Introduction by Sarah: I want to compliment Mel for creating a very useful post. Obviously, contracts and risk reduction are topics close to my heart. Because I want to keep Mel's and SEOmoz's exposure low, I am prefacing this post with the following disclaimer: THIS POST IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE. If you have questions about a contract or its meaning, you should always consult a qualified attorney.
Now that the disclaimer stuff is out of the way, please enjoy a very helpful and informative post. I hope this tremendously valuable sample form won't be the last posted by our users.
Having bounced around the SEO industry for the past few years, I’ve managed to keep a record of (what I consider to be) useful information when it comes to dealing with SEO clients. When I was an SEO consultant I used this information to create a personalized SEO contract for my business. With all the hoopla out there about SEOs being snakes, deadbeats, etc, I figured now would be an excellent time to share it. I’d like to extend a big “thank you” to Sarah Bird, who recently helped me with some of the legal mumbo jumbo.
Alter and enjoy!
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Contract: https://www.clientsite.com
This contract is entered into between (company name) and _____________________ (hereinafter referred to as “Client”) on the ___ day of ___________, 200__.
1. (Company name) will provide Client with Search Engine Optimization Services (hereinafter referred to as “SEO”) as described in this contract. (Company name) will use specific keywords and/or phrases to improve the search engine ranking of, and/or position the contents of the Client's website, https://www.clientsite.tld.
2. The total fee for the SEO services to be provided is $amount/USD. All fees must be paid in full prior to the start of campaign. (<- or insert your own payment schedule here).
(Company name)'s SEO services are intended to serve two main purposes: 1) to provide the Client with increased exposure in search engines, and 2) to drive targeted online traffic to the site.
(Company name)'s SEO Services will include (but are not limited to):
• Researching keywords and phrases to select appropriate, relevant search terms (up to XX phrases).
• Obtaining “back links” from other related websites and directories in order to generate link popularity and traffic (up to XX amount).
• Editing and/or optimization of text for various html tags, meta data, page titles, and page text as necessary (up to XX pages).
• Analysis and recommendations on optimal website structure, navigation, code, etc. for best SEO purposes.
• Recommend, as required, additional web pages or content for the purpose of “catching” keyword/phrase searches.
• Create traffic and ranking reports for clientsite.tld and any associated pages showing rankings in the major search engines.
3. For the purposes of receiving professional SEO services, Client agrees to provide the following:
• Administrative/backend access to the website for analysis of content and structure.
• Permission to make changes for the purpose of optimization, and to communicate directly with any third parties, e.g., your web designer, if necessary.
• Unlimited access to existing website traffic statistics for analysis and tracking purposes.
• A clientsite.tld email address for the purposes of requesting links (something like [email protected])
• Authorization to use client pictures, logos, trademarks, web site images, pamphlets, content, etc., for any use as deemed necessary by (Company name) for search engine optimization purposes.
• If Client’s site is lacking in textual content, Client will provide additional text content in electronic format for the purpose of creating additional or richer web pages. (Company name) can create site content at additional cost to the Client. If Client is interested in purchasing content from (Company name), please contact (Company name) for a cost estimate.
4. Client must acknowledge the following with respect to SEO services:
• All fees are non-refundable.
• All fees, services, documents, recommendations, and reports are confidential.
• (Company name) has no control over the policies of search engines with respect to the type of sites and/or content that they accept now or in the future. The Client’s website may be excluded from any directory or search engine at any time at the sole discretion of the search engine or directory.
• Due to the competitiveness of some keywords/phrases, ongoing changes in search engine ranking algorithms, and other competitive factors, (Company name) does not guarantee #1 positions or consistent top 10 positions for any particular keyword, phrase, or search term. However, if (Company name) fails to increase traffic to the site by X% after four weeks of services, (Company name) will continue SEO services at no added cost to the Client until such a percentage is met.
• Google has been known to hinder the rankings of new websites (or pages) until they have proven their viability to exist for more than “x” amount of time. This is referred to as the “Google Sandbox.” (Company name) assumes no liability for ranking/traffic/indexing issues related to Google Sandbox penalties.
• Occasionally, search engines will drop listings for no apparent or predictable reason. Often, the listing will reappear without any additional SEO. Should a listing be dropped during the SEO campaign and does not reappear within 30 days of campaign completion, (Company name) will re-optimize the website/page based on the current policies of the search engine in question.
• Some search directories offer expedited listing services for a fee. If the Client wishes to engage in said expedited listing services (e.g., paid directories), the Client is responsible for all paid for inclusion or expedited service fees. (Company name) can offer a list of expedited listing services upon request.
• Linking to “bad neighborhoods” or getting links from “link farms” can seriously damage all SEO efforts. (Company name) does not assume liability for the Client’s choice to link to or obtain a link from any particular website without prior consultation.
5. (Company name) is not responsible for changes made to the website by other parties that adversely affect the search engine rankings of the Client’s website.
6. Additional Services not listed herein (such as managing pay-per click campaigns, copywriting, link baiting, etc.) will be provided for a fee of $XX-$XXX per hour.
7. The Client guarantees any elements of text, graphics, photos, designs, trademarks, or other artwork provided to (Company name) for inclusion on the website above are owned by the Client, or that the Client has received permission from the rightful owner(s) to use each of the elements, and will hold harmless, protect, and defend (Company name) and its subcontractors from any liability or suit arising from the use of such elements.
8. (Company name) is not responsible for the Client overwriting SEO work to the Client’s site. (e.g., Client/webmaster uploading over work already provided/optimized). The Client will be charged an additional fee for re-constructing content, based on the hourly rate of $XX per hour. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, (Company name’s) obligation to provide free SEO services shall cease in the event the Client’s conduct overwrites the SEO services provided. For example, if the client’s webmaster uploads content without consulting (Company name), then (Company name’s) obligation to provide SEO services for free shall terminate.
9. Venue and Dispute Resolution: <insert here>
Note: Such provisions explain what will happen if there is a problem. It is a good idea to pick a venue that is favorable to your company (the provision should indicate what state’s law applies). You can choose whether you want to limit your dispute resolution options though. For example, many businesses require binding arbitration and prohibit lawsuits. Which option your business prefers depends on its size and the types and locations of its clients. Binding arbitrations are popular because they are generally cheaper, faster, and confidential.
Client Name: ________________________________________
Client Signature ___________________________________
Date: _______________
Company Name: ______________________________________
Signature _________________________________________
Date: _______________
Author’s Bio: Melanie Nathan is an enthusiastic SEO from Canada with over 7 years of experience in the industry. She has a passion for link building and can often be found around the various social networks discussing techniques and tactics. In fact, she loves talking shop and invites you to connect with her.
Great Job Melanie! This post could really help a lot of people to avoid lots of pain.
No one should do client work without a contract. A proper contract benefits both parties. Some folks might feel llike they are implying distrust in the client by presenting a contract, but I've learned the hard way:
1) A reasonable person might want to negotiate some language, or point of your contract, but if they refuse to consider it you probably don't want them as a customer anyway.
2) When you craft your payment terms, leave as little money on the table as possible for the final payment - none is best. The last payment is always the hardest one to collect. Even decent people will convince their self that they have a reason to withhold it - human nature.
3) Add something about change of scope / change orders. Always get written and signed change orders before beginning additional work - always specify a price for the change.
4) If at any point before you contractually obligate yourself a little voice inside your head says "This guy is going to %$&# you." listen to that little voice - somehow it knows what it's talking about.
My rule is: if they won't sign the change order they won't sign the PO extension to pay for it.
Simple.
-OT
I hear that brother.
All good points that are worth working into the contract. Thanks DrDave. There's definitely a lot of ground to cover in this industry.
It's any business. I've only studied SEO for a little while, I've been in business for 20 years. It's all the same - "I agree to do certain things for you, you agree to pay for those goods/services."
Crash/Melanie,
This is awesome! Leave it to you to contribute something practical and useful that a good portion of the SEO community can use. I think you've even outdone yourself from your last great post on Managing Your Link Campaign.
I Sphunn this one! Great job and thumbs up!
Thanks very much Sean. As you already know, I value your opinion immensely. Thanks for the sphinn too ;)
Obviosuly this contract isn't a 'one size fits all' but it should provide a good basis from which to start. It's compiled from bits and pieces of other contracts and information I've found useful over the past 5 years or so.
"does not guarantee #1 positions or consistent top 10 positions for any particular keyword, phrase, or search term."
#1 positions I can understand, but it seems like you make no promises whatsoever in your contract, except for increasing traffic in the first 4 weeks.
If I was a client I'd be suspicious. Why not trade of those promises and write that you are willing to work with your client to achieve top 10 rankings, and that your goal is to rank as well as possible? It seems like you're unable to achieve or maintain top 10 positions (at least to me, why I read it).
In our experience it's better to give high expectations, to rev up the client's interest and entusiasm, although not compromise with unaitainable goals, of course. I think this is the way to go.
Hey carfeu. I agree about clients being potentially suspicious, but I think you do have to be really careful about making guarantees as an SEO, because of all the snake oil salesmen (shady SEO's) out there. It is important to build trust with potential clients by showing them your track record and letting them have access to recommendations from other clients who are willing to do so. SEO can be extremely unpredicatable, and it seems to me from experience that the more an SEO talks about what they guarantee, the less they actually know about how to actually get sites ranked. Obviously there needs to be balance.
I guess carfeu was not actually speaking about 'guarantees' (just in a sincere desire to avoid another unethical-seo dicussion)... He pointed out the need to show 'that you are willing to work with your client to achieve top 10 rankings' - that's not quite the same...
"In our experience it's better to give high expectations, to rev up the client's interest and entusiasm, although not compromise with unaitainable goals, of course. I think this is the way to go."
@carfeu - With all due respect, I have to wholly disagree with you on this one. Personally, I believe it's always better to under promise and over deliver. At the end of the day, the results may be the same, but the way a client perceives those results is fully based on their expectations going into the engagement.
"Personally, I believe it's always better to under promise and over deliver."
I'd agree with that as well. If you're comfortable offering guaranteed top 10 rankings then by all means, offer it. As I said, it's not a one size fits all contract. What works for some won't work for others.
I never said "guaranteed top 10 rankings"... but I can understand your point of view (Crash and Seanmag).
It seems to me like you're saying "don't guarantee a certain ranking" but at the same time "don't go out of your way to 'not guarantee' something," and I agree with both.
If I was the client I would probably be suspicious if I saw a ton of language about how much you weren't going to do. On the flip side, anything you guarantee, you better deliver (or be prepared to not get paid or end up in court).
Under promise and over deliver is the way to go. My problem is that I am always so optimistic, talk about the possibilities and get the clients all worked up and their expectations to high.
Your contract is great and really something I need. I'm going to take and translate it into Icelandic, so if anyone of you needs a contract in Icelandic, just let me know :)
Thanks, Melanie
ps. maybe you should consider posting it on docstoc.com
SO True. One of my service vendors comes to mind. If I say "Ken I really need you to do this by next Tuesday." He almost always says "I'm pretty sure I can get it by Thursday." Then he usually gets it by Tuesday anyway leaving me with the impression of "What great service, two days early." Most people would say "I can probably get it done by Tuesday, and then if they don't I'm ticked off."
In my opinion "under promise and over deliver." is the key to customer satisfaction.
Being an in-house SEO consultant [who did not work for any other company except for my own website] for a very long time and having turned into an indie SEO consultant not very long ago, I have very little experience in crafting and signing contracts.
So this is a very useful resource for me. Thanks tons, dear Melanie.
P.S. I do enjoy 'connecting' with you via social media ;)
when you say "connecting via social media", can you...oh, never mind.
:)
Oh... Sean... Your... hmmm... fantasies just drive me crazy... ok, nevermind, the more I talk, the more allegories you can come up with ;)
gulp...
very funny Sean :)))
You've taught me a lot where SM is concerned Ann. I'm sincerely happy I could return the favor. I hope the contract comes in handy for you ;)
Thanks for the thumbs too!
My boat exactly. Spent a good amount of time trying to figure out the best way to approach this subject. And now seeingthis post the anwser is both. Some clients are better suited for a straight forward contract like above and others prefer a customized roadmap to make them feel comfortable. Knowing (or figuring out) which fits the client and site is the next trick. I have encountered a need for both just in the last month.
Hey, this is a great post. I think a lot of people on here will find this kind of info helpful! :)
Thanks WebGeek. That's exactly what I had hoped ;)
Great post. I'm sure most will completely agree that a good contract is important to protect all parties in most every industry, including SEO/SEM.
That said, my firm has purposefully left contracts out of every deal possible. We of course have a few non-competes with certain firms (at a great cost to the client).
We create detailed proposals with site outlines/sitemaps for each project. We use footnotes and charts to reinforce estimated time frames for SE rankings. No one signs or initials any of this documentation. So you ask, why do you do this?
First and foremost we sell results. We do charge for SEO overhauls and web development before changes or new websites are implemented or the website goes live. This ensures that the money is in our possession before our clients can take advantage of our work. We also always charge between 30-50% down before work begins.
As far as link building, we charge month to month. If the client likes the results, they pay the invoice, if not they toss it in the trash and forget about it.
Contracts protect you, but they can also obligate you. A contract can hold you liable based on interpretations. You can say one thing, and a good attorney can interpret another.
I also have no intentions of hiring an attorney to go after any of my clients. I don't wish to deal with attorneys and I prefer to take my losses and look to the future. Even if you win, you loose. Attorneys can quickly take more money out of your pocket then a judge might award you in a settlement/judgement.
I'm sure I might appear ignorant or careless, but these are my opinions and current business practices shared in the middle of the night.
I welcome comments that might change my mind.
Hey Slingshot,
While I do believe presenting a contract can only make your client a little less confident in you, it still covers you in getting sued from other issues.
An example from Mel's contract:
Aside from that, it also weaves out any client's that you might regret later on. That and for some of the points DrDave mentioned.
"While I do believe presenting a contract can only make your client a little less confident in you"
I suppose this could be true but I don't get why. Good SEO campaigns cost a lot of money. From a consumer point of view, I don't plunk down a lot of money for something without some sort of safety net on my behalf. I wouldn't let someone remodel my house without making sure I was covered in the event things went bad (a la Mike Holmes). Too me, NOT presenting a professional contract is what makes the client nervous. If a client didn't want a contract or outright refused to sign one I would be seriously wondering why.
Well, for almost anything and everything we do there needs to be a contract signed for. The problem is most end up requiring to have to sign a 7 page contract where most of it is written in fine print. In fact, that's how most companies get you to not read anything at all. Plus, most of these contract don't entail what they will do for you but instead show what they won't be accountable for.
What I do like about your contract is that it does include the details of what will be carried out very thoroughly. And of course because I dont have to pull out my binoculars to read through the word collage.
I do use a contract similar to yours for the same reasons you mention and will probably move on to yours since it includes some points I forget to mention in mine. Also since it's also a bit shorter :)
We deal with some of the largest private companies in the country and very view have asked for contracts believe it or not. One of our recent projects that is still in the works is a six figure annual deal with no formal contract. Each and every business owner/CEO we deal with are offered as references to our prospects. Once one of our clients calls ten or more satisfied business owners, they seem confident enough to write the check.
Our company is debt free and fully incorporated to protect the partners' personal assets. We also have really good insurance, which consequently cost more because we don't have solid contracts. We overkill on backup with in-house servers, godaddy and other off-site backup. That seems to be the protection I feel comfortable with, nothing more, nothing less. The only contractual question that seems to arise is... "How do I know that you won't work for my competitor?" In that case, we multiply the original quote by three and offer them a non-compete. We don't do SEO consulting persay, so we don't worry about non-competes or NDA agreements ourselves.
We too have done multi-million dollar contracts on a hand shake. Two situations are worth noting. One account got sold and when the new owner came in he said, "Where is your contract?" When I said we didn't have a written one he said "Well then we don't owe you anything." I sued and won because oral words count in CA. He appealed and I won again but what a hassle. The second judge was strange and I thought I might lose.
Another account that we have has worked for over 15 years. We rolled the very successful plan out in Los Angeles and the group of stores there took complete advantage of us and then used the no-contract reason for non pay. We let that one go and lost around $20,000 on it. We learned through the grapevine that the person in charge takes advantage of whoever they can. Remember that rip offs don't show up with evil signs at first, they bring smiles and roses to the table. Perhaps make your contract a nice agreement but I recommend outlining your intentions and expectations and having the client sign off on it. Having said that I still do it both ways.
Very good post. This is making me reconsider my own novel of a contract that is written in attorney-speak by my attorney.While I'm sure my own doc covers my rear legally, (at least I hope it does), I wonder if I sometimes scare off potential clients wondering why there is so much to read. Sometimes short and sweet can be just as or more effective.
@SEO Columbus: Agreed. I have a hard enough time helping clients understand that SEO is real and I in fact CAN do things to help their business. I couldn't imagine having to also help them make sense of the contract lol. I'm almost positive one would convert more tire kickers into clients if they presented a contract that was written in plain english. Thanks for your comment!
Great contribution Crash! thanks
Thanks Maria! Glad to help ;)
Good contract. I snagged it. What about updates for 2012 that include Social Media?
excellent post, thank you!!
Thx for posting it! It's really cool of you.
thx, a friend told about this post, 1st time here, great job
Nice!
You might wander over to Aim - they had a post on this today too.
Between the two I think a lot of people will realize how exposed they are because they operate on verbal or email based direction.
Me, I'm a big fan of contracts.
-OT
Thanks for that link Oliver. Apparently it's very good timing then.
Just out of curiosity: Does anyone here take on clients without the use of a contract?
Hmmm... When you say, "take on clients", what do you mean by that? I mean, I'm not saying anything, but your comment reminded me of a thread that you and Ms. Smarty shared on Brent Payne's recent post. ;) Ok, enough of that.
Actually, I'd love to say that I haven't but unfortunately, I have - many times, and they inevitably end up being the ones with "scope creep". My view is that a contract is something you really need to have in place that hopefully you only need refer to in the event of a dispute.
That said, I do have a strong contract for my sales and marketing consulting business, but only a general one for SEO services. So, this is really helpful. Thanks again.
Hahaha that thread is never gonna live me down is it? Thanks a lot Brent ;)
I started out doing SEO work for friends/family and didn't see the need for a contract either. Boy was I wrong! Without clearly spelling out your purpose, people (even family) have a tendancy to take advantage. I therefore wholeheartedly agree with you in that you may never need to reference it, but it's good to have all the same.
I hope those who don't currently use a contract, will seriously consider it after reading this thread.
Me again? Oh, citing Melanie I have definitely made a name for myself due to that post :)
Thank you for the link to aimClearBlog Oliver. Thanks to Mel for the great post.
You're welcome aimClear. Your post was also very informative. I think most SEO's aren't as bad as they're being made out to be and (in many cases) we're a lot more professional than we get credit for.
thank you very much for the sample seo contract, im drawing up a proposal agreement for my internet consultancy and found it very useful! thank you Melanie!
Thanks so much for this, exactly what I was looking for to incorporate into my workflow!
Only 3 days into being a member and I'm incredibly pleased thus far :)
Nice post! Can this be used for social media related contracts as well? Folks are very concerned about posts etc so we need to somehow address that in a section
We at SocialAppsHQ have tried to keep it simple with a standard contract but for custom work, there are usually some changes
Has anyone dealt with indemnification requests?
Thanks very much! First result in google for "seo contract"
I noticed that you charge up front for your services before the campaign starts, is there a particular experience that lead you to this approach?
Contract writing is hard and we used some of the items in this to add to our own.
Thank you, we missed a couple of things.
The most important thing missing in your contract is:-
All fees are non-refundable
All fees, services, documents, recommendations, and reports are confidential
Wel Crash, what can I say. A really good and useful post for the whole SEO community here on SEOmoz Blog
Good Work! Well Done! Great!
Further thanks for collin104 for the posted link to even more detailed and valuable SEO templates
Great post! I've been doing web site content creation and maintenance and realized that many of my services fall under the umbrella of SEO - your easy-to-read, straightforward contract was very helpful to me. And I'm glad that this has led me to SEOmoz - there seems to be a lot of really good content here! Are there any new and important developments in SEO contracts besides social media that we should know about?
This contract helped us a lot, we needed something to start a business with one of our clients and this saved our day. Thanks again Melanie.
Alejandro Rodriguez
[link removed]
I'm new to freelance work. Will this contract still work for my purposes? Name in place of "Company Name"?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
As the original poster stated, this post is not legal advice.
Must say thanks more than 100 times for this post. Very happy to see this post about SEO contract. Thanks to Melanie and moz
Great stuff, I really needed this. i have used a few sections as have a lawyer to look after the rest. nice work ;-)
Hi Mel,
I got here after a lotta bumpin 'round SEO business in the last 8 years or so.But, I hit a gem... I have a profoundly workable simple idea that can make money.
I am looking into SEO training by joining with brands worldwide.I am from India and have access to a big market.
If you are free, hit me up on skype and we can discuss possibilities and ideas.. I am "anilkrp" there.
For credentials, Google my user name here "value4money"
regardsanil
Many thanks, That contract just saved my butt.
Awesome post Melanie, You Rock! Very useful content to SEOs everywhere. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks. I can definitely use some of the points listed into our contracts. We seem to lean into a lot of legal jargon when some of the main points are missed. Thx!
How come no Limitation of Liability (LOL) Clause as per https://www.seomoz.org/blog/does-your-seo-contract-have-a-clause-limiting-your-liability ?
Hey this is a great post and will come in handy for the new seo business i have set up :) thanks a lot for sharing this great contract for us all
Paul
This is a big help, thanks for taking the time to make this public for all of us to use...
Thanks Melanie for sharing this. It is always nice to get to see how others structure their agreements. Mine tend to be simple, but I have employed a pay up front policy, so there is no chance of getting shorted. No pay = no work.
Melanie, your document is spreading on the net like wildfire :)
I just got an email from Mediapost's Search Insider where the top story is about your document on the aimclear blog.
Oh, my misunderstanding, it's another document. Sorry!
LOL... way to give me a heartattack Hjortur!
@everybody: Thank you for taking the time to comment. I know time is something many of us seriously lack. I myself am spending the rest of the evening doing the family thing but will be back tomorrow to respond. I do love a good discussion ;)
Thanks for all the thumbs up too! Validation ROCKS.
Very helpful, thanks.
I've been thinking it's time to shred the monster contract (as said above, the "novel") and use something more simplistic and too the point.
Great Resource, Very Helpful.
Great post. That's a good start for people to take away and then modify in their own little ways.
It needs to cover all the relevant areas without turning into a telephone-directory sized document.
Great post. Looks like a pretty solid contract to me (I'm not a lawyer). Definitely a great help for SEO consultants.
Sweet thanks for the resource.
Perfect! This is just what I needed. You rock Crash.
Outstanding work, Mel! This is exactly the type of framework I need for my Web and SEO Consulting company. Thank you for sharing your years of hard work with newbies like me! :)
I wish I saw this contract in August.. it's taken me up until today to get paid! I found out that not only did the company that I outsourced for get paid but they charged over 5k for my work, when I only got 1k for it as an independent contractor. I got suspicious when they were super late telling me the college now university defaulted on payment. I called the university to find that they had been paid by direct deposit. I should of taken note when they suggested that other SEO's treated them bad. Will 100% definitely be using this contract in the future. No matter what people tell you folks it makes sense to get a contract to insure you get paid on time etc. It's good to be kind, and over deliver... but make sure you at least get paid for doing so with a contract or deposit!
Thanks Melanie for another awesome post!
If the author is still montiring this thread, I am curious if you feel that you have LOL clause in here, as from this SEOmoz post:https://www.seomoz.org/blog/does-your-seo-contract-have-a-clause-limiting-your-liability
There's no question that having a written contract beats a verbal contract hands down. The purpose of a written contract is to set out the terms of the agreement so that if either party becomes unhappy there is a recording, or evidence, of the terms agreed to instead of only the verbally related history of the transaction, with each person setting out thier impressions of what was to happen even thpugh the details were never really adequately discussed. A written contract is there only for when there is a dispute. So recording the way the SEO will do its work or the details of minutiae is not really relevant. Most of the details aove are not relevant to the contract itself while many details that could be relevant have been left out.
The contract should record all the important information, including:
1. The fact that it’s an agreement & its purpose i.e. what it’s about (E.g. “Company will provide SEO services to the Client); the names & addresses of the parties. Website address to be SEO’d; the date the contract is made and its duration.
2. That the written agreement contains everything agreed to & cannot be altered except in writing, and that any other prior agreement is replaced.
3. The promises made by each party (The client promises to pay $X and The Company will do SEO work). It is NOT necessary to list how the company will go about performing its duties.
4. How & when payments will be made; whether any amount is refundable, under what circumstances & how much. Any performance promise by The Company (guarantee) or the fact that there is no performance promise. If there is a guarantee, how the results will be measured & applied.
5. When the agreement ends and how either party can end it, including how long a notice period is required for termination; that the Client will indemnify The Company if The Company violates someone else’s rights after relying on information provided by The Client (copyright violations etc)
6. If there’s a dispute, how it will be handled – court or arbitration, where, what states’ laws will apply; who pays attorney fees if they win. If part of the contract is deemed invalid by a court what happens to the rest.
7. List of things the client needs to do to allow The Company to complete its SEO tasks, including granting backend access to the website, access to website traffic for analytics, email address for The Company on Client’s domain, authorization to use clients content & assurance all content is authorized for use, agreement to provide additional content if requested by The Company.
Such a great post. Thank you very much, you saved me at least 8h of my time.
I am a bit curious to hear what numbers people put in the empty fields.
What increase in traffic are you willing to guarantee?
Why are there only two x for the amount of dollars per hour? I'm getting International clients now and if people only charge two digit numbers per hour, that's not very promising :)
Thank you very much, this is exactly what I need. Beautyfull!! Only I have to translate it haha. Thanks again!
Thanks for the very useful Contract.
I have been looking a contract like this for the past couple of weeks.
I especially like your disclaimers, Mel -- with so much about rankings out of our direct control, it helps to have that stated clearly in the contract!
Precisely what I was looking for! I searched the web for some time, and when I saw your link on the results I thought "why didn't I go to SEOmoz in the first place?" THANKS!