I’ve follow a procedure for proposals on Search Engine Optimization(SEO) and web marketing.

1. Look at their website. Ask questions on analytics, expectations and business goals.
2. Analyze their website and find keywords (search phrases) that their clients would use.
3. Find out the competition for the keywords that they would like.
4. Find out what the value of a conversion (financial figure for visitors who take or complete a desired action) to them.
5. Create a business model with good Return On Investments (ROI) figures.

Looks simple enough but this actually is time consuming. I think the last part, creating a business model (with ROI), is important to close the sale.

For instance, I look at a condominium sales website. I ask the web owner questions on how much traffic they are getting. What is their current conversion rates? Do they know the concept of ‘landing pages’ and use it?

Then I find out the keywords. What search phrases would people use to get to the website? I also check out competing websites. Are they also search engine optimized?

I ask the client, how much will they get for one online sale? If he/she gets a US$1,000 average then I would use that figure for a business case.

Then I look at ROI numbers. If we could get at least 100 visits per day on the website with a 1% conversion rate, then that is at least US$1,000 per day, or US$30,000 a month. I play with these numbers to find out what is realistic with the client.

I then submit a formal proposal.