You're underwriting a stream of organic demand the seller may not fully understand. I tell you whether it will hold, what it's worth, and what it costs to keep.
Best for:Deal teams deciding whether a target deserves a full look, with no access to the seller.
Typical timeline: 3 calendar days, from $3,500
Learn more about Pre-LOI AuditBest for:Confirmatory diligence before close, once you have access to the seller's data.
Typical timeline: 2 to 3 weeks, from $7,500
Learn more about Full Due DiligenceBest for:Larger or more contested deals that need management interviews and a model-ready view of organic upside.
Typical timeline: 3 to 4 weeks, from $15,000
Learn more about Investment Committee DiligenceBest for:Portfolio companies that just closed, or buy-and-build platforms adding brands.
Typical timeline: Scoped per asset, fixed fee agreed in writing
Learn more about Post-Acquisition SEO IntegrationBranded versus non-brand, concentration in a few URLs and exposure to AI answers decide whether the number survives you owning it. I separate them before you price it.
Every material finding comes with revenue at risk, a time horizon and a remediation cost. That's what you argue an adjustment from, and what the investment committee will ask for.
Twenty years in web development means I read the stack, not just the rankings. A proprietary CMS only one founder understands is a line item in the price.
I've done this on both sides of the close: 50+ diligence engagements before the deal, and 20+ brand integrations after it.
Thirty minutes on the target, the stage of the deal and the decision you need to make.
NDA first, then a fixed-fee scope tied to your timeline.
I work the data myself. No junior analyst drafts, no handoff.
A written verdict and a live walkthrough with your deal team.
Most of my work is under NDA. If you need confidentiality, it's already the default.
How to tell whether a traffic drop is a ranking problem or something else, which matters before you trust a seller's trend line.
View my author bio on Search Engine Land ↗ (opens in new tab)A 24,886-observation study showing Google rewrote 76% of title tags, with the method and limitations stated.
Read articleTechnical problems that standard crawls miss, which is where diligence earns its fee.
View my author bio on Search Engine Land ↗ (opens in new tab)Yes. The Pre-LOI Audit is built entirely from external data, with no contact with the target. It can't verify the seller's own reporting, which is why Full Due Diligence needs access.
I reconcile the seller's analytics against Search Console, third-party estimates and a direct crawl, then check the measurement setup for filters and channel groupings that change what the number means. Separating branded from non-brand traffic often changes the picture most.
My diligence work spans deals from $2M to $30M, mostly buy side. The method is repeatable at any size, and I don't present it as billion-dollar experience.
Work needed to hold the traffic your valuation assumes belongs in the price. Work that grows the asset beyond its current performance belongs in the post-close plan. The report separates the two.
I assess each target individually, then map overlap across the group, including assets you already own. I did this across 20+ acquisitions at LifeStance Health, through to consolidation onto one parent domain.
No. Diligence informs your decision. I'm not a financial advisor or a valuation firm of record, and the price adjustment is your call and your model.
Tell me the deal stage and I'll tell you which level of diligence fits.
Book a callAlso working with: Corporate Development In-House SEO Teams