Freelance link builder here, two years in, mostly SaaS and fintech clients. I’ve tried both pricing models and I’m still not sure which is less painful.
Per link: I charged a flat amount per placement. Easy to sell. But when a month went badly (outreach drought, editors on holiday) I basically worked for free. One month I did 60 hours for 4 links.
Retainer: fixed monthly fee with a target range of links. Better for my cash flow, but clients start counting links anyway and get upset if a month comes in under the range, even if the links are better.
Right now I’m thinking about a hybrid: smaller base retainer covering strategy, reporting and research, plus a per link fee on top.
For those who sell link building as a service, which model do you use and how do you handle a bad month with the client? Also do you tier pricing by site quality or keep it flat?
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