How To Start a New SEO Business

Ok so this hub is less than totally serious, possibly a slight tongue-in-cheek element to it, and especially so in the "don'ts" in the list below.

In all seriousness it is intended for anyone considering starting out in the world of business & SEO, as a consultant or a small company, and as the global financial situation deteriorates, more and more people will find themselves needing some sort of work and consider this as an option.

Hopefully if that's you, you may learn something you didn't know, or we may stop you from doing something out of frustration that you may otherwise have tried and will regret later on.

It is not within the scope of this hub to talk about the actual nuts and bolts of SEO, except to say that if you are considering making money, or hopefully even a living from it, then you had better be able to deliver the goods if or when the opportunities present themselves, because the time to learn is NOT on the job with your first paying client.

This will almost certainly blow up in your face, and instead of having a super-happy reference customer who will tell all his friends about you, you will more likely have an SEO reputation management problem to deal with.

If you should find yourself talking with a client who clearly needs more than you can cope with or deliver, your best course of action is not to blag it and take on the job, your best course of action is to be honest with the client about your doubts or limitations, clients respect honesty far more than false bravado, and pretending you can rank a clients website for "car insurance" or "cheap flights" when you can't, will not help your career, quite the opposite in fact.

Assuming that you can deliver, ie, that you have successfully optimized several sites previously, here's a few Do's and Don'ts to get you rolling as a business rather than a hobby.

There are all kinds of things that can go wrong or challenge you during the normal course of business, from Google algo shifts (think Panda) to difficult clients, to web designers over-writing your work again without telling you (for weeks) but do yourself a favour, these are the elementary things NOT to do to get started in the competitive world of the SEO business..

..and you may laugh, but every single one of these has happened, does happen, and will continue to happen on a daily basis.

1. Hang around forums all day wasting time arguing with "forum experts"

2. Hang around SEO forums declaring yourself an SEO expert with years of experience (and 20 posts on the forum) touting for work.

3. Do (1) and/or (2) for several weeks - then ask for help to rank your New SEO site (seriously) :)

4. Bang out thousands of automated (spam) emails offering your services.

5. Email established SEO companies offering to optimize their websites (seriously)

6. Waste time trying to rank your SEO website for "SEO services+Your-Location"

7. Research your local SEO competitors sites and approach their clients

8. Attempt to market yourself by slagging your competition off. (See 7.)

9. Hang around Facebook / Twitter advertising (spamming) your services all day

10. Have obvious technical, SEO or spelling gaffes on your own website

11. Don't be tempted to be "Too clever" eg, offering rankings guarantees

12. If you get caught doing 11. - dont argue with Google about it on their forums

13. Call yourself "No BS SEO" and then go round the internet spouting BS and telling other SEO companies that "they dont understand SEO" :)

So you might be thinking, "surely, people wouldn't do that.." ? but I promise you, that not only have they, but people do it all the time, daily. Its not the purpose of this hub to embarrass or pick on anybody, but if pressed I will supply examples and/or links to of any/all of those in the comments.

1. Always under-promise and over-deliver - I cannot emphasize this enough

2. Understand what small business SEO clients want and need from you.

3. Find and promote a local business (reference site) for free - see here

4. Approach (personally) local web designers (who don't so SEO) and investigate possibilities. - be prepared to offer (3) to gain their trust.

5. Do the right thing, always do it properly, dont EVER take shortcuts or risks on client sites.

6. Understand and memorise the Google Webmaster Guidelines.

7. Find, understand and master reliable SEO tools and reports.

8. Consider the benefits of a complete online SEO & accounting solution.

The last of these in particular can really help you to minimize the time spent doing non paying SEO tasks and focus on the client, and hence ultimately your reputation.

There is some more reading from industry experts in the links below, and the best of good luck with your business.