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Struggling to secure more SEO clients? That’s where crafting a winning SEO proposal matters.
An SEO proposal is more than a formality. It is your agency’s opportunity to make a unique impression. You can highlight your expertise, build trust, and show how your strategy helps them get closer to achieving their goals.
However, most of the SEO proposals fall flat. They tend to be extremely generic, overly simplistic or highly technical, eventually failing to address the client’s actual requirements.
In this guide, I’ll take you through a step-by-step process for crafting a winning SEO proposal that converts. Plus, you can download our free SEO proposal template to create tailored SEO proposals in minutes. Let’s dive in.
What is an SEO proposal?
An SEO proposal is a document that outlines your agency’s services for improving a client’s website ranking on Google based on a proposed budget. With businesses investing in SEO services from $100 to $5000 in 2025, a compelling SEO proposal is crucial to stand out and win trust.
The key is persuasion, not jargon or generic promises. So, what makes an SEO proposal truly effective? Here are three crucial factors:
A snapshot of your client’s current SEO status:
Use insights from your client’s discovery call or audit to highlight their position and identify gaps. This builds trust, showing that you are focused on solving their problem, not just making a sale.
Personalized, data-driven SEO strategies:
Create personalized SEO recommendations that align with your client’s business goals and website challenges. Focus on making an impact – illustrate how your approach can improve rankings, traffic, and conversions using data-driven strategies.
Expected outcome with clear deliverables:
Clients don’t need an SEO task checklist; they want results. Set clear expectations by explaining what success looks like with data-backed outcomes. Examples might include “Increase lead generation by 40% in three months” or “Improve link acquisition rate by 20%.”
With our free SEO proposal template, you can create a compelling sales pitch using a proven framework that directly addresses your client’s business goals.
| Pro tip: SEO proposals can be created in various formats, such as text, interactive presentations, or videos. Choose a format based on your agency's standards, the type of client, and project requirements. A standard text format works well for clients with a minimalistic approach. Engaging visuals and snapshots can create a captivating proposal for those looking for creativity. |
Let's explore the key elements crucial for creating a successful SEO proposal.
What to include in an SEO proposal?
Here are the key elements your SEO proposal should include. Use this list as a foundation to create a compelling proposal that resonates with your clients, and feel free to customize it according to your agency’s methodology and the prospective client.
These key elements form the backbone of your SEO proposal, outlining your agency’s comprehensive and personalized approach. In the upcoming sections, we will delve deeper into each element to help you create a winning proposal that resonates with potential clients.
How to create a winning SEO proposal in eight steps?
It’s time to take action. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you craft a compelling SEO proposal that effectively communicates your value to your client.
1. Executive summary
The executive summary is your first impression and one of the most important sections of your SEO proposal. Here, you’ll give your clients a quick overview of the value you bring to their business.
A great executive summary should:
- Differentiate your agency from the competition
- Highlight your agency’s proven expertise and results
- Focus on specific benefits that the client will gain
- Introduce your team, showcasing the faces behind the work
Keep your summary within one to two pages, aiming to give your client a clear understanding of how your SEO strategy will grow their business and why your team is the right choice.
2. Client-specific SEO Insights
This section highlights the unique challenges and insights you’ve identified from analyzing your client’s current SEO performance. Earning their trust means demonstrating that you’ve crafted a tailored SEO strategy through careful research. Include the following SEO insights in your proposal:
- Keyword rankings: Analyze your client’s current keyword rankings to identify underperforming areas. Provide data-backed recommendations to improve visibility by aligning content with evolving search intent.
- Technical audit: Perform an in-depth website audit with your preferred SEO tool. Identify potential issues such as indexability, page speed, broken links, HTTPS security, and missing or duplicate meta descriptions.
- Content gap and optimization strategy: Identify high-value keywords and content topics your client isn’t targeting. Develop an actionable content strategy to fill these gaps, increase organic traffic, and enhance user engagement.
- Industry benchmarks: Incorporate industry benchmarks to demonstrate where your client stands compared to competitors. This shows your agency’s expertise in exploring market trends and provides strategic insights, highlighting growth opportunities and justifying your client’s investment in SEO.
- Analytics and conversion tracking: Evaluate your client’s existing analytics setup. Recommend improvements using your SEO reporting tool to better track performance. Highlight critical SEO KPIs such as organic traffic, keyword rankings, and conversion rates, along with an actionable plan to improve them moving forward.
Pro Tip: Use our free Google Search Console template to create custom, white-labeled SEO reports in minutes.
3. Establish key goals and timelines
Once you have an action plan, the next step is to set measurable goals that align with your client’s objectives. Outline specific goals and metrics to track, and plan estimated deadlines for achieving them. Here are a few examples:
- Boost website impressions by 25% in two months.
- Gain 50 high-quality backlinks in the next three months.
- Reduce bounce rate by 15% in six weeks.
- Increase organic signups by 40%.
Setting clear goals within specified deadlines ensures accountability and demonstrates to your client that you’re focused on delivering tangible SEO results.
| Pro tip: Include a simple timeline graphic or visual alongside your goals, so that clients can easily understand your plan and know how the progress will be tracked. Align each goal to a KPI to fulfill your client’s business objectives. |
4. Actionable solutions and deliverables
This section outlines the specific tasks and projects that will drive your client’s SEO goals. Your objective must be to provide a clear action plan that aligns every step with the expected outcome.
For example, if you plan to optimize content for your client’s website, explain how many pages you will revamp weekly. Will the efforts require a major overhaul, or are you refining the existing content? If you handle technical SEO, highlight areas such as site improvements, mobile indexing, and schema markups. The more quantifiable and detailed your action plan, the better.
Additionally, inform clients how you’ll report your progress – whether it's weekly updates, monthly performance reports, or automated dashboards – allowing them to visualize the direct impact of your SEO strategy and outcome.
5. Deliver an irresistible offer
This section is crucial in your proposal, as it often determines whether your clients will find your services suitable for their budget and expectations. Tailoring your pricing to reflect the range of SEO services you provide and the specific client’s needs is essential.
To do this effectively, you must understand three things clearly: your client’s budget, the market rate for SEO services, and the end goal. Once you have that, you can present a well-structured SEO services package. Consider the following:
- List of SEO services to be implemented, such as SEO audit, content strategy, and keyword research.
- Desired delivery method: Options could include documents, slides, dashboards, etc.
- Total cost associated: $XXXX.
Ensure fairness and transparency, which will build trust and motivate clients to engage with your services.
Pro tip: Bundle your SEO services into packages to provide more value. If you offer both keyword research and content creation services, group them for an attractive price. This strategy creates a psychological impression that clients pay less than if they were to purchase individual services.
6. Include testimonials
Including testimonials is one of the most effective ways to showcase your agency's credibility. Testimonials are strong indicators that can build your clients' confidence and trust in your services and expertise. Make sure to feature testimonials that highlight specific outcomes, such as increased traffic, higher rankings, or targeted conversions, so that you present data-driven evidence of your success.
7. Terms and conditions
Although often seen as mere legal statements, the importance of clearly communicated terms should not be overlooked. Vague terms can lead to confusion and jeopardize the success of your proposal. To ensure transparency and build trust, specify the following key elements:
- SEO services
- Payment schedule
- Project scope
- Responsibilities
- Contract duration/termination
- Confidentiality
By clearly defining these terms, your clients will have clarity as they move forward, knowing exactly what to expect from this collaboration.
8. Persuasive call-to-action
After your client has reviewed the entire proposal, it's essential to encourage and guide them to take action. Conclude your proposal with clear, detailed next steps, such as scheduling a meeting, signing a contract, or confirming the start date.
Additionally, provide relevant point-of-contact details so clients know who to reach for questions or clarifications regarding the proposal. This smoothens the process for clients and eliminates any friction in taking the next step.
Here are some examples of effective calls-to-action:
- Still have questions? Let’s talk. Schedule a quick 15-minute call with our SEO lead to clarify any concerns.
- Happy with the proposal? Sign the agreement here, and we’ll begin the onboarding process right away.
- Lock your spot in our project calendar. Click here to confirm your preferred start date.
SEO Proposal Best Practices
To create a winning SEO proposal, follow these actionable tips to ensure credibility and client satisfaction:
- Start with Keyword Research: Identify the target audience and valuable keyword opportunities to create a data-driven, tailored SEO strategy.
- Clearly Outline SEO Services: Specify services like on-page optimization, link building, and competitive analysis for client clarity.
- Include a Content Strategy: Detail how you’ll create and optimize content to boost organic traffic and search rankings.
- Present Tracking and Metrics: Outline how you’ll measure the project’s success using clear metrics and reporting methods.
- Ensure Visual Appeal: Use clean formatting and engaging visuals, avoiding jargon to make the proposal accessible to all clients.
- Build Trust with Social Proof: Include testimonials or case studies to demonstrate past success and reassure potential clients of your expertise.
Now that you know how to create a winning pitch from start to finish, let’s compile everything into an actionable SEO proposal template.
Use our free SEO proposal template
Ready to make your next pitch count? Use our free SEO proposal template to craft a data-driven proposal explicitly tailored to your clients. Showcase your value with actionable insights, effective SEO strategies, and clear formatting that captures attention.
Before you begin, make sure to check off everything from the proposal checklist:
- Avoid copy-paste: Take the time to create personalized SEO proposals that reflect your client's genuine challenges and expected outcomes.
- Emphasize clarity: Incorporate relevant visuals and whitespace to improve readability, allowing clients to quickly consume key insights.
- Be selective with data: Include only what is relevant; too much detail without context can turn clients away.
- Showcase your process: From start to finish, demonstrate how you'll achieve your client's goals, focusing on details and expected ROI.
- End with a persuasive CTA: Clearly inform your clients about the next steps they should take.
Go ahead and download our free SEO proposal template. Start winning clients faster!
Meet the Author
Shalini Murugan
Shalini is driven by ideas that create a tangible impact. With a diverse background in B2C companies across various industries like healthcare and ecommerce, she brings deep insight to her role. At Two Minute Reports, she specializes in content that helps marketers optimize their reporting workflows. When she's not transforming complex data into meaningful insights, you might find her lost in a book, jotting down ideas in her notebook, or connecting the dots others overlook.
Frequently Asked Questions
Start by understanding your client's goals and assessing their current SEO performance. Outline key elements such as an executive summary, goals, SEO insights, proposed solutions, timelines, pricing, and a clear call-to-action. Remember to personalize your proposal with data-backed insights to show how your strategy will drive the desired outcomes.
To present an SEO strategy, analyze on-page metrics like keyword rankings, traffic, CTR, and conversions. Then, conduct a technical audit to identify crawling, indexability, site speed, and security issues. Summarize your findings with a clear action plan, goals, and timelines, using plain language and visuals.
An SEO marketing proposal is important because it explains your strategy, services, and values to your clients. It helps you set expectations, align goals and budgets, and demonstrate how our efforts will accomplish business growth for your clients.
The format of an SEO proposal includes an introduction, strategy, SEO analysis, client goals, deliverables, pricing, and an effective CTA to pursue the next steps. However, this can be customized based on your agency’s policies.
Research industry benchmarks to understand how your clients perform compared to the existing competitors. Include personalized SEO insights like current keyword rankings, backlink profiles, site audits and content gaps to highlight opportunities. This shows you understand their pain points and tailor a strategy that improves their bottom line.
A strong SEO proposal builds trust and credibility while helping your client understand the true value you provide. By personalizing the proposal with actionable data, you make it easier for clients to visualize outcomes and position your agency as a data-driven partner for growth.
Avoid being too generic or using excessive jargon. It can confuse or disengage potential clients. Always customize your proposal to reflect the client’s specific industry and goals, as a one-size-fits-all approach rarely works. Lastly, if your SEO proposal lacks clarity, clients may hesitate to move forward, ultimately hurting your agency’s chances of closing the deal.
