Search engine optimization (SEO) helps people find your website when they search for a specific keyword. This process includes on-page, off-page, and technical. On-page SEO is what you do on your website to increase your rankings in search engines. This includes keyword usage, meta descriptions, and internal linking. You do off-page SEO outside your website to increase your rankings, like link building and social media marketing. Meanwhile, technical SEO improves your site’s speed, security, and functionality.
SEO services are a type of marketing that focuses on improving your website’s ranking in search engine results. They can include keyword research, content optimization, strategy development, and more.
Today’s digital age requires SEO services. It doesn’t matter if you’re a website owner, an entrepreneur, a small business owner, or others. The only people who don’t need these services are those who don’t have a website or online presence in any form. For those with social media pages or other online-related activities, there’s a good chance you’ll benefit from using SEO services one way or another.
There’s no denying that selling SEO services is challenging, but the good news is that it doesn’t have to be. The key to succeeding in this industry is knowing how to sell your services effectively. Whether you’re a freelancer or own a start-up business, there are plenty of proven ways to land new clients and build your client list. Continue reading to learn the top five methods for selling SEO services.
1. Build A Good SEO Proposal
No matter what you’re selling, the first step is to build a good proposal. Your proposal is your first chance to make an impression on your potential client. You may think it’s just another piece of information that gets thrown away once they’ve read it, but so much more is at stake. A good proposal communicates value and shows that you understand their needs. If you can’t do that in a few pages, how will they trust that you can do it in the course of your work together?
A well-written SEO services proposal can be the difference between a client going with you or another company. When working with clients, ensure you prepare well-structured and easy-to-read proposals and outline how you’ll help them achieve their goals. What goes into these proposals, though? What should they include? And how do you make sure yours stands out from the competition? Here are some things to consider when putting together an SEO proposal:
- A clear and detailed description of the service you’re offering
- A detailed analysis of the client’s website and competitor analysis
- An explanation of how your services will help the client achieve their goals
- A breakdown of how much it will cost them to work with you and how frequently you’ll bill them
- A timeline for when you’ll start working with them and when they can expect results
Finally, a good proposal must include any legal agreements you want clients to sign before starting work. Whether you’re freelancing or not, this is crucial to your business.
Related Tool: Better Proposals
2. Target The Right SEO Customers
If you’re selling SEO services, you must know to whom you’re selling, as it is critical to learn about your prospects. There are two types of customers: those who want quick results and long-term success and the short-term folks looking for an immediate boost in traffic and rankings so they can compete with their competitors over a short period. They don’t care about the long-term effects on their site—they only need to win this year. Long-term success customers, on the other hand, want to build their brand over time so they can be on top for years to come.
Selling SEO services directly to businesses can be difficult because most companies don’t understand what SEO is or why it matters for their business. If you want to sell SEO as a service, though, targeting these two types of prospects is imperative. This is because they have different needs and expectations from an agency like yours.
The best way to target these customers is by doing your research—and that doesn’t mean just looking at analytics or rankings. Talk to people in your area who have websites and ask them what their needs are. Find out what kind of businesses they run and how their business has grown since they started using a website. Ask them if they ever had problems with their website, what kind of problems they had, and how they fixed them. If you’re not making enough headways, try cold pitching.
Related Reading; Are SEO Agencies worth it?
3. Write About Your SEO Services
Content marketing is a great way to sell SEO services. It’s one of the best ways to show potential clients that you know what you’re doing—and that you can deliver results. You don’t have to be a professional writer, but if your writing skills aren’t up to par, it’s good to have someone on your team who can create a compelling piece to sell your services.
SEO providers should have copywriting skills to sell their services effectively. You must be able to write clearly and effectively about the subject. If you’re not interested in writing articles for your website or blog posts for social media, consider hiring someone with this interest and skill set (or hire someone who wants to learn). A good copywriter will attract more visitors interested in learning about SEO to your sites for lead generation, conversion, and retention.
Blogging is another way to sell SEO. It’s a long-term strategy that can help you build up your reputation as an expert in your field and establish yourself as a valuable resource for your target audience. By writing blogs about topics related to your business, you can establish yourself as an expert and increase traffic to your website by getting links from other sites. In addition, blogging helps you improve your writing skills and allows you to share information with others.
4. Leverage Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing is one of the most powerful tools at your disposal when selling SEO services. It’s an excellent way to connect with potential clients and get them interested in your services. You can post about new updates to your company, share tips and tricks for using social media as a marketing tool, or even post interesting articles related to online marketing—the possibilities are endless.
You can use social media marketing to sell SEO services in the following ways:
- Post content that shows off your expertise in the field. People will be impressed by your knowledge of SEO and will want to work with you because of it.
- Use hashtags. Hashtags make it easier for people interested in hiring someone like you to find your work online. Try using hashtags like #seoservices or #websitedesigner and hashtags related directly to specific types of businesses (like #yoga).
- Engage with your audience by answering questions they post on social media or asking them questions so they know that they have your attention and care about what they have to say.
- Share links to articles explaining SEO basics and how it works. This way, you can educate potential customers about what you do and why they should hire you.
- Include your contact information so people can reach out if they have questions or want more information about working with you. Additionally, include links back to your website and other social media profiles.
If you’re only starting with social media, your personal page is probably a good place to start. Once you’ve got some followers and have established yourself, it’s time to create an official business page. This makes it easier for potential clients to find you and helps them know they’re dealing with a professional company.
5. Sell Benefits, Not Features
When selling SEO services, it’s easy to fall into the trap of listing all the features your product or service has. You want your client to know that your service will give them exactly what they want, so you lay down everything you do and how it benefits them. However, this is not an appropriate way to sell something. Instead, focus on what your client gets from using your services—the same benefits they will enjoy from working with you and your company. This will help them see why they should work with you instead of another provider.
If you’re selling SEO services, it’s important to remember that your customers don’t care how often your company has been recommended. They don’t care about how many awards you’ve won for your marketing tactics or how many people are currently using your software. Your customers care about one thing: results. So, the best way to get people interested in buying is to show them how it will improve their lives. If you demonstrate how your services will save someone time or money or improve their health and well-being, they’ll be much more likely to buy.
Related reading; Expert Strategies to Grow Your Marketing Agency.
Conclusion
Ultimately, selling SEO services is much like selling anything else. You need to know who you’re talking to and what they want, get it across clearly, and ensure they can see how it will benefit them. If you’ve been struggling with this part of your business, take a look at the proven ways discussed in this article because they may be able to help you get your sales back on track.