Today, SEO or Search Engine Optimization is a must for any business that wants to increase its online presence and traffic to their website. Those who know this look for an SEO agency or a freelancer that will provide them with the results they need in the most efficient way. But, how do they choose which SEO agency or freelancer to hire? They make the decision based on the agency or freelancer’s SEO proposal.
Oct 01 2019 ● 6 min read
An SEO proposal is the chance of any SEO agency to convince potential clients that they offer the solution to their problem in the most efficient way.
That’s why agencies should craft a clear, actionable, and easy-to-understand proposal that will tell the client what to expect from them, and when.
Agencies can either use an SEO proposal template and modify it depending on the client’s website and goals, or create a unique one for each client.
Whether you’re a freelancer or a marketing agency offering SEO services, you should know what your SEO proposal should include to convince your clients that you are the perfect fit for them.
Every good SEO proposal should consist of, more or less, the following sections. Of course, you can add sections or omit others to make your proposal as customized for your client as possible.
Start your proposal by telling the client what sets your agency apart from other agencies that offer the same services. Explain your services, mission statement, and the reason why they should choose you instead of others.
Then, talk about your past clients and their success, mention any certification or award you have won, and anything else that will help the client see your agency has experience in what they are looking for.
The last part of the introduction should include a few slides about your team. This will help the client know the people that will work for them. Then, proceed to what’s more interesting for the client –how your agency will help their business.
This step of the SEO proposal will tell your client that you’ve taken the time to learn more about their website and their current SEO performance so that you can discover their biggest problems and offer them a solution.
For example, include their keyword rankings and their website’s Side Audit - done with Ahrefs, or SEMrush. Show them their website’s current ranking and the search volume, as well as the keyword list you plan to target.
Mention what they are missing out on and what are their mistakes, as well as the steps you are planning to take in order to fix them.
Tell your client the tasks and projects you plan to do to improve their website’s SEO ranking, such as creating new content, generating backlinks, improving site speed, etc. They should know what exactly to expect from you every month, and how you plan to achieve it.
Outline both specific and quantifiable deliverables. For instance, if you plan to generate backlinks for their website, tell them how many backlinks they should expect per month or any other period. You might also want to include the type of SEO reporting you will deliver them on a monthly basis.
This can be a monthly SEO report that will allow them to see the work done by you or your agency. You can use Whatagraph to provide them with a good SEO report template that will tell them exactly what you are doing and keep track of the results of your work.
To set realistic goals of what you or your agency can do for your client, search their current traffic, and get access to their Google Analytics account. This will help you realize what you can really achieve, and your experience with previous clients will help you set realistic goals.
So, never lie or promise more than you are capable of achieving just to convince your prospective client to choose you or your agency.
Not everyone knows that SEO takes time. Your client may expect too soon results, but make sure you give them a realistic timeline, so they know when to expect progress. If you include specific, measurable milestones for each of your projects, your client can keep track on the progress, without worrying or complaining. Consider using timeline templates to visually illustrate the timeline and milestones of your SEO projects, which can help your client better understand and anticipate the progress of their campaign.
Not only that this section is inevitable, but it’s also useful. After telling your client what you plan to do to fix their mistakes and improve their online visibility and traffic, the time you plan to achieve all that, and the team that’s going to work for them, it’s time to talk about the cost of your services.
Make sure you call this section of your SEO proposal an Investment so that they never forget that the sum they are about to pay you is actually an investment in their business.
You can offer them a few options, each covering specific services for a different price. In that way, if they don’t like the main package, they can choose another one.
All successful SEO proposals have a clear call to action that tells the client what exactly they should do next. Don’t forget to mention your contact information.
Writing proposals from scratch can be incredibly time-consuming, especially when you can automate the bulk of the work. There are tools out there that can help you create SEO proposals more quickly and efficiently, such as Better Proposals.
In fact, Better Proposals even has a great SEO proposal template that you can grab today. Just enter your client's details and the specific offer you've prepared for them and hit send - and you're good to go!
If you’re a freelancer or SEO agency offering SEO services, take as much time as you need to craft a perfect SEO proposal that will convert your potential clients. Later, you can use it as a template for other clients, but make sure you edit and customize it for each client specifically.
Published on Oct 01 2019
WRITTEN BY
Gintaras BaltusevičiusGintaras is an experienced marketing professional who is always eager to explore the most up-to-date issues in data marketing. Having worked as an SEO manager at several companies, he's a valuable addition to the Whatagraph writers' pool.
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