Two marketing proposals can list SEO, advertising and reporting yet describe very different amounts of work. One might include fixing your website and testing enquiries. Another might only cover advice, leaving implementation and creative work to you.
Before agreeing to a monthly fee, ask what will actually change, who will change it and how you will judge progress. A useful digital marketing service should make those answers clear. Here is a practical scope checklist for businesses in Ireland, the UK and the USA.
1. A starting point and a business priority
The first deliverable should be a short diagnosis, not an immediate promise to use every channel. It should identify your main offer, target customers, service area, current enquiry journey and any obvious barriers to buying.
Agree one primary objective: qualified consultation requests, profitable product orders or bookings for a particular service. “More visibility” needs a business purpose. Record a baseline using available records, and flag missing data rather than presenting assumptions as facts.
2. Specific work, with quantities and boundaries
Replace broad package labels with tasks you can recognise. For example:
- SEO: review priority pages, investigate indexing problems, improve agreed page content and add useful internal links.
- Paid advertising: build agreed campaigns, review targeting and search terms, test adverts and monitor spending.
- Conversion improvements: test forms, clarify calls to action and improve an agreed landing page.
- Content: define the audience, topics, formats, approval process and publishing responsibilities.
Specify quantities where useful: three service pages, one campaign or two creative variations. Clarify whether the marketer implements changes or sends recommendations to your developer. Google’s guidance on hiring an SEO describes work such as technical advice, content development and keyword research; a credible proposal should explain which activities your website needs.
3. Measurement that follows real enquiries
A tracking setup should include a written list of meaningful actions and evidence that the agreed tracking works. For a service business, that could mean a successful enquiry submission, with phone-link clicks recorded separately.
Google Analytics defines key events around actions important to business success. Marking an event as important does not prove the enquiry was genuine or became a sale. Someone should also review lead quality using your enquiry records.
Ask whether tracking checks, duplicate-event investigation and consent-related configuration are included or separately scoped. Reports should acknowledge measurement gaps.
4. Clear fees and control of your accounts
Separate the service fee from advertising spend, software subscriptions, photography and development costs. Ask who approves extra work and whether unused work carries forward. A low headline fee is difficult to compare when necessary tasks sit outside it.
Your business should retain administrative control of its website, advertising and analytics accounts. Give named users appropriate access and document the handover process. Agree who owns completed copy, designs and campaign assets before work starts.
5. Reporting that leads to decisions
A useful monthly review explains what changed, what happened and what to do next. Traffic and clicks provide context; qualified enquiries, sales and acquisition costs help assess commercial progress.
For example, if enquiries rise but most fall outside your service area, the next action may be to review targeting and page wording. A larger traffic chart alone would miss that problem.
Agree reporting frequency, a contact person and a response window. For international projects, confirm working hours and target-market details such as currency, spelling and delivery coverage.
A simple first-month scope
For a small service business, a manageable first month might include an enquiry-path review, tracking checks, improvements to one priority service page and a written plan for the next month. Add a paid campaign only when the budget and website are ready.
Before signing, ask: “What will you deliver, what do you need from me, and what happens if a dependency delays the work?” Clear answers make collaboration easier.
Explore my digital marketing services or get in touch to discuss a focused scope. I am based in Ireland and available to businesses internationally.
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