Buying SEO

Scope of work

Also called: SOW, statement of work

The scope of work is the contractual list of what a provider will deliver, how often, and what is explicitly excluded. Vague scope is the single most common source of failed SEO engagements.

A usable scope names deliverables and quantities: how many content briefs, how many pages of production, how many technical tickets, how many links, how many hours of senior time, and who does the implementation. "Ongoing optimisation" and "continuous improvement" are not deliverables; they are what a provider writes when they intend to decide later.

Two clauses matter more than the rest. Ownership: content, links, accounts and data must be yours during and after the engagement. And access: shared Search Console and analytics from day one, because a provider who reports on data you cannot verify is asking to be trusted rather than measured.

Related terms

Guides on this subject

  • SEO contracts: the clauses that cost you later

    A clause by clause reading of SEO contracts: guaranteed rankings, undefined scope, automatic renewal, ownership of content, links and accounts on exit, subcontracting, indemnity and pilot structures.

  • The questions to ask an SEO agency before you sign

    A buyer's interview script for the selection call: the questions that reveal evidence, staffing, technical depth, content process, link sources and reporting, and the answers that should end the conversation.