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Scoping a link building package without a fight in month three

Most disputes about resold links start with a vague scope. This template pins down what you deliver, what the client owns and what you will not promise.

GuestBloggingSpace editorial team ·

Why scope documents fail

Vague scopes breed arguments. A client reads "link building" and imagines a steady climb in rankings, while you meant six placements a month.

The fix is to describe outputs you control. You control the number of placements, the quality band, the target pages and the date of delivery. Rankings are Google's business. A line about them belongs in the exclusions rather than the promises.

Write the document before the first invoice. Edit it when the client changes direction, and date every version. A tool like Ahrefs, Semrush or Search Console can supply the baseline numbers you attach to the scope.

This is the same logic behind a good client report: both documents describe what happened, not what the search engine decided afterwards.

The template

Copy this into your own proposal tool and fill every bracket.

text
SCOPE: [client] / [month range]

1. Deliverable
   Placements per month: [N]
   Donor band: Domain Rating [min]-[max], organic traffic [min]+, language [xx]
   Niche rule: [on-topic only / adjacent allowed]
   Target URLs: [list, max 3]

2. Content mode (pick one per placement)
   [ ] Automatic: we supply target URL + keyword
   [ ] Our brief: client approves a written prompt
   [ ] Client-supplied finished article

3. Timing
   Basket reviewed by: [date]
   Placements typically live ~24h after payment
   Report sent by: [date]

4. Client duties
   Approve target pages within [3] working days
   Keep target pages live and indexable

5. Exclusions
   No ranking, traffic or lead promise
   No removal or edit of live placements
   Extra requests billed at [rate]/hour

6. Price and term
   Monthly fee: [amount], billed on [day]
   Minimum term: [3] months, then 30 days' notice

Fields people forget

  • A cap on target URLs, so one package does not drift across forty pages.
  • A rule for what happens when the niche has no donors under your price ceiling.
  • Who pays if the client changes a URL after the placement has gone live.
  • Whether the client may veto a donor, and how many vetoes are allowed per month.
  • A date after which unused budget does not roll over.
  • A named person at the client who approves things.

Wording that holds up

Use verbs that describe delivery. "We will place six links per month" is fine. "We will improve your visibility" is a promise you cannot audit.

A useful habit is to attach one number to every sentence in the deliverables section. Six placements, Domain Rating 30 to 60, three target URLs, a report by the fifth working day. No number? Then the sentence is probably vague, and a client can read it any way they like.

Add the date the scope was agreed, such as 27 October 2026, and keep every revision. When the client says "you promised us more", you open the document and read the line. Calm. Simple.

The quantity trap

Three strong placements beat ten weak ones, and clients who ask for ten are often comparing with a $5 offer from a forum. Price the unit honestly and show the donor metrics. See the margin tables for what each mix leaves you.

Using the template in a first call

  1. 1

    Ask for the goal in the client's words

    More enquiries, a launch, a page that slipped. Write it at the top, but keep it out of the deliverables.

  2. 2

    Pick the pages

    One to three URLs that deserve links. Category pages and money pages come first for most shops.

  3. 3

    Set the band

    Choose a Domain Rating range and a minimum organic traffic in the marketplace filters, and note the price you see.

  4. 4

    Send, wait, adjust

    Send the filled document within a day. Expect one round of changes.

  5. 5

    Close on the term

    Three months is a fair minimum for most resold packages, because a single month tells nobody much. Say so before the client signs, and add a 30-day notice period for after that.

Scoping questions

How many links should the first package contain?
Start small, usually three to six placements, then raise it once the client trusts the process. A small first month also leaves time to learn how their site handles new links and page changes.
Should the contract name the donor sites?
Name the quality band, not the sites. You pick the donors from the marketplace each month, and the real list changes with price and availability. Share the actual domains in the report after delivery.
What if the client wants to write their own articles?
That works. One of the three content modes is your own finished article. Agree a word count, a link rule and a deadline in the scope, because late files push the whole month back.
How do I handle a client who wants top rankings promised in writing?
Decline in writing and move the conversation to inputs you control. If they insist, pass on the account, since a promise nobody can keep is the quickest route to a refund demand.