> Practical answers about an SEO engagement: what access is needed, how long audits take, time zones, Upwork contracts, invoicing, reports, and confidentiality.
>
> Source: https://christopherabraham.com/faq/ · Updated 2026-10-06 · By Christopher Abraham

# Frequently asked questions

Practical answers about how an engagement runs. For the overall process, see [Hire Me](https://christopherabraham.com/hire-me/).

### How long does an SEO audit take?

Most audits take one to two weeks from the day I have access. Large sites, sites with many subdomains, or questions that need server logs take longer, and the scope states the timeline up front.

### What do I receive at the end of an audit?

A written findings report: the question, what I examined, what I found, the evidence for each finding, and a prioritized list of fixes with an owner for each one. Developer items come as tickets with acceptance criteria. I walk you through it on a call if you'd like.

### Do I have to hire you through Upwork?

No. Upwork is convenient for many clients because it handles contracts and payments, and that's where my reviews live. You can also hire me directly by email, with payment in advance.

### What access will you need?

Usually Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools, GA4, and a login for your content management system. For JavaScript and headless sites, read access to the code repository helps a great deal. I'll list exactly what's needed in the scope.

### Will you change things on my live site?

Only with your approval, and only changes that are in scope. Theme and template work happens on a staging site or a duplicate theme first. Every change I make is logged so you can see what moved and when.

### Can you work with my developer?

Yes, and I prefer it. I write specifications developers can build from, review pull requests when I have repository access, and verify the live result after deployment.

### What time zone do you work in?

US Eastern time. I schedule calls across North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, and most of the work happens in writing, so time zones rarely slow a project down.

### How soon will I see results?

Technical fixes can show up in crawl data within days. Indexing changes usually take weeks, and ranking and AI answer changes can take months. I set expectations for each item in the plan and report on them as they move.

### Do you write content?

I write and edit metadata, FAQs, page outlines, and service page copy as part of SEO work, using AI tools for drafts and my own editing for the final version. For a full content program, I can brief and edit your writers.

### Do you offer monthly SEO?

Yes. A [retainer](https://christopherabraham.com/services/seo-retainer/) covers monitoring, fixes, and reporting each month, billed at the start of the month.

### How do you handle confidential information?

Client details stay private. Case studies on this site describe clients by industry and problem, never by name. I'm happy to sign a nondisclosure agreement, and I've worked under HIPAA terms on a healthcare site.

Something else? Email [cja@well.com](mailto:cja@well.com).

Updated October 6, 2026