On average, a successful SEO agency generates around $113,000 per month. 

The SEO industry is brimming with opportunities, but the true key to success lies in consistently attracting and retaining the right clients. Whether you're a freelancer or an SEO agency aiming for consistent leads, mastering the art of attracting SEO clients can be your game-changer.

Want to learn how to get SEO clients and boost your business growth? In this guide, we’ll walk you through proven strategies to find and win clients, conduct impactful local SEO audits for prospects, and generate more high-quality leads to fuel your growth. 

Table of Contents

• What Makes a Good SEO Prospect?
• 1. Understand the Needs of SEO Clients
• 2. Find prospective SEO clients within a niche
• 3. Establish yourself as an SEO authority and expert
• 4. Define the scope of your SEO services
• 5. Master the art of SEO audits
• 6. Leverage Social Media to Showcase Expertise
• 7. Cold Email Prospects to Generate SEO Leads
• 8. Develop and Promote Case Studies
• 9. Network at Industry Events and Conferences
• 10. Expand Services for Cross-Sell Opportunities

What Makes a Good SEO Prospect?

Before we begin looking at tips on how to find SEO clients, it's important to first nail down the characteristics that make up a good prospect. Understanding these traits will help you focus your efforts and ensure that you're approaching businesses that are the most likely to benefit from your partnership. 

Here’s what you need to know to get started:

Identify Market Niche

First, evaluate the prospects' market niche. A good SEO prospect could be a business operating in a specific industry or targeting a particular audience. By offering tailored SEO services to these prospects, you can demonstrate how your expertise aligns with their unique needs and challenges.

Online Presence

Additionally, consider their online presence and website quality. A well-maintained website with room for improvement is a good sign, as it shows that the prospect values their digital presence.

Look for websites that have some basic SEO elements already in place, such as:

• Relevant content.
• Clean URL structures.
• On-page optimization.

These clients are generally more receptive to SEO recommendations since they already understand the importance of being visible online.

Compare the Competition

Next, assess the prospect's competition and industry. If their competitors seem to be dominating search results, this could be an opportunity for you to step in and level the playing field.

Illustrating the competitive landscape can help to showcase how your SEO reporting insights will make a tangible difference in their online performance.

Gauge Potential

Are they a startup with ample room to grow, or an established business seeking to expand their online reach? Identifying clients with a hunger for growth and an appreciation for online SEO will help you to more likely encounter a mutually beneficial partnership.

Related topics:

• How Google local listings information is collected and sourced
• The role of SEO reputation management

1. Understand the Needs of SEO Clients

To foster a seamless collaboration with your clients, it's crucial to understand what local businesses truly want. Each client operates in a unique industry with distinct goals, challenges, and expectations. 

As an SEO expert, your success hinges on aligning your strategies with their vision. To build this alignment, you need to dig deep into their business and uncover how your expertise can help them achieve their objectives.

Here are the ways you can help your SEO clients:

Visibility in Google Maps

Consider how Google Maps SEO can significantly impact local businesses. By employing the right strategies, you can enhance their chances of ranking higher in local search results, enabling them to attract more customers, stay competitive, and thrive in their markets.

Focusing on these local SEO factors showcases your expertise and understanding of their industries, demonstrating your ability to deliver targeted results that drive growth and success.

NAP Information

Another crucial area to concentrate on when working with clients is NAP data in SEO. Ensuring their business information—Name, Address, and Phone number—is consistent across all online platforms is key for strengthening local SEO.

Many folks tend to think the journey of a user and their experience with a brand kicks off when they reach out via phone, email, or spend time on a company's website. However, the journey starts much earlier.

According to Google, there are five key touchpoints that typically lead to a purchase or some positive action on a website:

• Using a search engine.
• Visiting a physical store or other location.
• Checking out a retailer's website or app.
• Exploring another website or app.
• Using a map.

The user's journey actually commences when they first encounter your brand, be it in search results, the Local Pack, on a map, or at your brick-and-mortar store.

Here's why having a consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) is vital: Users need reliable information to smoothly continue on their journey.

We often assume that users discover our local businesses and brands primarily through our websites, guest posts, outreach efforts, and Google Business Profile listings. However, users come across our brand via a variety of online platforms, including the directories where we create citations and listings (Search Engine Journal).

So how can you lead your client on the right path? Guide them through how to optimize their local listings and explain the significance of accuracy and consistency in their NAP information to enhance search engine rankings.

Keep Things Transparent

Finally, it's essential to keep things clear and wide open. Ensure that your clients grasp the worth of your services and have a good idea of when they can expect to see results. Always offer them updates and reports that are easy to understand, so they can track the progress you're making.

When you're transparent and approachable, you'll earn their trust and loyalty, which will help you maintain long-term relationships with your clients.

Understanding your SEO clients' unique needs and adapting your approach accordingly will result in more successful campaigns and happier customers.

Showcase Your Value

Showing your clients how their businesses are performing is a great way to grab their attention. But how do you do that? We’ve got you covered!

Vendasta’s Snapshot Report is a powerful sales intelligence tool designed to give you a competitive edge by providing automated needs assessments of your prospects’ online performance. With this report, you can instantly evaluate your clients’ 

• SEO
• Online reputation
• Social media presence
• Digital advertising efforts

Snapshot Report provides your prospects with a personalized, data-driven view of how their business is performing online. Using the report, you can highlight gaps and opportunities in their digital strategy and demonstrate how your services can address their specific needs. 

2. Find Prospective SEO Clients Within a Niche

It's perfectly fine to cast a wide net, but there are times when you can reel in bigger opportunities by narrowing your focus on how to get SEO clients. Concentrating on a specific niche offers several advantages. It gives you a competitive edge when crafting customized strategies, allowing you to grasp your SEO clients' needs more effectively.

Let’s take a look at a few ways you can achieve this:

Determine Your Niche

To get started in finding your niche SEO clients, you first need to identify industries or markets that could benefit from your expertise. You might choose to specialize in serving restaurants, from there you can boil it down to only ones that sell sushi, for example.

Once you've determined your niche, focus on local search strategies that can elevate your clients' online visibility and enhance their connection with their target audience.

Package Your Services

People don’t want products, they want solutions to problems getting in their way. To find SEO clients in your niche, create services that touch on these pain points and match their needs, goals, and budgets. This way, you'll not only meet their requirements but also build your reputation and attract more clients.

Consider partnering with companies like Vendasta to access white-label SEO services and resell them to your clients seamlessly without added overhead. It’s a cost-effective way to expand your offerings and boost revenue.

Check out the image below to see how it works! Here’s how SEO reseller services work: 

Leverage Your Network

Connecting with professionals who also specialize in your niche, like web designers, content creators, and marketing agencies, can help point you in the right direction to find more SEO clients. Working together with these experts can expand your reach, gain valuable knowledge, and create more opportunities for your business.

Harness Social Media

Using social media platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook is a powerful way to show your stuff and get new SEO clients, and here's how:

Let's say you post a case study about a local bakery that saw a significant increase in website traffic and foot traffic after implementing your SEO integration and strategies. You can showcase the specific steps you took, the results achieved, and the impact on the bakery's revenue.

This real-life example not only demonstrates your knowledge and expertise but also provides potential clients with a tangible success story.

Additionally, you can actively participate in relevant groups and discussions, offering advice and solutions to common SEO challenges within your niche. Consistently is the name of the game in social media. That means sharing your expertise and engaging with your audience regularly will help to establish yourself as a trusted authority in your field.

This approach not only helps you attract new SEO clients but also positions you as a go-to resource for businesses seeking SEO solutions tailored to their specific needs.

Serve Up Excellence

Finally, stay engaged with your existing clients and nurture long-term relationships by providing excellent customer service and ongoing support. Happy customers are more likely to refer you to their network, which can help you find new SEO clients within your niche.

Check out this video below to learn more about how you can sell SEO services to local businesses. 

3. Establish Yourself As an SEO Authority and Expert

When you’re a local business, budgets can be tight, and for most, that means treading carefully when choosing where and how to spend it. Establishing yourself as a trusted SEO authority can make all the difference in how to get SEO clients.

Here are some helpful tips on how to position yourself as an SEO authority:

Stay in the Know

Firstly, continually educate yourself on the latest SEO techniques and industry trends. Stay updated on algorithm changes, search engine marketing tactics, and local SEO strategies. This knowledge will not only help you serve your clients better but also display your commitment to staying at the forefront of the industry.

Share Your Knowledge

Secondly, create and share valuable content that showcases your expertise on your website. This can include blog posts, case studies, webinars, and as we mentioned previously, social media updates. All these pieces of content should be focused on helping businesses improve their online visibility.

Regularly publishing insightful content reinforces your reputation as an accessible and knowledgeable SEO expert.

Engage with Your Peers

And finally, network with other professionals in your area. Attend industry events, join online forums, and contribute to thought leadership discussions on social media. By engaging with others in your field, you can learn from their experiences, share your own knowledge, and potentially find opportunities for collaboration. These connections can lead to referrals and further expansion of your SEO client base.

By following these steps, you'll be well on your way to building your reputation as an SEO authority, attracting new clients, and growing your SEO business.

4. Define the Scope of Your SEO Services

By taking the time to clearly outline what you can offer, you'll be able to pitch your services more effectively and land more local SEO clients. Here’s what you need to do:

Identify Your Strengths

Begin by identifying the specific areas of SEO expertise you excel in, such as on-page optimization, off-page optimization, or technical SEO. This will give your potential clients a better understanding of how your services can benefit their online presence and search rankings.

For example, you may choose to specialize in upgraded new features for local search or focus on improving keyword rankings through AI.

Design a Game Plan

Next, consider the deliverables you'll provide to your clients. This could include:

• Conducting keyword research.
• Analyzing competitor websites.
• Providing actionable recommendations to improve their site's search performance.

 By clearly stating the tasks and responsibilities involved in your SEO services, you'll help your clients understand the value of your work and build trust with them.

Stick to the Facts

When defining your SEO services, it's important to avoid making exaggerated or false claims. Stick to factual, evidence-based explanations of how you can improve a client's search ranking and be transparent about any limits of your expertise.

This honesty will go a long way in building lasting relationships with your clients. Remember, successful SEO is often a gradual process, and setting realistic expectations from the beginning is important.

Consider White-Label Services

Think of an effective SEO strategy like a jigsaw puzzle. Without all the pieces, it is incomplete and will never satisfy the goal you set out to achieve. That’s why you should consider opting for white-label SEO services. Delivering a complete, well-rounded professional suite of SEO tools can be a valuable addition to your offerings and fill in any gaps in the services you currently offer.

Wondering who the best white-label SEO service provider is? Vendasta’s marketplace allows you to access a range of tools and services, which you can resell to your clients under your own brand.  

5. Master the Art of SEO Audits

Performing a thorough SEO audit can significantly improve a website's performance and visibility, helping your clients drum up even more business. In this section, let's explore the key steps to winning clients by mastering the art of SEO auditing.

Run an SEO Audit

Start by running a meticulous SEO audit to evaluate your potential client's website performance. This step-by-step process will be your foundation for understanding their online presence and demonstrating your expertise. Some things you can do while performing your audit include:

• Crawl the website
• Perform a keyword analysis
• Determine on-page SEO
• Evaluate content quality
• Performance of a technical SEO audit
• Backlink analysis
• Determine local SEO ranking
• Run a competitor analysis
• Identity performance metrics

Utilize tools like Google Analytics to measure key performance indicators (KPIs), such as organic traffic, bounce rate, and conversion rates. From there, you can identify areas for improvement and make recommendations.

Get your free step-by-step checklist for a complete local SEO audit. Download the checklist right here, right now.

Optimize Their Website

Once you have reeled in your prospect, it’s now time to look for ways to optimize their website for local searches. A great way to do this is by focusing on "near me" searches. By improving their website's rank in local searches, you can drive more foot traffic and conversions, ultimately increasing their satisfaction with your services.

When conducting an SEO audit, pay special attention to both the front-end and back-end aspects of the website. On the front end, focus on content quality, ways to remove redundancies, improve keyword placement, and optimize HTML metadata. For the back end, look for ways to perform proper indexing, mobile rendering, hosting, and shortened loading times.

Leverage SEO Tools

To speed up the SEO auditing process and make it more efficient, utilize appropriate tools, and implement a well-defined workflow. This approach not only saves time but also simplifies your life and leaves a better impression on your clients.

Present Your Findings

Finally, make sure to communicate your findings to the client in a clear and concise manner. Highlight the improvements you can make, along with the projected benefits of implementing your recommendations. By showcasing your expertise and the potential results, you'll be well on your way to getting your first SEO client and many more to follow. 

6. Leverage Social Media to Showcase Expertise

If you’re wondering how to get SEO clients, social media is a powerful platform to demonstrate your expertise, connect with potential clients, and build your authority in the SEO space. 

Here’s how to make the most of your social media presence:

Share Valuable SEO Insights Regularly

Think of your social media profiles as a digital portfolio of your knowledge. Regularly share tips, insights, and updates about the SEO world.

• Post bite-sized tips on LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook to keep your audience informed and engaged.
• Share your take on industry trends—how new algorithms affect rankings, actionable tips for local SEO, or the latest content optimization strategies.
• Use visuals like infographics, short videos, or carousels to make complex SEO concepts easier to digest.

Remember, your goal is to educate and inspire, positioning yourself as someone who knows the SEO landscape inside and out.

Engage in Industry-Specific Groups and Discussions

Don’t just broadcast—engage. Social media is a two-way street, and participating in conversations can set you apart as an approachable expert.

Join LinkedIn and Facebook groups relevant to your niche or where your target audience is active. For example, a small business owners' group or an e-commerce forum. Answer questions, offer advice, and share relevant resources. When you help someone solve a problem, you not only build rapport but also subtly market your expertise.

Host Live Q&A Sessions and Webinars

Live sessions and webinars allow you to connect directly with your audience and address their specific challenges.

• Q&A Sessions: Host live events on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook, where you answer common SEO questions or troubleshoot audience-specific issues. It’s informal, interactive, and builds trust.
• Webinars: Go in-depth on topics like "How to Optimize for Google’s Latest Algorithm" or "SEO Strategies for Local Businesses." These are perfect for showcasing your knowledge while providing value upfront.

Use these opportunities to present case studies, share success stories, or offer actionable strategies that attendees can implement immediately.

Make sure to record and repurpose these sessions as evergreen content to share later on your social platforms.

7. Cold Email Prospects to Generate SEO Leads

Cold emailing remains a highly effective way to generate SEO leads—when done right. It’s about identifying the right prospects, crafting a personalized message, and offering real value. 

Here’s how to maximize your cold email outreach strategy:

1. Build a Targeted Email List

Start by identifying businesses that would benefit most from your SEO services. Focus on:

• Small businesses with under-optimized websites or poor online visibility.
• Companies not ranking locally despite offering location-based services.

Use tools like LinkedIn, Crunchbase, or email-finding services to locate decision-makers, such as marketing managers, CEOs, or business owners. Ensure your list is targeted and includes valid, up-to-date email addresses to maximize response rates.

2. Craft a Personalized and Compelling Email

Your email should stand out in crowded inboxes. Here’s how to structure it:

• Subject Line: Grab attention with a line that hints at value. Example: “[Business Name]: Quick SEO Tips to Boost Your Rankings!”
• Personalization: Mention specific issues with their website or online presence to show you’ve done your research. For instance, “I noticed your site isn’t ranking for [keyword] in [location].”
• Value Proposition: Offer something valuable upfront, like:
  • A free SEO audit
  • A competitor analysis
  • Customized tips for their website
• Clear Call-to-Action (CTA): Make it easy to take the next step. For example:
  • “Let’s schedule a quick 15-minute call to discuss how we can improve your local rankings.”
  • “Reply to this email, and I’ll send you a free competitor report.”

3. Automate and Track Your Outreach

Leverage platforms like Vendasta to streamline and enhance your cold email campaigns:

• Automate your outreach campaigns to save time while maintaining personalization at scale.
• Monitor key metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and response rates to gauge performance.
• Use these insights to refine your messaging and improve future campaigns.

Vendasta’s marketing automation tools not only help manage email outreach but also automate client acquisition by integrating features like lead nurturing, follow-ups, and analytics. This ensures you’re focusing on high-value tasks while converting cold leads into long-term SEO clients efficiently. 

8. Develop and Promote Case Studies

Case studies are like your success stories—they’re a powerful way to prove that you can deliver real results. When you highlight the challenges a client faced, the strategies you used, and the outcomes you achieved, you’re not just telling a story—you’re building credibility and trust.

Think of it as giving potential clients a behind-the-scenes look at how you work. Did you help a local business climb to the top of search results? Or maybe you doubled a client’s traffic in just six months? Sharing these wins helps prospects see the value you bring to the table.

To make your case studies stand out, use visuals and data to bring the story to life. Charts and graphs showing improved rankings or increased traffic are hard to ignore, and client testimonials add a personal touch that boosts trust. It’s one thing to say you’re great at what you do, but showing proof through data and happy client quotes takes it to the next level.

Once you’ve crafted these stories, don’t let them sit idle. Share them everywhere! Add them to a dedicated section on your website, post snippets and eye-catching graphics on social media, and include them in email newsletters. The more places you showcase your success, the more chances you have to inspire confidence and attract new clients.

9. Network at Industry Events and Conferences

Still wondering how to get SEO clients? Networking at industry events and conferences is one of the best ways to meet potential clients, establish authority, and build relationships that can grow your business. 

Here's how to make the most of these opportunities:

Attend Relevant Workshops and Seminars

Workshops and seminars focused on your niche are invaluable for staying on top of industry trends while connecting with like-minded professionals. Whether it’s a local SEO meetup or a national marketing summit, these events provide direct access to businesses that can benefit from your services. Be prepared to introduce yourself, share your expertise, and engage in meaningful conversations that can lead to long-term partnerships.

Present or Speak at Conferences

Position yourself as an expert by becoming a speaker or panelist at industry conferences. Sharing your knowledge through a presentation, case study, or Q&A session not only establishes your credibility but also gives you unparalleled visibility. People are more likely to trust and remember someone they’ve seen providing value to an audience. 

Build Relationships with Other Professionals

Establishing relationships with other professionals in complementary fields, such as web developers, digital marketers, or content creators, can lead to referrals and partnerships. When you exchange ideas and resources with others in your industry, you not only expand your reach but also reinforce your reputation as a trusted expert.

10. Expand Services for Cross-Sell Opportunities

Expanding your service offerings is a smart way to grow your revenue while providing more value to your clients. By identifying complementary services, offering bundled solutions, and educating your clients on their benefits, you can position your agency as a one-stop shop for all their digital marketing needs.

Identify Complementary Services

Think about services that naturally align with SEO and enhance its value for your clients. These could include:

• Website Design and Development: Help clients ensure their site is fast, user-friendly, and mobile-optimized—key factors for SEO success.
• Local Listings and Reputation Management: Improve local search rankings and build trust by managing online reviews and directory listings.
• Content Marketing and Social Marketing: Amplify SEO efforts with high-quality content and social engagement that drive traffic.

Vendasta’s Marketplace makes it easy to access and resell SEO services while expanding your offerings to include PPC advertising, review management, and more—all without added overhead. Use Vendasta’s automation tools to identify upsell opportunities, streamline client communication, and keep your workflows efficient. 

Offer Bundled Solutions

Clients love convenience and value, so create bundled packages that combine SEO with complementary services. For example:

• A Local SEO Boost Package that includes SEO, local listings management, and reputation monitoring.
• A Growth Accelerator Package with SEO, PPC, and content marketing.

Position these bundles as cost-effective solutions that deliver better results than standalone services, making them attractive and easy for clients to adopt.

Educate Existing Clients on Additional Value

Use your existing client relationships to introduce them to new services. Regular check-ins, monthly SEO reports, or performance reviews are great opportunities to highlight how complementary services can enhance their SEO results.

• Explain how optimized local listings can improve visibility in local search results.
• Show how high-quality content can attract more backlinks and improve site performance.
• Discuss how review management can build trust and drive conversions.

By connecting the dots between these services and their SEO goals, you demonstrate that you’re invested in their success.

With tools like Vendasta’s Marketplace and automation features, you can seamlessly expand your offerings, increase client retention, and establish your agency as a comprehensive solution provider for digital marketing.

11. Create a Content Marketing Plan

A well-executed content marketing plan can position your agency as an authority in SEO, attract potential clients, and nurture leads into loyal customers. 

Let’s find out how to craft a strategy that works:

Develop a Content Strategy Focused on SEO Clients

Start by understanding your audience’s needs and pain points. Identify topics that resonate, such as:

• Common SEO challenges and how to solve them.
• Industry-specific tips, like SEO for e-commerce or local businesses.
• Case studies highlighting successful campaigns and measurable results.

Use keyword research tools to pinpoint relevant search terms your audience is looking for, and optimize your content to rank well on Google. This ensures your efforts not only provide value but also increase your visibility online.

Produce High-Value Content Across Multiple Formats

Diverse content formats can engage different segments of your audience effectively. For example:

• Blog Posts: Write detailed guides like “5 SEO Tips to Improve Your Local Rankings” or “How to Analyze Your Website’s SEO Performance.”
• Videos: Create tutorials that explain SEO concepts visually, such as “How to Conduct an SEO Audit.”
• Infographics: Design visually engaging graphics to simplify complex SEO data or strategies.

Repurpose content across platforms—turn blog posts into video scripts, break down long-form content into social media posts, or compile multiple tips into an eBook. 

Promote Your Content Effectively

Even the best content needs proper promotion to gain traction:

• Share your articles and videos on social media platforms and industry-specific forums to reach relevant audiences.
• Use email newsletters to keep prospects informed and engaged with your latest content.
• Collaborate with influencers or partners in your niche to amplify your reach and credibility.

Build a Content Funnel to Generate Leads

Guide potential clients through a content funnel by offering downloadable resources, such as:

• eBooks on SEO strategies.
• Checklists for improving website performance.
• Templates for conducting SEO audits.

Gated content, requiring an email address for access, allows you to capture leads while nurturing them with valuable information about SEO best practices and benefits. Follow up with tailored email campaigns to build trust and convert these leads into clients.

Unlock New Growth Opportunities

To grow your SEO agency and build a consistent pipeline of clients, combining multiple strategies is key. From defining your niche and leveraging social media to creating compelling case studies and networking at industry events, each approach contributes to your success. 

The most effective methods for how to get SEO clients often share common traits: they’re data-driven, personalized, and focused on delivering measurable results. Tailoring your outreach and demonstrating value through audits, reports, and case studies can set you apart in a crowded market.

Vendasta’s suite of tools provides the resources you need to streamline client acquisition, expand your service offerings, and manage campaigns with white-label SEO dashboard. From automated outreach to access to complementary services in the Vendasta Marketplace, these solutions empower your agency to scale efficiently.

Ready to grow your SEO business? Start implementing these strategies today and see how Vendasta can help you unlock new growth opportunities. Contact us to schedule a free demo today! 

This article was originally published in October 2023 and was updated in November 2024 to include the latest information and insights.