You know you need help with search traffic. You talk to experts. You read articles online. We explained what an SEO consultant does and what they charge in an earlier post. This one shows you the document itself. You need to know the contents of a real strategy document. A consultant will ask you to sign a contract. You must know what that contract promises before you sign it.
Many proposals talk in circles. You need a concrete list of deliverables. We provide a page by page guide to the strategy document from our office in Arkansas. A real strategy document has seven sections. Refuse to sign without them. You review the seven sections below. You check your next proposal against this list.
The baseline table
The first page of the document is the baseline table. We record the exact current state of your website in this table. It lists the pages that earn impressions with no clicks. We read this data directly from Search Console. We pull a complete report of every URL on your site. We present this information in a clear grid in the strategy document. We list the URL in the first column. We show the average position for that URL in the second column. We record the total impressions in the third column. We calculate the difference between impressions and clicks in the fourth column.
We establish the starting point for the entire project with this page. You see what the search engine already indexes on your site from it. Many sites have pages that rank on the second or third page of search results. These pages earn thousands of impressions every month. People see the result link in the list. They do not click it. That specific page becomes an immediate target. We rewrite those pages first. We focus the entire project on real data with the baseline table. We remove guessing from the planning process. You can see which pages need immediate help.
The check: Look for a table with URL, position, and impressions.
The keyword map
The second page is the keyword map. A proper SEO strategy consultant creates a strict rule for every page on your website. The rule assigns one target phrase to one page. No two pages ever share the same target phrase. If two pages compete for the same phrase, the search engine struggles to rank either one. The two pages cancel each other out in the search results. We list your current pages in a spreadsheet. We list their newly assigned phrases next to the URLs. We also identify the blank spaces in your content structure. These blank spaces require completely new pages.
We build this keyword map to organize your entire website. We perform the work to assign these terms carefully. You enforce discipline on your publishing calendar with the keyword map. You stop writing random articles. You stop guessing what words to use in your titles. You refer directly to the map. You dictate the exact phrase for every new page from the map. You prevent accidental duplication. You build a highly logical structure for the search engine with this map.
The check: Find the list connecting one target phrase to one URL.
The technical list
The third page details the technical list. Websites develop technical errors over time. Code changes break layouts and links. We run the check to find these hidden errors. You get no clear direction from a raw list of errors. Instead, the consultant ranks the crawl findings by the traffic each one costs you. This priority calculation matters immensely. You need to fix the errors that block visitors first. We fix these technical problems for our clients. For example, you require immediate attention for technical SEO problems that cost traffic.
You waste time and money on a long list of minor errors. You direct the work to the most profitable fixes with a ranked list. You read which error loses the most traffic from the document. You fix that massive error today. You ignore the small errors until the big ones disappear. You prevent your team from chasing meaningless technical scores with this page.
The decision: Refuse any list that lacks a traffic cost estimate for each technical error.
The content plan
The fourth page holds the complete content plan. This section covers the required topics for the next quarter. The consultant ties every planned topic directly to a query the site already shows for. The consultant uses the baseline data to prove the demand. We list the existing pages to rewrite first. We require rewriting these old pages before anyone writes a new page. The old pages already have a history with the search engine. The search engine already indexes them.
We write the website content for you. We improve the pages that currently miss their potential. We update the text. We add missing facts. Then we outline the new pages required by the keyword map. You schedule every rewrite in the content plan. You schedule every new page. We give you a clear calendar for the next three months. You know what pages to expect. You know exactly why the site needs them.
The check: Verify the plan schedules rewrites of existing pages before new pages begin.
The internal links
The fifth page maps the internal links. A new page sits alone until you connect it to the rest of the site. A page with no internal connections earns no traffic. We record which older pages will point to each new one in the strategy document. We build these internal links to pass value through your site. You receive a clear table for this mapping in the document. We list the source URL in one column. We list the destination URL in the next column. We provide the exact words for the link text in the final column.
We prevent random linking with this specific planning. We stop people from using generic phrases for link text. You build a clear structure for your visitors with this plan. We build a solid foundation for every new page from the internal link map. The search engine follows these specific links. We explain the exact relationship between the pages through the links. The consultant plans every connection before anyone publishes a new page.
The decision: Require a specific list of old pages that will link to the planned new pages.
The measurement
The sixth page defines the measurement standards. You need to know if the plan actually works. You spend money on the strategy. You must see a return on that money. We outline the exact report you receive each month in the strategy document. We provide this monthly client reporting for our customers. We promise a specific format for the data in the document. You see two exact numbers in the report. The first number is the clicks from search. The second number is the leads from those clicks.
Traffic alone pays no bills. Traffic only matters if the visitors contact your business. You need actual leads. We include a commitment to track both numbers every month in the strategy document. We keep the focus on actual business results. We ignore vanity numbers. We ignore meaningless graphs. You only look at the search clicks. You only look at the generated leads. You decide the success of the whole project from these two numbers.
The check: Confirm the monthly report commits to measuring both search clicks and resulting leads.
The owner
The seventh page lists the owner for every task. A task with no owner never finishes. A plan with missing people fails immediately. We put one specific name beside every line in the strategy document. We list the person who pulls the data. We list the person who writes the new content. We list the person who fixes the technical errors. We list the person who sends the monthly report. We execute this work. We assign our staff to these roles.
When you purchase our SEO and paid advertising service, you get a dedicated team. We manage the paid advertising on Google Ads and Meta Ads when the strategy calls for it. You experience no confusion with the document. You know who handles every step. You never wonder who to call with a question. You never wonder who missed a deadline. You guarantee accountability across the entire project with the owner column.
The check: Look for a specific person assigned to every task in the document.
How to test a strategy in the first meeting
You can test a plan before you pay for it. You can test the consultant before you sign a contract. You arrange a meeting to discuss the project. You ask to see the baseline table for your own site in this first meeting. An SEO strategy consultant who has not pulled it has not started. They cannot build a real plan without that exact data. We build the entire keyword map from the baseline data. We build the entire content plan from the baseline data.
You give them access to Search Console ahead of time. They read the data. They build the table. They present it to you during the call. You discover if they do real work from this simple request. A consultant with no baseline table relies on complete guesses. A consultant with a baseline table relies on hard facts. You protect your business with this simple test.
The decision: Ask for the baseline table during your first conversation.
Send us your Search Console access today
We write this exact document for every SEO client. We build all seven pages for your business. We perform the work in it. We handle the technical fixes. We write the content. We build the internal links. We deliver the monthly report. You need to see the data for your website right now. Send us your Search Console access today.
We will return the baseline table in our free consultation. This consultation costs nothing. You see your real numbers immediately on the call. We discuss the pages that earn impressions with no clicks. We plan the exact next steps for your website. Call us at +1 501.232.1017. Reach out directly through our contact page to start the process. We will pull the data and prepare your baseline table immediately.
The decision: Send us your Search Console access to receive your baseline table.