How to Get More Leads with SEO Marketing?

Have you put in the effort to establish a new marketing agency, only to face the challenge of acquiring SEO leads? 

The SEO industry is highly competitive worldwide, whether you’re located in the US, Canada, or Shanghai. There are numerous other digital agencies vying for the same market share as you. The good news is that there are proven strategies available to help you generate more SEO leads for your business. Once you grasp these strategies, they are relatively simple to implement.

By the end of our guide, you will be well-versed in generating leads  with SEO marketing and converting them into paying clients.

What is an SEO Lead?

An SEO lead refers to a potential client who has expressed interest in your SEO services. The SEO services that a potential client may be interested in include on-page optimization, SEO site audits, link-building, and local SEO. These potential clients can find your SEO agency through various means such as search results, paid advertising, or referrals, or you may need to proactively approach them and present your services to them.

How to Get SEO Leads

There are numerous methods to acquire SEO leads for your agency, which can be categorized into outbound or inbound marketing. Outbound marketing involves the manual strategies used by an agency to reach out to businesses not currently on their customer list.

On the other hand, inbound marketing focuses on producing content, tools, and resources to attract people to come to you.

Examples of outbound SEO lead generation include:

1. Reaching out to businesses through social media;
2. Participating in SEO, web design, or business meetups;
3. Identifying poorly optimized websites online and contacting them;
4. Purchasing leads or emails if needed.

Examples of inbound SEO lead generation include:

1. Referrals and word of mouth;
2. Publishing high-quality blog posts;
3. Establishing a reputable SEO group or community;
4. Utilizing your website to generate leads;
5. Running a PPC campaign to target a specific audience.

We will guide you through each tactic in detail and explain the steps you can take to discover potential SEO leads for your agency.

Decide on Your SEO Niche Service Offering

Before you start generating SEO leads, it’s crucial to have a clear understanding of your specific SEO niche and the services you provide. This is a vital first step in the process as it will shape the strategies and approaches you will need to take moving forward.

Simply claiming to offer SEO services to any business without focusing on a specific niche is shortsighted and unlikely to yield good results. SEO is a vast field with various aspects such as keyword research, link-building, local SEO, YouTube SEO, technical SEO, and more. As an agency owner, you must decide on the specific services you will offer.

Furthermore, it’s important to identify the types of businesses and industries you want to target. Many SEO agencies specialize in working with specific sectors like law firms or dental practices.

Outbound SEO Lead Generation

Outbound lead generation involves identifying potential SEO leads who are unaware of your business or unfamiliar with your brand. This is why it’s called outbound, as you need to actively seek out these prospects.

• Conduct Manual Outreach on Social Media Platforms

One effective way to generate SEO leads is by joining relevant LinkedIn and Facebook groups related to website performance, business growth, and SEO. It is important to actively engage in these groups and share your expertise.

It is important to note that most groups have rules against direct promotion of businesses (e.g. “Contact me for SEO services”). Instead, you can showcase your experience in handling SEO projects while interacting with other members and discussing the successful outcomes you have achieved for clients.

Over time, you may receive messages from group members seeking your assistance or advice. This presents an opportunity to upsell your services and convert them into paying customers.

• Attending Web and SEO-Related Meetups

Attending relevant meetups is a well-established strategy that many agencies rely on. Engage in conversations with attendees at these events to see if they require any SEO services. Make sure to customize your approach for each individual you meet. If someone has a pressing deadline and is looking to finalize their SEO provider quickly, feel free to share more about your agency. However, if you come across someone who is still new to SEO concepts, it’s best not to immediately pitch to them as it may put them off.

So, how can you connect with leads who are not yet prepared to make a purchase?

The solution is simple — offer to send them a customized SEO report of their website along with suggestions on enhancing their search rankings. To do this, you will need to request their email address. After that, focus on maintaining communication and providing value to your lead so that you are the first person they consider when they are ready to make a purchase.

• Finding Poorly Optimized Websites Online

Let’s imagine that most of the clients you serve are in the healthcare industry, and you’re looking to get more SEO leads in this specific market.

You can simply do a Google search, and navigate to the 10th page or so. Now, take a look at all the websites listed on this page; you’ll probably find that most of them are either poorly designed or poorly optimized, which means that they could benefit from your agency’s services.

From here, it’s simply a matter of getting in touch with the relevant companies, and pitching your agency’s services to them.

If you can identify a few things that they can do to improve their website in your email to them, this will make for a pretty convincing pitch:

• Purchasing Leads from a Database

If you’re having difficulty generating SEO leads for your agency, one option is to buy leads from a database, but this should be considered a last resort. Most agencies prefer to generate their own leads rather than buying them. When purchasing leads, it’s important to:

1. Buy from a reputable vendor;
2. Be selective in your purchases, focusing on leads that are a good match for your agency instead of buying a large list and sending out cold emails.

It’s crucial to ensure that the leads you purchase come from a trustworthy source that guarantees accuracy. For example, LeadCandy promises a low bounce rate for verified emails and offers refunds if the bounce rate exceeds 5%. Another recommended tool is UpLead, which verifies email addresses before providing them to customers.

In addition to choosing a reputable vendor, it’s essential to be selective in your purchases. Look for a vendor that allows you to filter their database based on various criteria so you can target leads most likely to convert.

For instance, UpLead enables users to filter its extensive contact database using 50 different criteria such as industry, location, company size, revenue, etc. This feature helps you create targeted lists and connect with leads who are a good fit for your agency.

• Use Job Sites to Find Opportunities

Businesses frequently utilize job websites and LinkedIn to discover and recruit SEO experts. This presents a chance for you to promote your SEO services to these businesses and highlight the advantages of hiring an agency over a full-time employee.

When a company is actively seeking candidates for their SEO team, it indicates their readiness to invest in long-term assistance with search engine optimization. This automatically categorizes the business as a promising SEO lead.

Inbound SEO Lead Generation

Inbound lead generation involves attracting leads from potential customers who find your business on their own rather than you actively seeking them out.

Typically, inbound leads have a higher conversion rate compared to outbound leads. This is because inbound SEO leads are actively looking for companies or individuals to help them, whereas with outbound leads, you have to persuade prospects that they require your services.

• Get Listed in Digital Agency Directories

One effective method for an agency to generate more SEO leads is by being included in relevant agency directories such as Digital Agency Network, Clutch, and Top Digital Agency. Being listed on these directories is typically free and attracts highly motivated users seeking marketing partners.

Due to the heightened level of motivation, these leads are more likely to convert and be successfully closed. In addition to creating a profile on agency directory sites, utilizing platforms like Craigslist, Yelp, and Yellow Pages can further enhance the online presence and visibility of your agency.

• Word of Mouth and Referrals

The most effective way of inbound marketing is by receiving recommendations and referrals from existing or past clients.

This type of inbound marketing is highly impactful because these leads are eager to find a company that can assist them with SEO, making it easier to convert them into customers. Moreover, since clients have recommended you to their contacts, these SEO leads already have confidence in your ability to deliver positive outcomes.

To encourage current clients to refer you to their business connections, simply focus on providing outstanding results for them. This will naturally lead them to talk about your services with others. After achieving exceptional results, politely ask for referrals to help expand your agency. You could also consider offering discounts to clients whose referrals sign up for your services.

• Creating High-Quality Blog Content to Attract Leads

We suggest dedicating time and effort to developing blog content in order to attract SEO leads. While some outbound lead generation methods may not be sustainable in the long term, inbound marketing is a strategy that can consistently deliver results.

For example, creating a high-quality blog post today can drive traffic and lead to your website for months or even years to come. Therefore, it is important to focus on your content creation strategy. Consider these options:

• Posting blog articles on your own site;
• Guest blogging on marketing and SEO websites;
• Designing infographics for social media platforms, particularly Pinterest;
• Developing a lead magnet and promoting it;
• Producing YouTube videos;
• Hosting webinars or a webinar series;
• Starting a podcast featuring various guests from the digital marketing and SEO industry;
• Providing answers on Quora or Reddit.

So, how can creating blog posts help you acquire leads? By creating blog articles that rank well for relevant keywords, you can attract targeted traffic to your site. Consider content ideas that address challenges your ideal customers may face in their businesses.

For instance, TheDentalSEOExperts, an SEO agency specializing in dentists, regularly publishes helpful blog content on their site to support dentists in enhancing their online presence.

• Creating an Authoritative SEO Group or Community

Another effective method to generate SEO leads is by establishing your own SEO community or group. This could be in the form of a Facebook group or an email newsletter.

Building a reputable group will require time, so do not anticipate immediate results in terms of new leads. The main goal is to create a community that appeals to business owners. It should serve as an interactive platform where business owners can access updates, practical advice, and growth strategies for their businesses.

Furthermore, you can share your blog content within this group and invite guest contributors from various fields like social media management, customer support, etc.

• Host a Webinar

Conducting a webinar provides a valuable opportunity to demonstrate your expertise in the field of SEO. Additionally, you can present case studies of past clients who have benefited from your services.

It’s not necessary to only focus on SEO during your webinars. Consider your target audience and identify any challenges they may be facing in their businesses. Develop a webinar that addresses these specific pain points.

For instance, if your target customers are startups in need of funding, you could organize a webinar on financial management for startups with a guest speaker who has relevant experience in this area.

• Using Your Website to Generate Leads

An SEO company can utilize its website to generate leads for SEO services. This aligns well with producing blog content to attract specific visitors, but the focus is more on optimizing service pages using SEO techniques.

For instance, if you search for “seo agency in montreal”, you will see a result from Thrive Internet Marketing Agency.

By clicking on their search result, you will be taken to their Montreal SEO Company service page.

This page is highly optimized to rank for relevant search terms and serves as a great example of structuring a location page for local SEO.

Not only does this webpage receive a significant amount of targeted, organic traffic, but it also includes a form where visitors can submit their information to receive a free SEO audit of their website.

Therefore, this SEO company not only attracts targeted traffic and enhances online visibility, but they also convert that traffic into leads through a lead generation form. 

• Creating a PPC Campaign to Serve Ads to a Specific Audience

One more way to attract SEO leads through inbound marketing is by launching a Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaign aimed at your desired audience. By utilizing this marketing method, you can create ads that specifically reach users in your preferred location who are searching for your chosen keywords.

When executed correctly, PPC campaigns can provide immediate results; however, they can also become expensive if not set up with the appropriate targeting, bidding strategies, and keyword selection. If you understand how Cost-Per-Click marketing functions and can effectively reach the right audience at a reasonable cost, this approach can be highly successful in generating leads on a monthly basis.

• Create a Podcast

Similar to webinars, podcasts provide SEO agency founders and managers with a platform to talk about different subjects concerning SEO and business. Podcasts can be held more often than webinars because they are simpler to create. 

For instance, NerdBrand is a digital agency that runs a podcast focusing on marketing, where they invite guests who offer distinctive perspectives on a range of topics.

How to Research Qualify Leads

As you enhance your lead generation efforts, you will accumulate a large number of SEO leads that you can contact. However, before reaching out to them, it is important to conduct thorough research and assess their suitability.

Specifically, you should investigate the following areas:

• The company’s organizational structure and key decision-makers;
• Their online presence, particularly their current performance on search engines.

Primarily, familiarize yourself with the company and identify who the key decision-makers are.

In addition to understanding the company’s structure, evaluate its digital footprint across various online platforms. For example:

• Examine their website for updates and potential issues related to design, user experience, and SEO. Check if the site is mobile-friendly;
• Review their off-page SEO, including keyword rankings and backlinks, and compare them with competitors to identify areas for enhancement;
• Analyze their social media channels to evaluate their posting frequency, consistency in tone, follower count, engagement level, and responsiveness to comments.

The objective is to gain a comprehensive understanding of their circumstances and challenges so that you can offer valuable insights when engaging with them.

The Importance of Qualifying Leads

When it comes to qualifying your SEO leads, it’s important to work efficiently. By taking the time to pinpoint and separate high-quality leads from the start, you can avoid wasting time on individuals who may not convert in the future.

Consider the type of SEO clients who have the financial means and willingness to pay for your agency’s services. It’s best to target clients who:

• Operate in an industry with a good profit margin;
• Are not sole entrepreneurs;
• Work for a well-established company that has been in business for some years.

To further evaluate if a potential client is a good match, utilize tools like Spyfu to determine if they are investing in PPC advertising. If they are, it suggests that the company has a substantial marketing budget and understands the value of marketing efforts.

How to Contact Leads

After completing your research on SEO leads and their company, the next step is to make contact with them.

1. Keep your Subject Line Casual

Many marketers and sales representatives typically use formal language in their sales emails. To stand out, it is recommended to maintain a more casual tone.

For example, instead of using a subject line like: “Interested in boosting your SEO and reaching page one on Google?”

You could try something like:

• I’m going to help you get on page one of Google (for real);
• If you want to rank on Google, here’s what you should do;
• I just Googled you, and here’s what I found…

In general, the more natural and human-like your subject line sounds, the better chance you have of increasing your email open rate. It is also beneficial to include a sense of urgency and curiosity in your subject lines, as well as personalizing them whenever possible.

2. Make it Easy for Your Lead to Take the Next Step

If you want to schedule a meeting with your potential client, it’s crucial to make the request as convenient as possible for them.

For instance, instead of saying, “I would like to schedule a meeting to discuss our SEO services in detail. Can you provide a few dates and times when you’re available, and let me know your preferred location?” a better approach would be, “I’d love to talk about our SEO services with you face-to-face. How about meeting at your office this week? You can pick a date and time that works best for you by using this link.”

By making it easy for your clients to arrange a meeting, you increase the likelihood of converting them into clients.

3. Keep your Email Short and Sweet

Statistics show that for a higher chance of receiving a response to your email, aim for it to be 50 to 125 words in length. In the initial email to a potential client, focus on capturing their interest rather than selling them on your agency’s benefits. Keep the message concise and engaging to hook them in.

How to Follow Up with Your Leads

Marketers and sales representatives have a dislike for follow-ups due to various reasons. Some struggle to remember to follow up, others fear being seen as too pushy, and some believe follow-ups are not effective.

Interestingly, follow-up emails can actually yield better response rates than initial emails. Research shows that while first emails receive a 30% response rate on average, fourth emails get 13%, and sixth emails achieve an impressive 27% response rate.

Does this mean sales reps should spend 2 hours daily on follow-ups with SEO clients? Not necessarily. Automating follow-up emails is simple, even without access to advanced marketing automation tools. 

Final Thoughts

Acquiring B2B SEO leads for your marketing agency can be challenging due to the competitive nature of the industry. However, by implementing a combination of outbound and inbound marketing strategies, you can effectively generate more leads and convert them into paying clients. It is essential to focus on identifying your niche, conducting manual outreach, creating high-quality content, utilizing digital tools, and engaging with potential clients in a personalized and strategic manner. By following these steps and avoiding common pitfalls such as overpromising and waiting too long to reach out, you can successfully grow your client base and establish your agency as a reputable player in the market.