How To Create a Winning SEO Proposal (Plus, a Free Template)

SEO agencies are all about optimizing clients' websites to get them top rankings on major search engines. But here's the thing–even if you're skilled at content development, technical SEO, and getting results, your agency may still struggle to attract clients.

But what should be included in an SEO proposal? And how do you create a reusable template?

We’ve compiled a list of the most important things to include in an SEO proposal as well as a free SEO proposal template for you. These are sure to help you impress your clients during the sales process and seal the deal!

What Is an SEO Proposal, Really?

An SEO proposal is your agency’s sales pitch—it's your chance to convince a new client that your marketing agency is the perfect fit. Enhancing your proposal with an interactive booklet can further engage potential clients.

Your prospective client is likely reaching out to multiple SEO agencies, and a clear, actionable SEO proposal template is your chance to stand out.

An easy-to-understand proposal is also going to save you headaches down the road, as your clients will know exactly what to expect from you and when they should expect it.

However, you don't need to spend hours crafting the perfect proposal. Use a free SEO proposal template as a starting point. Then add customization for every potential SEO client so that it speaks to their business goals.

Keep reading to learn what you should include in an SEO proposal to win more clients.

What to Include in an SEO Proposal For Your Potential Clients

This list provides a general breakdown of the information your SEO proposal should contain.

Use it as more of a starting point than a set of hard-and-fast rules. As your agency customizes its proposals, you may want to add additional sections or remove others, depending on the prospective client.

1. Introduction & Summary

First off, start your proposal by introducing your agency. Let the client know what makes your agency the best fit for their SEO campaign!

Remember: a proposal is essentially a sales pitch. Here is where you'll be selling your SEO agency and building credibility. You also want to focus on the long-term benefits of SEO to the client. Remember, people don't buy SEO packages; they buy a solution to their problems. Their problem isn't backlinks or blog posts; it's low online visibility, not enough traffic, and/or stagnated sales.

A great introduction should highlight what sets your agency apart, showcase your results through previous clients, and focus on how your SEO services drive long-term business value—not just traffic and rankings.

The introduction should only take up a page or two of your SEO proposal template. While it's one of the most important parts of the proposal, you don't want to steal the spotlight.

We often use data storytelling, especially if a part of the pitch entails an audit of some description. Highlighting to potential clients the opportunities and efficiencies we see is vital to winning work.

Tom Gibson, Founder, Pilot

Ultimately, the client wants to know exactly how your agency's SEO services will help grow their business.

2. Pitch Specific SEO Insights

Here you want to show specific SEO analytics and insights you've gathered about their current SEO performance on major search engines and (if available) Google Analytics.

This builds initial trust and credibility with the client as they see that your agency has taken the time to come up with a suitable SEO plan for their target audience.

SEO insights to include in your research are:

• The client's current keyword rankings to showcase where you will provide improvements. Ideally, focus on the keywords that will drive more than just organic search traffic, but ones that align with the right keyword search intent.

• An SEO audit of the client's website highlights important issues with specific web pages you can fix. A quick technical audit flags issues like missing meta descriptions your team can resolve for quick wins.

• A competitive SEO analysis to understand who your client is up against. Competitive analysis helps you understanding who the players are, either nationally or locally, and will inform the overall SEO strategy you present.

• A thorough website audit, which also includes elements of UX, engagement, and content relevancy.

It’s important to be transparent and to use language the client understands. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in “industry talk” that the clients have no idea about.

Kevin Watts, President, Raincross

Quickly run a keyword audit and do a little keyword research by entering target keywords in one of your favorite rank tracking tools to find out where the website currently ranks and the organic search volume. Include this data in your SEO proposal, as well as insights on which keywords you plan to target.

Additionally, consider including keywords their competitors are ranking for in search engines, but they are not. A competitive analysis adds insights into what opportunities they're missing out on and highlights your agency's plan to address them.

You should also review their technical SEO by running a health checkup on your potential client's site to uncover opportunities for on-site improvements, including the website's accessibility issues like missing alt tags or poor mobile navigation.

Include a high-level overview of their SEO KPIs and current issues, and your agency's plans to fix them.

Our jumpstart, remediation, and audit services are all offered with a clearly defined scope, so we are able to offer a fixed fee. This allows our clients to know exactly what they will be getting and how much it will cost and provides our team with the clarity to deliver on time and on budget.

Adam Binder, Founder/CEO, Creative Click Media

Finally, look at your client’s backlink profile, including a link audit to identify broken or low-authority external links that might impact rankings.

3. Industry Benchmarks

Incorporating industry benchmarks into your SEO proposal showcases your agency's expertise and provides potential clients with a clear understanding of how your services will elevate their online presence. By demonstrating how your agency's performance surpasses industry medians, you build credibility and set realistic expectations.

For example...

Average Position in Google Search Console

The current industry median for average position in Google Search Console is 35.1, indicating that, on average, pages rank on the fourth page of search results.

Highlighting your agency's ability to achieve higher rankings emphasizes your effectiveness in improving search visibility.

Median Click-through Rate (CTR)

With an industry median CTR of 0.99%, many businesses struggle to attract clicks even when their pages appear in search results. Illustrate how your strategic optimizations—such as compelling meta descriptions and targeted keywords—consistently result in higher CTRs for your clients.

Including these (and other) benchmarks in your SEO services proposals offers potential clients a tangible reference point, allowing them to appreciate the value your agency brings.

4. SEO Solutions & Deliverables

In this section you'll dive into what tasks and projects you'll be doing as part of the SEO campaign. Include both on-page SEO (like meta updates, internal linking, content structure) and off-page SEO work to strengthen search visibility.

Are you offering link-building services? How many links would you build a month to boost indexing on major search engines? Will your digital marketing efforts involve creating a content strategy for their website? Will you manage their social media marketing alongside their search engine optimization programs? You get the idea.

Research the customer's needs, requirements, and expectations. Show them the competition and what they are up against. Pull all this information together to provide a price that is going to work for both the client and the agency.

Andrew Thomas, Technical Director, HookedOnMedia

Outline the deliverables included in your SEO packages so your client knows what to expect from you on a monthly basis. These should be specific and quantifiable.

For example, if you are recommending content creation for their website, let them know how many pages or blog posts they should expect each month and what conversion rates they can expect. Connect your efforts directly to revenue to focus on the investment and the ROI.  

There is a ton of work that has to be done every month if you want to see impactful results. Our monthly model is based on how much content we create. The client loves it because they don't have to hire all the people or find that unicorn employee to be able to be everything they need in one employee.

Daniel Molina, Owner, Red Palm Studios Digital Marketing

Also, include what kind of SEO reporting they should expect each month. If you're giving them access to a live SEO dashboard or using professional SEO reporting templates to monitor results, show these off in the deliverables section of your proposal. For a side-by-side breakdown of features and pricing, help prospects compare local SEO reporting tools before committing to a workflow.

5. Goals

Set SMART goals that your agency will strive to achieve. These should be based on what you’ve successfully delivered for similar clients—not pulled from thin air. A few examples might include:

• Increase organic traffic 40% year over year

• Generate 30 organic signups per month

• Execute an off-page SEO campaign to enhance domain authority

• Increase organic leads by 55%

We get to know their business, their goals, and any challenges they're facing. This helps us create a custom-tailored marketing plan. Throughout the entire process, we keep communication open and focus on making their business a success!

Ryon Gross, CEO, Local Leap Marketing

The more grounded your goals are, the more confident the client will be in your approach.

That said, modern SEO success isn’t just about rankings and backlinks. Your proposal should include a second layer of performance metrics—ones that reflect how SEO supports long-term growth, better user experiences, and brand authority.

While rankings are important, they are only a means to an end. We understand that our clients don't just want to rank #1 for a search term. They want leads. This is why we focus on strategies that drive real business results and not just rankings.

Kurt Schell, President, Lithium Marketing

By tying traditional and emerging SEO metrics to deeper engagement and business impact, your agency positions itself as a strategic partner—focused on outcomes that matter long after the rankings update.

With the right goals in place—and a proposal that clearly maps how to reach them—you’ll earn client confidence before the work even begins.

6. SEO Project Timeline

SEO takes time, but many don't know that. Include a timeline in your SEO services proposal template so the client knows when they can expect to see results.

Break each of your proposed solutions down into specific, measurable milestones. That way, the client will see your progress, even if it takes a while for traffic and other SEO metrics to improve.

Some clients expect a lot of work to be done upfront immediately. Setting a realistic timeline will save a lot of headaches down the road and help you avoid having to end a client relationship.

7. Investment

Once you've made your case for how you can help the client, it's time to talk money. The investment section of your proposal includes all pricing for your SEO services.

Underpricing your services can be detrimental to both your business and the client's success. When you are budget constrained, it can lead to not being able to execute the necessary work to achieve success.

Kurt Schell, President, Lithium Marketing

You may choose to give the client several pricing options to choose from. This reduces sticker shock by giving the client a sense of control over the buying process.

Introduce your standard package, which covers all the SEO services you've talked about in your proposal. Then give the client two other options to choose from: a pared-down, less expensive package, and a deluxe package that involves a few extra SEO services.

8. Call to Action

This is one of the most important sections of your SEO proposal that is too often forgotten!

End your SEO services proposal template with a strong call to action that lets the clients know the next steps to get started. It should include your contact information and the next steps in the process.

Emerging SEO Realities—and How To Address Them in an SEO Proposal

Search engine optimization has never been a static process—and what worked a year ago won't cut it today. With AI-driven search results, zero-click experiences, and higher expectations for content quality and website performance, clients are facing a new SEO reality. That means your SEO services proposal shouldn’t just include the basics. It should show clients that your agency is already thinking ahead.

Here’s how to ensure your SEO proposal aligns with where search is headed—and helps your agency stand out as a forward-thinking partner.

1. Optimize for AI-Generated and Conversational Search Results

Search is no longer just a list of blue links. AI-generated summaries and conversational search assistants (like Google's Search Generative Experience) are changing how users consume information—and how websites appear in search results.

📌 In your proposal:

• Include a plan for optimizing for AI-generated snippets and structured content.

• Mention the use of schema markup (FAQ, How To, Product, Article) to increase visibility in rich results.

• Address how your content strategy supports natural language queries and long-tail keywords.

2. Build Topical Authority, Not Just Page Rankings

Google and other search engines now reward websites that demonstrate topical depth and expertise, not just isolated keyword wins. That means your proposal should reflect a content strategy—not just a keyword strategy.

📌 In your proposal:

• Present content clusters or topic hubs that show how you’ll build authority across a theme.

• Explain how internal linking and pillar pages will improve navigation, indexing, and relevance.

• Focus on how your content helps users, not just search engines.

3. Align SEO Strategy With User Intent and Experience

Modern SEO isn’t just about getting clicks—it’s about delivering the right content to the right person at the right time. That means understanding the searcher’s intent and designing content and site experiences that meet it.

📌In your proposal:

• Include intent-based keyword mapping (navigational, informational, transactional).

• Recommend content formats (blog, product page, comparison, video, etc.) that align with what users expect.

• If relevant, mention UX audits or content engagement metrics you’ll track (scroll depth, bounce rate, conversions).

How Do You Write an SEO Proposal?

The best way to write an SEO services proposal is first and foremost, personalization.

To get more clients, spend more time creating the perfect proposal and focus on how your approach differs from other agencies, so your SEO pitch stands out from the crowd.

It's okay to use proposal templates for the overall structure of the proposal, but the content in each section of the proposal should be personalized for every client.

We always try to give specific examples of where we can provide an impact. Not only is it important to show our capabilities, but also how each of those offerings can individually improve performance for a potential client.

Highlighting team members is a great way to personalize a deck, which can become a very impersonal tool if you let it.

Kara Leonard, VP, FilmFrog

Remember, your potential clients are probably considering other search engine optimization agencies besides your own, and tailoring your proposals is a powerful way to stand out from the competition. 

It's rarely about price, it is about value. If you can deliver consistent results and ROI, clients will be happy.

David Rooks, Agency Owner, Rooks Advertising

Once the client has decided to come on board, send the invoice and Terms & Conditions to get signed. 

Appearances matter, so pay close attention to your formatting. If your SEO proposal template looks cheap, clients will get a negative impression of your agency, regardless of how well-written the proposal itself is.

Aim for an organized, elegant layout, and incorporate plenty of white space on each page -- this will help you avoid the "wall of text" effect.

Lastly, your client probably isn't an SEO expert, so make your writing as clear and easy to follow as possible. Use a professional but down-to-earth tone, and avoid using too much technical jargon or marketing buzzwords where you can.

If you get stuck, think about how you would explain something to the client in person.

Why Using an SEO Proposal Template Gives Your Agency a Competitive Edge

Using a customizable SEO proposal template is more than a time-saver. It’s a strategic advantage during the proposal process that helps agencies stand out, move faster, and close more deals..

If you offer SEO services, using an SEO proposal template streamlines client acquisition processes. Here are some reasons why:

⏱️ Save Time and Respond Faster

Writing a proposal from scratch for every lead slows your sales cycle—and in a competitive landscape, speed matters. With a structured template, your team turns discovery calls into client-ready proposals in record time.

🤝 Make a Strong First Impression

A polished proposal is often your first chance to prove you’re organized, strategic, and professional. A well-designed template—with consistent formatting, clear visuals, and smart structure—instantly builds credibility with prospective clients.

🎯 Align the Pitch With What Clients Will Experience

Clients want to know what they’re buying—not just in terms of services, but the experience. When your proposal format matches the structure of the live dashboards and SEO reports they’ll later receive, it builds trust from the start.

🧠 Scale the Process, Not the Guesswork

Templates give your entire team—junior or senior—a shared framework. That means different team members can confidently contribute to audits, pricing, or strategy sections, while maintaining brand consistency and clarity.

🛠️ Customize Where It Counts

A template should never feel like a copy-paste job. Top-performing agencies use it as a starting point, then tailor it heavily—especially when it comes to industry-specific insights, SEO audits, content strategies, and defined goals.

📈 Increase Close Rates With Transparent Reporting

Proposals that include reporting previews as a differentiator—such as sample dashboards or performance goals—help clients visualize what success will look like. This level of transparency reduces hesitation and shows your agency isn’t just making promises.

We use AgencyAnalytics as a key value point for our proposals, distinguishing our campaign reporting from competitors by showcasing the client-accessible dashboard and customizable nature of the monthly reports that we send.

Bill Dubiel, Digital Marketing Specialist, 19 Ideas

The Takeaway: Best SEO Proposal for Clients

Mastering the art of writing a killer SEO proposal for clients is well worth the time and effort it takes. You'll land more clients when all your proposals are personalized, detailed, and well thought out.

If you want to start improving your proposals today, focus on addressing your client's pain points, clearly communicating how you can help, and building trust.

Get started crafting winning SEO proposals using the professional SEO proposal template with a 14-day free trial.