SEO proposal
SEO proposal template, filled in for a six month program
An SEO proposal has to sell work whose results arrive months later, so it should state what will be done each month, how success will be counted and what the client pays in the meantime. This example from a small search agency to a two showroom flooring retailer prices a six month program at $20,240 plus GST, with optional link outreach and a fixed deposit that covers the audit and the first month.
The proposal, page by page
Every page as the client sees it and as it prints, pricing table included.
The pricing, line by line
- Technical audit and fixes
- 1 × $2,800.00
- Monthly SEO retainer
- 6 × $1,950.00
- Articles
- 12 × $420.00
- Local listings
- 2 × $350.00
- Link outreach (optional)
- 6 × $900.00
- Tax
- $2,024.00
- Total
- $22,264.00
- Deposit due on acceptance
- $5,225.00
Section by section
- Cover
- The program title, the client, the six month term from November 2026 and both showrooms.
- About us
- Two sentences on the agency, its size and how it reports.
- Understanding your needs
- The business problem in words, then three numbers: 214 pages, 96 indexed, 31 quote requests last month.
- Our approach
- Fix the foundations, win the local results, answer buyer questions, each tied to a month.
- Deliverables
- The audit and change log, two showroom profiles, twelve articles and a monthly report.
- Timeline
- Four stages from the November audit to the April review, then a note on how success is measured.
- Investment
- Audit, six retainer months, twelve articles and two listings, with optional link outreach of three to six months.
- Terms
- Six clauses including monthly billing after the deposit, 30 days notice after three months and no promise of rank.
- Next steps and acceptance
- How to accept and tick outreach, and when the audit starts.
What makes an SEO proposal different from other service proposals
Most service proposals sell an output: a website, a report, a fitted office. An SEO proposal sells a process whose outcome depends on a search engine the agency does not control, which is why the strongest ones are specific about inputs and honest about outputs. This example lists exactly what is done each month, from the audit in November to two articles a month, and it measures the result in something the client already counts: quote requests from the website. Google's own guidance warns against anyone who guarantees a ranking, and clause 5 says the same thing in the agency's words. That clause tends to build trust rather than lose the sale, because the client has usually heard a promise of page one before and seen it fail.
How a six month SEO retainer is priced here
The default total is $20,240 plus GST, $22,264 in all. It is made of a one off audit at $2,800, six retainer months at $1,950, twelve articles at $420 and two showroom listings at $350. Link outreach at $900 a month is optional, and the client can choose three to six months; at six months it adds $5,400 before GST. The deposit is fixed rather than a percentage: $5,225 including GST, which is exactly the audit plus the first month. Because there is no recurring invoice in the product, the remaining months are invoiced by hand each month from the balance, which clause 1 states, so the client is never surprised by one large bill for the whole term.
How to adapt this template for your agency
Start with the client's own numbers. Ask for read access to their analytics and search console before you write, and pick the three figures that explain your plan: here, pages indexed against pages published, and quote requests as the baseline. Keep the approach to three stages that a non specialist can follow, and give each one a month. If you sell content, price it per article so the client sees the volume. If you do link building, price it as an optional line, because many clients want to see the first results before paying for it. Keep the no guarantee clause, and replace the measure in the callout with the one that pays your client's bills: bookings, calls, enquiries or sales.
What makes this proposal work
Success is defined before the work starts
The callout counts success in quote requests from search, with 31 last month as the baseline, rather than rankings alone. Clause 5 says plainly that no position is promised. The client knows what to judge the agency on in month six.
The numbers explain the first month
Understanding your needs shows 214 pages on the site and only 96 indexed. That is why month one is a technical audit and fixes at $2,800, and why the deposit covers that work before the monthly retainer begins.
Months are units, not a mystery fee
The retainer is six months at $1,950, articles are twelve at $420, and link outreach is an optional line whose months the client sets between three and six. Every recurring cost is visible as a quantity times a price.
Questions people ask
What should an SEO proposal include?
The client's current position in numbers, what you will do and in what order, what they receive each month, how long the program runs, how success will be measured, an itemised price, payment and cancellation terms, and a clear statement that no ranking is guaranteed. This example covers each of those across five pages, with the price on page four after the plan.
How much does an SEO retainer cost in Australia?
It depends on the size of the site, the competition and how much content is included. This example prices a small agency retainer at $1,950 a month plus GST, with articles and a one off audit priced separately so the client can see what each part costs. Pricing the parts separately also makes it easier to compare with another agency's quote.
Should an SEO proposal guarantee results?
No. Search engines decide rankings, and Google's own guidance warns against providers who guarantee a top position. Promise the work instead, and measure what the client actually values. This example promises an audit, fixes, listings and twelve articles, reports rankings and quote requests every month, and says in clause 5 that no position is promised.
How long should an SEO contract be?
Six months is common because technical fixes and new content take weeks to be crawled and months to show in results. This example runs six months with a review in April, and lets either side end it with 30 days notice once the first three months are done, so the client is not locked in if the work is not delivered.
Can the client choose optional SEO services?
Yes. Link outreach here is an optional line at $900 a month. In the online proposal the client ticks it and sets the number of months between three and six, and the total updates before they accept. Anything not ticked is not counted in the total or in what the client is asked to pay.
Can monthly SEO fees be invoiced automatically?
Not as a recurring invoice. On acceptance the fixed deposit is invoiced at once with a pay link, and a balance invoice is drafted for the rest of the accepted total. Monthly billing after that is done by issuing an invoice each month, which this proposal says plainly in its payment clause so the client knows what to expect.
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