Business guide
What does monthly SEO include? A small business checklist
Understand the work behind an ongoing SEO plan, what counts as a substantial content update, and which reports help you assess progress.
Start with a clear monthly scope
A monthly SEO fee should describe work you can understand. Ask which pages will be improved, what new content will be produced, which technical issues will be handled and how progress will be reported. A position report alone does not explain what was done or whether it helped the business.
The priorities depend on the site. A business with missing service information needs different work from one with useful content that is difficult to navigate. An SEO consultant should be able to connect a proposed task to a customer need or a website problem, rather than giving every client the same list of articles.
New articles and substantial updates solve different problems
A new article makes sense when an important customer question is not already answered. A substantial update makes sense when an existing page is relevant but incomplete, outdated or poorly structured. Both can be useful. Publishing another page about the same question can make the site harder to maintain without giving the reader anything new.
For example, a guide about choosing a tradie website could be improved with a quote-comparison checklist, clearer ownership information and an explanation of launch responsibilities. Changing its date or inserting a few keywords would not be a substantial update. Agree on the question the piece answers, the intended reader and the information needed before work starts.
- Is this a new question or an improvement to an existing answer?
- What practical information will the reader gain?
- Which service is relevant if the reader needs help?
- Who checks business details, claims and examples before publication?
- Review
Check search queries, useful pages and genuine enquiry feedback.
- Choose
Agree which four articles or substantial updates will address the clearest gaps.
- Publish and maintain
Complete the content work alongside hosting, care and technical checks.
- Measure
Review search activity and verified enquiries to inform the next month.
Four content pieces total in an agreed mix; rankings and lead volumes are not guaranteed.
Include website care and relevant local work
Content needs a working website around it. Technical work may involve correcting broken links, checking page indexing, improving titles or making it easier to reach the right service from a guide. Ask what is included in the recurring plan and what would require a separate development quote.
For an eligible local business, agree how Google Business Profile updates fit into the work. A provider may need you to supply current photographs, changed hours or new service information. Keep account ownership and approval responsibilities clear. Neither profile management nor article publishing buys a guaranteed ranking.
Separate visibility, enquiries and jobs won
Search Console helps you inspect search impressions, clicks and average position. Those measures describe search visibility and interaction, not revenue. Review relevant queries and pages over time rather than relying only on one site-wide average or a single search you perform yourself.
Website tracking can record a delivered form enquiry or a phone-button click, depending on its implementation and consent settings. A phone-button click does not confirm that the call connected. A delivered enquiry does not confirm that a quote was accepted. Record actual job outcomes in the business’s workflow if you want to connect marketing activity with sales.
A useful monthly review answers: what changed, what happened on the important pages, what enquiries can we actually verify, and what should we do next? Missing tracking or incomplete job records should be reported as missing information, not treated as zero sales or invented success.
What my monthly plan includes
My standard SEO and website care plan is A$1,000 per month. It includes four new articles or substantial updates to existing articles in any agreed mix: four content pieces total. Hosting, maintenance, technical monitoring, fixes, agreed small changes, Google Business Profile updates using supplied material and enquiry reporting are included.
Customers paying the A$5,000 website package in full before any work starts qualify for A$800 per month for the same scope. Monthly billing starts after the website is completed and launched, by arrangement. Advertising spend, campaign management and custom integrations are separate. Confirm billing and cancellation arrangements in the service agreement before starting.