SEO retainers usually cap out at 30 percent margins because you are trading...

https://dibz.me/blog/why-a-handful-of-european-seo-agencies-stopped-being-agencies-and-1138

SEO retainers usually cap out at 30 percent margins because you are trading hours for revenue. Use your agency as a lab to build custom software instead. Shifting to products can push those margins past 70 percent and stop the cycle of constant hiring.