1. Cover
Prepared for: [Company name], [contact name and title]
Prepared by: [Your name], [agency], [email]
Date: [date] · Proposal valid until: [date, usually 30 days]
2. What we found
Two to four findings from the prospect's own site and search data. Each one names the evidence and the cost of leaving it alone.
Current organic performance: [clicks / impressions / average position for the last 3 months, from Search Console]
Ask for read access before writing the proposal. If you cannot get it, say the figures are third-party estimates.
Keywords that matter and where they rank today: [5-10 terms with position and monthly volume]
Finding 1: [e.g. 38 service pages share one duplicate title tag] → Impact: [e.g. Google cannot tell which page answers which query]
Finding 2: [e.g. competitors hold 60-200 referring domains; you hold 12] → Impact: [what that caps]
Finding 3: [technical, content or local issue with evidence]
3. Goals
Business goals first, SEO metrics second. Agree on them in writing.
Business goal: [e.g. 15 qualified consultation requests per month from organic search]
Leading indicators we will report: [non-branded clicks, rankings for the agreed keyword set, pages indexed, referring domains]
Out of scope for measurement: [e.g. revenue attribution without CRM access]
Naming what you cannot measure prevents the month-four argument.
4. Scope of work
Technical audit and fixes: crawlability, indexation, site speed, structured data
State who implements fixes: your team, their developer, or a mix.
Keyword and intent mapping: one primary keyword per page, no two pages competing
On-page optimization: titles, descriptions, headings and internal links for [N] pages
Content: [N] new pages or articles per month, with who writes, who approves, and turnaround
Local SEO (if relevant): Google Business Profile, citations, review process
Link earning / digital PR: [approach], with a clear statement that no links are bought
Reporting: [monthly] report and [30-minute] call
5. What we need from you
Access: Google Search Console, Google Analytics, CMS, Google Business Profile
A single approver with a [3-business-day] review window
Developer time for technical fixes, if your team implements them: [hours/month]
Subject-matter input for content: [one 30-minute interview per month]
6. Timeline
Month 1: audit, keyword map, technical fix list, reporting baseline
Months 2-3: technical fixes shipped, on-page work on priority pages, first content
Months 4-6: content and link earning at full pace; first ranking movement on low-competition terms
Month 6 review: results against the leading indicators in section 3, and a decision on the next phase
Most SEO work takes four to twelve months to show in traffic. Say so here rather than after the client asks.
7. Investment
Setup / audit (one-time): $[amount]
Monthly retainer: $[amount] per month, minimum term [N] months, then month-to-month with [30] days' notice
Not included (quoted separately): [e.g. site rebuild, paid ads, content beyond N pieces]
Payment terms: [invoiced monthly in advance, net 15]
8. Why us
Short. Proof beats adjectives.
Relevant result: [client type], [what changed], [over what period], [how measured]
Who will do the work: [names and roles, not just the salesperson]
9. Next step
To start: sign below or reply to approve, and we will send the access checklist within one business day.
Signature: ______________________ Name: ______________ Date: __________