Commission SEO: scope, implementation and costs
SEO improves the conditions for discovery in relevant unpaid search results. Technical assessment, new content and ongoing implementation are different services. A quote should show what will be addressed and who publishes changes. Neither indexing nor any particular position is guaranteed.
Connect business goals and search needs
State the enquiries, sales, visits or information use you need. One relevant enquiry may be worth more than many unsuitable visits. Define products, services, audiences and regions actually served.
Search topics should lead to useful pages. Agree limited initial priorities rather than an arbitrary keyword count. Assess branded searches, new audiences and seasonal topics separately.
Separate assessment, implementation and care
Assessment provides findings and a justified order. Implementation also needs work scope, approvals and technical capacity. Ongoing care should specify actual work and coordination per period.
| Engagement | Expected output |
|---|---|
| Assessment | Prioritised findings and affected page types |
| Implementation | Agreed changes and checked publication |
| Ongoing care | Work records, evaluation and next steps |
| Website migration | Inventory, redirects and post-change checks |
Check technical barriers before small edits
Clarify whether important pages are accessible to the intended search service. Redirects, duplicate addresses, visible content and internal links can affect discovery. Submitting a page list does not force indexing.
Before migration or redesign, record important existing addresses and content. Agree checks afterwards and who handles faults. A new page title alone does not replace this work.
Improve answers to real questions
Content should clearly answer a concrete question and match the service. Check currency, original information, clear headings and useful next steps. Repeated keywords or a blanket minimum word count are not sound quality evidence.
Separate topic planning, drafting, subject review, images and publication. Your subject approval matters; existing content may first be improved selectively.
Account for languages and page types
Multilingual websites need appropriate content and clear relationships between versions. Local services, national offers and catalogues with product variants differ. Translation alone does not resolve every regional search intent.
Compare the same websites, languages and important page types. Large inventories may suit common templates and a justified sample. Identify individual content expressly included.
Separate work records from effects
Record the baseline, published changes and assessment period. Impressions, clicks and valuable actions are different measures. Season, competition, demand or measurement changes can affect trends.
Reports should explain limits and next decisions. A brief position for one query does not prove lasting business results. Available data can later be checked with suitable permissions; no credentials are needed in the enquiry.
Compare costs for the same scope
Compare setup, assessment, implementation and ongoing work over the same period. Writing, translation, development and additional tools may be separate. Clarify internal effort and approvals too.
A recommendation fee differs from a fee including publication. Specify included tasks, scope changes, duration, cancellation and handover. Unknown extras are not free.
| Cost item | Clarify in the quote |
|---|---|
| Start | Inventory, assessment and prioritised plan |
| Content | Count or scope, review and languages |
| Technical work | Implementation, tests and publication |
| Ongoing care | Work scope, reports and coordination |
| Extras / exit | Tools, special projects and handover |
Prepare a comparable enquiry and start
The initial enquiry needs the engagement, website scope, audiences, languages and known special conditions. Put sites, markets and existing systems in one short common brief. Secret credentials or complete customer analytics are unnecessary.
Then agree baseline checks, priorities, approvals, implementation and verification. Ask for clear explanations. Accounts and work documents should transfer on provider change; ranking promises do not replace a work plan.
Frequently asked questions
Is SEO the same as search advertising?
No. SEO concerns unpaid results. Advertising management and media spend are separate services.
Can a leading position be guaranteed?
No. Agree concrete work and measurement conditions instead of fixed rankings or guaranteed indexing.
Must every page be handled individually?
It depends on inventory and scope. Templates, sampling and included individual content should be explicit.
Are new texts included?
Only by agreement. Planning, drafting, subject review, translation and publication may be separate items.
When can effects be assessed?
After a period suited to the change, accounting for baseline, publication, demand and data quality.
Can my internal web team implement the changes?
Yes if responsibilities and handover fit. Separate recommendations, technical implementation and follow-up checks.
