How to Make An SEO Proposal (+ Templates)
Learn how to create winning SEO proposals that convert prospects into clients. Includes step-by-step guide, templates, and proven strategies.
If a prospect asks you for an SEO proposal, they are ready to say yes. It's your responsibility to present your strategy clearly, concisely and convincingly.
What is an SEO Proposal?
It's a pitch to your potential client that makes it crystal clear how you're going to improve the rankings of their site and impact their business.
But did you know that most of the time the proposal is usually presented after contact was made with the potential client? As you could imagine, the quality of your SEO proposal oftentimes makes all of the difference in whether or not your client chooses you for their needs.
Here are the three biggest goals of SEO that every business proposal should strive for.
1. Present the obstacles your potential client faces
Obstacles are a part of every business, regardless of the type of business or how successful they are. In the same way a mountain climber must know the obstacles that lie ahead of him, an SEO specialist must know the obstacles that are keeping their prospective client from reaching the top.
When crafting your proposal, it is important to fully understand and be able to recognize your potential client's obstacles and instill confidence in them that you are well in-tune with their exact SEO needs.
By being able to show them you took the time to research their business and pinpoint their exact obstacles, you are able to establish a trusting relationship and show you are knowledgeable and hard-working from day one.
2. Identify the most important keyword rankings
Ok. So you know all of the SEO obstacles your potential client is facing. Now it's time to show them the light at the end of the tunnel. It's time to prove your expertise and show them how SEO will grow their business.
"A sale is made when the value of what you are providing exceeds the price that they have to pay."
If you do a great job on this step, it will make the client's decision to hire you a no-brainer – an important business expense in order to grow.
3. Show search traffic trends
So the job is complete, right? Well, far from it actually! We've shown the obstacles. We've shown the opportunity. Now it's time to show clear action steps to complete the job.
Take down the shroud of magic that is the SEO industry and clearly write down in plain-english the steps you will take. Avoid too much scary technical explanations and save those for when you're ready to write up the contract.
SEO Proposal Important Factors
Although each SEO company should have its own unique SEO proposal that is customized for their clients, there are certain factors that all of the best SEO proposals have in common.
The following are the five most important factors that make up a strong SEO proposal and give you a realistic chance to attain potential clients long-term.
1. Be honest and transparent
First and foremost, it is important to be completely honest and transparent in the SEO proposal. Otherwise, you run the risk of developing a bad reputation as a result of not being able to convert on promises made to clients.
2. Be relatable
While it is important to be professional, it is also important to let your client know you understand their needs and have experienced some of the same issues yourself.
3. Show them what they need to know
Keep things clear and concise, telling them what they need to know without all of the fluff. Tell them what their obstacle is, show them the potential, and lay out your solution.
4. Provide a solution
Show them how you specifically can help them in ways that others cannot. By doing so, you separate yourself from all other SEOs and establish yourself as an expert.
How to Create an SEO Proposal
Now that we have laid the framework of what a good SEO proposal looks like, let's dive into the exact structure and format. The exact content that is included in your proposal – along with the format in which that content is presented – is crucial to ensuring your potential client understands what you are saying.
Bottom line: the format of a good proposal can be broken down into six different sections.
SEO Proposal Structure:
- Introduction of the proposal
- Identify the most important keyword rankings
- Show search traffic trends
- Compare the condition of your potential client compared to their competitors
- Provide a backlink analysis
- Show them you are the right person for the job
1. Introduction of the proposal
The introduction should be about establishing a connection with your potential client, letting them know that you are familiar with what their business is and what it is they do exactly.
The beginning of your proposal should include:
- State the name of the job
- Write the benefits that the potential client will gain
- General statement of the work needed
2. Identify the most important keyword rankings
Even for the clients least familiar with SEO, they understand that good rankings in Google is what they desire. Discussing keywords is a good way to show them both the obstacles they face as well as the potential that lies ahead.
A good way to discuss keyword rankings in the SEO proposal is to paste in a table featuring a variety of different keywords, the search traffic they bring in, and whether or not it is realistic for them to rank for.
3. Show search traffic trends
There are tools available – such as Ahrefs – that allow you to access information about your client's Google traffic over the past few years. By providing these trends to your client in the SEO proposal, preferably in the form of a graph or chart, you can show them the current standing of their company.
Showing your client you are familiar with the recent success, failure or stagnation of their business lets them know you are aware of their needs and what it takes to take them to the next level.
Potential SEO Solutions to Include
Each proposal is going to be slightly different and should be customized for your potential client it is intended for, which means the SEO solutions that are offered are not going to be the same for each client.
The following are five of the most common SEO solutions to consider for each client.
1. Full website audit
Every client should receive a full website audit once they hire you or your agency for their SEO needs. A good SEO audit should analyze and interpret every aspect of SEO, including on-page SEO, technical SEO and much more.
Areas to check during audit:
- On-page SEO
- Technical SEO
- Current search rankings
- Google penalties
- Social media audit
- Link analysis
- Content creation
2. Content creation
Content creation is another essential component to good SEO. Simply put, the more quality content a website has on their website, along with the entire internet as a whole, the better chance they have to rank well in search engines.
In fact, with good content creation a website can gain high-quality links with little to no link outreach at all.
3. Link outreach
Link outreach is scary and not fun for most business owners! You have to compile spreadsheets full of bloggers & businesses. You have to carefully send out each email and personalize each one to appeal to the recipient.
While creating great content can reap links organically, link building is essentially a growth hacking strategy that allows you to build relationships with other business owners and raise your site's authority.
4. On-page SEO
On-page SEO often gets overlooked or viewed as less important, but the fact is optimizing content on your own website is still crucial to gaining trust with search engines.
When on-page SEO is used in unison with off-page SEO and technical SEO, it can have a profound impact on a website's ability to rank in search engines.
5. Social Media
Since social media plays a less direct role in search engine rankings, it often gets overlooked as an SEO solution and is commonly regarded more or less in its own category within digital marketing.
However, a strong social media presence can play a large role in a website's ability to improve rank within search engines by providing more content distribution opportunities and potential link sources.
SEO Proposal Tips
In addition to making sure your SEO proposal includes straightforward information on the current obstacles and future opportunity of your potential client, there are several other insights that can help you convert at a high rate.
1. Be a salesman
Do not be a pushy salesman – meaning do not pressure potential clients in any way – but do consider using more subtle persuasion tactics to convert your potential client who is still on the fence.
2. Make a connection
While it is important to stay professional to a certain degree, being personable and finding a way to make a connection with your potential client is a great way to gain their trust.
3. Share a video
Create a video recorded screen share of your proposal and walk your potential client through your proposal step-by-step. This helps ensure your prospect understands the information.
4. Send a professional document
The document you present your proposal on matters. Rather than simply sending a generic word document, take some time and create a professional document.
5. Make it easy to understand
Make your proposal easy to understand, keeping your message on-point, clear and concise. Your potential client likely is not an expert on SEO – which is why they are considering your service.
SEO Proposal Templates
While each SEO proposal should be customized for the particular prospective client that it is going to be sent to, the format can stay more or less the same for each proposal. There are certain proposal templates that have a track record of converting at a high rate.
Webris SEO Proposal Template
Webris is an established SEO agency. The owner and founder is Ryan Stewart, a mastermind when it comes to SEO. Their template has proven success in the industry.
Mondovo SEO Proposal Template
The Mondovo Proposal Template guides you through each step of the proposal process. The format and structure of the template has had proven success and is used by many digital and SEO-specific agencies already.
Pandadoc SEO Proposal Template
The Pandadoc SEO Proposal is another highly trusted template that includes all of the most essential factors of a successful SEO proposal. It includes everything from introductory information to pricing charts.
Wrapping-up
Creating an effective SEO proposal is both an art and a science. It requires understanding your client's needs, presenting clear solutions, and demonstrating your expertise in a way that builds confidence and trust.
Remember to always customize your proposals for each client, be honest about timelines and expectations, and focus on the value you'll provide rather than just the technical aspects of SEO.
Key Takeaway:
A successful SEO proposal clearly identifies the client's obstacles, demonstrates the opportunity available, and presents a clear action plan with you as the solution.