Key takeaways
- Ask about business goals before SEO tactics.
- Learn the site's history: past agencies, penalties, migrations.
- Confirm access and who approves changes.
- Talk about budget and timeline openly, and disqualify politely when needed.
We join discovery calls as a silent technical partner for some agencies using white label SEO. The questions below are the ones that most often change the proposal. For upselling existing clients, see how to sell SEO to existing clients.
What is the goal of an SEO discovery call?
To understand the client's business, goals and constraints well enough to decide whether SEO is the right solution and, if so, what plan and price fit. It is a two-way qualification: the client decides if you understand them, and you decide if the project can succeed. Listening matters more than pitching.
The 20 questions
Business and goals
- What do you sell, and which products or services matter most to revenue?
- Who is your ideal customer, and where are they?
- What would make the next twelve months a success?
- How do customers find you today?
- Who are the competitors you lose deals to?
Website and history
- Have you worked with an SEO agency before? What happened?
- Any big drops, penalties, migrations or redesigns in recent years?
- Which platform is the site on, and who can make changes?
- Do you have content you can share: photos, case studies, FAQs?
- Are there legal or compliance rules for what you can publish?
Data and access
- Do you have Search Console and analytics, and who owns them?
- Are calls, forms and sales tracked?
- Can you give us user access rather than passwords?
- Who owns the domain and hosting accounts?
- Is there a Google Business Profile, and who manages it?
Budget and decisions
- What monthly budget have you set for search?
- Are you also running paid ads?
- Who approves the proposal and changes to the site?
- How quickly can your team review and approve content?
- When would you like to start, and is there a deadline driving it?
Access should be granted as users, never shared passwords; Google explains how in managing Search Console users.
What are red flags in a discovery call?
A client who wants guaranteed rankings by a date, asks for tactics against Google's guidelines, has no way to approve changes, expects results far beyond the budget, or has fired several agencies in a short time without clear reasons. One flag is a conversation; several are a reason to decline or to propose a smaller first step.
Google's Do you need an SEO? lists the same warning signs from the client's side, which is useful to share.
What should happen after the call?
Send a short summary of what you heard within a day, confirm the next step and ask for access needed for a quick audit. Then build the proposal around their goals, using their own data where possible. A summary that reflects their words back accurately is often what wins the deal.
Build the proposal with our SEO proposal template and add a range-based forecast from SEO forecasting for proposals.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a discovery call be?
Thirty to forty-five minutes is usually enough.
Should I share pricing on the first call?
Sharing ranges early saves time for both sides.
Should the white label partner join?
If useful, as part of your team and under your brand.
What if the prospect has no data access?
Make access a first step; offer a paid audit that includes setup.
Can I send the questions in advance?
Yes. A short form before the call makes the conversation better.
About the author
Juan José Giraldo is a senior SEO specialist with 5+ years of experience. He works on technical and local SEO for 600+ US car dealerships and supervises the SEO of 18 US e-commerce stores. He runs White Label SEO LATAM from Medellín, Colombia, and delivers white label SEO for agencies in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. Read more · LinkedIn.