Cost to Run an SEO Agency, and Which Skills Are Strongly Required?

Kumar
How much does it cost to run an SEO agency and which skills are strongly required?
20 👍🏽 9 🤭 1 🤔 30
[filtered from 69 💬🗨]

👈📰

🔗🏹

💬🗨

Justin
Sales. If you don't know how to generate revenue and sell people you're not going anywhere.
Marko
It depends. I still do not have a website that represents me or my business (please do not message me with offers), yet I am spending around $500 per month on tools for marketing.
The most useful skills for running an agency are probably negotiating, selling, and project management. Basic-Advanced knowledge of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a must if you really want to earn big bucks and get good clients. Your English doesn't need to be perfect (mine is far from perfect as you noticed 😃), still people should understand you.
Cheers!

Malin » Marko
, I agree with this. I'm in the same shoes!
Behzad
If you don't have a website to represent you then how do you market to your clients?
Marko
Using platforms for freelancers. That's more than enough because clients can see reviews for projects I completed in the past. Furthermore, some of my clients let me share the screenshots from Google Analytics and Google Search Console. It's much easier to find clients on freelancing platforms than with cold-pitching because clients who visit freelancing platforms are already hot leads. The competition is a problem. However, I have a good history and great numbers to back up my knowledge and experience so creating a website is not something I need to do right now.
Ian
If you cant even get a website up for yourself how is a client suppose to have any confidence in you?
Marko
I didn't say I can't. I said I do not need it right now. I checked over 50+ websites created by SEO agencies who offer SEO and their performance in search engines sucks. I do not want to be like that. I do not want to create a crappy website just to look more professional. As mentioned, I have many reviews and long-term projects and I am happy with the number of clients I work for. Return on Investment (ROI) is another reason why my website is on the pending list.

Kalf
U need a love for spreadsheets and u shouldn't mind spending all day on the computer

Alexander » Kalf
this is actually a solid answer. Clients love data and financials… at least enterprise clients do. How SEO effects their bottom line is all that matters.
Ian » Alexander
Enterprise clients are the dumbest ones tho. They want the data but they will never figure out how to utilize it 😂
Alexander
They might be but they also pay the most. If you have a clear outline of deliverables and focus on conversion pages or how to funnel people into those pages I believe you can get some quick wins. implementation will be up to them but If I can make it fool proof, I get less questions after work is sent out. I use loom to send explainer videos of the work and why it's put together the way it is.

Tridip
Better start as a freelancer.. once you gather enough client then go for making an agency

Nadji » Tridip
best answer!
Yes, Start as a freelancer,
Make yourself a name and reputation.
Then open your agency.
You success will depend on your skills of course but more than that it will depend on how reliable your are and how you structure your packages. You need sales experience and you need to be able to build a strong relationship with people.
You need to be able to do spreadsheets with tons of data with PPT and be able to analyse datas, extact uselull information that will help your clients.
_{💟👍🏽2}
Tridip » Nadji
yup totally
Holgate » Tridip
Unless you've got at least 30k to 40k spare to start out, you've no real choice but to start out as a freelancer anyway rather than an agency.

Scott Allen ^🎓
For all the people commenting "sales" I would hope you have a source to to do the actual SEO. Lord knows this industry doesn't need anymore fake it till you make it agencies in the mix.
_{🤭💟👍🏽12}

Nelson » Scott Allen
that's why I keep clients. They figure out they had quacks doing he work.

👈📰

🔗🏹

Lees
Your should have the same skills necessary to open a Facebook group like this and be the man that everybody gets SEO answers from. It doesn't cost anything to run an SEO agency because the clients pay for everything. You get the sales, then you pay the help.
Egan
You also need a great content writer, graphic designer for retargeting ads that can also make gif or video and web developer that you can contract as required.
John
I'm the same as above .. but I have 0 spend on tools so just start by cold calling perspective clients.
Harris
If you're asking, you're not ready.

Radoš » Harris
well he obviously knows that! How about you stop being a smart ass and give him a piece of advice he can use??
_{💟🤭👍🏽9}
Harris » Radoš
lol okay this sounds like a you problem since you're so offended by the truth. I said what I said.
Radoš » Harris
no, it simply sounds like you are a smart ass.
_{💟👍🏽2}
Levi » Harris
I have to agree with Radoš
you could be helpful, maybe give him some guidance by saying check out such and such a site, if your going to comment. No one knows everything. No one is the Google oracle
I mean even my frank and accurate response is more helpful then that
Put some effort into it then one sentence answer. 1 sentence that serves no purpose
Go sit in the corner

Levi
No skills required just a good sales mouth 😂 industry full of cowboys and ego. Also a lot of good SEO masters. Depends on your own belief system
_{🤭👍🏽4}
Jude
Don't worry about people saying you're not worried, these are the type of people that spend years studying for something that never amounts to nothing.
Have a crack, sell the product and hire the according people to do the job.
LaFauve
You don't need SEO skills to run an agency. You need to know how to run a business. How to hire great people, how to get customers and how to scale a business.
Maybe do an MBA.

Levi » LaFauve
this exactly. You can't do it all on your own anyway

Holgate
To be a true agency, you need a constant, reliable and repeatable method of getting clients in my opinion.
There are exceptions to that, in particular niches but as a general rule, if you don't have a repeatable client getting strategy that has decent ROI, then you are just a freelancer playing at being an agency!
I still don't feel that I'm a true agency yet but I'm very close to being one.
Brian
I started last year with $100. Registered a LLC, bought a domain and created a website. 9 current clients.
_{💟👍🏽9}

Ronald » Brian
Nice that's how I started as well. Good luck with your business
_🤔1
Brian » Ronald
you too sir
Grela
It very much depends on the country example starting a business in France would cost you 2,500€ then you add all the taxes and social payments (60% of what you earn)
_🤯1

Binns
1. Know what on-page and off-page SEO is. 2. Know how to use broad and phrase match keywords, 3. know what a negative keyword is, 4. know what quality content is, 5. know what white-hat backlinks are, 6. good at building rapport and sales, and the most important 7. a computer and access to the internet. You DON'T need a lot of money to start up if you are willing to start small and grow organically in the beginning.
Kamal
get some clients first, your clients will run your company if you provide them good services.

👈📰