How to Resell Local SEO Services to Small Businesses

If you are looking to resell local SEO services to small businesses, this guide is for you.

According to Backlinko, small businesses spend more than $490 per month on SEO services. 

Reselling SEO services is an excellent opportunity to earn a good income.

By partnering up with an end-to-end SEO management company, local SEO resellers can become part of the growing SEO industry without actually managing the technical SEO deliverables.

You can focus on managing the clients, while your white label SEO partner can manage all the SEO deliverables and reporting.

Let’s understand how you can effectively resell SEO services to local businesses to build your clientele and grow your revenue.

What is Local SEO Reselling?

Local SEO reselling is the practice of purchasing local SEO packages from a white label SEO provider and then reselling that package or service to small local businesses under your own brand. 

In local SEO reselling, your SEO partner is an ad hoc service provider who manages all the client deliverables customized to your needs. As a marketing agency, you manage relationships with the clients, offering them full support.

For instance, The Hoth is an example of an SEO agency offering white label services.

So if you want to become a local SEO reseller, you can partner up with them. They'll focus on deliverables like link-building, content creation, and other services.

Here are the different components of a white label marketing agency and an SEO reseller relationship:

• SEO Provider: This is the company that actually performs the SEO services. They handle keyword research, on-page SEO, off-page SEO, content creation, and also prepare easy-to-understand reports.
• Reseller: A reseller is a marketing or digital agency that offers SEO services to its clients without having to perform the actual SEO work. They leverage the expertise of the white-label provider.
• Client Acquisition: The reseller is responsible for acquiring clients who need SEO services. They manage marketing and sales pitches and demonstrate the value of SEO to potential clients.
• Service Agreement: An SEO agreement or contract is a formal document of agreement between the reseller and the provider. It contains the scope of work, payment terms, deliverables, and performance metrics. Having an SEO contract offers clarity to both clients and agencies. It also keeps track of responsibilities and ensures both parties pay on time.
• SEO Strategy Development: Although the provider executes the SEO tactics, the reseller collaborates on a strategy based on their understanding of the client's needs and goals.
• Reporting and Analytics: The provider supplies weekly or monthly SEO performance to the reseller. The report is in a white label format with full agency branding. The reseller then forwards the reports to the clients.
• Billing and Support: The reseller handles billing and customer support, providing a value-driven experience to the client under their own brand.

How to Resell Local SEO Services

Here are the steps you need to follow to resell local SEO services to potential customers:

1. Determine Your SEO Services

Before you can consider approaching white label SEO providers, you need to determine which services you are lacking.

Start by identifying which components of SEO you are currently capable of managing in-house. This could be link building, on-page SEO, or content writing.

Like any business endeavour, you should have a deep understanding of your client's needs.

Do they require on-page optimization, off-page optimization, local SEO, GBP management and optimization, or more niche services like E-E-A-T friendly content creation?

Each client's requirements will direct the specific services you should consider reselling (outsourcing).

Once you've established which services you are lacking, you can find resellers who can fill that gap.

2. Partner Up with a Reputable SEO Service Provider

Next, you go about finding a reliable partner to outsource your SEO. However, finding a reputable SEO reseller is the key.

There are several things that you need to look at when evaluating a white label SEO provider for your marketing agency.

I'd begin by looking at the expertise of the service provider by analyzing their previous client case studies.

A good SEO firm will have detailed case histories outlining the steps they took to produce the desired results.

It is also essential to look at the team size to ensure they can manage and effectively scale up as required. Smaller SEO outsourcing agencies are good if they have the resources to expand their current team if your projects increase in the future.

Trusted SEO providers have many industry accolades. They should have won different SEO awards and recognitions for their work excellence. You should look for such awards on their company website.

You should also look at their SEO reporting structure. Ask for sample reports and look at their deliverables. Compare the SEO tasks included in their current packages and determine their depth of work. 

Here is an example of SEO deliverables listed on the OuterBox website:

Detailed SEO tasks will help you analyze the depth of the work. Also, check how detailed and easy-to-understand reports they prepare.

Your clients should be able to understand their reporting structure, so it is important to check their reporting style thoroughly.

Have an initial call with them to identify their communication channels.

Some agencies rely on email, while others prefer communication tools like Slack, Asana, Trello, or others. Determine the different channels through which you can reach them wherever needed.

A good agency should be in reach whenever you need them to discuss any potential issues or request further clarification on any SEO tasks.

Lastly, check their pricing.

Some agencies offer hourly pricing, while others provide monthly or package-based pricing. Clutch is a great place to check the SEO pricing of selected SEO agencies.

You should partner with SEO reseller services that remain updated on the latest marketing trends, offer regular KPI-based reporting, and maintain competitive pricing.

It is important to compare costs and select a results-driven SEO service provider that offers the best SEO package pricing to make a good margin on your profits.

And don’t hesitate to ask for reseller discounts.

Bonus tip: Choose an SEO reseller that does not ask for a minimum lock-in contract for maximum flexibility.

3. Set Your Prices

There are various components that define the cost of SEO reseller services. Knowledge of these factors will help you decide on an SEO reseller agency based on the pricing option that works best for your business.

These are 4 main SEO pricing models that most SEO resellers offer:

Time-Based Pricing

The hourly SEO pricing model is suitable for marketing companies that experience varying levels of SEO needs over time. 

It is great for minor projects, such as keyword research, web page SEO audits, and content creation. It allows for adjustment in workload and billing according to actual hours worked, providing flexibility.

Project-Based Rate

SEO project-based pricing is Ideal for discrete projects like SEO audits or one-off campaigns like seting up an online store. 

You should pick this model when the scope and objectives are clear from the outset, allowing for straightforward budgeting and expectations. 

Project-based pricing offers greater clarity on clients’ expectations and outcomes. It also offers high flexibility to agency clients. 

Monthly Retainer

One of the most popular forms of white hat SEO reseller pricing is the monthly SEO retainer. It is great for digital marketing agencies that require ongoing SEO deliverables for a number of clients.

Monthly SEO pricing covers a pre-decided monthly set of SEO activities and reporting structure.

A-la-Carte Pricing

A-la-carte pricing allows agencies to purchase specific SEO services individually rather than committing to a complete package. 

Each task or service, such as keyword research, backlink analysis, or content optimization, is priced separately.

4. Identify Your Ideal Client

Not every client is a good fit for SEO services. It is important to analyze your prospective client’s website quality, business goals, budget, and willingness to cooperate with SEO best practices.

Not selecting an ideal SEO client could lead to frustration for both the client and the SEO professional.

It is important to have an initial call with the client to understand their campaign objectives and what they are expecting from the project. 

If your client operates in a highly competitive industry and has a limited budget, then it would be very difficult for you to show results. Hence, you should avoid accepting such projects as they might lead to frustration. 

Also, there are some clients who expect immediate results or unrealistic ranking positions in a short period of time with a limited SEO budget.

Such customers might not be a good fit as SEO takes time and consistent effort.

5. Generate Leads for Ideal Clients

Getting high-ticket SEO clients is not an easy task. There are several methods to generate high-value leads looking for SEO services.

Here are five actionable ways to get new SEO clients:

Specialize in a Niche

Doing SEO for niche markets will get you clients much faster compared to targeting every industry. You can pick any niche like healthcare, real estate, fintech, crypto, sports, or any other.

Most clients look for specialized SEO agencies in their industry. If your marketing agency is built for a single niche, clients will trust your services more. 

Specialization demonstrates deep expertise and understanding of the particular challenges and opportunities within that niche, making your agency appear more credible and authoritative. 

Clients are likely to feel more confident that you can effectively address their unique needs and deliver industry-specific solutions to help them acquire new clients. 

Rank Your Own Website For SEO Keywords

Clients trust agencies that rank for their primary keywords + SEO agency. 

For example, if your target niche is healthcare, your prospective clients will search with keywords like ‘healthcare SEO agency’. If you can rank your website in the top three positions, you can acquire high-quality leads.

You should also include your target locations in your keywords. For instance, if your location is Florida, you should target keywords like ‘healthcare SEO agency Florida’.

It is important to craft a logical site structure to create an SEO-friendly location page structure.

The top elements you should have in your location-specific pages are breadcrumbs, NAP details, and information about the location. It should also have a contact form, directions, product or service information, offers, local and entity-specific content.

Also, to gain user trust and improve page engagement, it should have reviews and testimonials, images, videos, and FAQs.

Do Cold Outreach

Cold outreach is an awesome tactic to promote SEO services to small businesses who are not aware of your offerings and the advantages they can get by subscribing to your packages. 

Send well-crafted emails to potential clients who might need SEO services. Some examples of such businesses are small shops, service providers, and restaurants. Identify businesses with poor online visibility. 

Remember, success in cold outreach depends on precise targeting and personalized communication. 

Once you have a list of prospects to target, use tools like Hunter.io to extract and validate email ids. You can also send direct messages on LinkedIn. Avoid spam and ensure your emails are personally crafted for each client.

Customize each email to address specific issues observed in their current SEO setup and demonstrate how your expertise can provide solutions.

Demonstrate the benefits of local SEO, such as increased web traffic, higher local search rankings, and ultimately, more customer footfall. In your outreach, highlight your SEO successes with other clients, using concise case studies or impactful examples. 

Keep your initial email brief and focused, with a clear call to action, such as suggesting a phone call to discuss their needs further.

Remember to follow up if you don't receive a response, reinforcing your offer and enthusiasm to assist them in achieving their SEO

Offer Free SEO Audits

Another great way to attract new client appointments is by offering free site audits.

A quick SEO inspection provides potential prospects with a snapshot of how well a website aligns with Google's algorithm. 

SEO audits identify technical problems and other SEO deficiencies that degrade a website's performance. By letting your potential users know about key SEO findings and a prioritized list of actionable recommendations, you can persuade new clients to inquire about your SEO services.

SEOptimer’s White Label solutions offer you a custom Embed Audit Form to let your site visitors run quick SEO audits from your site. While doing so, they can uncover the main SEO issues in their domain, and the process will help you generate local SEO leads straight from your site.

The reports are detailed and professional. You can leverage multiple report layouts and apply your own branding, colors, and other elements.

Run Paid Advertisements

PPC advertisements help you build a steady stream of SEO clients.

Paid ads on platforms like Google, Bing, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other channels help to send you SEO leads by targeting users in your target geographic locations.

PPC campaigns for local SEO lead generation are excellent because you have direct control over the amount of spending. You can set your daily and monthly budget.

With tightly-themed ad groups (based on industry-specific keywords), persuasive ad copies, and well-optimized landing pages, you can get more leads to grow your SEO business.

You should run PPC ads on location-based keywords on Google. For instance, if your target market is Austin, you should run ads for keywords such as ‘SEO agency Austin,’ ‘SEO services Austin,’ and other similar keywords.

You can also include your industry in the keywords to increase your chances of acquiring relevant local clients on a strict budget.

For example, if your target market is real estate, you can use keywords such as ‘real estate SEO company Austin,’ ‘real estate SEO services Austin,’ and other similar search terms.

Make New Partners At Marketing Conferences

Another great tip for reselling local SEO services is attending SEO conferences with the goal of networking with potential partners.

Some of the leading SEO conferences you can attend are Brighton SEO, MozCon, INBOUND, Ahrefs EVOLVE, State Of Search, and others.

Additionally, by attending these conferences conferences, you can gain practical experience on how professionals build their own brands.

Nathaniel Miller from The SEO Marketing Dad says that building trust and relationships is one of the most important aspects for reselling local SEO services.

The biggest thing here is building trust and relationships. I attend a ton of online networking events where other agencies attend.

I find a few people who I think may be a fit and set up a meeting with them. Once we've met I can usually dig in and see if they know their stuff.

Once I know what they know. I can start to build the relationship and see if it is a mutual fit for reselling. Then it's all about finding the price-point.

- Nathaniel Miller, Fouder at The SEO Marketing Dad

You can find many professionals and agencies who are looking for potential SEO partners to outsource their work. You can connect with them for SEO outsourcing to grow your clientele.

6. Demonstrate Your Skills on Your Website

People should trust you and your SEO services before they begin working with your agency. Hence, demonstrating your organic marketing skills is an important part of SEO client hunting.

You can showcase your SEO skills by ranking your website for search terms your prospective customers might use to find your business.

Ranking your website for "SEO service + location keywords" is an ideal way to show future prospects your SEO expertise. Many clients prefer working with agencies that rank high in organic search.

Displaying your earned SEO awards and accolades is another great way to showcase your reputation before your clients. Badges and awards, industry partnerships, and project achievements can help build confidence in the minds of your prospects.

Higher confidence and credibility will lead to more business inquiries.

For example, WebFX displays their team skills and experience on their homepage.

They also showcase their client names and industry experience to persuade visitors to try their services.

Similarly, Victorious SEO also showcases its search awards to display its prominence in crafting expert-crafted SEO strategies.

You should also publish client case studies demonstrating your actual SEO strategy, the project scope, and the results achieved.

Case histories are read by both SEO agency partners and clients who are looking to outsource their SEO tasks to competent services.

SEO is unfortunately an industry that has many bad actors, and many of your potential customers may have been exposed to this before.

Gaining case studies or social proof of what you've done in the past to help other businesses is essential.

Your reseller may be able to provide you with some white label examples.

- Kevin Purchase, Director of Siruss Ltd

Here is an example of an SEO case studies section published on the seoClarity website. They have sorted their case studies based on industry.

Also, their client case histories are detailed and results-focused, persuading visitors to believe in their services.

Is Local SEO Profitable?

Yes, local SEO is highly profitable. Most small businesses require Google Maps SEO in their target geographic areas to reach local customers.

72% of people use Google to look for services in their location. Moreover, the SEO services industry is expected to reach more than $194 billion by 2029.

Moreover, with the increase in mobile device usage, local SEO aligns well with mobile search behaviors. Mobile users frequently look for quick information about local businesses.

Optimizing for local SEO ensures that mobile users can easily find relevant business information like location, hours, and contact details.

Compared to broader SEO campaigns, local SEO can be more cost-effective. The competition is typically less intense, focusing only on businesses within the same region rather than competing nationally or globally.

Some of the best examples of businesses that require local business optimization are small and medium-sized companies like restaurants and cafes, medical services, law firms, service providers, real estate agencies, gyms, etc.

Local searches result in immediate action, meaning people are more likely to contact your marketing agency soon after finding you online. With higher conversions, the chances of profits increase.

Doing SEO for local businesses helps SEO marketing agencies generate consistent recurring revenue through ongoing optimization and management services.

Conclusion

Selling local SEO to startups and SMBs is no small feat. You have to be patient, learn new skills, partner with other agencies, and leverage a mix of marketing channels to build your client base.

Another key aspect of the agency-client relationship is retention. You should not just focus on acquiring new clients, but also take steps to retain your existing clients. Retention will help you raise your MRR and ARR, which will eventually lead to more profits.