Free SEO proposal template

Write an SEO proposal about their site, not your services

Every section says what to write and why the prospect needs it, from their goals to what's not included. Word or Google Docs, no email.

See what's inside Download the .docx (10 KB)

Opens in Word, Google Docs and Pages. No sign-up.

seo-proposal-template.docx

1. Summary
2. Your goals
3. Where your site stands today
4. The searches worth winning
5. The plan
6. What's not included
7. Timeline and what to expect
8. How you'll see progress
9. Investment
10. Why us
11. Next steps

11 sections, blank and ready to fill

Read a filled-in proposal before you write yours

You've sent proposals that read like everyone else's and heard nothing back. This one opens on their goals and their site, shows the searches worth winning, and says what the fee doesn't cover.

Download the .docx (10 KB)

Blank, as in seo-proposal-template.docx.

SEO proposal for [client name]

1. Summary

Prepared for [client name, company] by [your name, agency], [date].

[Three sentences: what they want, what you'll do about it, and what they should see by month three.]

2. Your goals

[What they told you on the call, in their words.]

[Goal]: [how you'll both know it happened]
[Goal]: [how you'll both know it happened]

3. Where your site stands today

[What you checked, and when.]

[Finding]: [what it costs them]
[Finding]: [what it costs them]
[Finding]: [what it costs them]

4. The searches worth winning

[The searches that bring them work, with monthly searches and difficulty, and the page that should win each.]

[search], [monthly searches] a month, difficulty [0-100]: [the page that should win it]
[search], [monthly searches] a month, difficulty [0-100]: [the page that should win it]

[Who shows up for these searches today.]

5. The plan

Pages to improve: [each page, and the change]
Pages to build: [each page, and the search it's for]
Articles: [how many a month, on which searches]
Links between pages: [which pages point to which]

6. What's not included

[What the fee doesn't cover, and how you'll price a request outside it.]

[Not included]
[Not included]

7. Timeline and what to expect

Month 1: [the work]
Month 2: [the work]
Month 3: [the work]

[What they should see by month three, and what takes longer.]

8. How you'll see progress

[What you'll report, how often, and where each number comes from.]

9. Investment

[Setup, if any]: [price]
[Monthly work]: [price a month] for sections 5 and 7

[How it's billed, and the minimum term, if any.]

10. Why us

[Who you are, in two sentences.]

[One piece of proof: a result for a client like them, with their permission.]

11. Next steps

[Reply by date]
[Kick-off call, and when]
[Access you need]
[Your terms: attach your agreement]

Fill it in before you send it

A warm prospect cools off fast. Start from their words, add what you found on their site, then price the plan and say what's out of scope.

1
Open with their goals
Write sections 1 and 2 in the client's own words from the discovery call. If they said more bookings, write more bookings.
2
Show what you found on their site
Sections 3 and 4 are what makes it theirs: three to five findings, and the searches worth winning, each with the page that should win it.
3
Price the plan, and fence it
Put the work in section 5 and what isn't included in section 6, so a new request later gets its own price instead of creeping into the fee.
4
End on one next step
Give them a date to reply and the access you'll need. Attach your own terms, and have them checked before you send them.

On your free plan

Pitch with their real searches, not a services list

Keyword Map

Run your free plan on the prospect's site before the pitch. It lists the searches their customers make, with monthly searches and difficulty, the rivals who show up for them, and the page each search belongs on. Your free plan maps up to 15 of your pages, one keyword each. That's sections 4 and 5, from their own site.

Get your free plan

Free tools that help

Each one runs in your browser with no account.

More free templates

Terms in this template

Where this fits in SearchBlueprint

Questions people ask

Is the SEO proposal template free?

Yes. Download the Word file or copy the text from this page. There's no sign-up and no email form in front of it.

Does it open in Google Docs?

Yes. Upload the .docx to Google Drive and open it with Google Docs, or use Word or Pages. You can also press Copy on this page and paste the text into a new document.

What should an SEO proposal include?

The client's goals, what you found on their site, the searches worth winning, the plan, what isn't included, a timeline, how you'll report, the price and one next step, which are the eleven sections in this template.

How should I price an SEO proposal?

Price the plan in section 5. Many agencies separate a setup fee from the monthly work, and put a price on anything outside the scope so it can't creep in for free.

Should I promise rankings?

No. Say what you'll do and when, and what the client should see by month three. Nobody controls where Google ranks a page, and a promise you can't keep is the fastest way to lose the client.

Does it include contract terms?

No. Terms are a legal document, so section 11 asks you to attach your own agreement. Have a lawyer check it before you send it.

Map the prospect's site before the pitch, free

Your free plan maps up to 15 of your pages, one keyword each.

Free first plan
No credit card
Keep your plan