Forget everything you think you know about writing SEO proposals. The key to sky-high conversion rates has very little to do with SEO. Sounds counterintuitive? It is.
While most agencies drown clients in technical jargon and keyword data, you’ll learn a proven framework that cuts through the noise and speaks directly to your client’s deepest desires. This isn’t just another generic guide filled with the same tired advice. We’ll go beyond surface-level tactics and equip you with the tools and knowledge to:
- Understand your client’s needs on a psychological level: Discover what truly motivates them and how to align your services with their definition of success.
- Craft compelling proposals that showcase your expertise: Learn how to present your value proposition in a way that’s clear, concise, and impossible to ignore.
- Position yourself as the only choice for achieving their goals: Stand out from the competition and make your agency the obvious answer to their problems.
Ready to create SEO proposals that make your value proposition irresistible and your close rate unstoppable? Let’s dive in.
Discover Your Client’s Real Definition of Success
Pop quiz: When a potential SEO client reaches out for a proposal, what are they actually looking for?
If you said “SEO services,” you’re only partially correct. The real answer is that they’re looking for results – measurable, bottom-line impacting results that will help them look like heroes to their boss, board, or investors.
The first and most critical mistake I see agencies make in their proposals is focusing too much on the deliverables and too little on the business outcomes those deliverables are meant to drive. They rattle off lists of technical audits, keyword targets and on-page optimizations without connecting the dots to the SEO metrics their clients are being measured on – leads generated, products sold, revenue earned, costs reduced.
Create proposals that truly resonate by digging deep to uncover what success looks like through your client’s eyes. Discover the big, hairy, audacious goal that’s keeping them up at night. Identify what their boss yells at them about in every performance review. Imagine what would make them do a happy dance around their office if you could deliver it.
Some questions to ask in your discovery calls and emails to get to the heart of their true objectives:
| Key Questions to Ask Clients |
|---|
| What is your #1 most important business goal this year? |
| How will achieving that goal impact your company’s broader objectives, your team, and your personal role? |
| What metrics are you being held accountable for? What numbers do you need to hit? |
| What’s at stake if you don’t achieve those targets? What opportunities could open up if you exceed them? |
| Describe what a home run would look like for this SEO engagement—not just incremental improvements, but outstanding success. |
Move the conversation from the tactical level to the strategic, and keep drilling until you hit bedrock. Some clients will be open books, excitedly sharing their biggest aspirations and anxieties. Others will require more coaxing and trust-building to feel comfortable peeling back the curtain.
No matter how long it takes, don’t rush this step. Taking the time to truly understand your client’s world is the critical foundation for everything that comes next. All the keyword research and competitive analysis in the world won’t save you if your proposal is answering the wrong question.
Before you put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), make sure you’re crystal clear on your client’s real definition of winning. Then and only then can you craft a proposal that positions your agency as the rocket fuel they need to get there.
Write a Compelling Executive Summary That Captures Attention
You’ve done your homework. You’ve uncovered your client’s deepest hopes, dreams and fears (as they relate to crushing their competition on Google, at least). Now it’s time to translate those insights into an executive summary that grabs them by the lapels and refuses to let go until they say yes.
The executive summary is hands-down the most important section of your proposal – because if it doesn’t inspire your busy, easily distracted client to keep reading, nothing else you write will matter. This isn’t the place for pleasantries or platitudes. Your mission is to cut through the noise and make it stunningly obvious that you intimately understand their unique needs and challenges and have a laser-focused plan to solve them.
To illustrate, let’s look at an example of the kind of generic, yawn-inducing executive summary that’s almost guaranteed to get your proposal tossed in the digital recycling bin:
| Generic Executive Summary | Compelling Executive Summary |
|---|---|
| “At XYZ Agency, we are passionate about helping companies improve their online visibility. With our proven SEO strategies, we are confident we can help you achieve your goals.” | “When we spoke last week, you mentioned increasing online sales by 30% this quarter is your #1 priority. We’ve identified 3 key opportunities to drive 25% more qualified traffic and add $75K in additional monthly revenue.” |
“At Gotham Agency, we are passionate about helping companies like [Client] improve their online visibility and drive more organic traffic. With our proven track record and cutting-edge SEO strategies, we are confident we can help you achieve your goals and take your online presence to the next level…”
See how that could apply to literally anyone? It’s the equivalent of a limp handshake and an uninspired “nice to meet you.” Now compare that to an executive summary crafted around the client’s specific objectives and pain points:
“When we spoke last week, you mentioned that increasing online sales by 30% this quarter is your #1 priority, and that your West Coast market share is a critical factor in hitting that target. After auditing your current keyword rankings and competitive landscape, we’ve identified 3 key opportunities to leapfrog [Competitor 1] and [Competitor 2], drive 25% more qualified traffic to your top converting pages, and add $75K in additional monthly revenue.
Our team has deep experience working with [Client’s Industry] brands to achieve these kinds of results without massive ad spend. For example, we recently helped [Similar Client] triple their organic search traffic and increase online revenue by 215% in just 6 months. The exact process we used to achieve those numbers is the foundation of the customized strategy you’ll find in this proposal…”
Do you see the difference? By speaking directly to their stated goals and painting a vivid picture of what achieving those goals will mean for their business, you create an immediate emotional connection and demonstrate that you’re not just an SEO expert, but a capable, trustworthy partner to help them tackle their biggest challenges.
Some tips for crafting an executive summary that commands attention and inspires action:
- Keep it short, sweet, and skimmable. Limit your summary to no more than a page, broken up into easily digestible bullet points or short paragraphs. Make every word count.
- Start with their objectives, not your solutions. Show that you’ve heard them loud and clear, and that your strategy is tailored to their unique needs.
- Use specific and concrete examples. Numbers, stats and case studies are your friends. The more tangible, measurable and relevant to their goals, the better.
- Develop a strong point of view. Challenge their assumptions or preconceived notions about what’s possible. Showing that you have skin in the game and aren’t just telling them what they want to hear demonstrates confidence and authority.
- Tee up the rest of the proposal. Include a one or two sentence overview of what’s to come to maintain momentum and encourage a full read-through.
Your executive summary is your first (and possibly only) shot to make them sit up, take notice, and start believing that partnering with you is the obvious choice. Don’t waste that precious real estate on fluff, filler or empty jargon. Make it a crystal-clear, compelling case for change that perfectly sets the stage for the specifics of your proposed solution.
Dos
- Tailor every proposal to the client’s unique goals and challenges.
- Use clear, concise language that resonates with non-technical stakeholders.
- Highlight measurable results like increased traffic or revenue.
- Provide real-world examples or case studies to build credibility.
- Focus on business outcomes, not just deliverables or processes.
- Include visuals like charts and tables for clarity.
- Break content into skimmable sections with descriptive headings.
Don’ts
- Use generic boilerplate text that applies to any client.
- Overwhelm the client with excessive technical jargon.
- Focus only on keyword rankings instead of business impact.
- Exclude pricing transparency or make it hard to understand.
- Assume the client knows industry terms like “schema markup.”
- Ignore potential objections or fail to address past SEO challenges.
- Overpromise results you can’t deliver within the proposed timeline.
Demonstrate Your Strategic Prowess in the Situation Analysis
Your executive summary under your belt, you’ve hopefully hooked your reader and left them eager to dive into the meat of your proposal. This next section is where you get to remind them why they took the meeting in the first place – because your agency has the expertise and insights to help them solve problems they haven’t been able to crack on their own.
The situation analysis is your time to flex those strategic muscles and prove that you’ve done your homework. Go way beyond surface-level metrics and generic competitive benchmarks. Paint a vivid picture of your client’s current SEO reality, warts and all, while shedding light on hidden opportunities they may not even be aware of.
A word of caution: It can be tempting to unleash a data dump of everything you uncovered during your research phase. After all, you put in a lot of time and effort to get these juicy insights – surely the client will be just as excited to wade through pages of rankings reports and keyword difficulty scores as you are, right?
Resist that urge. Your busy client doesn’t need you to do a rain dance of SEO nerd jargon. They need you to be a strategic sherpa – cutting through the noise, interpreting the data, and laying out a clear, focused path to the summit of Page 1. The key to a truly impressive situation analysis is strong curation and synthesis.
Some must-have elements to include:
1. Current Keyword Rankings & Search Visibility
- Identify where they stand for their top priority keywords.
- Calculate how much of their potential organic search pie they’re currently claiming.
- Uncover low-hanging fruit opportunities they’re missing out on.
2. Competitor Benchmarking
- Determine their top search competitors (which may be different than their IRL rivals).
- Pinpoint where those competitors are outperforming them in terms of rankings, content, UX.
- Identify untapped niches or angles that could help them gain a strategic edge.
3. Website Technical Audit Highlights
- Reveal technical or structural issues holding back their performance.
- Assess their site speed, mobile friendliness, indexation, etc. compared to best practices.
- Recommend quick wins that could give them a boost out of the gate.
4. Backlink & Authority Analysis
- Compare their domain authority and link profile against competitors.
- Check for spammy or toxic links dragging them down.
- Uncover high-value link opportunities they’re missing.
5. Content Gaps & Opportunities
- Identify content gaps for critical keywords and topics.
- Evaluate how well their existing content aligns with search intent.
- Recommend content upgrades or new assets that would have the greatest impact.
Your goal isn’t to impress them with the sheer volume of data you can cram onto a page. Your job is to help them see their situation through new eyes, zeroing in on the areas of greatest opportunity and impact. Every insight you include should build a stronger case for the specific strategy you’re about to propose.
To make your analysis really pop, consider including:
- Comparison charts and graphs to help visualize competitive gaps
- Screenshots of especially compelling data points or examples
- Callouts or annotations to explain the “so what” behind your insights
- SWOT-style synthesis that rolls up your findings into a clear set of priorities
High-quality products, strong brand recognition, dedicated customer base.
Poor keyword rankings, slow website speed, limited mobile optimization.
Untapped long-tail keywords, content gaps in industry topics, competitors lacking in SEO.
Increasing competition, changes in search engine algorithms, emerging market trends.
Your client should finish reading your situation analysis thinking, “Wow, I never looked at it that way before” or “I had no idea how much opportunity we were missing!” Most importantly, they should be chomping at the bit to hear how your agency is going to help them turn those insights into action and impact. And that’s where your strategic plan comes in.
Map the Path to Success in Your Strategic Plan
Pop quiz: What’s the difference between an SEO proposal and an SEO audit? An audit tells your client what’s wrong. A proposal shows them how you’ll make it right – and more importantly, how that plan will carry them across the finish line to their most critical business goals.
Your situation analysis shone a light on your client’s biggest problems and opportunities. Your strategic plan is all about laying out a clear, compelling path to solve them. This is where you get to showcase your expertise and creativity, demonstrating not just what you’ll do, but how those initiatives will directly drive the results they care about most.
Before you start frantically dumping every SEO tactic under the sun into a bloated 25-page monstrosity, take a deep breath. A strong strategic plan is more about curation than volume. Present a focused, cohesive set of recommendations that align with the client’s stated objectives, not an exhaustive list of everything you could do.
To craft a plan that truly positions your agency as the obvious choice, make sure to:
- Tie every recommendation back to their goals
Don’t just list out a bunch of generic tactics. Frame each element of your plan in terms of how it will impact the specific objectives you uncovered during your discovery process.
For example, instead of just saying “Implement schema markup sitewide,” you might say:
“Strategically implement review, product, and LocalBusiness schema on your top converting pages to enhance your rich snippet visibility for critical ‘near me’ searches, attract more qualified local traffic and improve conversions by as much as 35%.”
See how that puts the focus on the outcome, not just the output? That’s what will get your client excited to sign on the dotted line.
- Prioritize based on impact and feasibility
As much as we might wish otherwise, no client has an unlimited budget or timeline. Part of your job is to help them allocate their resources for maximum ROI.
Resist the temptation to front-load your plan with a bunch of time-intensive, low-impact tactics just to show how much work you’ll be doing. Instead, organize your recommendations into clear prioritization buckets, with the highest value, lowest effort items right up front.
This shows that you’re thinking strategically about how to get them the best bang for their buck, and helps them understand how the different pieces of the puzzle fit together over time. Consider using a simple matrix to visualize the relative impact and effort of each tactic.
- Set clear expectations and milestones
SEO is a marathon, not a sprint – but that doesn’t mean your client should be left wondering when they’ll start seeing results. As you walk through your strategic plan, include specific, measurable milestones and KPIs for each phase of the engagement.
For example, break your plan down into 30/60/90 day segments, with clear targets for things like:
- Keyword rankings improvements
- Organic traffic increases
- Leads/conversions generated
- Revenue attributed to organic search
The more specific and tangible you can be, the more confidence your client will have in your ability to deliver. Just be sure your projections are realistic and achievable – nothing torpedoes trust faster than overpromising and underdelivering.
- Anticipate objections and roadblocks
No matter how brilliant your plan, chances are your client will have some questions or concerns. Maybe they’ve been burned by shady SEO providers in the past. Maybe they’re worried about the time and effort required from their internal team. Or maybe they just don’t fully understand how SEO works and why it takes time to see results.
Whatever the case may be, proactively surface and address those potential objections head-on. Include a brief FAQ section that covers common questions or misconceptions, or simply weave reassurances and evidence into your plan narrative.
Put yourself in your client’s shoes and think through all the reasons they might hesitate to move forward – then systematically dismantle those barriers with a mix of empathy, education, and social proof.
- Make it scannable and visually engaging
Your strategic plan isn’t about volume – but even a laser-focused set of recommendations can start to feel overwhelming if it’s presented as a dense wall of text.
To make your plan more visually digestible and engaging, try:
- Breaking your recommendations down into clear sections with descriptive headers
- Using bullet points, numbered lists, and short paragraphs to improve scannability
- Including visuals like charts, graphs, and screenshots to break up the text and reinforce key points
- Highlighting key stats, projections or case study snippets in callout boxes
- Using your brand’s colors, fonts and design elements to create a polished, professional look and feel
Your strategic plan is your chance to differentiate your agency from the competition. Show that you’re not just proposing a bunch of disconnected tactics, but a cohesive, goal-driven roadmap to success. This positions you well on your way to becoming your client’s go-to growth partner for the long haul.
Frame Your Pricing as an Investment, Not a Cost
You’ve wowed them with your brilliant strategic insights and painted a vivid picture of the glorious future that awaits them on Page 1. Now it’s time to have The Talk. No, not that talk – the one about money.
For too many agencies, the pricing conversation is an awkward, uncomfortable affair. They bury their fees in the fine print, dance around the issue with vague “it depends” caveats, or worse, lowball themselves in a desperate attempt to close the deal.
But the thing is: If you’ve done your job right in the previous sections, your pricing should be the natural, logical conclusion to a persuasive narrative about value.
Present your pricing with confidence and clarity by framing it not as a cost, but as an investment in the client’s success. Tie your fees directly to the specific outcomes and ROI you expect to deliver. Help your client understand the true cost of inaction or underinvestment.
| Service | Details | Investment |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1: Quick Wins | [Brief description] | $[Amount] |
| Phase 2: Medium-Term Strategies | [Brief description] | $[Amount] |
| Phase 3: Long-Term Growth | [Brief description] | $[Amount] |
| Monthly Retainer (from Month X onwards) | Ongoing SEO support and optimization | $[Monthly Amount] |
| Total Investment | $[Total Amount] |
Some tips for making your pricing section sing:
- Use a simple, clear pricing table
Avoid making your client play “Where’s Waldo?” with your pricing information. Make it easy for them to understand exactly what they’ll be paying and what they’ll be getting in return by presenting your fees in a simple, scannable table format.
Break your pricing down into clear, logical buckets (e.g. one-time setup fees, monthly retainers, ad spend, etc.). Include brief descriptions of what’s included in each. If you offer different package options, consider using a tiered pricing matrix that allows the client to easily compare and contrast the features and benefits of each.
| Service | Details | Investment |
|---|---|---|
| One-Time Setup | Comprehensive audit, technical fixes, and strategy creation. | $3,000 |
| Monthly Retainer | Ongoing SEO optimization, content updates, and backlink outreach. | $5,000/month |
| Performance-Based | 50% of generated revenue over $10,000/month. | Variable |
| Projected ROI: Generate $500,000 in additional revenue within 12 months. | ||
- Anchor your prices in value
Remember those goals and KPIs you established way back in the discovery phase? Bring them back into the spotlight now. Instead of just slapping a dollar amount on your services, reframe your pricing in terms of the value it will create for the client’s business.
For example, instead of just saying “Monthly SEO retainer: $5,000,” you might say something like:
“Invest $5,000 per month in our proven SEO strategy, and you can expect to:
- Increase your organic search traffic by 150% within 6 months
- Generate an additional 50 high-quality leads per month
- Improve your average customer acquisition cost by 30%
- Drive an incremental $500,000 in annual revenue from organic search”
See how that shifts the focus from the cost to the return? Anchoring your pricing in concrete, measurable outcomes makes it much easier for the client to see the value in partnering with you.
- Provide context and comparisons
Most clients have no idea what SEO services “should” cost. They may have gotten wildly divergent quotes from other agencies, or have unrealistic expectations based on outdated information or bargain basement providers.
Part of your job is to educate them on the true costs and benefits of investing in quality SEO, and to help them understand how your pricing stacks up against the alternatives.
One effective way to do this is to provide some context around your fees, such as:
- Industry benchmarks for similar scopes of work
- Case studies or examples of the ROI you’ve delivered for similar clients at similar price points
- Comparisons to the cost of other marketing channels (e.g. PPC, traditional advertising) for similar results
The goal isn’t to trash talk your competitors or pressure the client into a decision – it’s to help them see that when it comes to SEO, you really do get what you pay for.
- Offer flexible payment options
One of the biggest objections clients have to investing in SEO is the perceived risk and upfront cost. Help mitigate those concerns by offering flexible payment options that align with their budget and cash flow needs.
For example, you might offer:
- A monthly retainer option for clients who want to spread their investment over time
- A discount for clients who pay in full upfront
- A performance-based pricing model that ties a portion of your fees to specific KPIs or milestones
Be transparent about your pricing structure. Work with the client to find an arrangement that feels fair and mutually beneficial.
| Option | Details |
|---|---|
| Monthly Retainer | Spread payments across the engagement period. |
| Upfront Discount | Pay in full and receive a 10% discount on total fees. |
| Performance-Based | Pay a percentage of the revenue we generate above your current benchmarks. |
- Anticipate and address objections
Just like with your strategic plan, proactively address any potential objections or concerns the client may have about your pricing.
Some common pricing objections include:
For each objection, have a clear, confident response that reframes the conversation around value and ROI.
Approach these conversations with empathy, transparency, and a focus on value. Take the time to truly understand your client’s needs and concerns. Consistently anchor your pricing in the tangible outcomes you’ll deliver. This will put you well on your way to closing more deals at the prices you deserve.
Close with Confidence and a Crystal Clear Call-to-Action
You’ve made it to the final section of your proposal – congrats! But don’t start celebrating just yet. The way you close out your pitch can make all the difference between a resounding “yes!” and a polite “thanks, but no thanks.”
Your closing section should recap the key points of your proposal, reinforce the value of your expertise, and make it incredibly easy for the client to take the next step. This is no time for wishy-washy language or vague next steps – you want to create a sense of urgency and excitement that compels them to act now.
Here are some key elements to include in your compelling close:
- Summarize your key points
Your client may have forgotten some of the brilliant points you made along the way by the time they get to the end of your proposal. Take a moment to recap the highlights, including:
- Their key goals and challenges
- The major opportunities you’ve identified
- The specific results you expect to deliver
- The unique value your agency brings to the table
Keep it brief and punchy – think executive summary style. Leave them with a clear, concise understanding of why partnering with you is the obvious choice.
- Reiterate the cost of inaction
Sometimes, the best way to motivate action is to highlight the risks of inaction. Remind the client of what’s at stake if they continue with the status quo, such as:
- Losing ground to competitors
- Missing out on valuable traffic and leads
- Wasting money on ineffective tactics
- Falling short of their critical business goals
Paint a vivid picture of the opportunity cost of not moving forward. Contrast it with the potential upside of taking action now.
- Include a strong, specific call-to-action
Avoid leaving your client hanging with a vague “thanks for considering us” closing line. Instead, make it crystal clear what you want them to do next. Make it as easy as possible for them to do it.
Your call-to-action might look something like:
“Ready to start dominating the search results and driving more qualified leads? Simply reply to this email with a “yes” and we’ll get the ball rolling with a kick-off call to discuss next steps. We’re excited to put our proven strategy to work for [Client’s Company] and to start delivering the results you deserve.”
Notice how this CTA:
- Reiterates the key benefit of working with you (dominating search results, driving leads)
- Makes the next step clear and specific (reply with a “yes”)
- Reassures the client that you’ll make the process easy and efficient (kick-off call to discuss next steps)
- Reinforces your confidence and enthusiasm for helping them succeed
- Add a personal touch
Finally, let your personality shine through in your closing section. After all, people buy from people they know, like, and trust – not faceless corporations.
Consider adding a personal note that speaks to your genuine excitement for the project and your commitment to the client’s success. Something like:
“On a personal note, I want to thank you for considering [Your Agency] for this project. We know that trusting an outside partner with your SEO is a big decision, and we don’t take that responsibility lightly. We’re truly passionate about what we do, and we can’t wait to roll up our sleeves and start driving real, measurable results for your business. If you have any questions or concerns that we haven’t addressed here, please don’t hesitate to reach out – we’re always happy to chat.”
See how that feels more like a real, human conversation than a stiff, corporate closing line? That’s the kind of personal touch that can make all the difference in building trust and rapport with your client.
Key Takeaway + SEO Proposal Template
We’ve covered a lot of ground in this epic guide to creating SEO proposals that convert! From uncovering your client’s true goals to crafting a compelling narrative and delivering a persuasive close, we’ve left no stone unturned.
But sometimes, the hardest part of writing a winning proposal is simply getting started. That’s why I’ve put together a proven template that you can use as a starting point for your own pitches. This template incorporates all the key elements we’ve discussed. You can easily customize it to fit your agency’s unique voice and approach.
Download the SEO Proposal TemplateWe made this template using Swydo’s client reporting tool to include SEO integrations like Semrush, Google Analytics, Google PageSpeed, and Google Search Console. Explore other SEO integrations.
Of course, this template is just a starting point – the real magic happens when you infuse it with your own insights, personality, and expertise. Use it as a foundation, but don’t be afraid to make it your own.
Don’t just list tactics and deliverables in your SEO proposal – think of it as a powerful sales tool. A great proposal can help you land more clients, build lasting relationships, and ultimately, boost your agency’s growth. Take the time to truly understand your client’s needs, craft a compelling narrative, and deliver a persuasive pitch. This will put you well on your way to standing out from the crowd and closing more deals.
So what are you waiting for? Dig into the template, start putting these principles into practice, and get ready to watch your conversion rates soar.