Freelance SEO contract template

This agreement is made on [Date] between [Your Name / Business Name] (the "Contractor") and [Client Name / Company] (the "Client").

The Contractor is an independent contractor, not an employee of the Client.

The Contractor will provide monthly SEO services: [describe, e.g. technical fixes, on-page optimization, [X] pieces of content, reporting] for [website].

The Client will provide access to [analytics, search console, and the CMS]. Work that depends on that access is paused, not refunded, while access is missing.

Content is submitted for the Client's approval before publishing. If no feedback is received within [5] business days, the content is deemed approved and may be published.

Search engines change their algorithms without notice, and rankings depend on competitors and factors outside anyone's control. The Contractor commits to the agreed work and honest reporting, not to specific rankings or traffic numbers by specific dates.

The total fee for the work is [Amount]. A non-refundable deposit of [Amount or %] is due before work begins, and the balance is due [on delivery / per the schedule below].

Invoices are payable within [14] days. Late payments may incur a fee of [1.5%] per month on the outstanding balance.

Any expenses (stock assets, plugins, printing, travel) are billed to the Client at cost and agreed in advance.

Work outside the scope described above is not included. If the Client requests additional work, the Contractor will provide a written estimate, and that work begins once the Client approves it in writing.

The Client will provide all content, access, feedback, and approvals needed to complete the work, in a timely manner.

If the project is delayed by more than [30] days due to a lack of Client response or materials, the Contractor may pause the project and invoice for work completed to date.

Content created for the Client becomes the Client's property once the month it was delivered in is paid for. The Contractor's tools, processes, and templates remain the Contractor's.

The Contractor uses only legitimate, white-hat practices and will never buy links or use tactics that put the Client's site at risk of penalties.

On ending the agreement, the Client keeps access to their analytics data and receives a handover summary of work completed.

Each party will keep the other's confidential information private and use it only to carry out this agreement.

The Contractor may show the finished work in a portfolio or case study unless the Client asks in writing to keep it private.

Either party may end this agreement with [14] days written notice. If the Client cancels, the deposit is non-refundable and the Client pays for all work completed up to the cancellation date.

If the Contractor cancels, any pre-paid amount for work not yet delivered is refunded.

The Contractor's total liability under this agreement is limited to the total fees paid by the Client. Neither party is liable for indirect or consequential losses.

The work is provided without warranties beyond those stated here.

The Contractor controls how and when the work is done, uses their own tools, and is responsible for their own taxes and insurance. Nothing here creates an employment, partnership, or agency relationship.

This agreement is governed by the laws of [Your State / Country]. Any dispute will be handled in the courts of that location.

Contractor: ______________________________ Date: ____________

Client: __________________________________ Date: ____________