How to Evaluate SEO Proposals in 2026? A Decision-Maker’s Guide for CMOs and CFOs

In 2026, the customer journey is no longer a linear Google search. Today, users ask AI models for recommendations, verify opinions on Reddit, watch reviews on TikTok, and only turn to traditional search engines when they already have a specific brand in mind.

Your brand must be present wherever these purchasing decisions are shaped. 

If an agency doesn’t mention AISO (AI Search Optimization) or Social Search, you are investing in a solution that will have a marginal impact on your bottom line.

Companies selling “positioning for X keywords” are stuck in a 2016 model. Modern Search encompasses:

• Google Organic (Traditional SEO)
• AI Overviews
• Generative answers in LLM models (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity)
• Social Search (TikTok, YouTube, Reddit)

Control questions for your agency:

• Do you report on AI Visibility, or just traditional “positions”?
• Do you measure the brand’s Share of Answer in AI Overviews?
• Do you optimize content for entities and purchasing intent, rather than just keywords?

An SEO proposal designed with your growth in mind should outline a plan to build the inherent value of your domain. A CFO should be able to review the proposal and understand exactly how the SEO strategy will reduce the overall Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) over time.

The Business Takeaway: Ensure the proposal forecasts the compounding value of your “digital asset” rather than just listing ongoing monthly tasks.

Control questions for your agency:

• Does the proposal clearly outline a growth trajectory?
• Is there visible cause-and-effect strategic thinking, rather than a generic checklist?

An effective Search strategy must be tightly integrated with your unit economics. The agency needs to know where your highest margins are and which product categories drive your profitability to prioritize their actions correctly.

A serious proposal starts with a deep dive into your most profitable segments. If an agency plans a blanket approach to “boost the whole website,” they will generate massive opportunity costs for your business.

In 2026, a mature agency doesn’t just pitch hours and backlinks.

They should be discussing:

• Your profit margins and key categories.
• Unit economics (CAC, LTV).
• The actual role of organic search within your broader sales funnel.
• Business priorities, market seasonality, and competitive advantages.

Control questions for your agency:

• Are they asking about revenue and margins?
• Are they targeting high-converting “money pages,” or just high-volume “vanity keywords”?
• Is the strategy custom-tailored to your specific business model?

The Search landscape is currently too complex for a single “jack-of-all-trades” freelancer. When you sign a proposal, you need the reassurance that a complete, specialized team is handling your account.

If a low-budget proposal promises a full spectrum of SEO services, it inherently means they are excluding senior strategists and data analysts, which is the single biggest operational risk you can take in 2026.

Control questions for your agency:

• Will we have a dedicated, direct-contact specialist?
• Who handles the advanced analytics and off-site strategy?
• Who integrates SEO with DEV, UX, Social Search, and AISO?
• What is the continuity plan if a specialist goes on leave?

A CFO should never settle for measuring SEO success solely through keyword rankings or raw traffic numbers. You must demand that your potential agency discuss:

• Their approach to AI Visibility and brand exposure.
• Your brand’s Share of Voice in the Search landscape.
• The measurable increase in assisted conversions and organic revenue.
• Monthly iterative tests and experiments.

Control questions for your agency:

• Will you report on how organic traffic directly translates into SQLs (Sales Qualified Leads) or transactions?
• Do your reports include Search Share (the percentage of the market our brand controls)?
• Will I receive clear projections on when the investment will break even and what the ROI trajectory looks like?

In 2026, treating Google Organic as an isolated channel is a recipe for stagnation. For tangible, market-shifting results, the agency must unify classic positioning with AISO, Social Search, UX, and analytics.

This is a critical, often-overlooked indicator of quality.

Control questions for your agency:

• Is the agency experiencing year-over-year growth in both revenue and profit?
• Are they actively publishing case studies based on recent data?
• Are they pioneers in developing new services (AISO, Social Search)?

To mitigate risk, enterprise SEO must be standardized, measurable, and repeatable. You must know exactly what the operational roadmap looks like before signing.

A mature proposal will clearly outline:

• The onboarding process.
• The technical and strategic website audit.
• A strict 90-day action plan.
• The reporting cadence and structure.
• The feedback loop and problem-solving framework.

If the proposal lacks a defined process, you are paying for operational chaos rather than a secure growth strategy.

Before signing any SEO proposal, ask yourself:

1. Does this agency truly understand my business model and unit economics?
2. Do they have the team structure and processes to deliver results without my constant micromanagement?
3. Is their strategy future-proofed against the rapid shifts in AI and Google’s algorithms?
4. Is this investment building a long-term digital asset, or is it just a monthly sunk cost?

If the answer to any of these is “no,” you are risking your time, budget, and market share.