Local SEO Packages: What Should Your Proposal Include?

Before you compare local SEO packages by price, ask each provider to describe a completed month of work. Which pages changed? Which profile updates were published? What can you inspect? What needs your approval next?

If the proposal cannot answer those questions, you do not yet have enough information to compare it with another quote. A package name and a list of services leave too much room for different expectations.

Use the proposal to agree on the work, the evidence you will receive, and the decisions you still need to make together.

Turn each service into a deliverable

“Website optimization” needs a page list and an explanation of the changes covered. Ask whether it includes writing, editing, technical repairs, implementation, and checking the published result. A recommendation document alone leaves someone else responsible for doing the work.

For content, specify whether the allowance covers new pages or revisions, who supplies business details and photos, and how many review rounds are included. Word count tells you little about whether a page helps customers understand a service and inquire.

Google Business Profile management needs its own scope: profiles covered, information to maintain, updates to prepare, and any review-response support. Ask who approves changes to services, hours, and customer-facing replies.

For business listings, request the directories or submission allowance. “Directory management” could mean checking existing details, submitting corrections, or paying for a separate distribution tool. The proposal should identify which work you are buying and any access limitations.

Put quantities and decisions in writing

A useful scope states the number of pages, profiles, updates, responses, or submissions covered and the period each allowance applies to. It also explains what happens when a priority changes or unused work carries into another month.

Look for a named approver on your side and a contact at the agency. Decide how drafts arrive, how you return feedback, and whether delayed approvals move the schedule. Confirm who can publish routine corrections and which changes require your consent.

You should also know the order of work. If a contact form fails, repairing and checking it may take priority over publishing another article. Ask the provider to explain the first priorities using evidence from your website and profile, then agree how later priorities will be chosen.

Ask for evidence you can inspect

For each deliverable, request a way to confirm completion. A page change can include its URL, the reason for the edit, and a record of what changed. A listing correction can include the submitted details and its current status. A submission is not proof that the directory accepted it.

When reviewing previous work, ask what the provider did, over what period, and what the evidence actually shows. A screenshot of a high ranking does not explain the starting point, the search location, or whether the business received relevant inquiries.

Google's guide to hiring an SEO recommends asking about previous work, communication, and how success will be measured. It also warns against guaranteed first-place rankings.

JPA's reporting example from its own website documents an inquiry-form repair and the checks performed. It shows completed work and verification; it does not claim a client ranking or revenue increase.

Agree on what counts as an inquiry

Your report should distinguish search exposure, website visits, contact actions, and actual inquiries. A tap on a phone button shows intent to call. It does not confirm a connected conversation, a qualified prospect, or booked work.

Ask how forms and calls will be checked, where available data comes from, and which gaps will remain. Decide how your team will flag spam, wrong-service requests, relevant inquiries, and completed sales. Avoid counting the same person twice when they call and submit a form.

Set a starting baseline and review dates. A useful monthly conversation connects completed work with available results and the next decision. Google describes relevance, distance, and prominence as local ranking factors, so a package cannot promise the same visibility everywhere you serve. Read Google's local ranking guidance.

Copy this request for a local SEO proposal

Send the same brief to each provider, filling in your business details:

We want more relevant inquiries for [services] in [actual coverage area]. Please review [website and Business Profile] and send a proposal covering:

• Starting priorities: The issues you found, the evidence, and the proposed order of work.
• Named deliverables: Pages, profiles, and listings covered; the changes you will make; and what we can inspect afterward.
• Quantities and limits: Monthly allowances, revision rounds, and how extra or deferred work is handled.
• Responsibilities: Materials and access we supply, who approves changes, and who publishes them.
• Reporting: Completed work, available inquiry data, measurement gaps, and next priorities.
• Ownership and handover: Accounts and assets we control, permissions you need, and what we receive when the agreement ends.
• Commercial terms: Fees, separate costs, agreement length, cancellation terms, and exclusions.

Compare the answers against the same business priorities. If one proposal includes implementation and another only supplies recommendations, ask for that difference to be made explicit before comparing the fees.

Check ownership and the full agreement

Keep control of your business accounts and ask for appropriate provider access through invitations. Your agreement should explain who owns created content, which tools require subscriptions, and how access and records are handed over when work ends.

JPA's Local Growth service combines agreed website improvements and Google Business Profile work, typically $500–$1,500 per month. Quantities and limits are defined in your proposal. That range covers the combined service; it is not a standalone profile-management price.

A new website or substantial rebuild is a separate project starting at $2,500. Paid advertising, hosting, software subscriptions, and website care are outside the Local Growth fee. Confirm the complete scope and separate costs before accepting a proposal.

Request an SEO proposal

Share your website, the services you want more inquiries for, and where you actually work. We'll arrange a call to review the starting point, then define the monthly work, price, access, approvals, and agreement terms in a proposal.

Request an SEO Proposal