Practical resource 10

How to Evaluate an SEO Proposal

Score each line from 0 (missing) to 3 (specific and checkable), and note the page of the proposal it came from. Weight the lines that matter most to your business. Do not choose on promised traffic, number of deliverables, or lowest fee alone.

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See the work in context.

A leadership team carefully reviewing an SEO proposal scope timeline and responsibilities — Understanding your business
A good proposal shows it has looked at your site while leaving final priorities until the provider has access.
Fit: names your main services, customers, areas, and what counts as a good lead.
Starting point: points to a few real issues on your site, with page examples.
Priorities: explains why the proposed work comes before other options.

A business owner comparing clear deliverables with vague promises and guaranteed rankings — What you will actually get
Replace vague words like "optimization" with a clear description of finished work.
Technical work: says whether they only report problems or also fix them, and how fixes are checked.
Content: covers research, interviews, writing, fact-checking, revisions, and publishing.
Links and listings: explains outreach, directories, and any subcontractors.

A consultant explaining measurement assumptions access and ownership in a proposal meeting — Ownership and risk
The agreement should keep your business in control and spell out how you leave.
Separates what they promise to do from outcomes no one can promise, such as rankings or leads.
Keeps accounts and content owned by your business, with separate logins for the provider.
Rules out link schemes, fake reviews, city pages that only swap town names, and unchecked mass content.

A team checking whether proposed content technical and local work matches actual business priorities — Cost comparison
Compare the full cost of the same scope, not the headline monthly fee.
Record setup fee, monthly fee, minimum term, renewal, and cancellation fee.
List what costs extra: development, photos, tools, listings, and legal review.
Estimate your own staff time for interviews, approvals, and implementation.

Understanding your business

A good proposal shows it has looked at your site while leaving final priorities until the provider has access.

Fit: names your main services, customers, areas, and what counts as a good lead.
Starting point: points to a few real issues on your site, with page examples.
Priorities: explains why the proposed work comes before other options.
Plan: describes 30-, 60-, and 90-day goals without claiming the audit is already done.
Assumptions: lists what they need from you, such as approvals, developer time, or photos.

What you will actually get

Replace vague words like "optimization" with a clear description of finished work.

Technical work: says whether they only report problems or also fix them, and how fixes are checked.
Content: covers research, interviews, writing, fact-checking, revisions, and publishing.
Links and listings: explains outreach, directories, and any subcontractors.
Reporting: names data sources, what counts as a lead, and how often you will meet.
Each monthly item has a quantity, a quality standard, and a named person responsible.

Ownership and risk

The agreement should keep your business in control and spell out how you leave.

Separates what they promise to do from outcomes no one can promise, such as rankings or leads.
Keeps accounts and content owned by your business, with separate logins for the provider.
Rules out link schemes, fake reviews, city pages that only swap town names, and unchecked mass content.
Explains who approves changes, how backups work, and how a bad change is undone.
Covers notice, returning access, files, content rights, data exports, and handoff help.

Cost comparison

Compare the full cost of the same scope, not the headline monthly fee.

Record setup fee, monthly fee, minimum term, renewal, and cancellation fee.
List what costs extra: development, photos, tools, listings, and legal review.
Estimate your own staff time for interviews, approvals, and implementation.
Note what would change the price or timing.
Decide using the weighted score, references, contract review, and total cost.

Questions business owners ask

How to use this resource.

01Should a proposal include traffic forecasts?

A forecast can show possible scenarios if it states its assumptions and uncertainty. Treat a precise, promised number as a warning sign.

02Is a fixed number of monthly articles a good deliverable?

Only if each article answers a real customer question and is checked for accuracy. Volume alone often creates thin, overlapping pages.

03Who should own SEO accounts and content?

Your business should own the domain, analytics, Search Console, Google profile, and content you paid for, and give providers their own access. Confirm this in the contract.

Primary guidance

Verify against current sources.

Related guides

Read the reasoning behind this resource.

Use the resource, then prioritize

Turn the checklist into focused monthly work.

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