SEO scoping failures almost never happen during scoping. They happen during intake — when the information that shapes the scope either gets collected properly, or doesn't.
"We forgot to ask about their other markets." "Nobody mentioned they're migrating CMS next quarter." "The client assumed content writing was included because we didn't ask."
Each of these is preventable. Below you'll find 32 structured intake questions organised by the scope variables they inform. Use them during discovery calls, send as a pre-call form, or build into your CRM workflow.
Who this is for
- SEO agency sales teams running discovery calls
- Account managers who need consistent question sets across the team
- Freelance SEO consultants capturing project requirements
- Agency operators building repeatable intake processes
The full intake questionnaire
Context and goals
1. What are your primary SEO goals? Separates "we want more traffic" from "we want more revenue from organic." Goals determine KPIs, which determine reporting scope and success criteria.
2. What prompted you to seek SEO help now? There's always a trigger — a traffic drop, a competitor gaining visibility, a new product launch, leadership pressure. Understanding urgency shapes timeline and phasing.
3. Have you worked with an SEO agency before? What happened? Previous experience reveals expectations, pain points, and potential trust issues. If the last agency "didn't deliver," understand why — it might be a scoping problem, not a performance problem.
4. What does success look like in 6 months? In 12 months? Short-term and long-term goals help you scope phase 1 correctly. A client who wants "quick wins" needs a different scope than one planning a 12-month organic growth strategy.
5. What's the budget range for this engagement? Avoidance of this question leads to scoping work the client can't afford. A $3K/month budget and a $15K/month budget need fundamentally different scopes.
Site and platform
6. What's your website URL? Obvious but essential — the site is the first thing you'll review.
7. What CMS or platform are you on? WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, custom, headless — each has different SEO capabilities and constraints. This variable shapes technical recommendations.
8. Approximately how many pages does the site have? Site size drives audit scope, on-page workload, and technical complexity. "We're not sure" means you should crawl before scoping.
9. Are there subdomains, microsites, or multiple domains? Multiple properties multiply scope. A client who mentions "oh, and we also have a blog on a subdomain" after signing has a different scope than what was agreed.
10. Any planned site changes in the next 6 months? (redesign, migration, new sections) A CMS migration mid-engagement changes everything. Surface this before scoping.
Access and readiness
11. Do you have Google Analytics 4 set up? If not, setup is either in scope or a prerequisite. Either way, it affects timeline.
12. Do you have Google Search Console access? Essential for any SEO engagement. Lack of access delays the start.
13. Can you provide CMS admin access? Determines whether the agency can implement changes directly or must provide recommendations for the client's team.
14. Who on your team can provide technical access quickly? Access delays are the most common engagement blocker. Knowing the contact prevents weeks of back-and-forth.
Scope definition
15. Are you looking for an audit, ongoing management, or both? This is the most important scope variable — it determines engagement type, pricing model, and document structure.
16. Is implementation included, or are you looking for recommendations only? "SEO audit with implementation" is a fundamentally different scope than "SEO audit." Clarify before scoping.
17. Which areas of SEO are priorities? (technical, content, local, link building) Helps focus the scope on what matters most. "Everything" is not a priority — push for ranking.
18. Are there specific pages or sections of the site that are highest priority? Focuses on-page and content work where it matters most. Especially important for large sites where "optimise the whole site" isn't feasible within budget.
Content
19. Do you have an existing content strategy or editorial calendar? If yes, SEO content strategy aligns with it. If no, content strategy may need to be built from scratch — different scope.
20. Who writes content currently? (internal team, freelancers, agency, nobody) Determines whether content writing is in scope, excluded, or a collaboration.
21. Do you need us to write content, or just provide strategy and briefs? The single most important content scope question. Briefs-only is 30% of the effort of briefs + writing.
22. How fast can your team review and approve content? Approval speed directly affects content delivery timeline.
Local SEO
23. Do you have physical locations? If yes, local SEO may be in scope. If no, skip this section.
24. How many locations? Location count drives GBP, citation, and reporting effort.
25. Are Google Business Profiles set up and verified for each location? New vs existing GBP changes the scope from setup to optimisation.
26. Do you need review monitoring and response management? Review management is often assumed to be included. Clarify now.
Off-page and link building
27. Is link building something you want included in this engagement? If yes, define method and boundaries. If no, exclude explicitly. Link building is one of the most common sources of scope ambiguity.
28. Have you done any link building previously? What methods? Previous link building history (especially if it includes risky tactics) affects current strategy and scope.
Reporting and communication
29. How often do you want to receive reports? Monthly is standard. Some clients expect weekly updates. Set expectations during intake.
30. Do you prefer written reports, dashboards, or live meetings? Format preference determines reporting effort and tools needed.
31. Who will be our primary contact, and how should we communicate? Single point of contact vs committee changes communication overhead.
32. How quickly can decisions be made on your side? Decision speed is a timeline variable. Slow approval cycles need to be built into the scope as assumptions.
Context & goals
- What are your primary SEO goals?
- What prompted you to seek SEO help now?
- Previous SEO agency experience? What happened?
- What does success look like in 6 months? In 12 months?
- Budget range for this engagement?
Site & platform
- Website URL?
- CMS / platform?
- Approximate page count?
- Subdomains, microsites, or multiple domains?
- Planned site changes in next 6 months?
Access
- GA4 set up? Access available?
- Google Search Console access?
- CMS admin access available?
- Technical contact who can provide access quickly?
Scope
- Audit, ongoing management, or both?
- Implementation included, or recommendations only?
- Priority SEO areas? (technical / content / local / links)
- Priority pages or site sections?
Content
- Existing content strategy or editorial calendar?
- Who writes content currently?
- Need us to write content, or just strategy and briefs?
- Content approval turnaround time?
Local SEO
- Physical locations? How many?
- GBP set up and verified?
- Review monitoring and response needed?
Off-page
- Link building included?
- Previous link building history and methods?
Reporting & communication
- Reporting frequency preference?
- Report format preference? (written / dashboard / meetings)
- Primary contact and communication channel?
- Decision-making speed?
From intake to scope
These 32 questions capture exactly the variables that drive SEO scope decisions. Each answer maps to a scope variable — engagement type, site size, content scope, local SEO, reporting cadence.
RuleDox turns these answers into assembled scopes:
- Set variables from intake answers — engagement type, site size, platform, content scope
- Rules determine deliverables — what's included and excluded based on inputs
- Hours calculate from scope — not from guesswork or memory
- Output is a Google Doc — structured, consistent, ready to review
The intake captures the inputs. RuleDox assembles the scope.
FAQ
Do I need to ask all 32 questions on every call? No. Many have default answers (single market, no local SEO, no link building). Use the full set as a reference and skip sections that clearly don't apply. The value is in not missing the question that turns out to matter.
Should this be a form or a conversation? Both work. Some agencies send a pre-call form to capture basics (URL, goals, budget range), then use the full list during the discovery call for depth. The format matters less than the consistency.
What if the client can't answer key questions? Flag it as an assumption in the scope. "Scope assumes single-market engagement" or "Scope assumes CMS access is available within 5 business days." Unknown inputs become assumptions — not silent risks.