Essential Clauses & Negotiation Points to Protect Your Investment

by: Muiz Thomas | Founder of GrowUp

How to Use This Checklist

This is not a legal contract, it’s a strategic framework covering the business terms and protections your legal team should review. Use it to negotiate favorable terms, identify gaps in agency proposals, and ensure alignment before signing.

Recommended:

• Share with Legal, Finance, and Procurement before negotiations
• Use as checklist when reviewing agency proposals
• Adapt based on your risk tolerance and budget
• Consult attorney for final contract language

1. Scope of Services & Deliverables

1.1 Services Included

What to define:

Clear list of what’s included in base retainer vs. what costs extra.

Essential elements:

• [ ] Strategic services: Keyword research, competitive analysis, content strategy, technical audits
• [ ] Execution services: Content creation (specify # articles/month), on-page optimisation, link building (specify # links/month)
• [ ] Technical services: Site audits, schema implementation, Core Web Vitals optimisation, crawl budget management
• [ ] Reporting & analytics: Monthly reports, quarterly business reviews, attribution tracking, CRM integration