Starting an SEO Business in 2020: A How to Guide
As one of today’s rapidly evolving digital marketing strategies, SEO is in greater demand than ever, along with SEO providers. Statistically, the SEO industry has continued to thrive in recent years. For example, in 2018, the SEO industry was worth $72 billion USD, with an expected increase to $79 billion USD this year alone. Encouragingly, the industry is expected to grow indefinitely, as a result of more users, more user searches, more outlets for search visibility, decreasing power of traditional ads, and increasing SEO sophistication.
These statistics lead to one conclusion; this is the perfect time to start your SEO business.
In 2008, I left my lucrative data management job and started my own successful IT Company and then turn into SEO. Today, my skills are in demand and my business increases yearly.
During this process, I often stumbled, but I also learned a great deal of lessons. For this very reason, I have decided to provide you with something that I wish I had during my years of building this company – the ultimate how-to guide.
I was fortunate to have received help from many experts in this field, and now I am paying it forward. This is my story of how I went from earning a few hundred dollars a month to over six figures. You can too!
Determine Your SEO Services
Determining what type of SEO services you are going to offer is the first step of building an SEO business. Some examples include keyword research, page creation, page optimization, link building, technical SEO audits, strategy reports, website optimization, content improvement, and maintenance and reporting, among others.
In addition, certain SEO providers specialize in on-site SEO, which includes using keywords in proper order, Meta descriptions, Meta tags, alt attributes, image SEO, and internal linking, while off-page SEO includes Backlinking, sharing, commenting, and answering queries.
In addition, you must decide if you prefer a home-based business, a single or multiple location brick and mortar, or single or multi-location service area business.
Personally, I began with a home-based company and have recently expanded to multiple location stores in Los Angeles, New York City, and Miami.
Determine Your SEO Core Strategy
In my opinion, determining your SEO core strategy is often as equally important as determining your SEO services. First, define your target audience and their interests, then; perform keyword research, followed by looking at gaps and opportunities in the market. In addition, be sure to focus on organic traffic, search and local visibility, and follow your metrics and listening to data. In the end, I suggest defining your competition and learning from them.
Company Branding
Branding can often be tricky and subjective. I suggest asking yourself, is your company going to be results-focused or service-focused? Focus on the one thing that is relevant to your business. What is your mission and what are your values? In addition, take a look at the way the most successful competitors are branded.
Choose a clear and unique image as your brand, as use it consistently on your website, on Facebook posts, and your newsletter. Next, choose a catchy tagline and make it visible on all media as well. This unique logo and catch phrase will attract customers to your company; ensure that they are professionally designed.
How to Price Your Services
One of the most important factors when starting an SEO business is pricing your services correctly.
Next, decide if you prefer charging hourly or fixed pricing. At the very start, it is acceptable to offer select clients a free a SEO audit, manual website SEO review, and one hour consultation. For fixed costs, offer an SEO strategy report and web site optimization.
However, I do not suggest hourly rates or performance based SEO. Fixed pricing is the most common type of pricing found in the industry. In retainer-based pricing, clients pay for monthly-predetermined services. Due to the ongoing nature of the industry, most contracts are at least six months of service. This length of time allows for best results and a relationship built on trust. Depending on the scope of the project, an average rate would range from $750 to $5,000 USD per month.
Specifically, a basic monthly rate plan would about $925 CAD per month and includes up to 80 optimized key phrases, as well as phone calls, leads, and revenue tracking. A more advanced monthly rate plan for $1,475 USD per month could include up to 150 optimized key phrases and media and content marketing. Finally, a premium monthly rate plan could be priced at $2,975 USD per month and include up to 300 optimized key phrases, as well as media and content marketing.
Going into specifics, at each price level, contracts should also include web server and on-page analysis and reporting, key phrase research and selection, predictive keyword analysis, meta tags, optimization of robots.txt and GoogleBot crawls, creation and registrations of sitemap.xml, Google Analytics setup with conversion tracking, local search optimization, setup of website sitemap, Image optimization, link redirect audit, and ongoing quarterly keyword reporting.
Monthly contracts could also include SEO copy writing, for $0.15 to $0.50 USD per word, site content audit for $500 to $7,500 USD, link profile audit for $500 to $7,500 USD, and social media site setup for $500 to $3,000 USD.
SEO packages are also recommended. One-time projects should be priced at $5,000 to $30,000 USD depending on the size and complexity of the project. These one-time projects can be marketed toward smaller clients, who may not have a large marketing budget to sustain a monthly SEO plan.
Building an Effective SEO Team
An SEO business is perfect for those with marketing and ecommerce experience, including sales and experience obtaining clients, as well as advanced computer and internet skills.
Specifically, running an SEO company is perfect for those with an analytical mindset and the ability to understand data, a solid background in HTML, an advanced knowledge of how the Internet works – including HTTP status codes to IP addresses, networking skills and the ability to sell when meeting prospective clients, and proficiency in written communication.
For those who would like to put together a larger business, I would suggest starting with an SEO manager/director, content creator(s), designers, PR and link builders, technical experts, developers, an account manager, email and social media marketers, and conversion optimizers.
Outsourcing Business
For those who choose to run their SEO business solo, I would suggest outsourcing SEO business, especially for those who do not have the time to develop and implement their own SEO strategy.
Some pros of outsourcing SEO or partnering with a while label SEO reseller includes more time to dedicate to your business and build a client base, while saving money. It will give you the benefit of a functional SEO team, while you work from the comfort of your own home, or a tiny office, saving additional costs.
Outsourcing SEO is much cheaper than hiring an in-house team. This is especially important for small and new businesses that do not have the resources for paying the salary, benefits, and training of a new employee. In addition, there is also the cost of recruitment. Often business that outsource their SEO will obtain a better return on their investment, than those who spend their money on internal SEO. For example, a standard website requires approximately 20 to 40 hours of SEO per week. SEO internal employees will have to be paid for time not spent working on improving rankings, while external employees can be paid only for their dedicated time.
Outsourcing is also a great way to get effective SEO. Outsourced SEO specialists are up to date with SEO’s changing landscape and often work on many different projects for various clients. This keeps their skills sharp and they will bring this expertise to your project as well. Unlike internal employees who often work on similar projects daily, outsourced workers have often have much more diverse skillsets.
Collaborating with a white label SEO reseller is recommended for those who simply do not have the time to do SEO themselves. Using white label resellers allows you to place your own branding and company name on the provided services. This removes the need for building an in-house team and is very cost-effective. For white label and private label SEO and link building, consider workers in South and South East Asia, due to affordable labor costs. For example, the Bangladesh offers a great deal of knowledgeable professionals, often with a good knowledge of English. In addition, India is another popular choice for SEO link building as well.
For SEO content writers, I would suggest sourcing from English-speaking countries, such as Canada, the United States, Australia, and England.
Other positions, such as developers, account managers, technical experts, and social media marketers can be outsourced as well.
Some recommendations on choosing an SEO reseller is to do your research and choose a reseller who best suits your business needs. Do not hesitate to consider reseller reviews and ask for recommendations.
Attracting SEO Clients
Clients can be attracted through various means. First, I would suggest building and marketing your own website and brand, discussed above. For the website, I would suggest using WordPress, but with a personal domain. Include a home page, service page, and about us page. In addition, I recommend including extensive SEO-friendly blogs and tutorials, as well as guides. Focus on content creation and update frequently, as blogs help users rank higher on Google search.
Using social media to attract clients and build relationships is recommended as well. These include Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and many more. In addition, email correspondence, including monthly newsletters, are encouraged as well.
Setting up a profile on freelancing websites, such as Upwork, Guru, Freelancer and other is recommended.
In addition, pitching services locally to target local businesses is recommended as well. Becoming listed in various local and online business directories is also suggested, as this can generate sales and attract new customers. Press releases can also attract new clients as well.
Next, by answering questions on Quora, or other industry forums, you will also attract customers to your profile and also your company website. However, remember never to pitch your services, simply be helpful.
Speaking at and attending industry conferences is another way to increase your company’s visibility.
However, it is important to remember that the best clients often come from referrals. Ensure that you provide your clients with the best possible service, each time.
Client Proposal Tips
Finally, client proposals are one of the most important aspects of your business. Be sure to include a strong introduction, which includes your corporate identity, your achievements, and even, case studies. Next, outline the business benefits of implementing SEO. Convince your client that they need your services to succeed. Conduct an SEO audit to demonstrate how their website will benefit from your expertise. Create an action plan to demonstrate to your client how you will solve all the problems discovered during the audit. This includes keyword research, competitor research, link building strategy, and technical evaluation. Include your fee structure, deliverables, and terms. As a closing point, choose a statement that will win the client over, including statistics, a strong executive summary, or even a promise.
Setting up an SEO business may seem complex at first; however, by following these easy steps, you can achieve your goal as well.