The Business Side of SEO with @MarkPreston1969 #vcbuzz

Search engine optimization provides a lot of business opportunities.

There are so many parts to SEO, that few businesses dare to keep all of them in-house and often delegate to third-party agencies and freelancers.

But what does it take to make money providing SEO services and how to make your SEO agency profitable?

Let’s discuss!

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About @MarkPreston1969

Mark A Preston @MarkPreston1969 is a professional SEO trainer and speaker. He is CDO (Chief Digital Officer) and shareholder at @YayziBroadband

Mark is also managing director at @WiXSEOGuy and founder at @TalkDigitalUK.

Questions we discussed

Q1 How did you become a digital marketer? Please share your career story!

Like most people, I stumbled into the industry. I created my first website in Microsoft FrontPage and needed to get people to buy my products.

I have done so many things in my #SEO career. From building agencies, going freelance to being the Head of SEO at a 9-figure company.

I started in the industry in 2001 and have seen MANY changes in that time.

Q2 You wrote a book on the business side of SEO. What has inspired you and what will readers learn when reading it?

Lots of people going freelance would contact me asking loads of business-related questions.

My book actually started as a tweet and ended up being the length of a book.

Yes. It was one of those days that resulted in me in going into over-drive. #vcbuzz
— Mark A Preston (@MarkPreston1969) February 22, 2022

People thinking of starting their own #SEO agency will get a deep insight into the mistakes, challenges, and solutions I made over the past 20 years.

Q3 When anyone considers starting an SEO agency, what are they facing? Which mistakes should they avoid and what they need to do to prepare?

NEVER make a decision based on a promise.

A contract is never confirmed until the cash is in the bank.

You are no longer just an #SEO, you are a business owner.

I’ve seen so many people go freelance giving their well-paid jobs up based on someone saying they will give them loads of work. Guess what happened???

A3 – It is a personal choice. You may lose those clients who do not want to pay up-front, but do you really want them clients who do not value your work?#vcbuzz
— Mark A Preston (@MarkPreston1969) February 22, 2022

One of the biggest mistakes I made is to start work before my invoice was paid. I then spent hours chasing payment, which I do not get paid for.

You need to split your time between running your business, generating sales, doing the admin and then finally, servicing your clients. Do NOT oversell your time.

This is where solid contracts come into play. Setting expectations is so very important at the start. Even down to the support you provide. #vcbuzz
— Mark A Preston (@MarkPreston1969) February 22, 2022

Q4 How to make your SEO business profitable?

Put your existing customers first and always ‘exceed’ their goals and expectations. That way they will become your unpaid sales force which reduces your new client acquisition cost.

Prioritize existing clients, always charge upfront, increase your pricing for new prospects when you feel like you have too much work RT @vcbuzz: Q4 How to make your SEO business profitable? #vcbuzz
— Ann Smarty (@seosmarty) February 22, 2022

Pricing models when it comes to running an #SEO agency are so very varied. I prefer to price based on value rather than per hour.

Q5 What are your favorite digital marketing tools?

Although I use lots of #DigitalMarketing tools, my top 3 are… @ahrefs @sparktoro @sitebulb

Unless you REALLY understand who your audience is, you are never going to make a REAL impact on that business. These tools make this a little bit easier. To get to know who my audience really is. I find that @sparktoro goes way in-depth and opens lots of untapped opportunities.