Advocate vs Elevate vs Dominate: Which SEO Retainer Fits Your Recruitment Agency?
Choosing between the Advocate, Elevate, and Dominate SEO retainers depends on your agency’s size, growth goals, and budget. Kaizen SEO’s Advocate Retainer is best for start-ups needing solid foundations. Elevate supports mid-sized recruiters breaking growth plateaus. Dominate is built for national agencies that want AI visibility and aggressive lead generation.
Key Takeaways:
- Advocate Retainer (£395+/month): Entry-level SEO support for start-ups and smaller agencies.
- Elevate Retainer (£1,495 /month): Growth-focused SEO for mid-sized recruiters.
- Dominate Retainer (£2,499+/month): Advanced, AI-ready SEO for national firms.
- Choosing the right retainer depends on traffic goals, candidate vs. client focus, and in-house resources.
- ROI comes from measurable reductions in job board spend, higher client enquiries, and long-term organic growth.
Trying to pick between Advocate, Elevate, and Dominate SEO retainers can feel like a tough call. Every recruitment agency is at a different stage, with unique pressures on candidate flow, client leads, and marketing spend. This guide explains the difference between each Kaizen SEO retainer and helps you decide which one fits your growth goals.
What’s included in Kaizen SEO retainers?
All retainers share the same foundation:
- Technical SEO audits and fixes
- Structured data deployment
- Core content support
- Reporting in GA4 and GSC
- The difference lies in scope, speed, and sophistication.
Insider tip: Don’t just compare packages by price. The true cost is the opportunity lost if your agency remains dependent on job boards while competitors scale their client visibility.
Advocate Retainer: Affordable SEO for start-ups
The Advocate Retainer is Kaizen SEO’s starter SEO package, designed for agencies just launching or those with small teams. Priced from £395/month, it focuses on low-cost, high-impact essentials:
- Crawl error fixes and indexing support
- Google Business Profile optimisation
- Basic schema setup for job postings
- Monthly progress reporting
Client Success Story: Boutique Search, a two-person agency, used the Advocate Retainer to fix indexing issues. Within 8 weeks, they generated their first client lead from organic search, cutting reliance on job boards.
Best for:
- New agencies with limited budgets
- Recruiters relying heavily on job boards
- Founders who need SEO foundations but can’t yet commit to large-scale investment
Elevate Retainer: Growth-focused SEO for mid-sized agencies
The Elevate Retainer bridges the gap between start-up and scale. Priced from £1,500–£3,500/month, it’s designed for agencies that have hit a growth plateau and need consistent visibility gains.
What Elevate covers:
- Full technical SEO with speed optimisation
- 2–4 AI-optimised blogs per month
- Structured data across service and job pages
- Internal linking and authority-building plans
- Reporting tailored to client and candidate goals
Client Success Story: A Manchester-based recruiter, invested £2,000/month in Elevate. Within 3 months, they cut job board spend by 30% and landed two retained client accounts from organic leads.
Insider tip: Agencies that delay moving from a starter package to Elevate often waste 6–12 months of potential growth. If your aim is national reach, Elevate gets you there faster and saves the compounding cost of missed leads.
Best for:
- Agencies with regional visibility looking to scale nationally
- Firms balancing candidate attraction with client lead generation
- Marketing managers needing structured, consistent SEO execution
Dominate Retainer: Advanced SEO for national recruiters
The Dominate Retainer is the flagship programme. Priced from £3,500–£5,000+/month, it’s built for large, multi-office recruiters competing nationally.
What Dominate delivers:
- Advanced technical SEO (duplicate URL consolidation, crawl efficiency)
- 4+ AI-optimised blogs per month
- Authority-building through outreach and mentions
- Full structured data deployment across jobs, services, and FAQs
AI visibility optimisation for Google Overviews and answer engines
Client Proof: A national recruiter on Dominate saw a 65% increase in organic lead form completions within 6 months after a complete technical restructure and AI visibility optimisation.
Insider tip: Dominate isn’t just about more hours. It’s about positioning your brand for the future of search, where AI Overviews and answer engines are already shaping client buying behaviour.
Best for:
- National firms competing with big-name agencies
- Agencies wanting AI visibility in Google Overviews
- Leadership teams needing aggressive growth in client leads
How to choose the right retainer for your recruitment agency
Outcome: Match your SEO investment to your agency’s stage and growth goals.
How to Choose Between Advocate, Elevate, and Dominate SEO Retainers
- Audit your current SEO health – Use Screaming Frog or GSC to check for crawl errors and indexing gaps.
- Define your growth stage – Start-up (Advocate), growth plateau (Elevate), or national expansion (Dominate).
- Decide focus areas – Do you need more candidate applications, more client leads, or both?
- Review your internal resources – If your team can create blogs, Advocate may be enough. If not, Elevate or Dominate cover it.
- Set a timeline for results – Faster growth requires more hours and investment.
- Calculate ROI potential – Compare package costs against savings on job boards and projected placements.
Insider tip: The biggest mistake agencies make is buying a starter package when they actually need a growth package. If your primary goal is national market share within 12 months, Elevate will get you there twice as fast as upgrading from Advocate later on.
FAQs
Q: Which SEO package should recruiters choose?
Recruiters should choose an SEO package that matches their growth stage. Start-ups should consider the Advocate Retainer, mid-sized agencies often benefit from Elevate, while national firms require Dominate.
Q: What’s the difference between Elevate and Dominate SEO?
The Elevate Retainer supports mid-sized recruiters with technical SEO, blogs, and structured data, while Dominate adds AI visibility, national-scale authority building, and advanced technical restructuring.
Q: Is the Advocate Retainer enough for growth?
The Advocate Retainer is enough to build SEO foundations and generate first organic leads, but sustained growth usually requires Elevate or Dominate.
Q: How much do recruitment SEO retainers cost in the UK?
Recruitment SEO retainers range from £395/month for Advocate, £1,500–£3,500/month for Elevate, and £3,500–£5,000+/month for Dominate.
Q: Can small recruitment agencies afford professional SEO?
Yes, small agencies can start with the Advocate Retainer at £395/month, making professional SEO affordable without heavy upfront spend.
About the Author
Daniel Jones is the founder of Kaizen SEO, a UK-based consultancy specialising in SEO for recruitment agencies. With frameworks like Advocate, Elevate, and Dominate, Dan has helped start-ups, mid-sized recruiters, and national firms cut job board costs, win client leads, and secure AI visibility.
Next Step
Still unsure which retainer fits your agency? Book a free consultation with Kaizen SEO and get a clear recommendation on whether Advocate, Elevate, or Dominate is right for your growth stage.
