Is It Out of Scope? — SEO & marketing
Is adding motion graphics to a video out of scope for an SEO / marketing retainer?
Yes, as production — though the SEO team can reasonably advise on whether adding motion elements is likely to improve watch time or engagement, which are ranking-adjacent signals.
Because watch time and engagement can factor into how video content performs in search, a request for motion graphics can feel like it belongs with the SEO team — even though producing the animation itself is a separate discipline.
Is it out of scope?
Producing the motion graphics is out of scope. Advising on whether the addition is likely to help watch time or click-through, based on what's performing well for similar content, is a reasonable extension of existing retainer work.
Clause typically implicated
Clause typically implicated
Exclusions clause→ — The retainer covers organic search strategy and content guidance — video and motion design production is excluded as a separate discipline.
Example contract wording
Example contract wording (illustrative, not legal advice)
Producing the motion graphics themselves is outside our retainer — that's a production ask. I can share data on whether videos with more dynamic openers tend to hold viewers longer for content like yours, if that's useful input for whoever's doing the work.
How MarginFlow flags it
MarginFlow flags the production request outside_scope while surfacing the legitimate, narrower research contribution (performance data on similar content) the retainer does cover, so the account manager isn't forced into an all-or-nothing response.