Guarantees, timelines and price: what can honestly be promised
The question «what guarantees do you give» comes up at every first meeting, and the answer separates those who know the work from those who are selling. Here is what in promotion can be committed to, what can only be forecast, and how to check a contract before signing.
What can be guaranteed: the volume of work, the timelines for doing it, transparency of access, and reporting. What cannot: positions, the number of requests, and a date for reaching the top — those depend on competitors and algorithms the contractor does not control. An honest contract describes the work and how to part ways, not a place in the results.
In this article8 sections
What can be guaranteed
You can guarantee what is under the contractor's control. Everything else is a forecast, and it is worth calling it a forecast.
| Can be guaranteed | Can be forecast | Cannot be promised |
|---|---|---|
| Volume and composition of work | Position trends | A specific place in results |
| Timelines for the work | A traffic range | An exact number of requests |
| Handover of all accounts | Cost per enquiry | A payback date to the day |
| Report format and frequency | Growth in organic share | Competitors' reactions |
A simple test: if what is promised depends on a third party — a search engine, a competitor, the client themselves — it cannot be a guarantee.
What makes up the price
The cost of promotion is not a subscription fee for magic but paid specialist time and a defined set of work. Understanding the structure helps you compare offers.
- Analysis and strategy — a one-off block at the start: audit, semantics, plan.
- Technical work — fixes on the site, speed, markup, removing errors.
- Content — service pages, articles, descriptions. The largest part.
- External signals — listings, directories, publications, work with reviews.
- Management and reporting — the recurring part, usually 20–30% of the time.
- Ad budget — paid directly to the ad platform, not to the contractor.
If the proposal has one line — «promotion, this much per month» — with no breakdown, ask for one. A refusal to break it down is an answer in itself.
Realistic timelines by channel
| Channel | First requests | Clear economics | Stable result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maps and directories | 3–10 days | 2–4 weeks | 2–3 months |
| Paid search | 1–3 days | 2–4 weeks | 1–2 months |
| Social advertising | 2–7 days | 3–6 weeks | 2–3 months |
| SEO | 2–4 months | 4–6 months | 6–12 months |
| AI search | 1–3 months | not yet precisely measurable | 6+ months |
Timelines depend on competition in the niche and on the state of the site at the start. A neglected site simply gets put in order for the first two months, and that time shows no visible growth.
What belongs in the contract
- A list of work with volumes: how many pages, how many fixes, which channels.
- Stage deadlines, not only an overall one.
- Metrics by which both sides will recognise a result.
- Reporting arrangements: what you receive and when.
- Ownership of accounts and materials: accounts, texts and designs stay with you.
- Termination terms: how to part ways and what you take with you.
The clause about accounts matters more than it seems. If the ad account is registered to the contractor, on parting you lose all accumulated statistics, and with it the quality of automated strategies.
What an honest answer about guarantees sounds like
A good contractor does not dodge the question but turns it into something measurable. The answer runs roughly like this: a position cannot be guaranteed, but here is the plan for three months, here is the work for each month, here are the metrics that will show at the end whether we are moving.
They will then name the condition under which they would admit failure, and what they would propose in that case. Willingness to describe the failure scenario in advance is a sign of someone who has not been doing this for a year.
Signs of over-promising
- They name a place in the results and a date without asking about the niche and competitors.
- They offer «payment for results only» without defining the result.
- They will not show the list of queries they will report on.
- They open the ad account in their own name and explain it as convenience.
- The proposal contains no numbers at all except the price.
- They promise «top of the results in a month» in a competitive niche.
What the client must provide
Obligations run both ways, and unmet client obligations are a common reason work stalls.
- Timely approval of texts and fixes: a week of waiting is a week of idle time.
- Access to the site, analytics and hosting.
- Materials: photos, prices, service descriptions, answers about how the work is done.
- Handling of requests: if nobody answers the phone, every channel looks ineffective.
How to compare offers
Comparing by monthly price is meaningless: the same sum can buy different volumes. Put the offers into one table with identical parameters.
- What is included — as a list of work, not general phrases.
- How many pages and texts are produced per period.
- Who pays the ad budget and into whose account.
- Which metrics count as a result.
- What happens after three months if the metrics have not moved.
After such a comparison it usually turns out that the cheapest and the most expensive offers differ not in price but in volume — and the difference is explainable.
Frequent questions
Is payment for results a real option?
It exists, but works only when the result is defined unambiguously and both sides see the same data. Usually it means payment per confirmed enquiry, not per position.
Can a contract be terminated early?
The terms should be in the contract. Normal practice is a month's notice and handover of all materials and accounts. The absence of such a clause is a warning sign.
Why do prices differ several-fold between contractors?
Usually the volume differs: three pages a month for one, fifteen for another. Sometimes it is the level of specialists. Compare the composition of work, not the sum.
What if there is no result after six months?
Go through the numbers: did positions move, did traffic grow, what was done and what was not. If the work was done and there is still no result, the error is usually in the strategy, and that is a reason to revise the plan, not only the contractor.
Is prepayment normal?
The first month is usually paid in advance — specialists are already working. A sensible arrangement over a longer term is monthly payment with the option to stop.
Who should own the site and domain?
You. The domain is registered to the business owner, and access to hosting and code is handed over. If the site «belongs» to the contractor, you are renting your own asset.
The materials answer general questions. We will look at your specific case — free and without obligation.