How to Start an SEO Business in Australia in 2021
So you’ve worked for a digital marketing agency for a few years, you’ve built up your contacts and made yourself known in industry circles. You’re ready to go it alone and start up your own SEO marketing agency. In this guide, we’ll show you what you need to be successful and how to gain the competitive edge.
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What skills, knowledge or requirements do I need to start an SEO business?
You don’t have to be an SEO genius to start your own search engine optimisation agency, but you do need to know the basics of digital marketing to successfully sell your services to clients. SEO is a fast-changing business, so it’s a good idea to stay on top of emerging trends and best practices.
Many people pick up the fundamentals of SEO from working in the digital marketing business for a few years. Working alongside talented marketers will teach you the tricks, tools and terminology you need to win over new clients.
Before you begin, it’s good practice to devise a concrete business plan. This will help you to identify your business goals and realise your initial and ongoing expenses.
There are 7 steps to creating a winning business plan as follows:
- Executive summary
- Company description
- Competitive research
- Market research
- Sales plan
- Financial analysis (incl. funding avenues and needs)
- Financial projections
What courses or qualifications do I need to complete?
There are no required qualifications to start an SEO business, although qualifications in marketing and writing can be helpful. If you want to increase your knowledge of SEO before you start offering services, you can study a number of courses online on platforms including:
- Udemy. Udemy is an online course platform with thousands of courses on a variety of topics. It offers a range of highly rated SEO courses which can be great for beginners.
- Moz Academy. Moz is a business which offers SEO tools and information, and also runs a series of basic SEO courses in its Academy. Its courses cover SEO basics like keyword research, fundamentals, technical SEO, backlinks and much more.
- Yoast Academy. Yoast provides a popular wordpress plugin to help website owners manage and improve their SEO. It also offers both free and paid courses teaching topics like SEO for beginners, structured data, copywriting, technical SEO and international SEO.
- SEMRush Academy. SEMRush is a popular SEO tool which helps users find keyword ideas and monitor their rankings. It also has a number of free courses on relevant topics like starting an SEO agency, rank tracking, on-page SEO and SEO fundamentals.
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Equipment and software needed to start an SEO agency
An SEO agency doesn’t require much equipment to get started. If you’re working from home, you will need:
You want to set a good example for your clients by having a top-notch website that is professionally designed and optimised for search engines. This will require getting a domain name and web hosting before you start to build your website. Unless you’re a dab hand at coding and cascading style sheets (CSS), you can use a pre-made theme or get a custom website built by an expert website developer.
For marketing and networking, having a customer relations management software such as CRM is an essential tool in growing your business and retaining clients.
Most agencies charge by billable hours and use some kind of third-party invoicing software such as FreshBooks to keep track of their accounts.
What business structures do I need to consider before starting a search engine optimisation marketing agency?
Using your business plan to form your business model will help you to choose which structure works best for your marketing agency. There are three kinds of structures to be aware of, including:
- Sole trader — independent business owner, full liability.
- Partnership — one or more owners, shared liabilities and profits.
- Proprietary company — a registered entity made up of 1-50 stockholders, limited liability.
Registering your company and business name is required in Australia for taxation reasons. On top of that you’ll need to register for an Australian business number (ABN).
Do I need any legal documents written up before I start operating?
You may need the following documents before starting an SEO agency:
Many online legal services offer free or cheap documents to help you reduce your legal bill. Forms can be downloaded and customised to fit your business needs.
You can also find affordable lawyers online to help you with your legal requirements. Many online legal services offer free consultations for new clients.
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How can I build up my customer base?
There are many ways you can go with an SEO marketing company. The important thing is to find your niche. Do you have a specialised field or industry experience that will give you the competitive edge? The more you narrow down your market, the less competition you’ll have, the easier it will be to get clients.
Use your website and social media channels as an online portfolio to showcase your work. Include client testimonials and case studies to add credibility and attract clients.
An affordable way to get your name out there is to post a company profile on popular online marketplaces. These websites are great places to find clients and check out the competition:
- Airtasker. Create an account and increase your online presence when you advertise your SEO marketing agency services.
- Oneflare. The matchmaker of marketplaces, Oneflare matches clients with professionals.
- Upwork. Upwork is a platform where businesses find freelancers for various jobs or projects.
- Freelancer. Freelancer is a platform where businesses in need of SEO help can post jobs which you can then pursue.
Business directories such as White Pages, TrueLocal and Yelp are also great places for listing your marketing agency. For a fee, you can also find industry-specific directories online.
How much should I charge my customers?
How much you charge your clients depends entirely on the scope and complexity of the project itself. Experience and the size of your agency will also determine your pricing structure. It’s not unusual for agencies to use a combination of payment structures, such as:
- Hourly. Also known as billable hours, this can work well for smaller SEO tasks and ranges from $100 to $150 per hour.
- Fixed. This can be useful for larger projects involving many aspects of SEO. Ranges from $500 to $1000.
- Monthly retainer. Customised to each client’s requirements, often based on a percentage of their marketing budget. Ranges from $500 to $2,000 per month or even beyond.
To determine your pricing structure, do a little market research to see how much your competition charges and what they include.
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Frequently asked questions
What’s the best way to land a client?
To get a potential client interested in your company, consider offerring them a free website audit or a free keyword analysis upfront. Let them see what you can do and they’ll might agree to work with you.
How do I retain clients?
Retaining clients is an important part of your business and is vital to developing repeat business. It will also help to build your reputation and client referrals.
Three key points to remember for client retention are communication, reporting and results. Keeping in contact with clients and showing the value of your work through reporting and results-driven data will keep them interested and invested in what your company has to offer.
