How to Start SEO Consultancy Business
Do you want to learn everything there is to know about starting an SEO consultancy business? This article will give you all the information about starting a good SEO consultancy business to optimize your website and improve your ranking! Check out!
The SEO consultancy business is very important for any company seeking to gain more visibility. SEO consulting, also known as Search Engine Optimization, has become quite popular for different reasons.
One of the main reasons is the simple fact that the internet is becoming more popular. We know that nowadays everyone is online almost all the time. We are connected 24 hours on the internet, whether on social media , email, information channels, etc. That is why, if you want to be found by your customers you need to be ranked in search engines, like Google.
Think of it this way: your competitors are certainly investing in online presence. Appearing first on relevant Google searches can make all the difference for your business.
An SEO consultancy helps exactly that, looking for ways to put your company on Google and attract more leads through analysis.
In this comprehensive guide, you will learn:
- Role of an SEO Consultant
- How to get started in SEO Consultancy?
- SEO Consulting: Mistakes to Avoid!
- Conclusion
Role of an SEO Consultant
There are many roles of an SEO consultant that can bring more results to companies. Some of them are:
- Strategic directions
Companies that do not know exactly what they need, that do not have any knowledge on the subject or have a very superficial base need an SEO consultancy so that they can set goals and be successful in long term search marketing.
- Implementation of strategies
If a company already has a good base of what SEO is, what measures are necessary to appear in search engines and a series of SEO strategies, but needs help with implementation, due to lack of time to develop and optimize, you can count with a team specialized in implementation and for solving technical situations.
- Software indication
Search marketing (SEO) is a wide universe that involves different software developed to perform analysis, tracking and problem identification. Many are available on the market, and knowing which ones are best for each strategy, in addition to the budget you are willing to invest in these tools, is essential to make a good choice.
There are software aimed at different SEO strategies , for example, there are those that are better for keyword research, others that are indicated for finding errors on the website and others that can better support link building actions.
- SEO Audits
The SEO audit is extremely important for any company. Conducting an in-depth analysis of the site, which points out pages that can be improved, that has the potential to reach the first page, better terms for use to attract audiences in your segment, as well as correction of website errors that may be compromising your ranking is essential. You can try to do a general audit of the entire site or choose to study a landing page or another specific page that wants to improve its positioning.
- Keyword research and analysis
Keyword research can be a real challenge for novice SEOs, as there are thousands of word options to explore and use. If a good filter is not made, these words are unlikely to bring a return.
The search for words with high conversion and low competitiveness is important, but it is also necessary to make this study based on user behavior, analyzing the context, reality and objectives of the company. Word search strategies need to be adjusted and aligned with business purposes.
- Competitor analysis
Assessing the competition is essential so that you don’t fall behind in the competitive market. Analyzing new market trends is essential to ensure your presence not only online, but in your segment as a whole. If you want to be a company reference for your customers, but also for competitors, you must always be ahead innovating.
Seeing what the competition is doing, how it is doing, what markets and issues it is exploring, what services and products they are offering or developing, is important for you to try to stay one step ahead.
- Link Building
Did you know that link building is one of the most important strategies when it comes to SEO? That’s because having several sites pointing to yours (backlinks) shows that you are the authority and reference on that subject and that brings A LOT of credibility in the eyes of Google and also the readers.
Many companies wrongly implement this link building strategy, exchanging links with any website, with no strategy involved. There are sites that are frowned upon by Google for developing low quality or plagiarized content and it certainly will not be legal for you to exchange links with these sites, as they have a high toxic rate.
That is why, counting on an SEO consultancy to make genuine partnerships through the acquisition of quality links and exchange of guest post with blogs of sites related to the subject generating relevant content for your audiences should be your only alternative.
- Quality assurance
A company that already performs SEO services and has excellent knowledge of it, but needs to have some kind of quality monitoring, a more specialized look can benefit from SEO consulting. Constantly evaluating the site, whether the content or the technical part, is essential to maintain high quality standards in everything that will be developed.
These specialists help your company to generate more targeted traffic, obtain higher rankings (domain score) and also more profits.
How to get started in SEO Consultancy?
- Set your goals
To start, you must first set your goals. This allows you to budget and select the most effective techniques. For example, one objective could be to Increase the visibility of your business or brand, Increase quality web traffic, convert potential prospects into customers, Generate more leads and sales, etc.
Ultimately, the goal of any SEO consultancy business should be the optimization of return on investment (ROI). After all, you always have to make sure you reach your goals with the minimum of effort and resources!
- Find a niche
In the SEO sector, the competition is intense, and when you want to create an SEO consultancy business, you must above all identify your niche and determine your strong point, it is therefore essential to find your place in terms of positioning on the market. The top 3 questions to ask yourself at this point are:
- What niche/field do you want to work in?
- What are the required skills?
- Who is your target audience?
Choose the right niche
Depending on your SEO consultancy strategy, you can choose between several niches/fields to specialize in:
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – the process of maximizing the ranking of pages when they are searched online.
- Content Marketing – online content created for specific audiences about products or services.
- Guest Blogs – write articles for blogs and links to sites.
- Email marketing – promotional material sent by email
- Identify your target market
After deciding the niche you want to specialize in, the next step is to determine who you are going to market to and why.
You may want to take on as much work as possible, especially at the start, but be sure to ask yourself if it is serving your target market – if not, don’t be afraid to say no.
When you set up your own SEO consultancy business, it is tempting to make excessive promises in an attempt to attract customers. However, this is a short-term strategy. Be confident in what you can offer and what you can achieve from the start, and while it may take longer to build a customer base, you will prepare for success.
From our experience, customers appreciate transparency in a business. So even if you feel like you’re facing a lot of competition, honesty is really the best policy.
Another aspect is knowing where your target market is located. For some SEO consultancy business, it may be a large international project, while for others, it may be to focus on local territory.
From the start, it is essential to think about your business brand – this includes what your business does and why it does it.
Think of your brand as the story of your SEO consultancy business.
You will need to identify the main characters (your team members), the plot (what your business does) and the style (how your business communicates). Then tell this story over and over again.
Your brand is communicated through all of your business actions, from general concepts such as your name and logo to the smallest details, such as the fonts you use on your website.
Read Also: How to turn your customers into marketers
- Register Your Business
You should register your business in order to give it a legal status. You need to determine the legal structure of your tutoring business. It can be a sole proprietorship, partnership or a limited liability company. Each of these has its pros and cons. For instance, if you register the business as a sole proprietorship, you will have the full control of the business. It is the easiest and cheapest way of structuring a business. However, at the same time, you will bear the whole risk of the business. If you don’t want to do it alone, you might consider partnership. Partners in a partnership are collectively responsible for all business debts and profits, and also have full control of the business. For a limited liability company, the company is seen as an artificial body that is separated from the owners; it can sue and can be sued. Unlike sole proprietorship and partnership, owners are not personally responsible for business debts and liabilities of the limited liability company.
Read Also: Choosing A Legal Structure of A Business
- Register With Tax Authority
It is important that you register your business with relevant tax authorities both at state and federal levels. As an entity, there are certain taxes your business should pay. Also, if you hire staff working for you, you need to deduct tax from their salary which you are expected to remit to the state tax authority. Doing otherwise will be seen as tax evasion. Of course, this has its own legal implications.
- Open a Bank Account
It is important that you have a bank account for your business. Even though you have a personal bank account, you still need to open a separate account for your business where you can lodge all the supermarket revenues. Also, you should make all the expenses relating to the business from the company. This makes you more accountable. At the same time, it will be easier for you to source loans from the bank when needed. Furthermore, having a bank account makes it easy for your accountant to prepare the financial statements of the supermarket.
7. Write a business plan
A business plan should include:
- Your business objectives
- Cash flow and financial budget
- How to reach your target audience?
Once you have answered all the necessary question, you must start work on the presentation of your business plan.
8. Find customers
Every SEO consultancy business needs customers, and we’ll provide you with tips to help you find yours – whether you want one or 100!
While you may want to acquire as many new customers as possible at the outset, it is likely that over time, the focus will be more on retaining customers in the long term, as it can be difficult to continually replace them.
That said, it’s also important to know when to let a customer go.
How can your SEO consultancy business find customers?
- Networking
One of the most important ways to find clients and market your business is through networking.
Networking is about building connections and delivering value – note that this is not necessarily an immediate source of income. Instead, think of it like this: Connections create customers.
2. Free trials
Nothing makes people more interested in trying or doing something more than the word “free”, and you can also apply it to your business services.
At the start, consider offering your business services for free to show people what you can do. Gradually, you will build your brand.
- References
Once you have customers to work with, use them to expand your customer base even more.
Being referred by another company could increase your business chances of finding more customers to work with, as this helps build trust.
- Location
The location where you are based also says a lot about your business. Again, it’s all part of your brand, so choose your business location carefully, because it can say a lot about your business.
Finding the right premises for your business is not only having enough space to work, it is also showing potential customers – and competitors – that your business is a serious competitor. But more importantly, as an SEO consultant, having a strong web presence is necessary.
How to retain the customers
Once your business is better established, you will need to make sure that your customers stay with you and that they are not influenced by what other competitors are offering. Here are a few tips:
- Make sure that everything your business does is customer-focused.
- Keep reports and document work
- Stay up to date with digital marketing news
- Creative approach to work
Although it can be fairly easy to manage your time (both for acquiring new customers and maintaining existing accounts) in the early stages, as your business grows and grows, you may need to consider additional tools.
9. Promote your SEO consultancy business
Promoting a business is essential, but for an SEO consultancy business, the question becomes even more interesting: how to promote an SEO consultancy business?
Even if people expect higher standards (this is your business area of expertise, after all), don’t worry – see it as a creative challenge instead. Here are some of the main ways to promote your business:
- Website
First of all, you need to have a professional and well-designed website. This is not negotiable for an SEO consultancy business – customers and others interested in your business should be able to find your business online and see a site that best reflects what you are doing.
However, it does not have to be expensive. At first, you can use a website builder to quickly and easily create a basic website, without the need for a lot of technical skills.
After a while, you can consider hiring a professional website designer to create a website with custom design and increased functions.
- Social media
In addition to your site, your business will need to be on social media to contribute to your overall online presence. Although there are a number of platforms, focus your efforts on connecting with your target market. It’s about knowing what networks they’re using and sharing their content. You can use social media to promote your business, but also to engage and find customers.
In general, Facebook and Twitter are the main networks to use. If applicable, consider using Instagram, Pinterest and other platforms as well. It’s a way for people to see what’s going on in your business and keep you up to date on what matters most to your customers.
- Promotional material
Even if you run an SEO consultancy business, don’t forget the promotional material on paper. It can be as simple as creating business cards for yourself.
Likewise, you might consider creating brochures and other physical materials to promote your business. You could sample a range of work that you think best represents your business in a brochure to distribute as needed.
10. Join communities
Talk to other SEO consultants, ask questions, answer questions, and exchange information. There is a very large variety of different communities to join, but check out LinkedIn, Twitter and various forums on Facebook.
11. Put the knowledge into practice
When you know the basics of how search engine optimization works, you want to get practical and test your skills as quickly as possible. Pick out some keywords and search races that you want to try to get good positions on. While search engine optimization is much more than taking good positions on Google, it’s also about knowing which keywords and search phrases are the most lucrative, and then working on conversion optimization to convert new visitors into customers. But a large part of the work is to take high positions on Google in a long-term and good way.
12. Seek internship or trial position at an SEO company.
SEO companies are always looking for good SEO consultants who are driven and passionate about what they work with. Contact them and show how you ranked your sites on Google and explain how you did, what you learned, etc. Ask about getting an internship at the company or ask for a probationary position. During the time as an SEO apprentice, you will learn more and more and can eventually become junior SEO, senior SEO or Head of SEO.
Bonus Tip
I highly recommend that you learn how Google Ads work and become proficient at optimizing your campaigns
SEO Consulting: Mistakes to Avoid!
In addition to tips on what to do to get more return on SEO, it is also essential to define what not to do so that it does not harm your positioning.
As much as you develop several correct optimizations, but you have a few things in error, it can ruin your ranking. Here is a quick summary of some of these things:
- Super optimization – using a keyword in an exaggerated way, repeatedly, inside the content in a forced way can harm, as well as excessive creation of links.
- Unnatural links – Many links that lead to the same page or use the same anchor text can always be harmful.
- Link Spam – Add links to your site from anywhere and anywhere. Less is usually more when it comes to SEO.
- Poor quality links – You definitely want quality over quantity in the age of search engine optimization. Only a handful of high quality relevant links outnumber hundreds of low quality links.
- Bad content – copying, plagiarizing or simply writing low quality content can be detrimental to your site in many ways.
SWOT Analysis of SEO Consulting Business
If you want to succeed as an SEO Consultant, it is important you are able to identify your strengths , weaknesses, opportunities and threats. One tool you can use in this regard is SWOT analysis. With this tool, you will be able to identify your strengths so that you can leverage on them. Your weaknesses are those areas where you are disadvantaged. Knowing your weaknesses will allow you to take steps which can help you overcome them. Opportunities are external factors that can help contribute to the success of your SEO consultancy business. If you don’t know that the opportunities exist, you may not know how to make best use of it. On the other hand, threats are those limited external business which can jeopardize your business. What you do in this regards is to find way of coping with them since you may not be able to do anything about them.
Strengths
Industry Expertise: If you are an expert in SEO consultancy industry combined with good marketing activities, there is likelihood that you can’t lack customers.
Highly ranked website: If anyone approaches me that he will make my website to outrank my competitors, the first thing I check is his own website. If your website is ranking high with relevant keywords, that will help you convince your customers that you can help them achieve their ranking target.
Social Media Presence: People spend o a lot of time on social media. Social media is no longer for just hangout. A lot of business decisions are being made on social media. If you have a large followers on your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, you can easily let people know about your business and the services you render.
Robust Liquidity: You need cash to do some marketing. If you plan your marketing efforts very well, the returns could be very rewarding.But you need the initial investment before you can expect returns.
Read Also: The Hidden Benefits of Not Having Sufficient Capital
Good content: Good content will help drive potential customers to your website. If you produce good content on your website, people will see you as an authority. They will feel comfortable giving you a chance for business opportunities.
Good Testimonials: What are people saying about you? If you have satisfied customers whom you have worked for before, testimonies from such people will boost your image in the market place.
Weaknesses
Little Knowledge: If you are just starting SEO consultancy services, you may not have enough experience in the field. However, you can overcome this through training. Also, you can charge low so that customers can give you a trial. Through constant practice and on the job training, you can overcome this.
Low domain authority metrics: If your website is relatively new, it will have low domain authority metrics. It may take time for you to attain some levels of authority.
Poor ranking for primary commercial keywords: The cheapest way to get customers is to rank for your primary keywords. If they search for SEO consultants and your website does not rank in the first page, you may be losing customers to your competitors.
Opportunities
Improve the ranking of existing content: If you have content that are already ranking, you can improve on them so that you can rank hire.
Continue to publish useful content: The opportunity to push quality content out is always there and search engine is there to reward quality content with high ranking.
Target featured snippets: This is what I call cash cow when it comes to search engine optimization. If your content can appear on featured snippets, you may be able to double or triple your revenue.
Competition among websites: Individuals and organizations are beginning to understand the benefits of having a well optimized website. Many of them cannot do it themselves. This presents good opportunities for SEO consultants to thrive.
Threat
Existing firms: Competing with well established existing firms may be difficult. Existing firms may have a lot of resources which you don’t have. For instance, they may afford to spend much money on marketing.
International competitors: SEO consultancy services can be easily outsourced to other countries. This means that you will be competing globally.
Read Also: How to Start a Networking Marketing Business
Conclusion
SEO consulting is an important part of your digital marketing planning. It will help optimize all aspects of website, social networks and content production.
With a quality SEO consultancy, it is possible to improve your clients’ ranking, increase lead capture, and generate authority and much, much more.
More than a digital marketing strategy, starting an SEO consultancy is a necessity in today’s world. Remember that the internet is the main means by which your customers will find the company. Furthermore, it is from there that most communication with your audience will happen!
