The nagging question in your mind now is, “How can I get SEO leads?” How do these other agencies make a living and often millions of dollars providing the same SEO service that I do?
In this post, I’ll offer you a sneak peek at all of the accessible lead generation tactics that will help you grow your client base and answer your questions about how to get high-quality SEO leads.
How to Generate SEO Leads – 10 Essential Tips
To stay afloat in the SEO sector, it’s critical to use tried-and-true SEO lead generating tactics to generate at least the bare minimal amount of leads.
It will be difficult for you to attain your business objectives without a proper lead generation plan in place. So, if you’re wondering, “Will it all work?” Don’t worry, this isn’t one of those online prophecy stories that never follows through.
These are the identical tactics we used in-house to attract the first 1000 customers, many of whom are still loyal customers. Are you ready to sift through a sea of possibilities for leads? Let’s get started straight now.
1. Rank on Google’s First Page For Your SEO Service
We assist websites improve their rankings in the SERPs, and to be honest, any SEO agency’s first client is the agency itself.
We’ve all come across companies that claim to be able to rank #1 on Google. However, a quick check of Google’s first page for the SEO strategies they offer indicates that they are nowhere to be found.
Clients nowadays are pretty savvy, and some have already squandered their funds with another SEO firm. One disadvantage of these clients is that they are too wary and conduct an extensive study before deciding on the next agency.
Because they’ve already been taught how to use one or two tools, it’ll only be a matter of time until they realise the agency isn’t doing well.
Assume you’re an SEO firm that focuses on a single city. In such a scenario, make sure your website dominates the SERPs for local keywords that businesses use when looking for SEO services. Optimizing your GMB listing with an accurate description and Name, Address, and Phone Number (NAP) details is a wonderful method to do this.
You can significantly minimise competition by optimising your business website for location-specific target keywords. If you’re looking for national or international leads, though, you’ll need to employ a different method.
Unlike ranking for a local search keyword for your SEO agency, ranking for a global search term necessitates using the same tactics you use for your larger clients.
Furthermore, because you are competing with the greatest SEO services in the field, the results for such a business may take some time.
In this scenario, you’ll need to figure out what your agency’s USP is that people care about. Make sure to use multilingual SEO if you’re providing services to those who don’t understand English.
Also, look at what your top competitors did to rank higher in search results, and most likely, employ Brain Dean’s well-known Sky Skyscraper strategy to accomplish success gradually.
We have a special department at Stan Ventures dedicated to brand building, and they are active in actions aimed at increasing our brand visibility. This is why we rank #1 on Google for some of the most competitive SEO target phrases, such as “buy guest articles,” resulting in a flood of leads and conversions.
Another real-world example is ensuring that you have a physical presence in the areas where you want to rank. After we started operating from Illinois, we noticed an exponential spike in traffic from the United States.
We now rank 300 percent more target terms in the United States than in India, which was not the case only a few years ago. So, here’s the deal: if you rank higher in the SERPs for service-related keywords or even blog terms, you’ll get more leads and interactions.
2. Offer Free SEO Audit for Lead Generation
Who doesn’t want to know what their SEO score is? Some of the greatest SEO firms are capitalising on a natural desire among website owners to know how strong their SEO score is.
You generate high-quality leads by offering a free SEO analysis to such website owners.
I say high-quality because these are folks who are serious about improving their search rankings and maybe seeking for SEO firms to help them with their problems.
As an agency owner, you have the option of providing a rapid SEO audit or a personalised SEO audit. While the first is simple and only takes a few minutes to buy an API from a popular tool provider like SEMRush, the second requires more manual effort but has a better conversion rate.
Both methods are viable options. If you need an API, I recommend SEMRush, which provides a free lead generating API for conducting site audits for possible clients.
All you have to do is integrate the API with your website, and you’ll be notified with the site’s details and email address whenever a visitor performs a free audit.
You can provide a free SEO audit that is 100 percent original and tailored if you want more quality leads. However, this may necessitate a larger staff, but the quality of the leads and the first impression you make will be unrivalled.
One strategy we do in this process is to make the conversation less salesy and instead use it as an opportunity to share information. This helps us establish early trust, and a large portion of our strategy calls conclude with our leads asking, “Why don’t you put these things in place for me?”
ALSO READ: Negative SEO and Its Types
3. Lead Magnets AKA SEO Resources
Most website owners believe that SEO is simple and that ranking higher simply needs creating a beautiful website.
During the first several days after the site’s launch, everyone is in DIY mode. They want to learn SEO on their own and then implement it.
We’d all be out of work by now if SEO results were that simple to achieve. However, website owners have the right to try it out, and they are looking for resources to assist them in doing so.
Give these website owners all of the resources they need to try SEO as an SEO agency owner. Just clap yourself on the back if they succeed with the resources you provide.
However, the bulk of people that download files are not committed to implementing SEO methods since they are preoccupied with other operational concerns. In-house SEOs are only hired in a few circumstances by these websites.
This is what normally happens after people have downloaded this resource for a long.
They test out these tactics and find that they work for them, but because they take time and effort to implement, they come back to us for help. We normally don’t have to teach them or explain to them about our link-building procedure because our 5-in-1 resource has already educated them.
Converting an SEO-savvy client is easier, and they are more likely to become a Monthly Recurring Client for a longer period of time. Case studies are the second resource that most SEO services employ as a lead magnet.
Most prospects regard case studies as more reliable than testimonials. However, there is a catch. Case studies have two sides to them! They need to be monitored on a regular basis, and faking it would be a bad idea.
Clients are now savvy, and they don’t believe all they’re told. They may use SEO techniques to examine the facts, and if they uncover contrary information, they will never contact you again.
So, make sure the data in your case studies is updated on a regular basis, and if you notice a drop in the general organic growth of the website referenced in the Case Study, remove it as soon as possible.
Another successful method for us was to create case studies for specific industries. Stan Ventures provides SEO services for a variety of businesses, including home repair, insurance, and health care.
These industries each have their own case studies, which serve to persuade visitors in these segments of our SEO skills. Lead magnets might be blog posts that are strategically crafted as part of your content marketing plan. Identifying a pressing issue among your target audience and providing a solution through content creation is the greatest method to make the most of your blog.
Place a CTA or a Contact Form at your discretion to capture the information of your readers who may need your help to remedy the SEO issue.
The majority of website owners, for example, complain about the slowness with which their pages load. It necessitates the involvement of a highly skilled technical SEO team.
4. Enable Live Chat for SEO Lead Generation
Some website operators claim that live chats are obsolete and that they are inconvenient. Yes, this was true once upon a time, but a lot of water has since flown under the bridge.
AI-enabled Live Chats make the first conversions more engaging than the robotic messages that dominated the early part of this decade.
Also, keeping in mind that a potential lead for an SEO agency may visit a service or blog in search of answers, Chatbots can be useful. This enhances the user experience and keeps potential customers interested for a longer period of time.
Chatbots can help you collect information from your visitors, convert them into leads, and move them through the various stages of digital marketing. Live chat can assist an SEO agency make an early choice by delivering relevant options.
Assume your goal is to generate more leads. In that case, Chatbots will be a critical component of your SEO agency’s website.
5. Referral Programs for SEO Lead Generation
Web design and related service providers abound on the Internet. Consider them the grooves through which you may reach out to potential clients.
We have found that reaching out to other agencies that provide associated web services is a great lead generation strategy. For every sale made as a result of their referral, we pay them a 10% commission.
This appears to be an unusual lead generation strategy. We used to be in your league, but after seeing our top competitors use this method to churn out new clients, we decided to change our minds. To be honest, the outcomes were incredible.
Another benefit of this lead generating method is that you can partner with as many agencies as you want and only pay a referral commission.
6. Lead Generation Through Social Media
You may need to spend a few thousand dollars on ad campaigns to gain the first few consumers when starting an SEO firm. However, you may use a different method to generate more leads at the same time — social media lure campaigns.
A lure campaign is designed to generate leads from people who are looking for services that are similar to the ones you’re giving. You might wonder why you should use social media (particularly, Facebook) instead of Google. The cost involved is the basic answer.
When compared to PPC ads on Google Ads, the cost of lead creation via Facebook is quite low. A luring campaign is more focused on a bigger audience, which is another incentive to use Facebook. They may or may not be interested in purchasing your service, but they are interested in conducting SEO experiments on their own.
The ideal method to launch a Facebook lure campaign is to create advertising for an enticing resource you already have. Before I continue, let me state unequivocally that not everyone who signs up through the bait campaign will convert. Before at least a handful of these leads convert, you’ll need to set up a digital marketing sales funnel and a series of follow-up conversations.
Another tip to remember while running a Facebook lure campaign is to keep track of the email addresses of those downloading the asset. If you’re going to use AdRoll for retargeting, ensure sure the users are taken to a specific landing page on your website.
7. Lead Generation through Email Marketing
Let me tell you something before I begin. Cold email outreach isn’t the sole type of email marketing. Email marketing, as a lead generation approach, must stand out in the higher strata if it is to bring quality clients to your SEO firm.
I’d want to emphasise the word quality here since there are clients who find facts about SEO difficult to comprehend, and there are clients who understand how SEO works.
Because they are a huge time sink, I prefer to obtain just two great clients from the second group rather than ten from the first round. The ultimate consequence of explaining all of the SEO knowledge available to them could be pure disappointment.
Returning to email marketing for lead generation, this is the best lead generating tool you can use to generate more leads if you have the correct methods in place. But don’t expect miracles to happen right away. It’s possible that you’ll have to alter the strategy, procedure, and message multiple times before you receive the best results.
It’s critical to choose a CRM that can seamlessly connect all of your email marketing data, allowing sales teams to respond swiftly, for a successful email marketing campaign.
Each level of the digital marketing sales funnel through which the prospective customer interacts with your SEO agency’s website necessitates customising the campaign messages.
Every email you send should be focused on driving the prospect one step farther down your funnel. Though email marketing takes time, if you follow a set of steps, it can perform wonders for your SEO firm.
Every email you send should be focused on driving the prospect one step farther down your funnel. Even though email marketing is time-consuming, if you have a well-defined approach, it may work wonders for your SEO firm.
8. Podcast for Lead Generation
Live chat podcasts, for example, are making a strong comeback in the business. While podcasts were less popular in the early part of the decade, with the proliferation of smart gadgets, people are listening to them more than ever.
A podcast is one of the assets that can be added to an SEO agency’s website as a resource, and it has the ability to generate a significant number of leads. Few agencies, on the other hand, have used podcasts to generate leads.
If you’re an agency wanting to form collaborations with smaller or larger firms, the podcast can serve as a link between you. Unlike emails and responses, podcasts make the interaction feel more personal and open the door to long-term collaborations with other SEO firms.
Furthermore, because podcasts serve solely as a lead generation tool, you should ensure that the podcast themes you choose and the subject matter experts you invite are relevant to the SEO campaigns you provide.
The quantity of leads you acquire can be increased by strategically putting Calls to Action (CTAs) throughout the podcast. Keep in mind that, unlike blogs, podcasts do not rank higher on SERPs for generic search phrases (this trend could change over the next few years when podcasts become more popular). This necessitates the employment of various distribution networks to disseminate the content.
The CTAs you provide in each podcast could serve as a lead magnet for the topic being addressed. Visitors are more likely to download the lead magnet as a result of this.
9. Local Lead Generation
All of the following lead generating tactics can be implemented at any moment by large, small, or medium-sized enterprises.
If you’re a local SEO company focused on websites and businesses in a certain region, such as Maryland or Washington, DC, developing a local lead generation strategy should be your first priority.
We previously covered how vital it is for a local SEO business to rank higher in local search results for near me inquiries, both on Google Map Pack and organic results. Because of the increased quality and volume of converting leads you obtain with local lead creation, this is still important.
However, there are a few more considerations to bear in mind if you want to get the most out of local lead generating.
Local Events: Having a presence at events that represent local businesses is one of the most effective strategies to get local leads.
Get a booth or take advantage of a networking event to showcase your SEO agency and educate business owners on the importance of website ranking. Try to persuade them of how you can assist them in accomplishing their goals.
Google My Business Ads: Using sponsored adverts to generate leads is always a good idea. Use the new Google My Business advertisements to get placed on the top of local Map Pack results if you’re a local SEO business owner. This may result in an increase in the number of phone calls and emails.
FM stations: You can obtain a lot of leads through local FM stations or online venues like Clarity.fm, which conducts conversations with experts in several fields.
10. Lead Generation Through Customer Service
You performed everything correctly, following the step-by-step procedure I outlined here. However, you will not be able to scale your SEO business if you overlook this crucial tactic.
Following the tactics above may result in a few hundred clients; however, what if they feel your service to be less seamless and uninteresting? As a result, you may lose some of your existing clients over time. This is especially true if your primary goal is to acquire new clients rather than keep existing ones.
The success of any service firm is largely determined by how well it keeps its present customers satisfied while adding new ones in the background.
Consider yourself to be in the restaurant business. What would happen if you just welcomed new customers and kept sitting clients waiting for their orders to be taken? They’ll all leave one by one, and it’s unlikely that they’ll return. The SEO sector is no exception.
A negative customer might ruin sales, while a pleased customer can bring you repeat business. We’ve witnessed satisfied customers suggest our services to their friends, and this cycle continues each time we demonstrate tangible SEO results.
Negative reviews, on the other hand, are sure to put your reputation management department’s abilities to the test.
Some businesses openly disavow their customers and retaliate by transferring the buck. Still, there are those who are wise enough to recognise the error and propose a solution.
The latter flourish and learn from their errors. Simultaneously, the former will face increased pressure from additional unsatisfied customers who will join the online discourse and wreak havoc.
With online evaluations making such a strong statement, potential clients may be hesitant to work with any SEO firm that lacks online credibility.
Ascertain that your SEO firm has a specialised account management staff that monitors customer satisfaction. They must take appropriate steps to ensure that the procedure is simple and seamless for clients.
Each of our clients is allocated a dedicated account manager at Stan Ventures, and the team in charge of delighting them is entrusted with the task. We do it so well that our clients want to keep working with us. When you’re working with happy customers, upselling gets a lot easier.
They communicate with consumers on a regular basis to ensure that the deliverables meet their expectations. This cuts down on time spent on reworks and, more crucially, dealing with irate customers.
Conclusion
You’ve landed in a sea of possibilities, and SEO firms are already sailing ahead of you. Accept that you are not alone in the race and implement effective lead creation tactics. You can turn the corner and establish a position that no one else can contest.
If you think SEO is a saturated market, you’ve only seen the top of the iceberg. With businesses thriving all over the world and more people harnessing the power of the internet, the urge to rank higher in search results will never go away.
In SEO, the winners are determined by how quickly they pivot using the numerous methods outlined above, rather than by how long they have been in business. Two essential SEO phrases that will guide you to success are process and strategy.