How to Create an SEO Proposal That Turns Prospects into Clients

If you're having trouble landing new clients, you're not alone. Industry data reveals that even seasoned B2B marketing agencies hit roadblocks, with pitch success rates often reaching just 50% across the marketing field.

 

SEO proposals face a unique challenge: they ask clients to invest in results they won't see for months. While other digital marketing strategies like paid ads or email campaigns show returns in several months, search engine optimization (SEO) services can take up to a year to show meaningful results. This makes it harder to convince high-quality prospects and more frustrating when they say no.

 

Want better clients for your SEO services? Beyond sales and marketing, the quality of your proposals can make this process less painful. We’ve gathered insights from SEO experts and decision-makers on both sides of the proposal process to help you craft more compelling pitches for your SEO projects.

 

Table of contents

• What is a SEO proposal and how does it help you in the sales process?
• What goes into a winning SEO proposal: A step-by-step guide
• Proposal pitfalls worth avoiding
• Automate your SEO reporting process with DashThis

 

 

What is a SEO proposal and how does it help you in the sales process?

 

An SEO proposal is a sales tool that converts prospects into clients by addressing their primary concern: investing in something that takes months to yield results. It provides answers to key questions while differentiating an agency from competitors that the potential SEO client may be considering.

 

In our experience working with different agencies, most businesses talk to at least three to five SEO agencies before choosing one. With multiple agencies vying for the same project, your proposal can't just list what you do. It needs to show why you're the best fit for them.

 

Teams will likely share your proposal, so you must stand out from competitors. Research by CXL shows that in larger companies, B2B buying decisions typically involve five stakeholders who each have unique priorities.

 

Local businesses, even small ones, often involve multiple decision-makers. You could find yourself working with a business owner focused on profits, alongside their marketing manager. This person would need to fit your local SEO proposal into their mix of social media, sales partnerships and daily marketing work.

 

This means your contact will often need to champion your proposal to other stakeholders who've never met you. As Barbara Robinson from Weather Solve Structures explains:

 

“What I want agencies to know is that a proposal should give me ammunition in order for me to present internally. I do not want polished decks with buzzwords. I need clear projections, staged deliverables and examples of how the proposed work ties directly to revenue and market expansion. “

At its core, a SEO proposal:

1. Builds trust by showcasing your team's experience with relevant case studies and client testimonials. This shows that you've done in-depth research and truly understand your potential client's business pain points and current SEO performance.
2. Positions you as the marketing ally they need by researching their target audience, competitors’ online presence, and industry, and building customized campaigns to help them reach their goals.
3. Provides all key details upfront from deadlines to costs, making the buying process straightforward.

 

When done right, this comprehensive approach significantly improves your close rates. David Hunt, Chief Operating Officer of Versys Media, has seen this firsthand. He says:

 

“A clear proposal cuts friction in the sales cycle. We worked with a regional ecommerce brand where the proposal became the roadmap used by both execs and developers. Because it preemptively answered how, when, and why, it kept alignment strong through implementation. Since streamlining our proposal format, our SEO close rate for mid-size clients went from 52% to 68% over 12 months.”

 

What goes into a winning SEO proposal: A step-by-step guide

 

Step 1: Research to understand your potential client’s needs

 

The first step to creating an SEO proposal is understanding your client's business needs. This foundational work determines whether your proposal will resonate with decision-makers.

 

Unfortunately, many agencies skip this crucial step, leading to generic proposals that aren’t helpful. Robinson from Weather Solve Structures sees this disconnect regularly.

 

“While most people tend to overlook the disconnect between the numbers in a proposal and the operational reality of the business, in my case, I am cautious about it. Many SEO pitches include traffic growth as a metric to consider, but in niche industries, traffic volume isn't the only metric that's important. Our company sells structures that are sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Sometimes we get proposals promising 10,000 additional site visitors over three months, but that means nothing unless those visitors involve decision makers with buying authority.”

 

Kevin Heimlich, CEO and Founder of The Ad Firm, stresses the value of keeping this research step.

 

“The first thing we do is we go into a deep dive on the discovery and analysis phase. We don't even think about a proposal until we've really gotten to know the business. I want to know what their ultimate goals are. Are they looking to get more phone calls, sell more products from their site, or just become a more trusted name in their industry? We also take a good look at who their customers are. You can have all the traffic in the world but if it’s not the right kind of traffic, it won't ever turn into sales.”

 

Start your research by reviewing their website and blog, paying attention to:

• How often do they publish new content?
• When was their content last updated?
• Is their existing content actually ranking for relevant searches?
• What's their overall content quality like compared to competitors?
• What pages show declining search traffic?
• Which of their competitors' content strategies are working?

 

Besides looking at their digital properties, you should understand their business and sales process. Interview your prospective client (or collect this information during onboarding) to customize your SEO proposal with relevant details.

 

Here are suggested questions to ask:

• What are their main business goals?
• How does SEO fit into their overall marketing picture? Are they looking for driving more leads, product signups, sales or thought leadership?
• How long is their typical sales cycle?
• How do their customers usually find solutions like theirs?

 

Sales cycles and customer journeys differ across different industries, so it’s important you understand how SEO works in your prospective client’s business. This disconnect becomes even more pronounced in B2B industries with longer sales cycles, as Robinson explains:

 

“Another overlooked issue is how the sales cycle is handled in proposals. In B2B industries like ours, it can take 12 to 18 months to make a sale. An SEO proposal that only reports the monthly keyword rankings and doesn't recognize how long our pipeline is really feels unrealistic. A green flag is where the agency shows they understand the time it takes to close deals and sets goals that measure meaningful signals along the way, like new region buyers completing forms, or existing contacts returning to the site.”

 

Once you grasp their business model and sales process, analyze their competition to identify untapped opportunities. Look at competitors who outrank your potential client for key search terms and determine content areas that need improvement.

Step 3: Set measurable SEO goals tied to business ROI

 

After researching your potential client’s business, map out specific goals to turn your findings into action steps. This sets clear expectations about your working relationship.

 

The goals outlined in your proposal should connect SEO activities directly to business outcomes through measurable KPIs. Using SMART goal frameworks ensures your targets are specific, achievable, and tied to realistic timelines, creating clear benchmarks for tracking progress. Your ROI projections should focus on tangible outcomes, such as sales growth or measurable brand awareness metrics, supported by a clear plan for tracking and reporting these results.

 

Consider measuring these SEO performance metrics for your business proposal:

• For e-commerce: Track sales growth from unpaid channels, monitor product page positions for purchase-focused search terms, and analyze visibility for keywords showing buying intent
• For B2B SaaS: Track bottom-funnel keyword rankings and organic traffic to key sales pages, while monitoring share of voice for relevant industry terms
• For local service businesses: Measure local search keyword visibility and organic traffic from local searches

 

Link your SEO efforts directly to revenue growth and business results. Track how higher search rankings bring in more sales, boost the long-term value of each customer, and attract better-qualified leads.

 

Nat from Breadnbeyond explains how this approach works in practice

 

“We’ve found that ROI lands best when it’s translated into tangible business numbers, like missed leads, conversions, or projected revenue. For one SaaS pitch, we showed how capturing just 10% of search volume on targeted keywords could generate a predictable stream of leads. That shifted SEO from an abstract promise to a concrete business case.”

 

Besides direct business results, you can show how organic traffic reduces customer acquisition costs - a key advantage over paid advertising. Demonstrating these savings helps validate SEO investments when clients evaluate their marketing strategy.

 

Focusing on results over deliverables separates winning proposals from the rest. Oscar Scolding, SEO Strategist of SEO Sherpa, says:

 

“Where many agencies fall short is focusing too much on the deliverables, and not enough on the results of the work. “We will deliver X amount of links, content, etc” - it's like selling a holiday and focusing entirely on the travel and flight to get there - no one cares about the journey, they care about how much better their lives will be once you’ve helped them reach that point.”

Step 4: Establish transparency with a defined reporting process

 

Regular client reporting shows your commitment to tracking results while creating opportunities for meaningful conversations about campaign performance.

 

These check-ins let you review progress, map out next steps, and use data to spark new ideas. Use these meetings to celebrate wins and find creative solutions to any issues.

 

And that's exactly what brands want from their agencies, according to Triptent's research.

 

How should you present your SEO results? Try these tips:

 

Establish your reporting approach early to build trust and credibility.

 

Your reporting approach should cover three key areas:

1. What metrics you'll track and why they matter
2. How often you'll report and why you've chosen this frequency,
3. How you'll present your latest campaign results

 

Spencer Romenco, Chief Growth Strategist at Growth Spurt, explains how they approach client communication from the beginning.

 

"One approach we use for client communication is setting up a structured cadence with clients from the beginning. We outline regular check-ins, typically biweekly or monthly, depending on the project's complexity. Each meeting follows a set agenda that includes updates, KPIs, and next steps, allowing clients to come prepared with questions and ensuring nothing critical slips through."

 

Why not show your prospective clients exactly what their future reports might look like? Include a mock-up dashboard in your proposal so they know what they can expect each month.

Get this SEO report template with your own data!

 

This simple addition builds trust and sets clear expectations for communicating progress together. SEO reporting software like DashThis consolidates data from various SEO sources into a single branded report that you can tailor for each proposal.

 

Explain your automated delivery process to remove any worry about your clients having to chase you for updates.

 

Set up automated report delivery that matches your clients’ needs - from weekly performance updates to comprehensive monthly analysis. Professional, branded reports build trust in your expertise. As these reports circulate internally among stakeholders, the quality of your documentation reinforces both your agency’s value and your client’s decision to partner with you.

Step 6: Present your proposed SEO solution and outline deliverables along with a timeline

 

In this step, you’ll outline your approach for achieving the goals established earlier. What separates a strong SEO strategy presentation from a weak one? [Alternative phrasing avoids the overused “explain” and “effective” while maintaining clarity and engagement]

 

Our research with proposal reviewers revealed three key priorities: precise timelines, concrete action steps to address specific needs, and a logical process for tracking results. Sanju Zachariah, Owner and President of Portiva says:

 

“When it comes to proposals, I appreciate sets of actionable steps, their associated timeframes, as well as timelines responsiveness, and reports accountability. Continued focus of effort and resources on defined, well-articulated objectives is also impressive. Unqualified expectations, insufficient information, or “wishful thinking” as the sure outcomes of a process, as a rule, points to the absence of real value and is indicative of a lack of trust.”

 

Outline your SEO strategy across key time periods - the first 30 days, 90 days and 6 months. This timeline helps clients understand your planned approach and expected results at each stage. Here’s an example for a SaaS client.

 

First 30 days: Focus on immediate wins and measurement setup

 

Goal: Target page speed improvements to reduce bounce rate by 12% and increase conversion rates, based on current 4-second load times

 

Action steps:

• Complete technical SEO website audit and implement conversion tracking
• Finalize keyword research targeting your highest-value services
• Optimize 10 revenue-driving landing pages and call-to-actions for search visibility and conversions
• Set up baseline reporting with DashThis to track progress

 

First 90 days: Scale content and authority-building efforts.

 

Goal: Achieve top 5 search rankings for 8 high-converting keywords tied to demo signups, using your conversion tracking data

• Launch content strategy targeting customer search intent
• Begin link building to boost domain authority
• Conduct quarterly review to optimize based on performance data

 

Months 4-6: Expand reach and refine performance

 

Goal: Achieve 40% increase in qualified organic traffic to high-intent pages - focusing on pricing pages, product demos, plus key solution content. Target primary decision-makers who control purchasing.

• Scale top-performing content and fix pages underperforming in search engine rankings
• Target bottom of the funnel industry keywords by developing competitor comparison pages
• Secure guest posts and backlinks from industry publications read by your target buyers

 

Proposal pitfalls worth avoiding

 

Before you hit send, here's a quick checklist of the proposal challenges we see most often, and how to spot them in your own work

Sending your potential client a generic SEO proposal template

 

A good template helps save time, but it’s just the starting point of your reporting process. Customize your proposal to demonstrate you’ve researched and understood your prospective client’s business goals and industry. Taking time to personalize each proposal increases your chances of winning the project.

 

Decision makers who regularly evaluate SEO proposals know exactly what they're looking for in a winning pitch. Baris Zeren, CEO of Bookyourdata, explains what works: "What I look for is an agency that sets realistic expectations, tells the methodology explicitly and demonstrates that they are cognizant of the finer points of our industry."

 

Before sending your SEO campaign proposal, check it against these questions:

• Does this proposal match my prospective client’s industry needs and business approach?
• Did I reference my potential client’s website , competitors, or business challenges anywhere in the proposal?
• Would this proposal make sense if I swapped out the client's name for another company? If yes, then find ways to personalize your proposal to be more specific for the client.

Not using a structure or a framework in presenting SEO

 

A well-organized proposal helps decision-makers follow your logic and showcases your expertise. Consider:

• Does my proposal follow a logical flow that guides the reader through my thinking?
• Can someone quickly jump to the section that interests them most?
• “Can a beginner understand these SEO tips?

 

Tip: Organize your content with descriptive headers, lists, and spacing to guide readers through the information. Adding visuals, such as graphs and charts, makes complex data easier to grasp quickly. The SEO report template from DashThis groups key metrics into categories, helping you present findings in a logical flow.

Get this SEO report template with your own data!

 

Lovely Tyagi of SunTec India suggests this straightforward approach: “We present our SEO audit findings, develop a keyword strategy tailored to their audience, and develop a comprehensive plan for improving on-page SEO optimization, content creation, and link building. We also include a timeline with key milestones and deliverables, plus a cost structure that breaks down how we allocate resources.”

 

When you organize your proposal this way, decision-makers can quickly understand both the problems you've identified and exactly how you plan to solve them.

Focusing on SEO metrics instead of business impact

 

SEO metrics vary in relevance for different businesses. Pick tactics that align with what your clients want to achieve. Business leaders appreciate SEO strategies tied to their goals. As Abhishek Shah, Founder of Testlify, puts it:

 

A green flag is when the agency talks less about vanity metrics like ranking for 100 keywords and more about how SEO will drive qualified leads or revenue… What I wish SEO agencies knew is that founders don’t just want traffic, we want outcomes. Show me how your work connects to conversions, retention, and long-term growth, and you’ll have my attention.”

 

Link every element of your proposal to measurable business outcomes by:

1. Gathering as much relevant data as you can: Start by collecting information on their monthly revenue goals, growth targets, and average deal size. Ask directly for key business metrics: monthly revenue goals, projected growth, and typical sales. When discussing lead generation, get specific numbers on their conversion rates. For clients without detailed tracking, you can reference comparable industry data or past client performance to build realistic projections.
2. Working backwards from their stated goals: For example, If they want 20 new customers monthly, and they close 10% of leads, they need 200 leads. If 1% of organic visitors convert, they need 20,000 monthly visitors.

 

Here’s how Scolding from SEO Sherpa approaches ROI forecasts.

 

By collecting basic business information (conversion rate percentage, lifetime value, and close rates), you can start to calculate the value of organic traffic to their website. Based on competitors' data, you can forecast the ROI saying:

 

“If we can reach X% of competitors' traffic, at a conversion rate of X% and lifetime value of X, an investment of X will generate X amount of revenue”. This way, you’ll reframe the view of SEO as a “cost” to something that will drive real revenue for their business, and help justify the expense.

Using technical jargon without client-friendly explanations

 

Create your SEO proposal in plain language that non-technical decision-makers can easily understand. When you must use technical terms, explain them simply with a definition and link them to a business outcome.

 

For example, instead of stating "We'll optimize meta descriptions to improve CTR," consider "By improving how your pages appear in search results through better titles and descriptions, we can help bring more potential customers to your website. This direct approach helps your client see the direct business value of this work.

 

Tip: SEO has a lot of terms that sometimes need defining, depending on your audience’s familiarity with SEO. Use DashThis’s notes and comments feature to seamlessly embed these explanations into your dashboard that people can click on for further information without adding more clutter to the dashboard.

Not including a reporting process

 

Review your proposal to confirm it addresses these reporting elements.

• Have I specified reporting frequency, format, and delivery methods?
• Are the metrics I'll track clearly tied to the client's business objectives?
• Can the client visualize what ongoing performance monitoring will look like?

 

The challenge is that comprehensive SEO reporting takes significant time to execute well. But it's worth the effort. Clients who see professional reports month after month understand exactly how SEO contributes to lead generation, business revenue, or brand visibility. No awkward renewal conversations where you're trying to prove your value.

 

Want to simplify your reporting process? Tools like DashThis can help. We'll pull data from your SEO tools like SEMRush, Ahrefs, Moz and Google Search Console into custom dashboards that automatically deliver performance reports to your clients on schedule.

 

Automate your SEO reporting process with DashThis

 

SEO proposals do more than just outline your services. They're your chance to show prospects you understand their business and can deliver real results. When done right, they position you as a strategic partner, not just another agency in their inbox.

 

The key is starting with solid research. Take time to understand their industry, competition, and actual business goals. This alone will make your proposal stand out from the generic pitches they're used to seeing.

 

From there, establish trust through open communication. Share specific ways you'll keep clients updated on their investment's progress.

 

Start your 14-day DashThis trial to build stronger proposals and lasting client relationships through automated reporting.