How to Write an SEO Scope of Work (for Agencies)

Most SEO scopes fail not because they're missing information, but because the information they contain is vague enough to be interpreted differently by each side.

"SEO optimisation" isn't a deliverable. "Content support" isn't a boundary. "Ongoing monitoring" isn't a commitment.

A good SEO scope of work is a boundary document — it defines what you'll do, what you won't do, and what has to be true for the engagement to work. This page covers how to write one that actually holds up when tested.

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Before listing any deliverable in an SEO scope, it must pass this test:

Question	Why it matters
What exactly is it?	"Technical SEO" isn't specific. "Crawl analysis of up to 5,000 URLs using Screaming Frog" is.
What triggers completion?	Deliverables need end states. "Ongoing optimisation" never ends. "Optimise title tags for 30 priority pages" has a clear finish line.
What's excluded?	If the deliverable is "content strategy," does that include writing? If not, say so explicitly.

If a deliverable can't answer all three, it's not ready for the scope.

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State what you're doing and why. Link the scope to business outcomes, not just SEO activities. "Improve organic visibility to increase qualified traffic by 30% within 6 months" gives both sides a shared definition of success.

This is the section where scopes succeed or fail. For each deliverable:

• Name it specifically — "Technical SEO audit" not "SEO work"
• Quantify it — "Optimise 20 pages" not "optimise pages"
• Define the output — "Delivered as a Google Slides deck with prioritised recommendations"

Phase the work. Month 1 is typically audit and strategy. Months 2–3 are implementation. Month 4+ is ongoing optimisation. Include dependencies — "content optimisation begins after keyword research approval."

Define who does what:

• Agency: Delivers audit, provides recommendations, implements technical fixes
• Client: Provides access, approves content, publishes changes (if implementation is client-side)
• Third parties: Development team implements technical recommendations (if separate)

Tie pricing to the scope — not to a separate spreadsheet. Include fee structure, payment schedule, and what triggers additional charges.

This section prevents scope creep. Define:

• What constitutes a change (new URLs, additional markets, new deliverables)
• How changes are requested and approved
• How changes are priced (hourly rate, fixed fee per change, or included within limits)

Assumptions are conditions that must be true: "Client provides GA4 access within 5 business days." Exclusions are explicit non-inclusions: "Content writing is not part of this engagement."

Every assumption that fails should trigger a scope conversation, not silent scope expansion.

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• Mistake: Not defining audit depth (technical only vs full audit)
• Fix: Specify which audit categories are included and excluded

• Mistake: Defining hours without defining work types
• Fix: "20 hours covering: technical monitoring, on-page optimisation, and content strategy"

• Mistake: Not specifying location count
• Fix: List locations explicitly. Include per-location pricing for additions.

• Mistake: Not distinguishing strategy from production
• Fix: "Content briefs are included. Content writing is excluded unless specified in the deliverables section."

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Most agencies have a scoping process that looks like this:

1. Senior person opens a "template" (actually an old scope for a similar client)
2. They copy sections that seem relevant
3. They adjust hours and pricing in a spreadsheet
4. They review for consistency (sometimes)
5. They send it

This works at low volume. It breaks when you're scoping 10+ engagements per month, when multiple people are scoping, or when the founder wants to stop reviewing every scope.

RuleDox encodes this process:

• Variables replace decisions — engagement type, site size, and service mix determine scope structure
• Rules replace memory — conditional sections include/exclude based on what's selected
• Calculations replace spreadsheets — hours and pricing calculate from scope variables
• Google Docs remain the output — your team reviews and adjusts a structured document, not a blank page

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How detailed should an SEO scope be? Detailed enough that a team member who wasn't on the sales call can deliver against it without asking clarifying questions. If they need to ask "does this include content writing?" the scope isn't specific enough.

Should the scope include SEO methodology? No. The scope defines what you'll do, not how you'll do it. Methodology belongs in internal documentation or a separate methodology appendix. Including methodology in the scope invites clients to debate your approach.

When should I use a scope vs a proposal? Proposals sell. Scopes define boundaries. For smaller deals ($1–3K/month), a combined proposal-scope works. For larger deals ($5K+/month), separate them — the proposal gets the client to say yes, the scope defines what they're saying yes to. Read more: SEO SOW vs Proposal →