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Contract/legal documents for SEO clients?

by dtang4
3 replies
I recently started a SEO firm w/ a partner targeting local small businesses.

For those experienced in this area, what types of legal documents/contracts do you have the client sign prior to beginning work? We're thinking there should be some sorta of liability release form in case their site receives negative results (e.g. significant drops in rankings), they can't come back and sue us.

It would be great if you could share your specific documents that we can use as templates. Thanks.
#clients #contract or legal #documents #seo
  • Profile picture of the author MariusJ
    There are many resources for free legal document templates. A simple google search will show some examples. Try to find some from the country you are working from. If you have International clients, you need to ensure your policies do not breach any country laws for those clients if outside your country of practice.

    You also need to contact a solicitor, because even if 2 or more parties sign and agree upon a written contract; this does not necessarily make it legally binding. Which also means you may not be safeguarded against liability.

    Depending on your country of practice, such documents are required to have approval by a licensed solicitor to become a valid legal document.

    Law doesn't always follow common sense, so be careful. Especially with such a service as SEO. You might have unforseen legal issues to contend with, since there are no real guarantees you can produce acceptable results (as seen by a client).

    Good luck
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  • Profile picture of the author dogstar
    I wonder if the classic stock broker fine print might serve here..."past performance does not guarantee future results" kind of thing since we are all really working with a third party (insert favorite search engine here) who is our ever present and not always predictable partner in SEO...
    Signature

    Truth About Marketing

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  • Profile picture of the author somacorellc
    Mine says:
    1. This is what I'm going to do
    2. This is how much it costs
    3. I agree I know what I'm doing
    4. I can outsource anything
    5. Let's get it done quickly
    6. You own all the content you're providing
    7. I'm not liable for anything that happens as a result of using your info
    8. You're over 18
    9. I won't talk about our arrangement unless you say it's cool
    10. I won't guarantee SERP rankings
    11. You should pay promptly, if not there's late fees
    12. If anyone sues you I'm not part of that
    13. Sign here
    I use this standard agreement for everything from web design to seo to hosting.
    Signature
    Web Design Columbia SC
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