Local Hero vs a marketing agency
You don't need an agency. You need 25 minutes a week.
Most local SEO retainers in Ireland sit between €750 and €2,500 a month. The work, in honest terms, is mostly review handling, weekly Google Business Profile posts, citation cleanup, and a monthly rank report. Local Hero ships that on autopilot for €29 a month. You keep the relationship with your customers. You keep the savings.
At a glance
€29 a month vs €1,500 a month.
Local Hero
€29 a month. Monthly.
Software · 25 min/wk of your time · Cancel any month
- Review requests after every job — automated
- AI replies in your voice, you approve in one tap
- 2–3 weekly Google Business Profile posts on autopilot
- Hyperlocal rank PDF in your inbox every Monday
- Citation monitor across 6 directories
- You keep the GBP — you own it, not the agency
Marketing agency retainer
€750–€2,500 / month.
Service · Account manager · 12-month contract typical
- Local relationships and in-person meetings (genuine value)
- Hiberno-English native — they're from here
- Strategy + content + on-page SEO if it's in scope
- You don't see what's happening week to week
- Often a 12-month contract with notice period
- If you cancel, you may lose access to your own GBP setup
Feature by feature
What you actually get for the money.
| Local Hero €29/mo |
Marketing agency €750–€2,500/mo |
|
|---|---|---|
| Automated review requests after each job | ✓ | manual |
| AI reply drafts in your voice | ✓ | human, slower |
| Weekly GBP posts (calibrated to IE/UK) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hyperlocal rank tracker (grid PDF, weekly) | ✓ | monthly report |
| Citation monitor across 6 directories | ✓ | audit only |
| You own your Google Business Profile login | ✓ | shared / agency-owned |
| Cancel anytime, no contract | ✓ | 12-mo typical |
| Local relationship + in-person meetings | no — software | ✓ |
| Bespoke strategy + content marketing | no | ✓ |
| On-page SEO + backlinks | no | if in scope |
| Founder lifetime deal | ✓ €179 | no |
| Annual cost (low end) | €348 | €9,000 |
| Annual cost (high end) | €348 | €30,000 |
The honest bit
When the agency is the right call.
Agencies aren't the enemy. There's real work some agencies do that we won't replicate. If any of these are you, keep them.
- You want a strategy partner, not a tool. A good agency thinks about the whole funnel — paid, organic, content, conversion. We do one thing.
- You're a 7-figure business and the retainer is a rounding error. The opportunity cost of your time is higher than the retainer. Outsource it.
- You've got an agency you trust who shows you the numbers. Don't switch. Trust is rare in this market.
- You need bespoke campaigns — seasonal, regional, niche. We don't do bespoke. We do the predictable weekly stuff that should never have been billed at agency rates.
If reviews + posts + ranks is most of the value
Stop paying agency rates for software work.
14 days free. No card. We'll connect to your Google Business Profile, calibrate your voice with 10 questions, and you'll know inside a week if it works for you. Cancel by replying to any email.
€29 a month after the trial. Or €179 once for a founder lifetime deal — 100 seats.