Should SEO Be Included in Paid Discovery?

Paid Discovery is a contentious issue… 

On the one hand it makes perfect sense as you should NEVER give your strategy away for free, but on the other, it delays the start of web projects (the bit most of us actually WANT to do), and asking people to pay for your thinking is often a step into the unknown. 

And, of course, this is an SEO Weekly, so I’m going to ask “should SEO be included too?” – and my answer is an emphatic ‘YES!” But maybe not for the reasons you might expect… 

Discovery isn’t just about scoping a website project. It’s about understanding the entire business opportunity for your client and positioning yourself as the strategic partner who sees the bigger picture.

Why SEO Belongs in Discovery

I had a podcast guest on RetainFM once, and they described websites as being “born”… this is exactly right, and as agencies we need to demonstrate a few things to our clients. Paid Discovery is THE best medium to do this…

When most agencies approach Discovery, they focus on immediate project requirements: design preferences, functionality needs, content requirements, etc. But what separates good agencies from great ones is this: great agencies identify and present the full growth potential.

Including SEO in Discovery allows you to:

1️⃣ Demonstrate Untapped Opportunity: Show clients what organic visibility could mean for their revenue.

2️⃣ Position Ongoing Value: Present SEO as the logical next step after launch, not an afterthought.

3️⃣ Command Higher Project Fees: Discovery that reveals significant SEO opportunity justifies premium pricing.

4️⃣ Build Trust Through Expertise: Clients see you understand their business beyond just “making a pretty website”.

Beyond the Website: Multi-Channel Strategic Discovery

I believe paid discovery should examine the entire business ecosystem and all potential traffic channels, not just the website. This means exploring:

• Revenue: What products/services generate the highest margins?
• Operational: Are there delivery bottlenecks that affect growth?
• Market Positioning: How do they differentiate from competitors?
• Customer Journey: Where do prospects typically discover and engage with the business?
• Current Marketing: What’s working in paid media, social, email, etc.?
• Competition: What are competitors doing? Does this fit / work, or can we do better?
• Channel Opportunities: Where should they be investing across SEO, PPC, social ads and other channels?

SEO analysis fits perfectly here because it reveals where the business could capture demand they’re currently missing. However, it shouldn’t be viewed in isolation from other marketing channels.

What Comprehensive Discovery Should Include

Your analysis doesn’t need to be exhaustive, but it does need to be compelling. To keep your client engaged with the process, focus on:

➡️ Competitive Landscape Assessment

• Who’s dominating search AND paid advertising for their key terms?
• What content and ad strategies are competitors using?
• Where are competitors vulnerable across all channels?

➡️ Multi-Channel Opportunity Analysis

• High-value SEO terms they should be targeting
• PPC opportunities and cost analysis with anticipated conversion rates
• Content themes that could work across organic and paid
• Integration opportunities between channels

➡️ Technical Foundation Review

• Current site performance affecting both SEO and paid campaigns
• Conversion tracking setup across all channels
• Infrastructure requirements for successful marketing

Why Paid Discovery Benefits Your Agency Too?

Something that is often overlooked about Paid Discovery is that it works just as much for the agency as it does for the client.

1️⃣ You Get Paid for Your Expertise

Instead of giving away strategic thinking for free during “proposal development,” you’re compensated for the real value you provide: strategic insights and opportunities identification.

2️⃣ Client Vetting Process

Discovery lets you assess whether this client is:

• Serious about investing in growth
• Realistic about expectations and timelines
• A good cultural fit for your agency
• Financially stable enough for ongoing relationships

3️⃣ The Right to Walk Away

At the end of Discovery, you can choose not to proceed if the client isn’t right for you. You’ve been paid for your time and aren’t locked into a project that might be problematic.

Ongoing Positioning

When you include comprehensive channel analysis in Discovery, you’re not just analyzing – you’re educating. Your client begins to understand how different marketing channels work together before you ever pitch ongoing services.

This makes the transition from website project to ongoing marketing retainer feel natural and inevitable. You’ve already demonstrated the opportunity, shown your expertise and built trust through strategic thinking.

Duty of Care

Should SEO be included in Paid Discovery? Absolutely – but as part of a comprehensive marketing analysis that looks at all growth opportunities. At the end of the day, the focus needs to be on what is right FOR THE CLIENT, and you can then fit your services into that mix (or find suppliers that can do it for you!).

More importantly, Paid Discovery separates you from agencies who “just” build websites. You become the strategic partner who understands their business, identifies multi-channel growth potential and provides the roadmap to get there.

And let’s not forget: it ensures you get paid for your strategic thinking, while giving you the option to walk away if the fit isn’t right.