SEO proposal template: a section-by-section structure, pricing and follow-up

A winning SEO proposal shows the prospect three things on the first page: what you found on their site, what fixing it is likely to be worth, and what it costs. Everything after that (scope, timeline, reporting, terms) supports the decision. The template below has ten sections in that order. Proposals that open with three pages about the agency and end with a price lose to shorter ones that open with the prospect's own data.

Before you write: the discovery call#

A proposal is only as specific as what you learned before writing it. Cover these on the first call, and ask for read access to Search Console (a restricted user is enough) so you can work from real data.

• The business goal: leads, sales, sign-ups or bookings, and roughly what one is worth.
• What has been tried: previous agencies, recent redesigns or migrations, content already planned.
• Who decides and who signs: and what they will compare your proposal against.
• Resources on their side: who can publish content, change templates and approve copy.
• Budget range and timing: a range is enough to shape the options.
• How they want to hear about progress: monthly report, a portal, a call.

The SEO proposal template#

# SEO proposal for [Client] · Prepared by [Agency] · [Date] · Valid until [Date]

## 1. Summary (one page)
- Goal: [Business goal in their words, e.g. more qualified demo requests from organic search].
- What we found: [Two or three findings from their own data, with numbers].
- What it is likely to be worth: [Range of extra non-branded clicks a month, and what that means in leads or sales].
- Recommendation: [Option B], [price] a month, starting [date].

## 2. Where you are today
- Non-branded clicks, last 3 months vs same period last year (Search Console)
- Branded clicks over the same period
- Queries in the top 3 / top 10 / top 20
- Organic conversions, if analytics access was shared

## 3. What we found
| Finding | Evidence | Why it matters | Fix |
| [e.g. 40 queries ranking 4-10 with low CTR] | [Search Console export] | [Clicks at stake] | [Titles and snippets] |
| [e.g. Key category pages not indexed] | [Audit / Indexing report] | [Pages cannot rank] | [Technical fix] |
| [e.g. Two pages competing for one query] | [Search Console, Pages by query] | [Split rankings] | [Merge and redirect] |

## 4. The opportunity
- Conservative / expected / ceiling forecast of extra non-branded clicks a month, with assumptions
- What the expected case means in leads or revenue at your conversion rate

## 5. Scope of work
- Month 1: [audit fixes, tracking, quick wins]
- Months 2-3: [content, internal links, page improvements]
- Ongoing: [monthly deliverables]
- Not included: [e.g. paid ads, site rebuild, copywriting beyond X pages]

## 6. Timeline and milestones
| Month | Milestone | How we will measure it |

## 7. Reporting
- Monthly report on [day], sections: summary, performance, movers, conversions, work shipped, next month
- [Client portal / call] for questions between reports

## 8. Investment
| Option | Includes | Monthly | Minimum term |
| A: Foundations | | | |
| B: Growth (recommended) | | | |
| C: Growth + content | | | |

## 9. Why us
- [Two or three relevant results or approach points; no generic claims]
- Who will work on the account

## 10. Next steps and terms
- To start: accept this proposal, kick-off call within [x] days
- Access we will need: Search Console, analytics, CMS
- Payment terms, notice period, data ownership

What each section is for#

Using the prospect's Search Console data and audit#

The strongest proposals are built on the prospect's own numbers. Search Console shows demand they already have, positions and real CTR, so your findings are specific and verifiable. Here is how to turn read access into the core of the proposal in about an hour.

1. 1

   Set the baseline

   Export the last three months of clicks and compare with the same period last year. Split branded and non-branded clicks using the method in branded vs non-branded keywords; the non-branded figure is the one your work will be judged on.

2. 2

   Find queries close to page one or the top 3

   Queries ranking 4-20 with meaningful impressions are where the first months of work pay off.

3. 3

   Find snippets that under-click

   Queries with a CTR well below what their position usually earns can often be improved with new titles and descriptions alone.

4. 4

   Run a site audit

   Pick the two or three issues that block rankings on important pages. Leave the long list for the kick-off.

5. 5

   Size the opportunity

   Upload the Queries.csv export to the free Search Console opportunity finder. It returns the queries worth pushing and a conservative, expected and ceiling click forecast, in your browser. The method is explained in SEO forecasting.

6. 6

   Translate clicks into business terms

   Multiply expected extra clicks by the organic conversion rate and the value of a conversion, and label it as an estimate.

How to price an SEO proposal#

To set the number, estimate the hours each month's scope needs, multiply by your rate, add tool and content costs, and check the result against what the expected forecast is worth to the client. If the work costs more than a reasonable share of the value it is likely to create, reduce the scope rather than the rate.

Offer three options. A foundations option that fixes what blocks rankings, a recommended growth option, and a larger option with content production. Most buyers choose the middle one, and a choice makes the conversation about which option, not whether.

Worked example (hypothetical numbers): the prospect's export shows an expected uplift of about 1,500 non-branded clicks a month after six months. At their organic conversion rate of 2% that is around 30 extra leads a month; if one lead is worth 100 to them, the expected case is worth about 3,000 a month. A retainer well below that, with the forecast assumptions written out, is an easy proposal to defend.

Following up#

• Present it, do not just send it. Walk through the summary and findings on a call; send the document after.
• Day 2-3: a short message with one extra insight from their data, not “just checking in”.
• Day 7: ask directly whether anything is missing for a decision, and offer to adjust the scope.
• Day 14: if there is no answer, say you will close the proposal on the validity date and leave the door open.
• Win or lose, ask why. It improves the next proposal more than anything else.

After the yes: connect the proposal to reporting#

The baseline and forecast in the proposal become the yardstick for every report that follows. Use the same metrics, the same brand split and the same structure, so the client can see progress against what you said would happen. The SEO reporting guide covers the monthly report, and white-label SEO reports covers delivering it in your brand. If you are comparing software to run all this, see SEO reporting tools.

In AnotherSEOGuru App, a free audit form on your website turns each request into a lead with an automatic audit of their site and a suggested package. You send a proposal in your branding, the client reads it and accepts it with their name, you are notified straight away, and an accepted proposal sets up the project and invites the client to their portal. The pipeline tracks every deal from lead to signed. These agency features are on the Agency plan; see the agency workspace, the live demo or pricing.