Professional Services-Proposals
SEO Services Contract
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Proposal Outline
SEO Services Contract
Parties and key terms
Services and delivery
Services and delivery (continued 2)
Fees and payment
Ownership and confidentiality
Ownership and confidentiality (continued 2)
Risk and liability
Risk and liability (continued 2)
Term and termination
Term and termination (continued 2)
General
General (continued 2)
Schedule 1: Services
Schedule 2: Fees
Signatures
About this template
This SEO agreement template covers a monthly SEO service: technical work, content, link outreach and reporting. It states that rankings and traffic are not guaranteed, requires written approval before publishing, and rules out manipulative tactics. SEO consultants and agencies use it when starting an ongoing engagement with a client.
When to use this agreement
Use it for ongoing SEO work billed monthly, with an initial term that then renews monthly until notice is given. For a one-off SEO audit with a fixed fee, a service agreement may be simpler.
Compared with a general retainer, it adds SEO-specific terms: no ranking guarantee, approvals for publishing and campaigns, website and analytics access, and a commitment to avoid paid links and spam.
What the agreement covers
- Services and delivery
- The provider performs the services with reasonable skill and gives no ranking, traffic or revenue guarantee. The client supplies access and materials, and changes need a signed change order.
- Publishing, accounts and approvals
- Budgets, claims and publication need written approval, and silence does not count as approval.
- Search practices
- The provider avoids manipulative tactics such as paid links and spam, and documents material site changes.
- Fees and payment
- The monthly fee is billed in advance, extra work in arrears, with dispute and suspension rules and pre-approved expenses.
- Ownership, risk and term
- Materials pass to the client on payment, mutual confidentiality, a liability cap and indemnities, the initial term, renewal, notice and governing law.
Before you send it
- Detail the monthly scope
- List the technical, content, outreach and reporting work included each month in Schedule 1.
- Set the extra work rate
- Confirm the hourly rate for work beyond the monthly scope in Schedule 2.
- Agree access early
- Confirm which website, analytics and other accounts the client will give you access to.
- Have a lawyer review it
- Ask a lawyer to review the agreement under the governing law and the parties’ jurisdictions.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Have a lawyer review the agreement for your situation and the governing law before you use it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should an SEO agreement include?
The monthly services, client responsibilities and access, approval rules, search practices, a statement on guarantees, fees, ownership, confidentiality, liability limits, term, renewal and notice. This template includes each of these.
Should an SEO contract guarantee rankings?
This template does not. Search results depend on factors outside the provider’s control, so it states that rankings, traffic and revenue are not guaranteed. Clear expectations help avoid disputes later.
How long is a typical SEO contract term?
Terms vary. This template uses an initial term that then renews monthly until either party gives notice. You can change the initial term and notice period before sending.
Who owns the content created for SEO?
Under this template, project materials such as content transfer to the client once paid for. The provider keeps its pre-existing tools and licenses any that are built into the work.
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