A local SEO proposal in seven sections, from what your client told you to their Google Business Profile, listings and reviews, a setup fee, a monthly fee and the next steps. For agencies and freelancers with local clients. Read it here or get it as a Word file and a PDF.
A local SEO proposal should say what the client told you, the result you'll both count (usually calls from Google Maps), what you'll fix first on their Google Business Profile and listings, the work each month after that, what's included and what isn't, the price per location, and exactly how to say yes. The template below has a section for each.
The local SEO proposal template, section by section
Copy one section or the whole thing. Under each section: what it's for, and one thing we've learned from the proposals sent with Nusii.
[Yellow] you write[Green] Nusii fills in when you send it
1. Introduction
The whole plan in two sentences, and who you are. Partners and colleagues read it too, often without having been on the call. Working on your own? Write "I" instead of "we".
Hi [Client first name],
Thanks for the call on [date of your call]. You told us that [the problem in one sentence, in the client's words, such as "when people nearby search for a dentist, we don't show up on the map, and the practice down the road does"].
In short: in the first month we fix your Google Business Profile and your details on the sites that list you, and set up an easy way to ask customers for reviews. Then, each month, we keep the profile active, add a page for each [service or area] you want more of, and show you how many calls came from Google.
[Your agency] is a [number]-person local SEO agency in [city]. We've helped [dentists, clinics and other local businesses] get found on Google since [year].
[Your name] [Your role], [Your agency]
Proposals that mention local SEO or Google Business Profile got their first look in Nusii in a median of 2.3 hours (689 proposals, November 2025 to October 2026), against 54 minutes for agencies' proposals as a whole. Local business owners read between customers, often on a phone. Two short paragraphs is about what they'll get through.
2. What we heard
Shows you listened, turns what the client told you into goals you can both check later, and puts a number on what more calls are worth. Only you can write this one: replace the examples with your client's words.
Each goal below answers something you told us. If we got anything wrong, tell us before you accept and we'll fix it.
You said[you don't show up on the map when people nearby search for "dentist", but two practices further away do]. We'll fix your Business Profile first: the categories, services, hours and photos Google uses to decide which businesses to show.
You said[your old address still shows up on some websites]. We'll correct your name, address and phone number on every site that lists you, so Google and your [patients] see the same details everywhere.
You said[you have 23 reviews and the practice down the road has over 200]. We'll set up a simple way to ask every [patient] for a review after their visit, and reply to every review within [two working days].
What success looks like:[a result you can both check in six months, such as "on the map for 'dentist' across most of our service area, and 40 calls a month from the Business Profile, up from 20"], measured in your Business Profile's performance report and [your call log].
What it's worth: you told us a new [patient] is worth about [$900] in their first year and [about half] of new callers book. [Twenty] more calls a month would be about [$9,000] a month in new [patients].
If nothing changes:[what the client said happens if this doesn't go ahead, such as "the new practice in the shopping center keeps getting the calls we used to get"].
Ask for three numbers on the call: how many calls the Business Profile brings in now (it's in the profile's performance report, so open it together), how many callers book, and what a new customer is worth. Kai Davis's advice in our 2015 book on proposals still holds: write the proposal by repeating the client's answers back to them. Those three numbers fill in "What it's worth".
3. How we'll work
The plan by month, so the client knows what gets fixed first, what they get every month after that, and when to expect more calls.
Month 1 ends with your profile and listings fixed and a plan you approve. After that, you see every change first.
Month 1: fix the basics. We compare your Business Profile with the [three] businesses that show up above you, then fix your categories, services, hours, description and photos. We correct your name, address and phone number on [the 40 sites that matter most for dentists], set up review requests, and record where you show up on the map today, from [25] points across your area. You get a plan and a walkthrough call.
Month 2 onward: grow. Each month: [four] posts on your Business Profile, a reply to every review, [one] new page on your website for a [service or area] you want more of, and new listings on [local and industry sites].
Every three months: review. We check the map results and the calls against the goals above, and agree what to change.
When you'll see results: profile fixes can move the map results within [a few weeks]. Reviews and new pages build up over [three to six] months. Where you show up also depends on where the searcher is, so we track [25] points.
Before we change your name, address or category, we tell you: Google may ask you to verify again.
Reporting: one report and a 30-minute call each month: calls, direction requests and website clicks from your Business Profile, where you show up on the map, new reviews, what we did and what's next.
In BrightLocal's 2023 survey of 534 local marketers, 43% named citation management one of the most valuable things they do, but they said only 18% of their clients would. That's why this template never says "citations" or "NAP". It says your name, address and phone number on the sites that list you.
4. Results for businesses like yours
Short proof for the people who weren't on the call: what happened for businesses like this one. Use real numbers from a real client, or leave this section out.
[Past client], [kind of business]:[the result, with a number and a timeframe, such as "calls from Google Maps went from 18 to 51 a month in five months"].
[Past client], [kind of business]:[the result, with a number and a timeframe].
"[A one-line quote from one of those clients.]" [Name, role, company]
Proposals to a client who had accepted one before were accepted 63% of the time in Nusii, against 47% for a first proposal from the same senders (July to September 2026). A new client hasn't seen your work yet: one result from a business like theirs, in calls, does more than a screenshot of a map.
5. What's included
Draws the line between what you'll do and what you won't, says what you need from the client, and what they keep. The "Not included" lines also tell the client you won't put their profile at risk.
Included
A check of your Business Profile against [three] local competitors, and the fixes
Your name, address and phone number corrected on [40] directories and map apps, and kept that way
A review link and [a QR code for the front desk], with a short request your team sends after each visit
A reply to every review within [two working days]
[Four] posts a month on your Business Profile
[One] new or improved page a month for a [service or area] you want more of
Map tracking from [25] points across your area, a monthly report and a 30-minute call
Not included
Google Ads and Local Services Ads (we'll quote them if you want them)
A new website, or website changes beyond the pages above
Paying for reviews in any form. Google prohibits it, and it puts your profile at risk.
Keywords in your business name, or copied pages with only the town changed. Both break Google's rules.
A guaranteed spot on the map. As Google puts it: "There's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google."
What we need from you: manager access to your Business Profile (you stay the owner, and we never need your password); one person who confirms your business details in week 1; your team asking every [patient] for a review; new photos of [your team, your practice and your work] every [month]; and feedback on new pages within [one week].
What you keep: your Business Profile, your listings and the pages we write stay in your name, even if we stop working together.
Google's own help page says it plainly: "There's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google." It also lists distance from the person searching as one of the three things that decide local results. Nobody can promise a client the top of the map in every part of town, and a client who has been promised it before will be glad you don't.
6. Investment
One price to start, for the fixes and the setup, then a monthly fee for one location, each with when it's invoiced, and a way out before the monthly work begins. These are example prices; the table further down shows what others charge.
Local SEO setup
$1,500
Your Business Profile checked and fixed, your details corrected on [40] sites, review requests set up, map tracking from [25] points, and a plan with a walkthrough call. Invoiced when you accept.
Monthly local SEO
$1,200 a month
Posts, review replies, [one] new page a month, listings kept up to date, and a monthly report and call, for one location. Invoiced on the 1st of each month from month 2. Three months minimum, then month to month with 30 days' notice. If the plan doesn't convince you, tell us within a week of the walkthrough call. You pay for the setup, you keep the fixes and the plan, and the monthly work doesn't start.
Total: $1,500then $1,200 a month
86% of the proposals that mention local SEO in Nusii have a monthly price line, if only as an option (689 proposals, November 2025 to October 2026). Across all proposals, the ones with a recurring fee were accepted less often (40% against 55% for the same senders, July to September 2026). The setup gives the client a first step with a clear end.
7. Next steps
Tells the client exactly what to do to say yes, what happens after, and when you'll call. No expiry date, no "limited availability".
If the plan works for you, accept and sign this proposal.
We'll send the invoice for the setup, book the kickoff call for [a date within two weeks], and send you the steps to add us as a manager on your Business Profile.
I'll call you on [a day three to five days from now] to answer any questions. If you have any before then, call me on [phone number] or reply to the email this proposal came with.
Proposals that mention local SEO got their yes in a median of 4.7 days in Nusii, and 60% of the yeses came within a week (689 proposals, November 2025 to October 2026). A call three to five days after you send it lands while most clients are still deciding.
What a local SEO proposal can and can't promise
Many local business owners have been promised the top of the map before. Google's own help pages settle what you can put in writing, and the template follows them:
No guaranteed ranking. In Google's words: "There's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google." Promise the work and a monthly report, and set the goal in calls, which you can both count.
Distance is out of your hands. Local results are "mainly based on relevance, distance, and popularity", and distance is how far the business is from the person searching. That's why the template tracks the map from 25 points across the area, not from the client's front door.
No paid reviews. Google calls offering anything in return for a review "strictly prohibited." The template asks every customer instead, with Google's own review link.
No keywords in the business name. Google says unnecessary information in the name "could result in the suspension of your Business Profile."
No copied town pages. Pages "targeted at specific regions or cities that funnel users to one page" are doorway abuse under Google's spam policies. Write a page for a service or area only when there's something real to say about it.
A warning before big edits. Changing the business name, address or category can make Google ask for verification again, so the template tells the client before it happens.
Each of these is a line in "How we'll work" or "What's included", so your client reads them before they sign.
A local SEO proposal example, filled in
Two sections of the template above with a client's words in the brackets, so you can see how it reads when it's done. Hollowmere Family Dental is made up, and so are its numbers.
More calls from Google Maps for Hollowmere Family Dental
What we heard
You said you don't show up on the map when people nearby search for "dentist", but two practices further away do. We'll fix your Business Profile first: the categories, services, hours and photos Google uses to decide which businesses to show.
You said your old address still shows up on some websites. We'll correct your name, address and phone number on every site that lists you, so Google and your patients see the same details everywhere.
You said you have 23 reviews and the practice down the road has over 200. We'll set up a simple way to ask every patient for a review after their visit, and reply to every review within two working days.
What success looks like: on the map for "dentist" across most of your service area, and 40 calls a month from the Business Profile, up from 20, measured in your Business Profile's performance report and your call log.
What it's worth: you told us a new patient is worth about $900 in their first year and about half of new callers book. Twenty more calls a month would be about $9,000 a month in new patients.
If nothing changes: the new practice in the shopping center keeps getting the calls you used to get.
Investment
Local SEO setup
$1,500
Monthly local SEO
$1,200 a month
Total: $1,500then $1,200 a month
See it as your client will
Every page of the PDF, printed by Nusii. Sent as a link, it's one scrolling page on any device: your client accepts with one button and signs with their name.
The template in Nusii, the way your client will see it. It opens in a new tab.
What to charge for local SEO
What local SEO costs, from Nusii's own proposals and the surveys we could check at the source. The template's example prices, $1,500 to set up and $1,200 a month for one location, put the monthly fee a little above the median of accepted local SEO fees in Nusii and below Ahrefs' local SEO average. Price each extra location on its own. Before you name your price, find out what the client has in mind: how eight freelancers and agency owners ask about the budget.
What
Price
Source
Accepted monthly fees for local SEO in Nusii
$1,000 a month (median)half between $513 and $2,100; 178 accepted proposals that mention local SEO, November 2025 to October 2026Nusii
Sources: Nusii, accepted proposals that mention local SEO or Google Business Profile, each counted once (method as in The State of Proposals); BrightLocal, Local Search Industry Survey 2023, 534 local marketers, 72% of them in the US; Ahrefs, survey of 439 SEO providers, November 2022. Both surveys report what providers say they earn or charge. BrightLocal's is from 2023 and Ahrefs' from 2022, and Ahrefs worked out its averages from the top of each price bracket, so they read a little high.
How often proposals got a yes, by price
Proposals over $15,000 got a yes about a third of the time. Accepted proposals that mention local SEO had a median one-time value of $1,800, monthly fees left out (176 proposals, November 2025 to October 2026). From 1,713 proposals first sent with Nusii, July to September 2026.
Under $1,000
67.1%
$1,000 to $5,000
50.7%
$5,000 to $15,000
48.9%
$15,000 to $50,000
36.1%
Over $50,000
33.3%
Share accepted, by the total the client saw. Bigger proposals are bigger decisions, so this shows what happened, not that a lower price would win. Method: The State of Proposals 2026.
The email to send it with
The proposal does the explaining, so the email only has to get it opened and say when you'll call. Leave the price out, so your client reads the plan before they judge the number. In Nusii this goes in the Send Proposal window, and you can save it as your template for next time.
Subject:[More calls from Google Maps: the plan]
Hi [first name],
Here's the proposal we talked about on [day of your call]: [link].
In short: in the first month we fix your Google Business Profile and your listings and set up review requests. After that, we keep it going each month and show you the calls it brings in.
It's short, and you can accept it right on the page. If anything's off, reply to this email and I'll change it.
I'll call you on [a day three to five days from now] to answer any questions.
[Your name]
What happens after you send it
From 689 proposals first sent with Nusii from November 2025 to October 2026 that mention local SEO or Google Business Profile (many cover more than local SEO).
42.8%
were accepted
2.3 hours
median time to the client's first look
4.7 days
median time to a yes
60%
of the yeses came within a week
Clients rarely say no. Of all proposals sent with Nusii from July to September 2026, 6.5% were rejected and 45.2% got no answer either way. Silence is the usual no, so a follow-up is worth sending.
Follow up after a week. Most yeses come within seven days. In Nusii you see when the proposal was opened and get an email when it's accepted, so you can follow up when they've read it, not when you guess they have.
The same template as a Word file you can edit (it opens in Google Docs too) and a PDF printed by Nusii. We'll email you both, plus a few emails with proposal tips. Unsubscribe any time.
Or send it with Nusii
This template is in the gallery of every Nusii account. Send it as a link: you get an email when your client opens it, and they accept and sign online, on any device.
“I can put together a polished proposal quickly without fighting the software, and my clients can review and sign it electronically, which makes it easier for them to say yes and get started.”
Janelle Hardin
Founder, Dingo Integrated Marketing
“I use Nusii all the time when I send proposals to clients. They find it easy to use so I never have to explain anything how to accept the proposals.”
A document that tells a local business what you’ll do to bring them more customers from Google Maps and local search, what it costs and how to start. It usually covers their Google Business Profile, their details on other sites, reviews, local pages, how you’ll report, the price and the next steps.
What should a local SEO proposal include?
What the client told you and the goals that follow from it, what you’ll fix first and what you’ll do every month, short proof from similar businesses, what’s included and what isn’t, the price, and the next steps. That’s seven sections, the same as the template on this page.
How much should I charge for local SEO?
Most local SEO is sold as a monthly fee, often after a setup fee. In Nusii, accepted proposals that mention local SEO had a median monthly fee of $1,000 for the local SEO work (178 proposals, November 2025 to October 2026), and Ahrefs puts the local SEO average at $1,557 a month. This template uses $1,500 to set up and $1,200 a month for one location as example prices.
How do I price local SEO for several locations?
Price each location. Every address has its own Business Profile, listings and reviews, so the work grows with each one. Say in the line items how many locations the price covers, as the template does with “for one location”, and add a setup and a monthly fee for each extra one.
Can I guarantee a spot in the Google Maps results?
No. Google says “There’s no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google,” and where a business shows up depends on where the person searching is. Promise the work and a monthly report, and set the goal in calls, which you can both count.
What goes in a Google Business Profile proposal?
The same as in a local SEO proposal, with the profile as the main job: what you’ll fix (categories, services, hours, description and photos), how you’ll handle reviews and posts, and how you’ll report calls, direction requests and website clicks. If the client only wants the profile set up, keep the setup line and drop the monthly fee.
Do I need access to my client’s Google Business Profile?
Yes, as a manager. Your client stays the owner and you never need their password. Google lets managers edit the profile, reply to reviews and post, but not add or remove people or delete the profile.
What’s the difference between a local SEO proposal and an SEO proposal?
A local SEO proposal is about the map and the searches people make near a place: the Business Profile, listings, reviews and a few local pages. An SEO proposal covers the whole website, with technical fixes, new content and links, usually at a higher monthly fee. If your client needs the website side too, the SEO proposal template has it.
Should I offer several packages?
Offer them only if the client asked about choices. In Nusii, proposals where the client could choose between options were accepted less often (40% against 52% for the same senders, July to September 2026). This template has one clear price for one location.
What should I write in the email that goes with the proposal?
A few lines: a link to the proposal, the plan in one sentence and the day you’ll call. Leave the price out, so your client reads the plan before judging the number. There’s an email to copy further up this page.
Can my client accept and sign the proposal online?
Yes, if you send it as an online proposal. In Nusii, your client opens a link, accepts with one button and signs with their typed name, on any device, and you get an email when they do. The Word file and the PDF need signing the old way.
