Starting new in 2026 with zero existing client

[bruce4seo]

Hi

This is Bruce, planning to start seo services from scratch. I have zero existing clients. New to this forum. But still I am confident i can find client who trust newbies and provide orders to them. I will update regularly or weekly on this thread of i have any enquiries or new client.

 

[ImMagiC?]

Nice to have you here but you know that selling needs Jr plan ? Good luck

 

[Kingen Agency Network]

Hi

This is Bruce, planning to start seo services from scratch. I have zero existing clients. New to this forum. But still I am confident i can find client who trust newbies and provide orders to them. I will update regularly or weekly on this thread of i have any enquiries or new client.

What kind of experience do you have in SEO? Which projects have you successfully completed? Those are definitely the things your potential clients will want to know. Anyway, I wish you the best in finding your first client.

 

[saferidge]

Starting from scratch is always challenging, but with consistency and persistence, you’ll definitely find clients. Wishing you all the best on your journey!

 

[santg]

Hi

This is Bruce, planning to start seo services from scratch. I have zero existing clients. New to this forum. But still I am confident i can find client who trust newbies and provide orders to them. I will update regularly or weekly on this thread of i have any enquiries or new client.

Starting this service require register with micro workers website or classified ads pages to generate fast client and sales on target offer,waiting on forum order without having sales thread is waste of time .

 

[Elon Snup]

trueplayer nailed it - case studies are everything.

Quick shortcut: find a local business with a trash website and offer to fix their Google Business Profile + basic on-page for free or dirt cheap. Dentists, plumbers, locksmiths - they all rank horribly and dont know it. One local ranking improvement = one case study.

Other angles when starting from zero:
- **Upwork** - start with small technical SEO audits ($50-100). Fast turnaround builds reviews fast
- **Facebook groups** - local business groups, not marketing groups. Business owners hang there, marketers dont
- **Partner with web devs** - they build sites but hate SEO. Easy referral pipeline

The Jr plan thing is real but dont rush it. Build proof first, then the marketplace becomes useful. Selling without receipts is an uphill battle no matter what platform.

What niche are you thinking? General SEO is a bloodbath - niching down (local SEO, ecomm, SaaS) makes positioning way easier.

 

[ads studio]

Hi

This is Bruce, planning to start seo services from scratch. I have zero existing clients. New to this forum. But still I am confident i can find client who trust newbies and provide orders to them. I will update regularly or weekly on this thread of i have any enquiries or new client.

To earn trust, I suggest that you work on making a solid profile and offering useful information. If you want to get clients even if you're new, start by offering little projects or samples to show off your skills. People will also be more likely to collaborate with you if you are consistent and open about updates.

 

[bruce4seo]

What kind of experience do you have in SEO? Which projects have you successfully completed? Those are definitely the things your potential clients will want to know. Anyway, I wish you the best in finding your first client.

Starting from scratch is always challenging, but with consistency and persistence, you’ll definitely find clients. Wishing you all the best on your journey!

trueplayer nailed it - case studies are everything.

Quick shortcut: find a local business with a trash website and offer to fix their Google Business Profile + basic on-page for free or dirt cheap. Dentists, plumbers, locksmiths - they all rank horribly and dont know it. One local ranking improvement = one case study.

Other angles when starting from zero:
- **Upwork** - start with small technical SEO audits ($50-100). Fast turnaround builds reviews fast
- **Facebook groups** - local business groups, not marketing groups. Business owners hang there, marketers dont
- **Partner with web devs** - they build sites but hate SEO. Easy referral pipeline

The Jr plan thing is real but dont rush it. Build proof first, then the marketplace becomes useful. Selling without receipts is an uphill battle no matter what platform.

What niche are you thinking? General SEO is a bloodbath - niching down (local SEO, ecomm, SaaS) makes positioning way easier.

Starting from zero is tougher in 2026, but it’s all about system positioning. Focus on building simple high‑value offerings (quick audits, setup, mini‑services) that solve immediate pain points those convert way better than ‘full packages’ on cold leads. Use case studies (even hypothetical at first), automation for outreach, and clean proposals to build early trust. Once you close 1–2 clients, leverage their results for testimonials and referral loops that’s the fastest way to escape the zero‑clients plateau.

To earn trust, I suggest that you work on making a solid profile and offering useful information. If you want to get clients even if you're new, start by offering little projects or samples to show off your skills. People will also be more likely to collaborate with you if you are consistent and open about updates.

Hi Bruce,

welcome! Starting from zero is normal focus on building a small portfolio maybe offer a few free or discounted projects to get testimonials be active in forums and LinkedIn share your results and clients will start trusting you. Consistency is key keep posting updates like you plan.

Wow that was great to get many suggestions for you guys. Sure that was right client look for case studies on my previous work. I gonna post a case study soon here.

 

[Rawspele]

Hi

This is Bruce, planning to start seo services from scratch. I have zero existing clients. New to this forum. But still I am confident i can find client who trust newbies and provide orders to them. I will update regularly or weekly on this thread of i have any enquiries or new client.

you can have a website with some sample projects to showcase.

 

[bruce4seo]

you can have a website with some sample projects to showcase.

Thanks for the tips

 

[We Bring Rank]

Appreciate your confidence. However, this forum has certain rules for selling services here, so I kindly request you to read them carefully and upgrade your status accordingly.

Once again, I wish you all the very best

 

[xavierfok]

been there about 3 years ago, started with nothing. best thing I did was pick a local niche and just rank a site for it myself. once you have proof you can rank something, getting clients is 10x easier because you can show real results instead of just talking.

do free audits for local businesses and send them a loom video walkthrough of what's wrong with their site. most agencies send generic PDFs so this stands out. landed my first 3 clients this way. keep at it, the first few months are the hardest but once you have case studies it snowballs.

 

[Boardroomsensei]

Good luck

 

[MattELD]

Make sure you have what to showcase

 

[josephkevogo]

bulk cold emails outreach work better than you can imagine

 

[mrfaraz]

Hi

This is Bruce, planning to start seo services from scratch. I have zero existing clients. New to this forum. But still I am confident i can find client who trust newbies and provide orders to them. I will update regularly or weekly on this thread of i have any enquiries or new client.

Are you planning to sell your SEO service here in Black Hat World marketplace , or want to target the client in other marketplaces ?

 

[Czardesigner]

Hi

This is Bruce, planning to start seo services from scratch. I have zero existing clients. New to this forum. But still I am confident i can find client who trust newbies and provide orders to them. I will update regularly or weekly on this thread of i have any enquiries or new client.

Hi Bruce, welcome to the forum

Starting from zero isn’t easy, but your confidence and willingness to share your journey is a great sign. In SEO, consistency and real results matter the most, so focus on building your portfolio, sharing case studies, and demonstrating your knowledge — clients will start to trust you over time.

Wishing you your first clients soon Looking forward to your updates!

 

[tommier5hurry]

Starting from scratch is always a challenge, but with perseverance you will surely find customers.

 

[LeadDeus]

Hi

This is Bruce, planning to start seo services from scratch. I have zero existing clients. New to this forum. But still I am confident i can find client who trust newbies and provide orders to them. I will update regularly or weekly on this thread of i have any enquiries or new client.

I started my own service business from zero a while back, and the one thing that helped more than anything was niching down early

General SEO is tough because everyone claims to do it. What worked for me was picking one specific type of client (in my case, local service businesses) and one specific problem (fixing their Google Business Profile + basic local rankings). Once I had 2-3 case studies in that niche, getting new clients became way easier, because I could show exact results for businesses just like theirs

Also, second the advice on case studies. If you don't have paid clients yet, pick a friend’s business or even a local spot you frequent and offer to help for free in exchange for a testimonial and permission to share the results. That first proof point changes everything

Curious, are you planning to go after a specific industry (local SEO, ecom, SaaS) or general? Niching down early makes outreach way easier