"What exactly do I get?" is the most common question SEO clients ask — and the hardest to answer when your deliverables aren't standardised.
Most agencies know what they deliver. The problem is that the list changes depending on who's scoping, what the client asked about, and what got discussed on the sales call. One client gets a 12-item deliverable list. Another gets 6. Neither is wrong — but the inconsistency makes pricing unreliable and delegation impossible.
This page lists every common SEO deliverable by service type, with effort estimates and guidance on when to include or exclude each one.
Who this is for
- Agency founders standardising deliverable lists across the team
- Account managers assembling scope documents from a reference list
- Teams where different people include different deliverables for similar engagements
- Anyone building SEO scope templates who needs a comprehensive reference
Audit deliverables
| Deliverable | Typical effort | Include when |
|---|---|---|
| Technical crawl report | 4–8 hours | All audits |
| On-page assessment | 4–12 hours | Standard and full audits |
| Content audit / inventory | 4–16 hours | Full audits or content-focused engagements |
| Backlink profile analysis | 2–6 hours | Full audits or link-focused work |
| Competitor snapshot | 4–8 hours | Most audits (define competitor count) |
| Local SEO assessment | 2–4 hours | If client has physical locations |
| Priority matrix | 2–4 hours | All audits (ranks issues by impact/effort) |
| Executive summary | 1–2 hours | All audits (non-technical stakeholders) |
| Implementation roadmap | 2–4 hours | Audit + implementation engagements |
| Walkthrough presentation | 1–2 hours (prep + delivery) | All audits |
Related: SEO Audit Scope Template → | Technical Audit Scope →
Retainer deliverables (monthly)
| Deliverable | Typical effort | Include when |
|---|---|---|
| Technical health monitoring | 2–4 hours | All retainers |
| On-page optimisation (X pages) | 2–8 hours | Most retainers (define page count) |
| Content briefs | 2–4 hours per brief | If agency or client produces content |
| Content writing | 4–8 hours per piece | If content production is in scope |
| Keyword research (ongoing) | 2–4 hours | Most retainers (new opportunities, seasonal) |
| Internal linking updates | 1–2 hours | Most retainers |
| Monthly performance report | 2–4 hours | All retainers |
| Strategy call / review meeting | 1–2 hours (prep + call) | All retainers |
| Quarterly strategy review | 4–8 hours | Growth and enterprise retainers |
| Competitor monitoring | 1–2 hours | Growth+ retainers |
| CMS/platform updates review | 1–2 hours | If platform is actively developed |
Related: SEO Retainer Scope Template → | E-Commerce Retainer →
Technical SEO deliverables
| Deliverable | Typical effort | Include when |
|---|---|---|
| Crawl analysis | 4–8 hours | All technical work |
| Indexation review | 2–4 hours | All technical work |
| Core Web Vitals assessment | 2–4 hours | All technical audits |
| Structured data audit | 2–4 hours | Most technical audits |
| Site architecture review | 4–8 hours | Larger sites (1,000+ pages) |
| Redirect audit | 2–4 hours | Post-migration or redirect-heavy sites |
| Log file analysis | 4–8 hours | Enterprise or large sites |
| JavaScript rendering review | 4–8 hours | SPA/headless/JS-heavy sites |
| Mobile usability review | 1–2 hours | If mobile issues suspected |
| Hreflang audit | 4–8 hours | Multi-language/multi-market sites |
| Remediation tickets | 1–2 hours per ticket | If agency directs client developers |
| Post-fix verification | 1–2 hours per sprint | After remediation implementation |
Related: Technical Audit Scope → | Remediation Scope →
Content and on-page deliverables
| Deliverable | Typical effort | Include when |
|---|---|---|
| Content inventory / audit | 4–16 hours | Content-focused engagements |
| Content gap analysis | 4–8 hours | Strategy or planning phases |
| Content brief (per piece) | 1–3 hours | If agency creates content strategy |
| Content writing (per piece) | 4–8 hours | If content creation is in scope |
| Metadata optimisation (per page) | 10–20 min | On-page optimisation scopes |
| Heading restructure (per page) | 15–30 min | On-page optimisation scopes |
| Image alt text audit | 1–3 hours | On-page or accessibility-related |
| Schema markup implementation | 1–3 hours per type | Technical or on-page scopes |
| Content performance review | 2–4 hours | Retainers with content component |
| Content calendar | 2–4 hours per quarter | If content planning is in scope |
Related: Content Audit Scope → | On-Page SEO Scope →
Local SEO deliverables
| Deliverable | Typical effort | Include when |
|---|---|---|
| GBP audit (per location) | 1–2 hours | All local SEO engagements |
| GBP optimisation (per location) | 2–4 hours | Initial setup or optimisation |
| Citation audit | 2–4 hours | Initial engagement |
| Citation building/cleanup | 4–8 hours | If citations are inconsistent or incomplete |
| Local content creation | 4–8 hours per page | If local landing pages needed |
| Review management strategy | 2–4 hours | If review management is in scope |
| Local rank tracking setup | 1–2 hours | All local SEO (define tracking locations) |
| GBP posting | 1–2 hours per month | If ongoing GBP management is included |
| Per-location reporting | 1–2 hours per location | Multi-location engagements |
Related: Local SEO Scope Template →
Link building deliverables
| Deliverable | Typical effort | Include when |
|---|---|---|
| Link prospect research | 4–8 hours (initial) | All link building scopes |
| Outreach emails (personalised) | 2–4 hours per batch | All active outreach |
| Guest post content | 4–8 hours per piece | If guest posting is the method |
| Digital PR campaign | 8–20 hours per campaign | If digital PR is in scope |
| Broken link outreach | 2–4 hours per batch | If included as a method |
| Unlinked mention reclamation | 1–2 hours per batch | If brand has existing mentions |
| Link placement log | 30 min per month | All link building scopes |
| Outreach funnel report | 1–2 hours per month | If reporting granularity is high |
| Backlink monitoring | 1–2 hours per month | If ongoing link building |
| Link disavow review | 2–4 hours | Only if penalty risk or toxic links identified |
Related: Link Building Scope Template →
Reporting and governance deliverables
| Deliverable | Typical effort | Include when |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly performance report | 2–4 hours | All retainers and ongoing work |
| Quarterly strategy review | 4–8 hours | Growth and enterprise engagements |
| Keyword ranking report | 1–2 hours | All ongoing engagements |
| Competitor comparison report | 2–4 hours | If competitor tracking is in scope |
| Change request log | 30 min per month | All retainers |
| Scope utilisation summary | 30 min per month | All retainers (hours used vs allocated) |
| Annual strategy document | 8–16 hours | Enterprise retainers |
Related: Reporting Scope Template → | GA4 & GSC Requirements →
Use this when assembling a scope to verify you haven't missed a deliverable that should be included — or included one that shouldn't be.
For every scope, verify:
- Deliverables match the engagement type (audit / retainer / project)
- Each deliverable has an effort estimate or hour allocation
- Deliverables are specific (not "SEO work" — name the actual output)
- Exclusions list anything the client might assume is included
- Reporting deliverables match the agreed cadence
- Implementation responsibility is defined (agency implements vs recommends)
- Timeline is realistic for the deliverable volume
- QA or review steps are included where needed
- Access requirements are listed for all deliverables that need tools/data
How RuleDox helps
Deliverable lists are where scope consistency breaks down. Different team members include different items. Some deliverables are always relevant; others depend on engagement type, client size, or service mix. Assembling the right list from memory leads to inconsistency and missed items.
With RuleDox:
- Engagement type selects the right deliverables — audit scopes get audit deliverables; retainers get monthly deliverables
- Optional deliverables toggle in or out — link building, local SEO, and content appear only when selected
- Effort estimates are pre-calculated — hours adjust based on site size, page count, and scope depth
- Nothing gets accidentally excluded — if a deliverable is relevant, the rules include it; if it's not, it's excluded explicitly
FAQ
How do I know which deliverables to include? Start with the engagement type (audit, retainer, project) and the service mix (technical, on-page, content, links, local). Each combination has a natural set of deliverables. Use this page as a reference — then remove what doesn't apply rather than adding from scratch.
Should every deliverable have hours attached? Yes, for retainers and project-based work. For audits, total effort is usually more useful than per-deliverable breakdown. Either way, the client should be able to see what they're getting and approximately how much effort each component requires.
What about deliverables that span service types? Some deliverables (keyword research, competitor analysis, reporting) appear in multiple service types. Include them once in the scope with a clear allocation. Don't double-count hours because keyword research supports both content and on-page work.