The internet has opened a myriad of opportunities for entrepreneurs. A good example is people that make money online by sharing what they do or any special skills they may have on social media platforms. Others decide to post their skills at a fee on freelancing platforms. Others open online shops in order to sell their merchandise.
Another venture that you can do online is online SEO consultancy. This whereby other online businesses come to you for advice on how they can increase their internet presence using SEO marketing tools. It may sound as if the venture is simple, but it is not. Clients will not automatically come to you because you will not be the only one providing the service.
Here are a few tricks that you can use to have an edge over your competitors and gain more clients.
Forums
Despite the internet having a lot of information, there are some questions that are not available. This is why online discussion forums exist. They are there to answer any burning questions that you may have.
As an SEO consultant, you are an expert in the field. The best way to show people that your business can actually help them is by participating in forums. Go there with one agenda – to answer people’s questions. This is a good way to attract clients because the more you answer people’s SEO marketing queries, the more likely they are to notice you. Some might even visit your bio to know more about you so make sure that you include a link to your firm’s website there. Since they already trust your expertise, these people are more likely to hire you so that you can assist them with planning their SEO marketing strategies.
Giveaways
It might be tempting to leave out this option because you want your business to make money and not lose it. When you offer web visitors free SEO tools, they are more likely to visit your website and increase its overall traffic.
In addition, having a free SEO tool can increase your search engine rankings since not many consultancy firms offer freebies. Furthermore, the best way to stand out with a free tool is to offer something that no one else in the market provide or very few give it out for free. Giveaways also allow you to get user information such as their email address. Create the freebie in such a way that it requires the user to give out some of their information for maximum effectiveness.
Do more
Another way that you can get more clients for your SEO consulting business is by going overboard with your services. Given the fact that it’s very easy and fast for anyone to create a consultancy website and offer the same services as you at a slightly lower price, you have to stay ahead of the game. You can do this by over delivering. Don’t just make any SEO proposal document, give it a unique touch.
Adam White from SEOJet explains in the article SEO Proposal Template – Free Download that your SEO proposal for a potential client needs to be extremely personalized for their specific business and include their logo on the proposal. That way, you show the client, your high level of professionalism. Other services that you can do better and go beyond with your client include unique and well-researched solutions, useful and original content, top-notch reports, and good timing with the completion of client projects.
Focus on a specific industry
It is tempting to think that SEO marketing can apply to any business as long as it is online. This is not the case. The content on the website is what matters the most. For example, a website for a legal firm is different from the one that belongs to a manufacturer. Both sites do not belong to the same industry. The sites also target different people, meaning that the SEO tools may vary.
On that note, if you want your consulting business to grow quickly, you have to pay attention to a specific niche. Offer your services to specific clients from a certain industry, and you’ll get more referrals than you ever thought was possible. Furthermore, such clients pay well if they like what you have to offer them.
Collaboration
Even though the SEO consulting business is very competitive, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t work with those in the same field as you. There are millions of websites to make sure that everyone gets more than their equal share of clients. I have emphasized on the importance of specialization and putting your efforts on one niche. What you should know is that your competitors may also be experts in their niche.
Furthermore, there is always that special element that separates all of you. Therefore, when you collaborate with your competitors, you get to learn from each other’s strengths and weaknesses. You can also refer clients to one another, depending on every person’s area of expertise.
It is all about the customer
One thing that you should know as you venture into this business is that you are there to solve a problem for the client, not sell them your services and products. Therefore, if a client makes an inquiry about the SEO services that you offer, ask them to tell you more about their problem so that you can understand the issue. Listen to them and give them recommendations and solutions where necessary. Then, if they ask about any specific services or products that can help them, mention what you have to offer and let the customer make his or her decision. Using this technique shows the customer that you care about their problem and less about selling. As a result, they are likely to return and recommend your products and services to other people.
Use the above strategies to get more and better clients for your SEO venture. Remember to be consistent with your services. If you over deliver on the report writing, make sure that you do the same for all clients. That way, you will establish an honest and profitable brand.
