What You Need to Include in Your SEO Proposal

Jun 30, 2022

Rebecca Nguyen

The internet has opened vast horizons for all sorts of businesses, but one major issue confronting businesses is where they show up on search results. Being on the first page or even better, the first result will garner more clicks and, hopefully, more revenue. 

By integrating specific keywords and other back-end solutions into your website or articles, your website’s likelihood of showing up on the first page increases. This process is known as search engine optimization (SEO). A SEO proposal is how an agency specializing in SEO content reaches out to prospective customers.

Why Do You Need Search Engine Optimization?

SEO content is important for modern businesses because many of their clients will be searching for them online. If a business is searching for their website only to find it on the third or fourth page, their clients will too. By integrating keywords into your website, businesses will not only have their existing clientele finding their site more easily but new clients as well. 

SEO works by adding specific keywords to websites or articles. When this process is implemented correctly, search engines such as Google or Yahoo will rank your website higher than others. 

The ranking is due to the search engine’s ranking criteria. Each search engine or website ranks results based on an algorithm, based on criteria including how a website or article relates to the search and its links. If the search matches the keywords added, your website will rank higher than others, ultimately showing up higher on the search pages.

A SEO Proposal Template

An SEO proposal is where an agency will create a specific outline and method to address any of the business’s inadequacies concerning search results. The SEO proposal process entails conveying information to the client about why your agency will use its tools to increase site traffic. 

The information provided to a client on an SEO proposal should include the following, broken down into each step. The following will act as an SEO proposal template:

Why SEO Services Will Aid in Reaching More Clients

This section will draw a client’s attention, so it’s important to outline your agency’s general strengths and how it would help the client’s business. It’s important to include how your agency has helped others in the past, especially if the client is similar to those recently serviced.

How the Agency Will Help in Gaining Site Traffic

This section will show how much the agency understands the client’s unique challenges in gaining site traffic. It should provide information to the client by using:

  • Rank Tracker: A rank tracker is essential for the SEO proposal because it shows where the client’s website ranks on different search engines and even on different platforms, be it desktop or mobile. The rank tracker can show how adding keywords can increase ranking and what inadequacies exist when comparing search results versus competitors.

  • Site Audit: A site audit uses various methods to determine what aspects of a website are causing low rankings. This process entails analyzing the keywords, outside links, and host features to see how the website could better utilize them for optimal search results. Understanding where a site currently ranks and why it ranks that way makes it easier to provide solutions based on site audit results.

What Your Agency Will Be Doing For the Client

This section of the SEO proposal will tell the client what your agency will be doing for them. If your agency is writing content for their website, you should include any examples so the client will know what to expect. If your agency helps with backlink services, you should include how the monitoring process will be achieved and how situational remedies will come about.

This section should be specific to your client’s needs. Use specific examples of how SEO services have increased site traffic, either from reputable sources or prior business experience, which is the preferred method. By pointing to specific examples, like Databox’s 2019 survey, where they found 70% of respondents preferred SEO over PPC (Pay-Per-Click), clients will see how SEO agencies have helped others in the past.

This section of the SEO proposal should also include the goals your agency has for the client. Clients like to hear what they will be getting before receiving the final product, so it’s essential to cover what is achievable with your services. Being on the same page about what your agency will achieve for the client will lead to fewer headaches later on.

How Much Time SEO Solutions Take to Have Effects

The SEO proposal is just the first step in finding SEO solutions that fit with a business, but it is always good to have a general timeline of when a client will start seeing results. Each part of the proposal outlined above should take a predetermined amount of time. By having dates when services will be delivered, or results might be seen, the client is more likely to be interested in the service. Open communication channels with both client and agency will lead to repeat customers — and happy ones!

What the Costs Will Be

Being clear and concise when conveying what the costs are to the client is important to the experience. One way of off-setting any fears as to cost is to focus on the return on investment. By focusing on the ROI, the client’s flexibility will be impacted in a positive manner while also allowing them to think about the SEO process as one to expand their existing clientele. SEO services are an investment that drives more clicks and, therefore, business to their website. 

Clients like to see what they are paying for, so providing examples of prior work will alleviate stress. Clients who can see how your agency has put other’s money to good use can rest assured their investment will be worthwhile as well. By pairing prior work with your SEO proposal for a new client, they will see exactly how this cost could benefit their business. 

Selling Point

The SEO proposal’s final section should detail how your agency will address the client’s specific needs and why addressing them is important for their business. The final section will conclude by stressing how much SEO services will help garner more clicks and business. It should also include all the steps in how to get the process started with your agency.

Final Thoughts On an SEO Proposal

The SEO proposal is an integral step in gathering new clients. It is essentially a highly detailed sales pitch that draws in clients by explaining how their site traffic and business could increase. The SEO proposal template outlined above gives a curt explanation of each section, but it is up to you to find the specific problems plaguing your client. 

Addressing the client’s specific needs in the SEO proposal will feel more personalized and will be much more likely to make them want to employ your agency.

By utilizing SEO services within your website, traffic will increase, hopefully driving an increase in business. By having an SEO proposal template at your disposal, which only needs to be personalized with client data, the SEO process will become more efficient. The savings in both time and money with an SEO proposal template have impacts beyond just cost, but also in client satisfaction and ease of communication.