Organic, social & brand marketing
Books and taxes for SEO agencies.
Monthly retainers, one-off technical audits, a bench of freelance writers and link builders, and software bills that pile up fast. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
May came in at $11,200. Ahrefs renewed for the year in one lump, so I kept it out of the monthly software line and spread the note so it does not spook you next May.
- Retainer, Client ARetainer revenue
- Retainer, Client BRetainer revenue
- Ahrefs annual planResearch software
- Freelance link builderContractor payouts
- Guest post placement feeLink building costs
Why your books are different
SEO agency books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees invoices and bills. Your business is retainers that do not match a calendar month, a bench of freelance writers and link builders, and research tools that renew once a year and blow up a normal month. When the books do not know that, the monthly number lies to you.
-
1
A retainer paid a quarter at a time
A client wires three months of retainer at once to lock in a rate. Booked as one month's income, that month looks huge and the next two look like the agency lost its clients, when nothing about the work changed.
What we doNotes what portion of a multi-month payment is already earned, so the monthly number reflects work done, not just the wire that landed. -
2
Guest post and placement fees hide in one line
Payments to secure guest posts and backlinks on other sites get lumped in with everyday software bills, so nobody can tell how much a link building campaign actually cost against what it brought a client.
What we doKeeps link building spend in its own category, separate from research and writing tools, so campaign cost is always visible. -
3
A yearly software renewal wrecks one month
Ahrefs, Semrush, or Surfer renew once a year in a single charge, and that month looks like expenses spiked when really it is twelve months of tool cost landing at once.
What we doFlags annual renewals and tells you when a thin-looking month is really just a yearly bill, not a slowdown. -
4
Freelance writers paid like a payroll run
A rotating bench of writers and link builders gets paid through one lump transfer or a payroll app built for employees, and it becomes hard to say what any one client's content actually cost to produce.
What we doKeeps contractor payouts tied to categories so the real cost of serving each client stays visible, and keeps the 1099 list current.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an SEO agency.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Retainer revenueMonthly billing for ongoing ranking and content work, invoiced through QuickBooks or Bill.com.
- Audit and project feesOne-off technical audits or site migrations, often half up front.
- Affiliate and referral incomeKickbacks from software makers like Semrush or HubSpot for client referrals.
- Rev share bonusesExtra fees tied to a client's traffic or lead growth, kept apart from the base retainer.
Money out
- Contractor payoutsFreelance writers, link builders, and technical auditors paid through Upwork or direct invoice.
- Link building costsGuest post fees, placement costs, and outreach tools.
- Research softwareAhrefs, Semrush, Surfer, and Clearscope.
- Client reporting toolsDashboards and rank tracking software billed monthly or yearly.
- Coworking and officeShared office space or a home office setup.
- Marketing and outreachThe agency's own lead generation and sales tools.
What we watch for you
- Retainer revenue
The steady piece of income that predicts next month, separate from one-off audits.
- Contractor cost
What writers and link builders cost against revenue, since it moves before anything else does.
- Active clients
How many retainers are running, since losing one can hide inside an otherwise normal month.
- The set-aside
What this year's tax bill is shaping up to be, tracked every month so April is not a guess.
Ask Gus
Things SEO agency owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
I only counted the piece that is this month's work. The rest is sitting as income you have not earned yet, so next two months will not look like they fell off a cliff.
If you pay her $2,000 or more this year and she is not on payroll, she gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. I keep that running as we go.
No. That is a yearly bill landing once, not a slowdown. I flagged it so you can see the real trend underneath it.
The tax side
The tax side of an SEO agency.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. A retainer counted before it is earned, a writer treated like an employee, and a set-aside nobody started until April.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll paid $2,000 or more in 2026, a freelance writer or link builder, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list all year.
- Foreign writers and editorsA writer working outside the US usually does not get a 1099. The accountant collects a different form and decides what applies.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operated agencies can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. Above roughly $200,000 single, the accountant checks how much of it still applies.
- Self-employment taxA solo owner not paid through payroll owes 15.3 percent in self-employment tax on top of income tax, up to the Social Security wage base.
Deductions SEO agencies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Ahrefs or Semrush subscription
- Surfer or Clearscope license
- Guest post placement fees
- Freelance writer payments
- Rank tracking software
- Coworking space
- Business phone and internet
- Conference tickets and travel
- Website hosting for the agency
- Accounting and legal fees
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator
- Client reporting dashboards
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
An SEO agency year, kept every month.
New retainers can start any month, but tax deadlines do not move. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the writer 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether that spring wave of new retainers changed the number.
- October
Before budget season
Clients start planning next year's marketing budget. Gus looks at software renewals and anything worth doing before December.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for SEO agencies. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions SEO agency owners ask first.
A client paid a full quarter up front. How does that show up in my books?
Gus notes how much of that payment is already earned each month and holds the rest as income you have not earned yet, so your monthly number reflects the work done, not just the wire that landed.
I pay writers and link builders through Upwork and direct invoices. Does that change anything?
No. Keep paying them the way you do. Gus tracks it from your bank and card statements and keeps a running list for 1099 season.
My Ahrefs and Semrush bills renew at different times of year. Does that mess up my numbers?
No. Gus flags a big annual renewal so a thin-looking month reads correctly, as a yearly bill landing once, not a drop in the business.
Some of my income is affiliate commissions from software I recommend. How does that get booked?
Separately from retainer revenue. Affiliate and referral income sits in its own category, so your recurring client income stays the clear number that tells you where the agency is headed.
My books are a mess from doing this myself for two years. Can Gus untangle that?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have, even if they are out of order. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever