SEO contract terms for a smooth handover

An automatic renewal can start another term unless you give notice by the agreed deadline. Put both dates in view before you commit your budget.

I start with the exit terms. I want to know what happens when you leave. I explain the experience behind that view in The $40,000 lesson. Here is what to check in your own agreement before signing.

Find the date you need to act

A renewal date tells you when the next term starts. A notice deadline tells you when to act to stop it.

Start with this question: “If we give no notice, what happens next?” Read the answer in the contract. Does another fixed term begin? Does the work continue month to month? Or does it stop?

Then find the last date for giving notice. Use the date named in the agreement, rather than guessing from the first invoice. Check who must receive it, where to send it and in what form.

Arrange the review before the notice deadline so you have time to choose and send notice if needed.

Here is an example of the clause to look for and a clearer version:

Unclear clause: “This agreement renews for the same term unless either party gives written notice before the notice period begins.”

Clearer version: “The current term ends on [end date]. It renews for [length of next term] unless either party gives written notice by [notice deadline, time and time zone]. Send notice to [recipient and address] by [required method]. Notice given by that deadline stops renewal at the end of the current term.”

Before signing, have the agency replace each bracket with the actual detail. Start with the current term’s end date and the length of the next term. Use the agreed notice period to work out the last day you can give notice, including the time and time zone. Name the person who receives it, the address and the way you must send it.

Check those details against the rest of the agreement and fix any mismatch. The clearer clause still renews automatically. Giving notice on time stops the next term; it does not end the work today.

Put the notice deadline on your calendar, with a review of the work before it. Give someone at your firm the job of watching it. You need time to read the results and decide.

Agree the final bill and handover

Before you sign, walk through leaving with the person selling you the work. Start with notice. End with the last bill and your firm running its site without them.

Ask: “If we give notice under these terms, what is the last day you work for us, and what do we owe?”

Get each charge on its own line. Work already done. Work during the notice period. The rest of a fixed term. A fee for moving the site or accounts. For each charge the agency lists, have it point to the clause behind it.

An itemized final bill lets you match each charge to the agreement and ask clear questions.

Finish with the unfinished work. Which pages will you receive? Who will send them? Who handles the handover, and when? Put those answers beside the exit terms. If the sales call says one thing and the document says another, resolve it before signing.

Review completed work and results together

Start with the agreed pages. Ask the agency to open the published pages or show the drafts and their delivery dates.

Then ask: “What has this work produced?” A list of finished tasks tells you where the money went. Results tell you whether the work is helping your firm.

Keep both in front of you when you review the relationship. Compare the work with what was agreed. Compare the results with what you were told to expect. Was that a firm promise, an estimate, or something you assumed?

This gives the review a clear purpose: confirm what is complete, agree what comes next and check how search inquiries are developing.

Give the next stage a clear purpose

Ask what work is planned for the next stage and how you will review its progress.

Google’s guidance on hiring an SEO provider tells you to ask about expected results, timing and how success will be measured. Set those expectations when you discuss the proposal.

At the review, have the agency show what it fixed and what work it finished. Then turn to results. Are you showing up for searches tied to the cases you want? What do the call and inquiry figures show?

Use the work plan and results to decide how the next stage supports your firm.

Keep your site working when you leave

Plan access for the handover while you are choosing the agency. Your firm should be able to keep its site and accounts running throughout a change.

Alongside the contract length, check what your firm can keep using: your domain, website, Google accounts, paid-for content and past reports. Your domain is your web address. For each item, find out who controls it and how your firm gets in.

If your firm is only a manager of its Google Business Profile, you cannot remove the agency’s access when you leave. Managers handle daily tasks; owners can also add and remove users. Google’s Business Profile access guidance explains these roles. Check that someone at your firm holds ownership, not just permission to edit.

Name each account and the role your firm will hold. For any service supplied by another provider, find out whether it keeps running or needs a new arrangement when you leave.

When it is time to switch, bring in the people who run your site and accounts before removing the agency’s access. Work out what relies on it. You want the handover to end the relationship without interrupting your firm’s work.

Choose the term for a reason

I founded Inoriseo in 2017. I want you to stay because you can see a reason to keep working with us. A planned review gives you time to make that choice.

A fixed term can still suit your firm. Put a plain question to the proposal: “What do we gain by making this commitment?” The answer needs to explain a benefit you value, beyond “this is our standard package.”

Look at the trade-offs in Inoriseo’s comparison of monthly and fixed-term SEO engagements. With either choice, you still need to know what work you are buying. Agree on the work list and review dates so you can judge progress from the start.

Questions law-firm owners ask