How to Sell SEO Services in 5 Steps + Expert Tips & Templates

Selling SEO services can be hard. Why? Because most people don’t really want to buy SEO. They want results.

We learned this the tough way. But after many tries, we found a system that works. This system gives people what they want, more customers, more money, and steady business growth.

Now, we close about 75% of our deals. How? By showing value first, before asking for the sale. Just think about it: Search engines are changing fast. New tools like AI, new types of results, and updates to search rules happen all the time. That’s why good SEO experts are more important than ever.

In this guide, we’ll share our simple method for selling SEO services. We’ll also include tips from top experts who have closed many big deals.

1. Get Your Sales Tools Ready:

There’s a saying: “If you don’t prepare, you’re preparing to fail.”This is true in SEO sales too. You can try random things and hope something works, but that rarely brings good results. If you want to sell SEO services well, you need the right tools.

Use Case Studies to Build Trust

Case studies are one of the best tools for selling SEO. They show what we’ve done for others and what we can do for new clients.

The trick is to be clear and detailed. Don’t just say, “We got more demo requests.” Say, “We helped a business get 40% more leads using smart content.”This helps people imagine getting the same results—and makes them trust us more.

It’s even better when the case study matches what the client needs. Kevin Indig, an SEO advisor for big companies like Reddit and Dropbox, says that real results speak louder than anything else.

If we help one company, we can help another. Also, case studies can be used in many ways, on calls or on our website.

Collect Strong Testimonials

Case studies are great, but testimonials add something special. Why? Because they come straight from happy clients. When clients talk about how we helped their business, new clients feel more confident in us.

Here’s how we ask for testimonials:

• Send a short message or email asking for feedback
• Ask them to share clear results (numbers help!)
• Keep it easy: “What was your biggest win with us?”
• Offer to write it for them, just ask for approval

Even better: ask if they can make a short video. If someone is okay showing their face and brand, it means they really believe in our work.

No matter what kind you get, make sure the testimonial comes from someone important—like a marketing head or company founder. That makes the biggest impact.

Create a Lead Qualification System

Time is valuable. We shouldn’t spend it on leads that are not a good match. Before we even speak to a potential client, we should check if they match our ideal client profile (ICP). We need to see if:

• They are the type of company we want to work with
• They really need the services we offer
• They are not just trying to sell us something (yes, this does happen)

Now, how do we do this before they contact us? The answer is simple, our contact form. A good contact form can help us know right away if a lead has real potential.
We can ask questions like:

• What is your budget range?
• What services do you need?
• Can you describe your project?
• How did you find us?

In most cases, their answers will help us know if they are a serious lead or not.

Use a CRM to Stay Organized

Not using a CRM (Customer Relationship Management system) can cause problems. We made that mistake and it cost us time, money, and peace of mind.

For months, we tried to manage everything using just spreadsheets. When more than five leads reached out at once, it turned into a mess.

That’s when we knew we needed a CRM. If you work alone or in a small team, using a CRM can help a lot.
With a CRM, we can:

• Keep track of each lead
• See which leads are ready, which are not, and which are cold
• Know when we last spoke with someone
• Check which company the lead is from

Other CRM tools to consider include:

• Semrush
• Apollo.io
• Salesforce
• ClickUp

Decide on the SEO Services You Offer

Many SEOs find it hard to get clients because they are not clear about what they offer. We should not just say “we do SEO.”It’s better to be clear and list the exact services we provide.
For example:

• Technical SEO for big companies
• Content writing for B2B software businesses
• Link building for online stores

When we are clear, it’s easier for clients to understand how we can help them.

Choose Your Pricing Model

Just like our services, we should decide how we will charge for our work early on.

This helps in many ways:

• We know our value before a client call
• We can use our pricing to filter the right leads
• We avoid getting offers that are too low

There are four common ways to price SEO services:

• Retainer Pricing: Clients pay the same amount each month. We agree on the number of hours or tasks we will do each month.
• Next is package pricing: This means clients pick from a set of SEO packages based on what they need.
• Here’s a simple example of how we offer it:
• SEO check-up: $1,500
• SEO advice: $2,000
• Part-time SEO help: $3,500
• Full SEO service: $6,000
• Another way is value-based pricing: This one is a bit risky but can bring in more money. We set clear goals with the client, and if we reach them, we get a bonus.
• The last way is hourly pricing: This means we charge for the time we spend on each task. It works well for small or one-time projects.

2. Find Prospects:

To grow with SEO sales, we need a good way to find leads. We use both inbound and outbound marketing to keep getting the right kind of people interested in our work.

Inbound Prospects

Inbound marketing means sharing helpful content so that people come to us when they are already searching for answers. This method has worked well for us and gives long-term results.

It helps build a strong community around our brand and brings in leads without spending too much money.

Here are the ways we attract high-quality leads:

• SEO: We use search terms that our audience is already looking for.
• Reddit: We reply to questions in subreddits where our ideal clients hang out.
• YouTube: We create videos that solve problems. These can also be reused for other platforms.
• Email marketing: We send helpful content straight to our email list.
• LinkedIn: We post useful tips to show we are experts in our field.

Outbound Prospects

Outbound marketing means we go out and find leads instead of waiting for them to come to us. While inbound is great, it can sometimes be slow. Outbound helps fill in the gaps.

These are the outbound methods that work best for us:

• Sending cold emails
• Running social media ads
• Using paid search (PPC)

We often use a simple email template to reach out to new leads.

3. Offer Strategy Calls

This step is often called a “discovery call,” but we like to call it a strategy call instead.

Why? Because “strategy” sounds more useful, and people feel they are getting real help from the start.

We make sure to offer value even before someone becomes a client. For example, we point out small problems they can fix right away. It shows we care and have done our homework.

Learn More About the Prospect

The first call is all about learning. We use this time to understand the business and their current marketing efforts.

We also use a list of simple questions to guide the call, such as:

• What do you want to get out of this call?
• What are your long-term SEO goals?
• What’s your current SEO plan?
• What makes your product different?
• Who decides on your team?
• How do you handle sales?
• What makes you better than your competitors?

Focus on Early Wins

Here’s something that works well:

Give helpful tips during the first call.

Even small fixes can help build trust and show we know what we’re doing.

Show What Competitors Are Doing

This is a strong strategy that works more than people think. If a prospect is unsure, we mention what their direct competitor is doing. This usually gets their full attention.

We might show:

• Where their competitors get most of their traffic
• What articles their competitors have published
• Content made by competitors that targets them (this works best if the client doesn’t want to make comparison content)

4. Schedule an SEO Audit:

Many agencies and consultants are reaching out to your potential clients right now. You’re probably not the only one they’re talking to. So, if you don’t make a strong impression, they may forget about you. How do we stand out? By offering SEO audits.

Show the Audit as a Helpful Guide, Not a Sales Pitch

SEO audits help us explain our services better.

What makes them work so well? We take the time to make each audit special. Others send auto-made reports. We don’t.

We create every audit from scratch, based on the client’s business, product, and needs. We suggest actions that can bring real results.

When clients see what’s wrong with their website, they feel ready to fix it, and work with us.

But we don’t treat the audit like a way to sell something. If it feels like a sales pitch, the client may lose interest.

Instead, we show the audit as a clear plan that can help them grow. Ben Goodey, who runs the SEO agency Spicy Margarita, also believes this is the right way. The audit should be helpful enough that clients could use it on their own.

“But why give away such good advice?”

It’s simple. Many companies don’t have their own marketing team.

Even if they could follow the audit themselves, they often prefer to hire someone to do the work. This builds trust, and trust leads to long-term clients. If the audit wasn’t scheduled during your call, send it in a follow-up email.

Build a Good SEO Audit Toolkit

We keep our tools simple and effective.

Here are the ones we use often:

• Google Search Console – to spot crawling or indexing problems and easy wins
• Screaming Frog – to catch big technical problems
• Google Analytics 4 (GA4) – to find which pages lead to conversions
• Semrush Site Audit – to find broken links, orphan pages, and redirects

5. Send a Proposal or Statement of Work (SOW)

This part is simple. If your audit was good and the client is interested, sending the proposal should be easy.

Add What You Found in the Audit

Start the proposal with the key problems and areas to improve. No need to make it fancy.

We use:

• Google Docs for the basic layout
• Canva for graphics
• Screenshots from GA4 and GSC
• Google Sheets if we need to show future growth

Also include the main actions we suggest and how we plan to do them.

Mention Goals, Strategy, and Results

Repeat the main goals from the audit, but in more detail. Explain how we’ll reach those goals, step by step.

Explain the Contract Terms Clearly

Make sure the contract is fair for both sides. We recommend getting help from a lawyer for this.

Things to include:

• When the project starts
• How long it will last
• Pricing and payment dates
• Whether the contract is monthly or for a set period
• Whether clients can cancel or are locked in

Bonus Tips for Selling SEO Services

Keep Following Up

Don’t stop after one message. Most people won’t reply right away. Follow up once a week to stay on their radar.

Use a CRM to:

• Track messages
• Set follow-up reminders
• Note past chats
• See if the prospect is engaging

Use Classic Sales Ideas

We’ve learned a lot from basic sales techniques, and they work.

Here are a few simple ones that help us close deals:

Reciprocity

People often feel like giving back when you offer something helpful first—like a free audit. It’s not a trick. It’s just human nature.

Social Proof

People trust you more when others say good things about you. This can be:

• Case studies
• Client logos
• Testimonials

Authority

Show that you know your stuff.

• Post tips on LinkedIn.
• Write blogs.
• Join podcasts or webinars.

This builds trust even before a meeting. It also makes clients more comfortable with your prices.

Clients don’t want someone who talks big but doesn’t deliver. They want a trusted partner, someone who cares, works hard, and is easy to work with. That’s why we always focus on showing real value.

Scarcity

When something is limited, people want it more. We don’t work with every client. We prefer working with a small number of businesses who are serious about results. Usually, we only take five to ten clients a month.

Keep Leads Interested

Even if we set clear timelines, prospects can still lose interest. Other agencies may contact them, or they may get busy with other tasks. Even a small delay can cause them to forget about us.

That’s why we need to keep them engaged throughout the sales process. Here are a few easy ways to do that:

Share Success Stories on LinkedIn

Case studies are helpful, but sharing them on LinkedIn makes them even more powerful. When we post about a client win, others see the results we bring. It also shows the work in action and may make new leads feel like they’re missing out if they don’t contact us soon.

Give a Reference from a Past Client

Offering a past client as a reference shows trust and honesty. Many people don’t do this, so it stands out. It proves we have real results and happy clients who are willing to talk about their experience.

Focus on Building a Real Connection

People work with those they trust, not just anyone selling a service. Early on, when a prospect is still unsure, it helps to build a real connection. Be kind. Be funny. Be yourself. Show that we care about more than just the sale.

Try to be more than just the SEO expert. Treat each person like a chance to build a meaningful connection. Even if they don’t become a client, the relationship could lead to a referral or a future chat. Every connection counts.

How to Sell SEO Services the Right Way

Selling SEO isn’t about pushing services. It’s about showing value early on. We’re not trained salespeople. We’re SEO experts who learned how to explain what we do in a simple way.

If we can learn this, others can too. The key is to speak in a way prospects understand and show why our work matters. When we do that, getting clients becomes much easier. Before anything else, make sure to use the right tools to deliver good results.