A famous swiss psychiatrist once said “To ask the right question is already half the solution of a problem.” Asking the right questions is vital when working with clients – especially when it comes to SEO.

Have you ever felt disconnected from your SEO clients, or felt the need to build a stronger relationship? An SEO questionnaire is what you need! This type of analysis can fit in seamlessly within the onboarding process, or used any time during a campaign.

In this article, we’ll learn why SEO onboarding questions will help get your campaigns rolling on the right track. We’ll also provide you with a list of questions you can start using today to optimize your SEO strategy. Let’s get started!

What is an SEO Questionnaire?

An SEO questionnaire is a set of questions used to evaluate an organization’s current SEO efforts, goals, and strategy. The questionnaire is typically given to new clients during the SEO onboarding process before the campaign begins. In fact, the terms “SEO onboarding questions” and “SEO questionnaire” are often used interchangeably.

The questionnaire should help the SEO company better understand the clients business. It’s the type of conversation that should help foster a trusting relationship between the two parties.

The questionnaire should cover a range of topics. These topics include company background, website goals, target audience, current SEO practices, competition, and more. It also allows SEO experts to identify the website’s strengths and weaknesses, along with opportunities for improvement. Ultimately, it provides valuable insight into anyone looking to improve a website’s visibility and search engine traffic.

SEO Questionnaire: 20 Questions to Ask New Clients

Our questionnaire will cover topics under these 7 categories:

SEO Experience

1. How much experience do you have with SEO?

Some clients will naturally have more experience with SEO services and some will have less. This question is key to understanding how to best communicate with the client. With those clients that have more experience, you can use common SEO and digital marketing terminology to explain the work. For those with less, you’ll likely need to use easy-to-understand language when discussing the campaign.

2. Have you previously worked with any SEO or digital marketing companies? What was your experience like?

It’s very common for clients to have worked with a previous SEO agency before hiring your company. Gathering information about their previous experiences will help you know what they valued or disliked about previous agencies. 

History

3. What is the story behind your business?

Every business has a story, and that story is important to potential customers. Knowing the story behind your client’s business will help you craft content that compels and persuades. Keyword optimized content helps websites rank, but content that tells a story will help convert.

4. How old is the website and domain? Do you have any other website domains?

Domain and website age can play a part in how well the website will perform during the campaign. Take note of the domain under consideration if the customer has other website domains or duplicate website content. Generally, most other website domains need to be redirected to the main (target) domain. Duplicate content should be removed or redirected as needed.

5. Have you run into any major website issues in the recent past?

Your SEO clients could have hired a company to build the website, or they could have done it themselves. Either way, it’s common for websites to have issues and it’s important for your company to be aware of those issues.

6. Do you have plans to redesign or migrate your website in the short-term future?

Although a website redesign or migration won’t have a major impact on your SEO strategy, it’s important to keep on the radar. You don’t want to implement optimizations and create content for an outdated website.

Goals

7. What is your company mission statement?

Understanding the overarching goals of your clients business is key to carrying out a successful SEO campaign. Keep the mission statement in mind as you create and implement website and blog content.

8. What are your goals and objectives for this SEO campaign?

Whether it’s more website traffic, better keyword rankings, or improved online visibility, each client has business goals and objectives when signing up for SEO services. When you base your strategy on their SEO goals and objectives, it creates significant value for your client.

Competition

9. Who are your biggest competitors?

Your client may have to perform some research, but they likely have a really good knowledge of who they’re up against. They may not know their direct online competition, and that’s OK – that’s where your expertise comes in. Remember, they have years of experience in the industry and area, so they know which competitors are performing well.

Follow Up Question: In regards to your competitors’ websites, what do you like most about their website? What do you dislike?

10. What makes you stand out from the competition?

You could also ask: “What is your unique value proposition (UVP)?” or “What are your unique selling points?” A UVP is very helpful when crafting the content and call-to-action statements. 

Strategy

11. What types of SEO and website challenges is your business currently facing?

What sort of challenges can you solve for the client? This can instill your value from the start of the campaign.

12. What are your top-selling services/products? What services/products do you want to promote?

The answers to these questions will likely lay the groundwork for your keyword research. Oftentimes, the services or products match up closely with the best keywords for the campaign. These types of keywords are also typically “high intent” keywords. High intent means the individual searching with those keywords has a high intent to purchase the product or service.

13. Can you describe your target market and ideal audience?

Along with competition, the client also likely has a great understanding of their target audience. This can help you as you organize your national or local seo strategy,

14. What keywords would you like your website to rank for?

Before the client signed up for SEO services, it’s likely they had some keywords in mind. Whether there are effective keywords or not, it’s important to listen to their needs as you make keyword optimization decisions.

15. What other marketing campaigns are you currently running?

Keep in mind that the client might also have other marketing campaigns running alongside SEO. Whether it’s Google Ads or Social Media, SEO can fit along nicely with most strategies when managed effectively.

Implementation

16. Who currently makes changes to your website?

It’s common for some businesses to have a 3rd party developer that makes edits to the website. As the SEO company, coordinate with the client to find who has access to make changes to the site.

17. What type of CMS (content management system) platform do you use? Do you have any SEO management tools we should be aware of?

WordPress is the most popular, but it’s not uncommon to find sites built on Wix, Squarespace, or other CMS platforms. In addition, they could be using analytical tools like Google Analytics or Google Search Console to manage their SEO strategy. Ensure that the current systems they have in place will fit along with your processes.

18. Are you comfortable with our team directly making changes to your website with your approval?

Some clients may have specific requirements when it comes to who makes the changes to the site. If you are given approval to make changes, run any edits to the site by the client before publishing. This not only opens up a line of communication, but shows them the quality of work you perform.

For many platforms, there is an easy way to share delegate (user) access to different people without sharing specific login information.

Communication

19. What is your preferred method of communication?

Clients may have a preference of how they like to communicate with your company. Whether it’s phone calls, email, or video conferencing, it’s important to keep things flexible for client’s busy schedules.

20. Who is the main contact person on the account? Is there anyone else on the team we need to coordinate with?

Communication is key to an effective SEO campaign. Knowing who you’re working with will open up lines of communication, creating a better experience for both parties. Also, if a member of the clients team has an SEO question, they know who to ask.

Our goal for these SEO Onboarding questions is to help you start your SEO campaign off on the right track. If you have other questions or categories specific to your company, feel free to add them to the SEO questionnaire above.

Why SEO Onboarding Questions Help SEO Campaigns Succeed

For clients, improving search engine rankings is crucial for the success of their business. Onboarding questions play a crucial role, leading to a properly executed SEO campaign that can make all the difference.

By asking (and answering) specific questions, website owners and SEO professionals will gain a clearer understanding about the website. Armed with this information, they can create an SEO campaign that is tailored to the site’s specific needs. This will result in improved rankings, more organic traffic, and ultimately, the success of the campaign.

Ready to Add SEO to Your Service Lineup? Contact Our Partner Team Today

As the #1 white label SEO provider in the world, we know what it takes to achieve real SEO results. Our team uses the same SEO onboarding questions above to make sure we give our clients the best experience possible. Our SEO Partner Program allows your company to offer top-notch SEO services, no matter your situation. 

It’s simple: we help you sell SEO, we do the work, and you get all the credit. Reach out to our partner team today to learn more about our SEO reseller packages.

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Kyle is the former Partner Marketing Lead at Boostability. Since graduating from Utah Valley University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing, Kyle has developed a passion for creating SEO and Digital Marketing content to help educate and inform readers, customers, and partners through various marketing channels. He has previously worked with clients directly on Boostability’s Client Management team and loves to help businesses succeed online. Outside of work, Kyle enjoys playing sports, skiing, trying new restaurants, and spending time with family.