How to write a brief for your SEO consultant (so you don't waste month one)

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The businesses that get the most out of an SEO consultant, freelancer or agency, tend to share one thing: they show up to the first call with a rough brief already in their head, even if it’s never written down. It means the first month goes toward actual work instead of the consultant spending it fishing for basic information.

You don’t need a formal document. You need answers to a handful of questions.

What are you actually trying to achieve? #

More traffic isn’t a goal, it’s a metric. More leads for your highest-margin service, more direct sales for a specific product line, more bookings for a location that’s underperforming, those are goals. Be specific about what “success” looks like six months in.

What’s already working? #

Which pages, products, or services already bring in business, whether through SEO or not. A consultant who knows what’s already converting can protect and build on it, rather than accidentally deprioritising it in favour of something shinier.

Who do you actually compete with? #

Not who you think you should compete with, who you’re actually losing customers to. Local rivals, national brands, or a specific competitor whose rankings keep coming up when you search your own services. Name names.

What access can you give? #

Google Search Console, Google Analytics, your CMS, your Google Business Profile if it’s a local business. The faster a consultant gets real access, the faster the audit stops being guesswork.

What are the constraints? #

Budget, obviously, but also: who needs to approve content before it publishes, whether a developer needs to be looped in for technical changes, and how fast (or slow) your team can typically turn things around. None of this is a dealbreaker, but it changes the plan.

What’s already been tried? #

Previous SEO work, previous agencies, previous in-house attempts, and honestly, what happened. This saves a consultant from re-testing something that already failed, or re-selling you on something you’ve already been burned by.

The short version

Goal, what's already working, real competitors, access, constraints, and history. Five minutes of notes before the first call saves weeks of back and forth.

None of this needs to be perfect. A rough brief that’s 70% right and handed over on day one beats a polished one that arrives in week three.