Most SEO proposals look remarkably similar. A list of services, some impressive-sounding jargon, a monthly fee and a promise of “increased visibility”. When you’re not an SEO specialist, it’s genuinely hard to tell a good proposal from one that will quietly take your money for twelve months.
This is the checklist I’d want a friend to use before signing anything, including a proposal from me.
First, why this decision matters
SEO can be one of the best-value investments a service business makes, because it brings in people who are already looking for what you do. But the rewards are concentrated at the very top of the results.
of clicks go to the first organic result on Google, and the top result is 10 times more likely to be clicked than the result in tenth place.
Backlinko, analysis of 4 million Google search resultsGetting there takes the right work, done consistently. And plenty of effort online produces nothing at all.
of pages in Ahrefs’ index get no traffic from Google. The main reasons: nobody searches for the topic, the page has no backlinks, or it doesn’t match what searchers actually want.
Ahrefs, search traffic study, 2023A good proposal is built to avoid exactly those three failures. Here’s how to spot one.
What a good SEO proposal includes
Goals tied to your business, not just rankings
“Rank on page one” isn’t a business goal. More calls, more quote requests or more bookings for your most profitable service are. A good proposal starts there, and ideally works out how many new customers it takes for the fee to pay for itself.
Evidence they’ve looked at your site
You should see specific findings about your website: technical issues, missing pages, how you compare with competitors. A generic proposal that could be sent to anyone is a warning sign.
Keywords with intent, not just volume
Look for target searches that someone ready to hire would actually type, in the areas you serve. “Emergency plumber Redcliffe” is worth far more to a plumber than a high-volume search like “how to fix a tap”.
Clear monthly deliverables
You should know what will actually be done each month: which pages will be written or improved, what technical work is included and how links will be earned. “Ongoing optimisation” on its own doesn’t tell you anything.
Honest timelines
SEO builds over months, not weeks. A proposal that promises dramatic results in 30 days is either misleading you or planning to take shortcuts.
Reporting you can understand
Ask to see a sample report. It should show impressions, clicks, rankings for your target searches and, ideally, the calls and enquiries that follow, with a plain explanation of what changed and why.
Red flags to watch for
- Guaranteed rankings. Nobody controls Google. Anyone who guarantees you the number-one spot is guessing, or using tactics that can get you penalised.
- Secret methods. Good SEO isn’t secret. If they can’t explain what they’ll do in plain English, be wary.
- Hundreds of links for a low price. Cheap links in bulk usually come from spammy sites and can do more harm than good.
- No access to your own data. Your Google Search Console, analytics and Business Profile should belong to you. If they want to keep them in their name, walk away.
- Vanity reporting. Reports full of rankings for obscure searches nobody makes, with no mention of enquiries.
- Long lock-ins with vague deliverables. A long commitment isn’t unreasonable for SEO, but only when you know exactly what you’re getting each month.
Eight questions to ask before you sign
- Who will actually do the work on my account?
- What specific searches will you target first, and why those?
- What will you deliver in the first three months?
- How will you earn links, and can I see examples?
- Can I see a sample monthly report?
- Will all accounts and data stay in my name?
- What happens if I want to stop?
- How many new customers do I need each month for this to pay for itself?
The answers will tell you a lot. Clear, specific answers from the person who’ll actually do the work are a very good sign.
The bottom line
A good SEO proposal is specific, honest about timelines, clear about deliverables and tied to what matters to your business. If you have a proposal on the table and want a second opinion, send it to me. I’ll tell you honestly what I think, even if you end up going with someone else. You can also read how I approach SEO for Brisbane businesses.