same treatment for their respective rule sets.