SEO contract template (services agreement)

A plain-English SEO services agreement template: scope, fees, term, client duties, no ranking guarantee, ownership, confidentiality and termination.

How to use it: this is a starting point, not legal advice. Laws differ by country and state. Have a lawyer review it before you use it, and keep the scope in a schedule so you can change the work without rewriting the agreement.

Example agreement between Ridgeline Search LLC and Northwind Plumbing Inc. Both companies are fictional. Replace the bracketed items.

1. Parties#

This agreement is between Ridgeline Search LLC ("Agency"), [address], and Northwind Plumbing Inc. ("Client"), [address], and starts on [start date] (the "Start Date").

2. Services#

Agency will provide the search engine optimisation services described in Schedule A (the "Services"). Work outside Schedule A needs a written change, agreed by email, before it starts.

3. Term#

The agreement runs for an initial term of [six] months from the Start Date. After that it continues month to month until either party ends it with [30] days' written notice.

4. Fees and payment#

• Client will pay [$2,800] per month, invoiced on the 1st and due within [14] days.
• Third-party costs (tools, content licences, paid placements) are only incurred with Client's written approval and are billed at cost.
• Invoices unpaid after [30] days may pause the Services until paid.

5. Client responsibilities#

Client will:

• give Agency access to the website, Google Search Console, Google Analytics and Google Business Profile;
• provide accurate information about its services, prices and locations;
• review and approve submitted work within [five] working days. Delays in approval move delivery dates by the same amount.

6. No guarantee of rankings or traffic#

Search rankings and traffic depend on search engines and competitors that neither party controls. Agency does not guarantee any specific ranking, traffic level or revenue. Agency will perform the Services with reasonable skill and care, following search engines' published guidelines, and will not use practices those guidelines prohibit.

7. Reporting#

Agency will send a written report by the [5th] working day of each month covering the work done, the main results, and the plan for the next month.

8. Ownership#

• Content, code and designs Agency creates for Client become Client's property once the related fees are paid.
• Agency keeps ownership of its own tools, templates and methods, and may reuse general know-how.
• Accounts and properties (Search Console, Analytics, Business Profile) stay in Client's name. Agency's access ends when the agreement ends.

9. Confidentiality#

Each party will keep the other's non-public business information confidential and use it only for this agreement. This survives the end of the agreement for [two] years.

10. Termination#

• Either party may end the agreement for material breach that is not fixed within [14] days of written notice.
• On termination, Client pays for Services performed up to the end date, and Agency hands over all Client-owned work within [10] working days.

11. Liability#

Neither party is liable for indirect or consequential losses, including lost profits. Each party's total liability under this agreement is limited to the fees paid in the [three] months before the claim.

12. General#

This agreement, with Schedule A, is the whole agreement between the parties. Changes must be in writing. It is governed by the laws of [state/country].

Schedule A — Services#

Signatures#