Page one tells you whether to sign.
A PDF, usually 6 to 10 pages depending on the proposal, in seven fixed sections, written for the person signing the contract rather than for a marketer. Every finding quotes the proposal, so you can check the reasoning against the document yourself.
- $199
- verdict in 24 business hours
- I review every proposal myself
SEO Proposal Audit
Proposal reviewed: 12-month SEO retainer
Example report, illustrative
Verdict
Overpriced
Risk score
68/100
Risk score: 68 / 100
Higher means more risk to you
Top issue 1 of 3
Do not sign as written
RF-01 Ranking guarantee
“Guaranteed first-page rankings within 90 days.”
Proposal, page 2
Nobody controls Google rankings. Google itself calls guaranteed rankings a warning sign.
Negotiation email, ready to send
Before we sign, please replace the ranking guarantee on page 2 with a written list of monthly deliverables, and change the 12-month term to 3 months, then month to month.
Illustrative example, drawn to show the layout of page one. The agency, verdict, score and quoted clause are made up. It is not a client's audit.
Seven sections, always in this order.
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01
Verdict and risk score
One of Fair, Overpriced or Walk Away, a score out of 100, and a paragraph of reasoning. Page one, above everything else.
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02
Top 3 issues
The three findings that carry the most money or the most lost control. Each quotes the proposal word for word, names the section it sits in, and explains the cost in plain terms.
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03
Full flag table
Every one of the 18 red flags, marked raised or not raised. Raised flags carry a severity of 1 to 3, the quoted evidence, and what a fair version of that clause looks like. Flags that did not fire are shown too, so you can see I read the whole proposal. When the proposal sells GEO or AI-search work, five AI-search flags appear in the same table. RF-01 covers ranking promises, because no agency can deliver guaranteed SEO results.
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04
Price assessment
The monthly figure, the total across the full contract term, and how that compares with what the stated deliverables would cost to produce properly. It answers the question every owner starts with: how much should SEO cost for this scope?
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05
Site notes
What was found on the live website, and whether the proposed plan addresses any of it. If you already pay an agency, the same notes show whether your SEO is working.
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06
Case studies and review signals
Up to three of the agency's cited case studies, each rated verified, plausible but unverifiable, or doubtful, with the public evidence behind the rating. Then a short read of the agency's reviews across platforms: consistent, mixed or concerning, the specific signals, and a plain note that a pattern read is not proof.
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07
Negotiation script
An email written for you to paste and send, asking for the specific amendments that would make the agreement signable, in the order they matter.
The email you send the agency.
The last page of every report is an email like this one, written for your proposal. Copy it, fill in the names, and send it the same day.
Subject: Before we sign: requested changes to the SEO proposal
Hi [name], thanks for the proposal. Before we sign, we'd like four changes:
- Replace the ranking guarantee on page 2 with a written list of monthly deliverables.
- Change the 12-month term to 3 months, then month to month, with 30 days' written notice from either side.
- Remove the automatic renewal and the exit fee.
- Confirm in writing that we own the website, the domain, the Google Business Profile and all content you create for us, and that you'll hand over every login if we part ways.
If you can send a revised proposal with these changes, we're ready to move forward.
Thanks,
[your name]
Before you sign, get it read by someone with nothing to sell
A flat $199. One proposal, read line by line. A written verdict within 24 business hours.
- Flat $199, paid once
- Report within 24 business hours or a full refund
- Full refund if you never send the proposal
- I don't sell SEO