Introduction
Leads are the backbone of any business. You may be a professional SEO agency or a freelancer just getting started. You need a method that you can deploy and continuously develop if you want to produce fresh, relevant leads and clients. And we'll assist you in doing just that. You'll discover what an SEO lead is in this post, along with the six methods to generate quality leads.
Steps on how to generate SEO leads
A potential customer who has expressed interest in your SEO services is known as an SEO lead. Either they discover you first and contact you, or you actively seek them out and offer your services. Here is how you can acquire them
Step #1 Offer specific SEO services for specific clients
This is the first stage to develop or offer a customized SEO solution for specific sectors. These services can include serving a particular niche or providing SEO consultations for a low monthly retainer (e.g., lawyers).
If you look around the SEO sector, you'll see businesses and individuals succeeding by focusing on a certain service or market.
Have a look at Rankings.io, which focuses on SEO for legal firms. Alternately, take a look at Complete Stadium, which focuses on the accounting firm industry.
You can cut it even further. For instance, SEO creates links from the Help A Reporter Out website for clients. In other words, it serves a sub-niche (link building/digital PR) within a larger niche.
Hence, you could want to think about services like keyword research, SEO strategy, on-page and off-page optimization, technical SEO, content optimization, YouTube SEO, or local SEO.
Also Read: The Essential Guide to Local SEO: Strategies for Small And Medium Business Success
Step #2 Identify prospects
✅ Inbound
Inbound marketing is when potential customers find you rather than the other way around. Let's go over the most well-liked inbound marketing platforms that produce leads.
✅ Website
If you have a website, you may use it to create leads if you let people know about your SEO offerings and nudge them to contact you by phone, email, or by downloading a brochure.
Take a look at this landing page, which describes and conveys the growth advantages of the business's SEO services. Getting an SEO quote right away is another compelling call to action on the page.
✅ SEO
You are probably aware that for many websites, organic traffic is the primary source of visitors.
Assess the possibilities of that traffic by using Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer to find the pertinent terms your prospects are using to search.
Enter "SEO" and choose your nation
Enter the sector or specialty you are focusing on using the Include filter, such as contractors or accountants.
The metrics for the following are available: Keyword Difficulty (KD), Search Volume, Global Volume, and Traffic Potential (TP).
Secondly, make a landing page that specifically addresses this subject and describes your services and contact information.
✅ PPC
Using Google AdWords, you may swiftly boost traffic if you need leads right now.
The new paid search feature in Ahrefs' Site Explorer allows you to view this agency's Google Ad campaigns and the keywords they target.
✅ Groups and Communities
Web design and conventional marketing were my entry points into SEO.
As a participant in an Adobe web design community, I generated leads from other web design firms that lacked resources or interest in SEO.
Also, the Ahrefs Insider group frequently has SEO Speed Dating events where participants are free to post jobs or projects they need assistance with—excellent for generating leads.
Also, companies who use Ahrefs can seek to be highlighted on our SEO directory in order to attract customers to their services.
✅ Construct your reputation
By blogging, using social media, or participating in podcasts, you can establish a reputation for your services.
Organic traffic to several thousand monthly visitors can be increased with moderate effort. Furthermore, email marketing can be used to promote my services and educational programmes to subscribers who have expressed interest.
✅ Events and conferences
You may meet people in the industry, form connections, and explore business opportunities by going to a variety of SEO conferences.
✅ Word of mouth and referrals
Referring to referrals from friends and family, word-of-mouth marketing has the potential to significantly boost sales.
To "start a conversation" with them, I sent them a straightforward audit that contrasted their website with a rival's.
After that, a phone session can be set up to go over how to priorities business prospects relating to SEO work.
✅ Outbound
Instead of waiting for potential customers to contact them, outbound marketing refers to sending communications to them. This can be done by phone, direct mail, email, etc.
Using Ahrefs' Content Explorer, you can identify potential customers to target.
Let's say we want to reach out to UK-based insolvency practitioners. In the "In title" field, type insolvency practitioner site:co.uk. Add the filters "No subdomains" and "One page per domain" Change "insolvency practitioner" to the name of the business you are aiming for. Also, replace site:co.uk with the name of the nation you want to target, such as site:ca for Canada.
Enter the business type and location into Content Explorer if you're targeting potential customers in the United States, for example, Certified Public Accountant OR CPA AND Houston.
Step #3: Qualify prospects
A crucial stage in producing SEO leads is qualifying potential customers. It entails assessing potential clients to see if they satisfy the requirements for a fruitful business partnership. Here are some essential criteria to take into account while selecting potential SEO leads:
✅ Determine who your target market is
The customers you wish to attract with your SEO lead generating strategy should be determined. This may involve elements like industry, business size, or location.
✅ Determine fit
Determine whether the prospect is a suitable fit for your firm based on the data you've acquired. Think about things like their timeframe, budget, and whether they actually need your product.
Prioritize leads depending on their potential of becoming customers after evaluating your prospects. To improve your chances of success, concentrate your efforts on the most promising leads.
Overall, by concentrating on the most potential leads, qualifying prospects allows you to save time and money. Through your SEO lead generation efforts, you may improve your chances of turning prospective consumers into devoted clients by assessing them based on how well they fit with your organization.
Step #4 Schedule and do a discovery call
Finding potential leads is the first step. They are people who could use your SEO services. This can be accomplished through a variety of techniques, including networking, outreach on social media, and buying lead lists.
Contact the lead: After you've located potential customers, get in touch with them through phone or email to tell them about your business. Describe how your SEO services may assist them in achieving their business objectives and offer to arrange a discovery call to go over their requirements in greater depth. Explain how your SEO services can help them achieve their business goals and offer to schedule a discovery call to discuss their needs in more detail.
Schedule the call: Once the lead has expressed interest, schedule a discovery call at a mutually convenient time. Be sure to confirm the time and date of the call and provide any necessary information such as the dial-in number or video conferencing link.
Prepare for the call: Before the call, research the lead's business and website to understand their current SEO situation and identify areas where your services can add value. Prepare a list of questions to ask during the call to better understand the lead's needs and goals.
Conduct the call: During the call, introduce yourself and your company again, and then ask the lead about their business goals and current SEO situation. Listen carefully to their answers and ask follow-up questions as necessary to get a clear picture of their needs. Explain how your services can help them achieve their goals and answer any questions they may have.
Follow up: After the call, send a follow-up email thanking the lead for their time and summarizing the key points of the call. Include any additional information or resources they may find helpful, such as case studies or testimonials from satisfied clients.
Step #5 Create a pricing policy
One of the biggest mistakes I've ever made was spending the effort to craft a proposal and price only to have the prospect reject it or, worse yet, not respond to my email or phone call.
Thus before making a proposal, you should provide a pricing when asked.
Try to oppose and give them a pricing range if they insist on a formal proposal.
In comparison to where they will be in the future.
Options for pricing are tested against one another.
There are just two possible responses when you provide a customer one pricing option: yes or no. If the answer is "no," the prospect will compare your price to that of a rival.
Step #6 Send an SEO contract
Here are the steps to consider when sending over an SEO contract as part of the process of generating SEO leads:
✔️ Finalise the terms
Before sending over a contract, make sure that you and the lead have agreed on the scope of the project, the timeline, the pricing, and any other terms and conditions. It's important that both parties have a clear understanding of what is expected of them.
✔️ Create the contract
Once the terms have been finalised, create an SEO contract that outlines the scope of the project, the services included, the timeline, the pricing, and any other terms and conditions. Be sure to include language that protects both you and the lead, such as a cancellation policy, confidentiality clause, and liability limitations.
✔️ Review the contract
Before sending over the contract, review it carefully to ensure that it accurately reflects the terms that you and the lead have agreed upon. You may want to have a legal professional review the contract as well to ensure that it is legally binding and enforceable.
✔️ Send the contract
Once the contract has been reviewed and finalized, send it over to the lead for their review and signature. Be sure to provide clear instructions on how to sign and return the contract.
✔️ Follow up
After sending over the contract, follow up with the lead to confirm that they have received it and answer any questions they may have. Be prepared to negotiate any terms or conditions that the lead may wish to change.
✔️ Finalize the contract
Once any negotiations have been completed, finalize the contract and obtain the lead's signature. Keep a copy of the signed contract for your records.
By following these steps, you can send over an SEO contract that protects both you and the lead and ensures that both parties have a clear understanding of the project terms and conditions.
FAQs
Q1: What are SEO leads?
A: SEO leads are potential customers who have discovered your business through search engines like Google or Bing. These leads have found your website or landing pages by searching for keywords related to your business or industry, which means they have a specific interest or need that your products or services can fulfil.
Q2: Why is SEO important for lead generation?
A: SEO is important for lead generation because it helps your website or landing pages appear higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), which makes it more likely that potential customers will find and click on your site. By optimizing your website for relevant keywords and phrases, you can attract more targeted traffic and generate more leads for your business.
Q3: How long does it take to see results from SEO lead generation efforts?
A: The amount of time it takes to see results from SEO lead generation efforts can vary depending on factors such as the competitiveness of your industry and the current state of your website's SEO. Generally, it can take several months to a year or more to see significant results from SEO efforts. However, consistent effort and ongoing optimization can lead to long-term success and sustained lead generation.
Conclusion
At first, concentrate on outbound activity to produce sales leads. A distinct issue faces those with a proven track record in SEO: they must select inbound leads to increase their revenues and profitability.
Before committing to drafting a proposal, customize your SEO service for your target industry, find prospects, qualify them, schedule a discovery phone call with them, and give them a pricing.
To seal the deal, utilize our SEO contract template.