Proposal templates
Audit findings, strategy, deliverables and reporting cadence — set up around what actually makes SEO retainers renew.
An SEO proposal presents what's currently limiting a site's organic performance, what the agency will do about it, what gets delivered each month, and how success will be measured — critical for SEO specifically because results lag effort, so the reporting section has to set realistic expectations up front.
Specific issues found on the client's site or in their competitive position — not generic SEO talking points.
The core levers you'll pull (technical fixes, content, links, etc.) and roughly how much effort goes to each.
Concretely what's produced each month — number of articles, technical fixes completed, links built — not just 'ongoing optimization.'
Be explicit that SEO results lag effort by months — this single section prevents the most common client dissatisfaction in SEO retainers.
What's measured and how often, tied to the client's actual business goals, not just rankings.
Copy this into your own document, or build it directly as a branded page in Hanko. Bracketed text like [Client Name] is a placeholder to fill in.
SEO Proposal for [Client Company Name]
Prepared for: [Client Contact Name], [Title]
Prepared by: [Your Agency Name]
Date: [Date] | Valid until: [Date]
Current state
Based on our audit of [domain], we found:
• [Specific finding 1, e.g., 'Core pages are missing structured data, limiting rich-result eligibility']
• [Specific finding 2, e.g., 'Organic traffic is concentrated in 3 pages; the rest of the site is effectively invisible']
• [Specific finding 3, e.g., 'Top 3 competitors publish 2-3x the content volume monthly']
Strategy
[e.g., 'A 3-pronged approach: technical fixes in month 1, then a sustained content program targeting [X] priority topics, supported by a link-building program starting month 2.']
Monthly deliverables
• [X] new articles/pages, targeting agreed keyword clusters
• Technical SEO fixes as identified (crawlability, page speed, structured data)
• [X] backlinks acquired or content-driven links earned
• Monthly reporting call and written report
Timeline expectations
SEO is a compounding effort, not an instant result. Typical timeline: technical fixes show impact within [4-8 weeks]; content and link-building typically show meaningful ranking movement within [3-6 months], with continued growth beyond that as the compounding effect builds.
Reporting
Monthly: organic traffic, ranking movement on priority keywords, and [business metric, e.g., organic-sourced leads/sales]
Quarterly: strategy review and priority adjustment based on results
Investment
Monthly retainer: $[amount]/month
Initial term: [e.g., 6 months] — SEO retainers shorter than this rarely allow enough time to show results
Payment terms: [e.g., Net 15, due on the 1st of each month]
Next steps
Accept below to move to a signed agreement and kickoff.
[Signature / Accept button] Date: [___]
At least 3-6 months. SEO results compound over time, and shorter terms don't give the work enough runway to show measurable movement before the client evaluates whether to continue.
No — avoid guaranteeing specific rankings or traffic figures, since search algorithms and competitive landscapes are outside your control. Set expectations on effort, deliverables and typical timelines instead.
That's reasonable — just make sure the deliverable count still supports the timeline expectations you've set. A retainer priced too low to hit meaningful deliverable volume usually underperforms and churns.
Build it as a branded proposal in Hanko and schedule the monthly retainer invoice once it's signed.
Product
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