Free SEO Client Onboarding Checklist [Docs / DOCX]

Use this ready-to-use SEO client onboarding checklist to cover the process of intimating your client into your agency workflow. 

Onboarding new SEO clients requires precise documentation. 

You need to set clear expectations and collect essential data about their websites and analytic platforms to align on project scope and gain access to necessary client accounts. 

I’ve written this checklist to help you establish a professional foundation with new clients and gather the necessary information to help with their organic marketing initiatives. 

What is SEO Client Onboarding?

SEO client onboarding is a structured process to collect website and Content Management System (CMS) access, understand your client’s business goals, and establish KPIs for new SEO campaigns. This process may include 

• Finalizing technical audits to know which area of the website to improve on, 
• Competitor analysis to know which keywords can potentially increase search visibility and 
• Gaining alignment on KPIs and monthly deliverables. 

However, it begins with the surface-level formality of getting to know the client better. This is why it's considered an in-depth meet and greet between a service provider (freelancer, agency, project manager) and a client.

Why Do You Need an SEO Client Onboarding Checklist? 

Think about your last few client relationships that didn't work out. Chances are, many issues could be traced back to gaps in the onboarding process. A proper SEO onboarding checklist prevents these common problems because it helps you: 

• Collect Necessary Data: No more awkward emails asking for login details into the client CMS or access to their analytics platforms. An onboarding checklist helps you collect everything you need upfront to ensure efficiency in your work with the client. 
• Prevent technical oversight: Verifying details such as Search Console access and other technical configurations helps to verify every access you need before work starts. This prevents issues with reporting later. 
• Set Clear Expectations with KPIs: Define success metrics and reporting standards from day one. This helps your team and the client understand exactly what success looks like and how it will be measured. 
• Standardized Process: An SEO onboarding checklist helps you maintain consistent quality across all client accounts. Every team member follows the same step (for all clients), so you won't lose any data while working with any client. 
• Reduce Account Churn: Well-onboarded clients stay longer because they understand the process and see consistent progress. This ultimately leads to better client satisfaction and retention. 
• Helps Train Your Team: New team members can follow a documented process instead of relying on verbal knowledge or a typical process from their previous workplaces. This also helps you align internal communication with all team members, especially SEO marketing managers (or account managers). 

If you’re a freelancer thinking about starting an SEO agency, read this article on how to do that. 

Disadvantages of not Using an SEO Client Onboarding Checklist 

SEO campaigns without proper onboarding often face these issues, and some agencies learn the hard way. These include: 

1. Access Issues: You may forget the stage where you collect the client's website and CMS data because you're excited to start quickly. This means you'll discover that crucial plugins are missing weeks into the campaign, and you can't properly set up their Google Analytics to track attribution based on the content assets you're creating. 

You may also be unable to implement key changes because the client's developer is unreachable. This will affect your plans for each deliverable and delay overall project delivery date. 

2. Communication Breakdowns: Some clients expect rankings to improve within weeks. The onboarding stage is where you tell them your strategy and how long it'll take for SEO to show results. Here's an example of an agency setting expectations: 

3. Technical Oversight: You may skip the website audit process, which can lead to overlooking technical issues that affect website performance in search results. This may affect the target KPIs for each month of your retainer agreement and can hurt your reputation with the client. 
4. Another issue is missing specific project scope, deliverables, and timeline discussions. A few nuances may slip through the cracks—for example, the company style guide or phrases they don't use in their content. This usually leads to miscommunications and can make you seem incompetent later. 
5. Lastly, clients may expect you to offer more services than you provide because you did not explain the project parameters during the onboarding phase. This means your team will do more work than expected, which will lead to scope creep and affect your efficiency while working on the client's projects. 

Key Components of Your Onboarding Checklist

If you've decided to onboard your clients with a checklist to ensure every detail is addressed from the start, these are the components to create one: 

1. Send a Welcome Email: The first thing you'd like to do is send a welcome email to the client and introduce them to your team. The email could read like this: 

Hi (Client's Name),

Welcome to (Your Agency)! We're thrilled to partner with you on your SEO journey. Our team is ready to contribute to your SEO efforts through content that meets EEAT guidelines and impacts bottom-line revenue. 

Here are some of the people on your dedicated team:

- (Name), SEO Account Manager
- (Name), Technical SEO Specialist
- (Name), Content Strategist

They are CC’d in this email. Please contact any of them with questions about your deliverables or performances.

Next Steps:

1. Complete our SEO questionnaire (Link)
2. Schedule your kickoff call (Link)
3. Prepare to send website access credentials
4. Afterwards, we'll share the results of our preliminary SEO audit with you (as discussed).

For immediate assistance, send an email or call (SEO Account Manager's Name) at (email/phone)

Best regards,

(Your Name)
(Your Agency Name)

This shows them exactly what to do next and how to get started. You can also send an email that reads like what Chloe sent to Hatchly’s client when they joined their agency: 

2. Prepare Legal Documents: Customize your client retainer agreement template (or contract, if it's a one-off task) before you commence work. This will clarify ambiguities about your and your client's responsibilities regarding the project. 

It is also a great time to clarify your payment structure. Let them know when you'd like to receive payments. For example, this may be Net 0, Net 15, or Net 30. You may want to be paid the same day after the month's work, 15 days after, or 30 days after. 

Clarify it and let them sign the contract or retainer agreement. 

3. Set the Client Up on your Client Portal: If you have a client portal like ManyRequests, now is a great time to add them. This helps you keep everything in one place while working with the client. Use the ManyRequests client portal for 14 days (no credit card required) to see how it manages client-agency operations. 
4. Send the Initial Questionnaire: This is where you ask them questions relating to 

• Business goals and objectives, 
• Target audience, 
• Their current marketing efforts, 
• Past SEO experiences, 
• Known technical issues, or 
• Any existing content creation process that has worked for them and they want you to be mindful of. 

These questions help you know what they prioritize and can guide your strategy as you work together. 

5. Collect Necessary Data and Login details: This includes getting access to

• The client’s CMS 
• Google Analytics  
• Search Console log-in
• Proprietary SEO or CRM tools relevant to your work 
• Social Media accounts (if content repurposing and distribution is part of your services) 

After this, verify the login details by logging into the client's accounts. This helps ensure you have all you need to kickstart the project without writing back to the client for specific accesses. 

6. Strategy Planning: This is a mix of internal checklists. Here, ensure you 

• Define what the primary KPIs are after speaking to the client 
• Set realistic traffic goals 
• Create a content calendar 
• Establish a reporting schedule (monthly, quarterly) 

7. Documentation and approval: In this stage, you send a project scope document to reflect everything you have already discussed. 

You can also align on communication channels to decide where to exchange regular project updates. This can be a client portal like ManyRequests, Zoom calls, emails, etc. 

You can also get your clients accustomed to how your agency manages projects. This will give them an idea of your workflow—you can carry them along. 

8. Project Kick-off: Confirm that the client understands every phase of the project and any dependencies you have discussed. This aligns both parties before the work begins. Afterward, get on with the work and schedule time for reporting (as needed). 

Tips and Best Practices in Creating Your Client Onboarding Checklist

These are some useful tips for creating your client onboarding checklist: 

1. Document everything: Keep a record of your client’s preferences in terms of content style, approach to content marketing, and relevant KPIs. Also, save access credentials securely and keep your meeting notes organized. 
2. Write the onboarding duration: If an onboarding process will take 48 hours, write it. 

For example, waiting for client access credentials and verifying them may take 48-72 hours. Write it in your onboarding checklist. 

3. Schedule key milestones. These can be the first three months of content strategy, the first round of deliverables, the target month for meeting specific KPIs, or other client-specific milestones. Write these milestones to keep you accountable in some ways. 
4. Review your checklist regularly, especially if you make changes to your business process.
5. Explain the onboarding process to the client. Use your checklist as a guide to explain each step. 

Mistakes to Avoid on Your Onboarding Checklist

These are things to avoid when creating your checklist: 

• Don't overcomplicate the process. A complex process will confuse your client and stress your team members. Keep it simple. 
• Verify that all the access credentials have been sent to you. This helps you validate every log-in detail to gain access without sending another email asking for access. 
• Don't skip the kick-off meeting. Kickoff calls get both parties on the same page and fix any loose ends. Missing this stage may create misaligned expectations. 
• Take time to analyze their data. This will help you create a perfect strategy to help your clients achieve their goals. 
• Don't neglect establishing a communication structure. You'll need to touch base with your clients regularly, so it's important to use a communication channel that works for both sides. 
• Lastly, document all decisions. 

How to Use Our Free Client Onboarding Checklist Template

Our free client onboarding checklist template is designed to help you onboard your client successfully without hassle. 

Here's how to use it:

• Download the template from our website 
• Edit the text to add your name.
• Include tasks that are specific to your service/agency where necessary. 
• Match your workflow where needed. 
• Add visuals or links to resources (videos, articles).
• Add the specific services you'll offer clients.
• Review it with your team members. 

Wrap Up 

Thank you for reading this guide. A structured onboarding checklist aligns client expectations with yours and strengthens your relationship with them. As you implement these steps, review them with your team. You can also consider drafting separate checklist templates for the different components, such as a template for all client account details and a separate checklist for essential client files. 

And when you're done, use ManyRequests to onboard your clients, manage their projects, assign them to team members, and handle invoicing. Sign up to see how ManyRequests helps you manage everything in one place for 14 days, no credit card required. 

‍