Statement of Work
No signed SOW, no work. That protects you.
The most common way local businesses get burned by agencies is vague scope: unclear deliverables, surprise costs, and moving goalposts. Every Mars Art Marketing engagement is governed by a signed Statement of Work that defines exactly what you get, what it costs, and who is responsible for what.
What Every SOW Contains
Six sections, zero ambiguity
Named deliverables with quantities
Not "SEO services" — exact page counts, content volumes, GBP activities, and assets. If it is not written, it is not included.
Timeline and milestones
Project phases, review checkpoints, launch criteria, and what happens when client feedback is delayed.
Price and payment schedule
Total price, payment milestones, what triggers additional cost, and how scope changes are priced and approved in writing.
Exclusions and third-party costs
What is explicitly out of scope, and which third-party costs — hosting, tools, CRM, ad spend, AI credits, media — remain client responsibilities.
Client responsibilities
Feedback windows, account access, asset delivery, a single decision-maker, and payment terms. Both sides have obligations.
Expectations and limitations
Explicit statements of what is not guaranteed: rankings, traffic, leads, revenue, map-pack placement, AI visibility, or timelines controlled by third parties.
How the SOW process works
- 1Discovery call and (usually) a paid diagnostic establish what your market position requires.
- 2We send a written proposal: deliverables, quantities, timeline, price, exclusions, and responsibilities.
- 3You review, ask questions, and request changes. Nothing is rushed.
- 4Both parties sign. Work begins only after signature and the initial payment defined in the SOW.
- 5Scope changes during the project are documented and approved in writing before any additional cost.
Important notes
Deliverables shown are examples, not guaranteed inclusions. Final deliverables are defined in a signed Statement of Work.
Client is responsible for all third-party costs unless explicitly included in the signed Statement of Work. This includes domains, hosting, themes, plugins, apps, CRM, call tracking, email/SMS tools, SEO tools, analytics tools, AI credits, ad spend, stock media, photography, video, editing, marketplace fees, subscriptions, taxes, contractors, specialist labor, and platform fees.
No diagnostic engagement includes implementation or a full website. Diagnostics produce strategy, analysis, and roadmaps; builds and management are separate scopes with their own SOWs.
Want scope you can actually read?
Start with a discovery call or a Growth Diagnostic. Every proposal we send is written to be understood by a business owner, not a lawyer.
No guaranteed rankings or revenue — just honest strategy, real execution, and realistic timelines.