Best examples of scope of work examples for SEO services (with templates)

Real-world examples of scope of work examples for SEO services

Let’s skip the theory and start with what you actually came for: clear, copy‑and‑paste‑ready examples of scope of work examples for SEO services that you can adapt for your own contracts.

Below are several realistic scenarios:

• A local SEO retainer for a small business
• A technical SEO project for a SaaS site
• A content and on‑page SEO package
• An e‑commerce SEO engagement
• An SEO audit and strategy‑only project
• A startup launch package
• A maintenance‑only SEO plan

Each one shows how to structure deliverables, timelines, and limits so clients know exactly what they’re buying.

Local SEO retainer: example of scope of work language

Local SEO is where projects most often go sideways because “get us on Google Maps” can mean anything. Here’s an example of scope of work for a 6‑month local SEO retainer for a single‑location business.

Project overview (excerpt)
The Consultant will provide local SEO services to improve the Client’s visibility in Google Search and Google Maps for location‑based queries related to [industry]. This agreement covers one physical location.

In‑scope deliverables (excerpt)
The services under this scope of work include:

• Google Business Profile optimization for one location, including category selection, business description, service areas, and photo recommendations.
• Citation audit and cleanup for up to 50 existing listings, plus creation of up to 20 new listings on high‑value directories.
• On‑page optimization for up to 10 key local landing pages (title tags, meta descriptions, H1/H2 structure, internal linking, and schema markup where relevant).
• Monthly performance reporting, including local rankings, profile views, website clicks, and calls from Google Business Profile.

Out‑of‑scope clarifier (excerpt)
The following services are not included in this scope of work: paid advertising (including Local Services Ads), review generation software, ongoing reputation management beyond responding to up to 20 reviews per month, web development beyond minor on‑page changes, and content writing for new pages.

This is one of the best examples of scope of work examples for SEO services for local businesses because it does three things: it caps volume (10 landing pages, 50 listings), defines the channel (organic only, no ads), and draws a hard line around development work.

Technical SEO project: examples include audits, fixes, and QA

Technical SEO projects in 2024–2025 are heavily influenced by site performance, Core Web Vitals, and crawl efficiency. Google continues to emphasize page experience and site quality in its documentation, so your technical SEO scope should explicitly mention performance and indexing. See, for instance, Google’s own guidance on search fundamentals at https://developers.google.com/search.

Here’s an example of scope of work for a 3‑month technical SEO engagement for a mid‑size SaaS site.

In‑scope technical tasks (excerpt)
The Consultant will:

• Conduct a full technical SEO audit for up to 20,000 URLs, including crawlability, indexation, internal linking, canonicalization, XML sitemaps, and structured data.
• Provide a prioritized technical issues report with impact estimates and recommended fixes.
• Implement or document implementation steps for:
  • Robots.txt updates and noindex directives
  • Canonical tags for duplicate or near‑duplicate content
  • XML sitemap cleanup and consolidation
  • Page speed improvements recommendations based on Core Web Vitals reports
• Participate in up to four implementation QA reviews to validate that development changes align with recommendations.

Out‑of‑scope clarifier (excerpt)
Custom development, full site redesign, and migration to a new CMS are not included. The Consultant will not be responsible for hosting changes, server‑level configuration, or security hardening.

This is a clean example of scope of work examples for SEO services where the consultant is responsible for analysis and guidance plus limited QA, but not for rewriting an entire tech stack.

Content and on‑page SEO: example of a recurring content package

In 2024–2025, content‑driven SEO is still heavily influenced by E‑E‑A‑T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). While E‑E‑A‑T is not a single ranking factor, Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines (available at https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/guidelines.raterhub.com/en//searchqualityevaluatorguidelines.pdf) shape how it evaluates quality. Your content‑SEO scope should reflect that you’re aligning with these expectations.

Here’s a practical example of scope of work for a monthly content and on‑page SEO retainer.

In‑scope deliverables (excerpt)
The Consultant will provide:

• Keyword research and topic clustering for up to 30 target topics per quarter.
• Creation of 4 SEO‑optimized blog posts per month (1,200–1,800 words each), including keyword mapping, on‑page optimization, and internal linking suggestions.
• On‑page optimization for up to 5 existing pages per month (titles, metas, headings, body copy edits, image alt text, and internal linking).
• Content briefs for any additional pieces the Client’s internal team writes (up to 4 briefs per month).
• Monthly content performance report covering organic traffic, rankings for target keywords, and top content by conversions.

Out‑of‑scope clarifier (excerpt)
The Consultant will not manage email marketing, social media distribution, or paid promotion of content. Graphic design, video production, and complex interactive tools are not included.

This is one of the more detailed examples of scope of work examples for SEO services centered on content, because it spells out word counts, volume, and reporting without drifting into other marketing channels.

E‑commerce SEO: best examples for large product catalogs

E‑commerce SEO scopes get messy fast if you don’t define how many categories, products, and templates are included. Here’s an example of scope of work for a 6‑month e‑commerce SEO project for a store with 5,000+ SKUs.

In‑scope deliverables (excerpt)
The Consultant will:

• Conduct keyword research for up to 50 category pages and 10 key product lines.
• Optimize on‑page elements for up to 50 category pages (title tags, meta descriptions, H1s, content blocks, internal linking).
• Provide templated SEO recommendations for product pages (title/meta formulas, structured data, review markup, and FAQ schema where applicable).
• Audit and provide recommendations for faceted navigation, filters, and crawl management.
• Work with the Client’s development team to test and validate SEO changes on staging before launch.

Out‑of‑scope clarifier (excerpt)
Manual optimization of individual product pages is not included beyond 10 flagship products. Product photography, copywriting for product descriptions, and marketplace SEO (Amazon, eBay, etc.) are not included.

If you work with online retailers, this is a strong example of scope of work examples for SEO services because it keeps the focus on scalable templates and high‑impact pages rather than promising to “optimize every product.”

One‑time SEO audit and strategy: example of a fixed‑fee project

Not every client is ready for a retainer. Some just want a roadmap. Here’s an example of scope of work for a one‑time SEO audit and strategy engagement.

In‑scope deliverables (excerpt)
The Consultant will deliver:

• A full SEO audit covering technical, on‑page, content, and basic off‑page factors for up to 5,000 URLs.
• A written strategy document outlining:
  • Priority issues and opportunities ranked by impact and effort
  • 6‑ to 12‑month roadmap with recommended sprints
  • Suggested KPIs and measurement approach
• A 90‑minute live presentation of findings with Q&A (recorded for later viewing).
• Up to two rounds of clarification questions via email within 30 days of delivery.

Out‑of‑scope clarifier (excerpt)
Implementation of recommendations, content creation, link building, and ongoing reporting are not part of this scope of work.

This is an example of scope of work examples for SEO services where the deliverable is thinking and documentation, not execution. That distinction should be crystal clear in your contract to avoid clients assuming implementation is included.

Startup launch: examples include pre‑launch and post‑launch SEO

Startups often need a hybrid scope that covers pre‑launch planning and post‑launch optimization. Here’s how you might frame that.

Pre‑launch in‑scope (excerpt)

• Keyword and competitor research for core product terms and brand positioning.
• URL structure and information architecture recommendations for up to 50 pages.
• On‑page SEO guidelines for copywriters (tone, keyword usage, internal linking rules).
• Technical launch checklist (indexing settings, sitemaps, redirects, analytics setup, basic event tracking).

Post‑launch in‑scope (first 90 days, excerpt)

• On‑page optimization for up to 20 priority pages based on early data.
• Monitoring of indexing, crawl errors, and key performance metrics.
• Two strategy adjustment calls (60 minutes each) to refine targets based on real‑world search behavior.

This hybrid model is one of the more flexible examples of scope of work examples for SEO services because it recognizes that startups change fast, but still sets hard limits on page counts and time windows.

Maintenance‑only SEO: example of a “light touch” retainer

Some clients just want you on standby to keep things from breaking. A maintenance‑only plan can work, but only if the scope is tight.

In‑scope deliverables (excerpt)
The Consultant will:

• Monitor Google Search Console and analytics weekly for indexing issues, manual actions, and significant traffic anomalies.
• Provide a short monthly status report with key metrics and any recommended fixes.
• Implement minor on‑page updates for up to 10 existing pages per month (titles, metas, small copy edits) as requested by the Client.

Out‑of‑scope clarifier (excerpt)
New content creation, large‑scale site changes, migrations, and link building are not included. Any project requiring more than 3 hours of work in a given month will be scoped and billed separately.

This is one of the best examples of scope of work examples for SEO services when you want to offer a lower‑priced tier without accidentally giving away a full retainer.

How to customize these examples of scope of work examples for SEO services

You don’t want to copy these word‑for‑word; you want to adapt them. Here’s how to tune any example of scope of work to fit your own SEO services without creating confusion.

1. Anchor everything to numbers
Vague phrases like “optimize pages as needed” are invitations for scope creep. Instead, specify:

• How many pages you’ll optimize per month
• How many keywords or topics you’ll research per quarter
• How many calls, emails, or reports are included

Every one of the real examples above uses numeric caps. That’s intentional.

2. Separate strategy from implementation
In 2024–2025, many companies want strategy only and will use in‑house teams to execute. Others want you to do everything. Your scope of work should spell out whether you are:

• Strategy‑only (audit, roadmap, training)
• Strategy + implementation (you log in and make changes)
• Strategy + oversight (you guide in‑house teams and QA their work)

When you write your own examples of scope of work examples for SEO services, make that distinction obvious.

3. Bake in realistic reporting and communication
Clients are more data‑savvy now. They expect clear reporting, but that doesn’t mean you become a full‑time analyst. Define:

• Reporting cadence (monthly, quarterly)
• Report contents (traffic, rankings, conversions, technical health)
• Meeting frequency and length

You can reference public guidance on analytics and measurement from sources like the U.S. Digital Analytics Program at https://digital.gov/services/dap/ if you want to standardize metrics.

4. Align with current SEO realities
Search is changing fast with AI overviews, zero‑click results, and more competition. When you draft your own scope, it helps to:

• Emphasize long‑term, content‑driven strategies
• Mention site quality, user experience, and helpful content
• Avoid promising specific rankings or traffic numbers

Google’s own “Helpful Content” documentation at https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content is a good reference point to share with clients so they understand why your SOW focuses on quality, not tricks.

FAQ: examples of SEO scope questions clients actually ask

What is an example of a basic SEO scope of work for a small business?
A basic example of scope of work for a small business might include keyword research for 10–20 core terms, optimization of 5–10 key pages (home, services, contact, about, a couple of blog posts), setup and optimization of Google Business Profile, and a simple monthly report. Anything beyond that—like blog writing, link building, or technical fixes—should be clearly listed as an add‑on.

How detailed should examples of scope of work examples for SEO services be in a contract?
Detailed enough that a third party could read the contract and understand what will be delivered, how often, and by whom. That means naming tools or platforms when relevant, setting numeric limits, and listing what is explicitly not included. You don’t need to write a textbook, but you do need clear, specific language.

Can I reuse the same example of scope of work for every SEO client?
You can absolutely start from a master template, but you should customize it by:

• Industry (local service, e‑commerce, SaaS, content site)
• Site size and complexity
• Client resources (in‑house writers, developers, etc.)

The best examples of scope of work examples for SEO services are modular: you reuse the structure but swap in the right page counts, deliverables, and timelines.

Should SEO scopes of work mention Google algorithm updates?
You don’t need to track every core update in your contract, but it’s smart to include a short statement that search algorithms change regularly and that no specific rankings are guaranteed. You can point clients to educational resources from reputable organizations, such as digital policy and technology overviews from sites like https://www.ftc.gov, to underline that search is a dynamic environment.

What are red flags in examples of SEO scope of work language?
Watch out for promises of guaranteed rankings, unlimited revisions or optimizations, “full site SEO” without page limits, or phrases like “as needed” without caps. Those are the opposite of the clear, realistic examples of scope of work examples for SEO services you want in a professional contract.

Use these examples as starting points, not straight copy. Edit the numbers, timelines, and responsibilities until they match how you actually work. The goal is simple: a scope of work that your client understands, your future self can deliver, and your accountant can bill without drama.