Start with the decision your customer needs to make
“More traffic” leaves too much unanswered. A more useful brief might be: “Customers ask whether we provide this service in their area, and our service page does not explain the boundary.” That gives you a page, a missing answer and a business fact to verify.
For a Virginia business serving several communities, record where the service is actually available and which existing page should answer the question. A longer list of town pages is not evidence that a proposal is more useful. If two pages would do the same job, ask why both are needed.
The SEO scope comparison worksheet
Copy these eight rows into your notes and complete them for each proposal. Mark an unanswered item as an open question. This is a planning aid; it does not describe a fixed Webb Flow package or contract.
| Scope item | What to put in your notes |
|---|---|
| Initial diagnosis | What problem is being investigated? Which evidence is available? Is diagnosis a paid deliverable, and what remains unknown afterward? |
| Pages needing work | List the URLs and the proposed action for each: review, revise, implement, consolidate or create. Record exclusions and approval needs. |
| Dependencies | Who supplies business facts, access and approvals? Who edits the site? Identify separate development, design or third-party work. |
| Deliverables | Name the outputs and completion criteria. Distinguish a recommendation from written content and from a change implemented on the site. |
| Pricing model | Record the fee basis, payment schedule, included work, optional work and continuing tool or license costs. Ask how a scope change is priced. |
| Measurement | Record the baseline, comparison period and available data. Separate search observations from actual inquiry quality and business outcomes. |
| Access and ownership | Record account control, permissions, licenses, content use and handover arrangements. Ask what happens to access and ongoing costs when work ends. |
| Review dates | Separate delivery checks from dates for reviewing observations. Note dependencies and who decides whether to continue, change or stop the work. |
Compare outputs before comparing totals
Consider two illustrative scopes. One ends with a diagnosis and a prioritized list of recommendations. Another includes revisions to named pages, business fact review and implementation. Even if both use the label “SEO,” they leave the customer with different things. These examples are not Webb Flow offers.
For each quote, ask who does the next step. If the deliverable is an audit, who acts on it? If the work includes copy, who verifies it and puts it on the site? If implementation needs another provider, record that dependency before treating the proposal as a complete cost.
Match the payment model to the work
A project fee can be compared against a defined endpoint. An hourly arrangement needs a clear task, rate and way to authorize additional time. A monthly arrangement needs a list of recurring responsibilities and review dates. None of those labels tells you which is right for your business on its own.
Ask which costs continue after the initial work, whether tools or licenses are separate, and how additional work would be approved. Read the actual proposal for terms about access, content use, handover and ending the arrangement. This worksheet does not set those terms.
Keep work dates separate from search outcomes
A schedule can describe when a page will be drafted or a change checked. It cannot give the provider control over a search engine’s decisions. Google’s advice on hiring an SEO warns against guaranteed rankings and encourages questions about recommendations, communication and evidence.
The same distinction applies to AI answers. Google’s generative AI guidance emphasizes useful content and technical foundations; its AI feature guidance says indexing and serving are not guaranteed. A proposal should make the planned work inspectable without treating rankings or citations as a purchased deliverable.
Choose a review that can answer your question
If the problem concerns search visibility, record which queries and pages you want to examine and the comparison period. Search Console provides search performance information, including impressions and clicks. An inquiry log answers a different question: whether people contacting you are asking for work you actually provide.
Keep those observations distinct. More clicks do not, by themselves, prove better inquiries or revenue. Note other website changes, changes in services and seasonal context when interpreting a comparison. If the information is unavailable, record the gap rather than filling it with an assumed result.
Prepare an inquiry without assuming the answer
Gather your website URL, priority services, actual service area and the pages causing concern. Add recent changes and recurring customer questions. You do not need to diagnose the cause first, and an initial message does not need passwords.
The SEO planning page helps frame the next discussion. If the business serves Richmond, the Richmond inquiry page adds questions about the area and customer context. Use the worksheet to identify the facts and responsibilities that still need agreement.