You lead an architecture or engineering practice in Nairobi. Your projects are in Westlands, Kilimani, Karen or out along the expanding satellite towns: family homes, apartment blocks, offices, schools and hospital extensions. You have noticed that developers, private clients and Kenyans living abroad now look for an architect online before they ever request a meeting. A provider has offered you a 12-month visibility contract. Before you sign, you want to know exactly what you are buying.
That instinct is right. You apply it every day with your own clients: a clear brief, defined deliverables, a programme and allocated responsibilities. Ask for the same discipline from whoever will carry your practice's reputation for a year.
Questions about what gets delivered
"What exactly will you deliver, and by when?"
A reassuring answer lists concrete deliverables with dates and explains how you can check they are live. A worrying answer stays vague: "we'll take care of everything", "we'll build your brand". You would never sign a building contract without drawings and a bill of quantities. Do not sign a visibility contract without knowing what will be done.
"What happens if it is late?"
A serious provider has an answer written into the contract: a credit, a free month, a penalty. If there is none, the risk of delay sits entirely with you, and you keep paying regardless.
"Who owns what is published?"
Everything created for your practice should belong to you and stay in place if you stop. Be wary of any arrangement where the provider controls your website or pages and everything disappears when the contract ends. Our general guide to questions to ask before signing a 12-month visibility contract covers this in more depth.
Questions about measurement
"How will I know it is working?"
The right answer: regular, dated reports and, above all, access to your own measurement tools, such as Google Search Console, where you see the figures without a middleman. The wrong answer: screenshots chosen by the provider, or metrics that say nothing about visits or enquiries.
"What happens at three months?"
A one-year commitment needs managing. It should include a measured review after a few months so you can read the trajectory, adjust what needs adjusting and decide with real information. If nobody offers that checkpoint, you will find out in month twelve what you should have known in month three.
"Will we be number one on Google?"
This is the trick question, and it tests honesty. Nobody controls what Google or an AI assistant decides. A provider who says yes, or who quietly lets you believe it, is not telling you the truth. One who says "I guarantee what I deliver and I measure it with you" is credible.
Questions about competition and positioning
"How many architecture firms do you work with in Nairobi?"
It can feel awkward to ask, but it matters. For any given search, only a few positions count. A provider working for five rival practices on the same searches cannot do right by all of them. Ask whether they cap clients per sector and how they keep each one's positioning distinct.
"Do you understand what my clients look for?"
A developer planning a mixed-use block, a family in the diaspora building a home in Kiambu, a company looking for an office fit-out and a school planning a new wing are not searching for the same thing. The provider should ask about your project types, your clients and how you work, not just your logo. If they ask nothing about your profession, take note.
"What will a full year really cost?"
Have them add up the setup, the monthly fees and any extras in front of you. The year-one total should be clear at signature. If you are comparing several proposals, our guide on comparing visibility quotes shows what must be in them and what should alarm you.
Why a 12-month commitment is not a trap in itself
Many principals are wary of a one-year contract. That is understandable, but the length is not the problem: visibility starts slowly and accelerates, so a three-month contract often ends just before the results arrive. What matters is the guarantees that come with the term. We explain this in why visibility work runs on a 12-month commitment.
How Traffic Engine answers these questions
Traffic Engine, Kolonell's service, answers them as follows. What your plan includes goes live on schedule, or the following month is free. You receive a dated report every week and follow the results in your own Search Console. There is a measured review at three months on a 12-month commitment. Kolonell caps each sector at 3 standard seats per area, each with its own positioning, and guarantees delivery and measurement, never what Google or an AI decides.
On budget, prices for Kenya are in US dollars. The Visibility Audit is $750, credited against the $1,650 setup if you start within 30 days. On Momentum, the most common plan at $2,100 a month, year one comes to $1,650 + 12 × $2,100 = $26,850. See the offer and check availability for architecture in Nairobi.
Your next step
Nairobi's construction market moves in cycles, and many practices only think about new clients when a large project ends or a developer delays a phase. The best time to settle these questions is before that happens, while you can choose calmly. Print these questions and put them to every provider you meet, Kolonell included. Compare the answers in writing. If you would like to know where your practice stands first, the free website score gives you a benchmark in seconds.