SEO / Web Development Scope
A clear menu of what's included, what's flexible, and what's out of scope under our SEO and Web Development services.
Our Philosophy
Merged Media’s web development team focuses on web changes that drive and impact SEO results. SEO-driven work will always be prioritized in our development queue.
Our team continually reflects on each client’s sitemap, which guides the changes we recommend and implement. Anytime you flag something that has SEO value — or surfaces a request that we determine carries SEO value — we will discuss it internally and implement it as part of your SEO program.
Our goal: drive SEO results for our clients. Web development supports that goal — it is not a stand-alone catch-all service. This document defines exactly what is covered under each package so expectations are clear from day one.
Scope at a Glance
The table below summarizes what’s included by package. Detailed definitions follow.
| Item | Local SEO Client | SEO Client, or Local SEO + 1+ Additional Business Unit(s) |
|---|---|---|
| SEO-driven web changes | Unlimited (priority) | Unlimited (priority) |
| Critical fixes (broken site elements) | Always covered | Always covered |
| Minor non-SEO content / link / integration changes per month | 1 per month | 2–3 per month |
| Turnaround on non-SEO requests | Up to 30 days | Up to 30 days |
| New page builds, redesigns, e-commerce work | Out of scope (quote required) | Out of scope (quote required) |
What's Included Under Your SEO Service
Always Included (No Limits)
Any web change that drives or affects SEO performance, based on our team's research, sitemap planning, and ongoing strategy.
Implementation of recommendations from your sitemap (page additions or restructuring with confirmed SEO value).
Critical fixes — anything broken on the website that is impacting user experience, indexing, or performance.
On-page SEO optimization (meta titles/descriptions, heading structure, schema, alt text, image optimization for SEO purposes).
Internal linking — updating links on existing pages to point to other pages that already exist on the site is included under your SEO program.
Technical SEO improvements (site speed, crawlability, redirects, canonical tags, sitemaps, robots.txt).
Site migrations, hosting transfers, and DNS work that are identified during onboarding or in the sitemap as part of the SEO program.
Updates that you flag and that our team confirms have SEO value will be implemented as part of your SEO program.
Minor Web Changes (Monthly Allowance)
In addition to SEO work, every retained client receives a monthly allowance for small content, link, and integration changes that aren’t directly tied to SEO outcomes but support the day-to-day performance of your website:
| Client Type | Monthly Allowance |
|---|---|
| Local SEO Client | 1 minor non-SEO content / link / integration change per month. |
| SEO Client, or Clients with Local SEO & 1+ Additional Business Unit(s) (i.e. Google Ads, Paid Meta, Newsletters) | 2–3 minor content / link / integration changes per month. |
Examples of “Minor” Changes
Content & copy
- Minor copy and content edits to existing pages (typo fixes, sentence-level rewrites, brief paragraph updates).
- Updates to your About Us or Team page (e.g., adding or removing a team member, swapping a headshot, updating a bio).
Links
- Updating links on the site pointing to new booking forms or other external destinations you’ve added.
Integrations
- New form builds or full form rebuilds.
- Connecting forms to a new email client, CRM, or third-party tool.
- Booking systems, payment gateways, calendar / scheduling tools, and chat widgets.
Turnaround Time
- All requested content / link / integration changes outside SEO scope are subject to a 30-day turnaround. We will always try to complete these tasks as soon as possible within that window, but please understand that as driving SEO results is our main goal, making SEO-related changes has to take first priority in our development queue.
What's Out of Scope
Anything beyond the allowances above is considered out of scope under standard SEO and Local SEO packages. This includes (but is not limited to):
New page builds
- Brand-new service pages, location pages, or landing pages not already in the SEO sitemap.
- New campaign pages, coupon pages, or promo pages.
- New blog templates or category structures.
Major design or layout changes
- Redesigns of existing pages (header, footer, hero sections, navigation).
- New custom sections, modules, or templates.
- Theme-level styling changes.
Volume content rewrites
- Full-page content rewrites that go beyond the monthly allowance.
- Bulk copy edits across multiple pages.
- Re-platforming or migrating large sections of content.
Custom development
- Plugin installations / configurations not tied to SEO performance or your monthly allowance.
- Custom development, scripting, or new functionality.
- Net-new features or modules built from scratch.
E-commerce work
- Adding new products, variants, or categories.
- Checkout flow or payment configuration changes.
- Inventory or shipping logic.
How Out-of-Scope Requests Are Handled
Any requests above and beyond the scope outlined in this document will be flagged as out of scope, and a separate quote can be provided upon request for that specific piece of work, including an estimated turnaround time.
Step 1:
You submit your request to the Merged Media team as usual.
Step 2:
Our team reviews the request against this scope document. If it falls outside the included allowances, we’ll flag it.
Step 3:
Step 4:
Key Principles to Remember
SEO comes first
Our web team's primary mandate is to deliver work that drives SEO results. Anything that supports SEO is prioritized.
Sitemap is the source of truth
New pages and structural changes are evaluated against your sitemap. Pages outside the sitemap are out of scope unless quoted separately.
30-day turnaround
All non-SEO requests have a 30-day turnaround. We'll often complete them faster, but the 30 days protects our team's ability to deliver on SEO commitments first.
If it's broken, we'll fix it
Critical fixes are always handled, regardless of whether they fall under SEO or general web maintenance.
Quote first, build second
Out-of-scope work always begins with a written quote, so you know exactly what you're approving before any development hours are spent.
