Answers
What happens when your 90 day term ends
At the end of the 90 day term, nothing resets and nothing restarts. The initial minimum commitment simply ends, and the engagement continues on the same published monthly retainer, one month at a time. Day 91 is the first day the minimum is behind you, so the only real change is that continuing becomes a choice you remake each month instead of an obligation you agreed to up front.
That is the honest answer to what happens at the end of the 90 day term. The work does not stop, the website we built for you does not go anywhere, and no new term gets stapled on. From day 91 forward you decide whether the next month earns its place, based on the thing the first ninety days were built to produce: the custom site plus the search and AI groundwork that only exists because those ninety days happened.
Why the 90 day term exists in the first place
The initial term is not a trap. It is a floor that matches the shape of the work. SEO and AI search optimization do not produce anything meaningful in two or three weeks, and we only do this work on websites we build. So the first stretch is heavy on the parts that take real time: the custom site, the technical foundation, the content, and the early signals that tell search engines and AI models the site is genuine and worth citing.
Ninety days is roughly the shortest honest window in which that groundwork can be laid and begin to compound. A shorter commitment would let someone walk away before the method had a chance to do anything, then conclude it does not work. The term protects both sides from that false negative. It is a minimum, not a maximum, and it is published rather than buried.
- Days 1 to 30: the custom website and technical base get built and shipped.
- Days 31 to 60: content and structure go in, and the first search and AI signals start going out.
- Days 61 to 90: the groundwork is in place and the first real data on how it is performing arrives.
What actually changes on day 91
Practically, very little changes. Billing continues at the same published rate. The deliverables continue: the ongoing content, the technical upkeep, the AI search optimization, and the reporting. Nothing is re-signed, and you do not receive a renewal contract to initial. The one thing that does change is your exit. Once the initial term is complete, you can give notice and stop at the close of a paid month without owing a remaining balance.
- The retainer rate stays what it was. See /pricing/ for how the retainer is structured.
- The scope of work carries forward as written, unless we agree together to change it.
- Your notice period, defined in the scope of work, is the only thing you need to honor to stop.
What stays the same after the term
The custom website we built is included in the engagement and stays live for as long as you are a client. Your place as the single SEO client in your industry and city stays reserved for you and closed to your competitors. The compounding stays too. The pages, the technical authority, and the work done to make the site citable by AI do not evaporate on day 91. They are the foundation everything after the term builds on, which is why the work gets more efficient over time, not less.
Your options when the term ends
Continue on the retainer
Most of the value of this work emerges after the foundation exists, so continuing is the default path. The monthly work shifts from building to expanding and defending: more content, more pages, keeping the technical side healthy, and keeping the AI search presence current as the models and the results change underneath it. Nothing about that shift is abrupt. The same team keeps working on the same property, with the focus moved from standing the foundation up to widening what it covers.
Pause or stop
If continuing no longer makes sense for you, you give notice per the scope of work, and the engagement ends cleanly at the end of a paid month. What happens to the website and the search presence after active work stops is its own question, and it is worth understanding before you decide rather than after.
Change the scope
The end of the term is a natural point to adjust. If your priorities have moved, the scope can be rewritten for the next phase, with different emphasis or a different mix of work. The term does not need to restart for that to happen. Because the scope is the only governing document, changing it is a conversation and a revision, not a fresh term or a new signature.
What to confirm before you reach day 91
Read your scope of work before the term ends, not after it. The two things that matter most are the notice period and what you own. You should know exactly how many days of notice stopping requires, and you should already own your domain, your analytics, and your content outright. If any of that is unclear to you, the time to ask is now, while the relationship is active and the answer is easy to get.
- The notice period to stop, stated plainly in days.
- Written confirmation that the domain, analytics, and content are yours.
- Whether the retainer rate is fixed or scheduled to change in the next phase.
- What ongoing work the retainer actually covers once the build phase is done.
Questions
Does the price change after the 90 day term?
No. The engagement continues at the same published monthly retainer after the initial term ends. If a rate change is ever planned, it is stated in your scope of work up front, not sprung on you at day 91. You can see how the retainer is structured on the pricing page.
Do I have to sign a new contract on day 91?
No. There is no renewal to initial. The initial term simply converts to a rolling arrangement under the same scope of work you already agreed to. The only document governing the next phase is the one you have had since the start.
What happens to my website if I stop after the term?
The custom website stays yours in the sense that your domain, content, and analytics belong to you. What is worth understanding is how the search and AI presence behaves once active work stops, since optimization is ongoing rather than a one time fix. Read what happens if you stop before you decide.
Can I leave exactly on day 91?
Once the initial term is complete you can give notice and stop at the end of a paid month. The exact timing depends on the notice period written into your scope of work, so read that clause before the term ends to know your earliest clean exit.
Why is there a minimum term if the work is good?
Because the work compounds and the first ninety days are mostly foundation. A shorter window would let the engagement be judged before any of it had time to take effect. The term exists so the method gets measured fairly, not to keep you past the point of value.
