How to scope SEO costs and compare proposals
Estimate SEO scope from the actual website: technical fixes, content, performance and measurement, with a checklist for requesting comparable proposals.
SEO costs depend on the website’s condition, implementation scope and continuing work. Start with the same brief for each provider: which services should attract enquiries, who can edit the site, what content exists and how actual conversations will be recorded.
Separate initial implementation from ongoing work
| Scope | Work to assess | Acceptance evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Audit and implementation | Access, indexing, URLs, canonicals, sitemaps and internal links | Findings, changed URLs and verification results |
| Ongoing content and SEO | Buyer questions, services, articles and project evidence | Changed pages, rationale, search and enquiry data |
| Performance and migration | Images, fonts, scripts, URL mapping and redirects | Comparable measurements and verified release URLs |
What changes the scope
- Distinct page templates, languages, CMS constraints and available implementation access.
- Existing URL and indexing problems, migration needs and redirects.
- Service information, project images, reviewers and permission to publish evidence.
- Content creation or improvement volume and the review cadence.
- External tools and the work the site owner can maintain.
Prepare a useful request for an estimate
Share the site URL, priority services, audience, service area, observed problems and the responsible system owner. If Search Console data is available, use appropriate access or exports and separate service-site results from store subdomains.
A sample brief
Illustrative brief: a bilingual company site has real project work and wants prospects to find its core service and enquire on LINE. The owner can maintain content but needs technical review and implementation. A comparable proposal separates initial findings, target pages, approval owners and the definition of a qualified enquiry.
Where GEO and AI search fit
Google states that foundational SEO remains relevant to AI Overviews and AI Mode. Review crawl and search eligibility, useful content and supporting evidence. For ChatGPT Search, check OAI-SearchBot access through robots and CDN/WAF rules separately from GPTBot training controls.
Compare verifiable commitments
| Question | Evidence to request |
|---|---|
| Which pages change first and why? | URLs, observed issues and priorities |
| Who implements and approves? | Responsibilities, access and review process |
| What is reported? | Completed work, search performance, actual enquiries and data limitations |
| What is included in the cost? | Initial work, continuing work, external fees and review cadence |
T2ETECH scopes work from the actual website and brief, with inclusions, owner inputs and continuing costs agreed before delivery. Share your URL and priority services on LINE.
Explore SEO services and an anonymised search-results example →
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