Is starting a Local SEO Agency worth it?

I've learned a lot about digital marketing in the past year, and the past few months i've strictly been learning about local SEO. I've done a project for my buddies junk hauling business, and he saw pretty good results. I did keyword research local citations, link building, website & gmb optimization, etc. Thats 1 case study in the books I can use.

I live in the U.S, my main thing is convincing local businesses to invest in local seo, is it a major setback for you guys? Like teaching them how it will benefit their business.

I want to start a local seo business, willing to put in work and deliver good results, but is it actually scalable? If I start an agency I'd have to give up one of my sources of income to free up time.

Any suggestions/advice?

it depends on whether or not you're able to get clients I guess. Any business is worth it if you have constant flow of customers...

You should probably run some google ads (say $300-400 worth of ads for 2-3 months straight) for the keywords you'd intend to target as a local agency and see what kind of results you're getting and then combine those results with expected results from advertising here on BHW, doing SEO, and advertising on social media and if you're happy with the total predicted flow of customers you would know if it's worth it...

Absolutely. I have a local agency. Easy to rank, not hit as much with AI fuckery or SGE. Love it.

If you have to convince someone they need SEO they shouldn't be your customers. Find people who already know what SEO is and the value in it.

lbhbochc said:

Absolutely. I have a local agency. Easy to rank, not hit as much with AI fuckery or SGE. Love it.

If you have to convince someone they need SEO they shouldn't be your customers. Find people who already know what SEO is and the value in it.

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Yep, that's why I wanted to start one. easy to rank and less saturated. But I'm also still putting together the amount of time put in vs the amount of $ you get out it. Still identifying my package prices, how long it takes to work, etc.

If I start an agency I'd actually go into some local businesses, tell them what I do, give them my card for a free audit, then when they call I can convert into a customer. I feel this would be much better than running b2b ads, cold calling, etc.

I already know if i start this agency im going to have no time for other stuff. I'd need to make at least 5k/month for it to be worth it here in the usa. thanks for the info though

as long as you are able to get clients to pay a monthly retainer, it's much more than profitable and easy.

Local SEO is a good business model. But I would always suggest you take care of the service rather than teaching them. End of the day every industry person has different domain. So, its easier for them that some body agency will be able to take care of that service (headache) rather than learning a new subject. May be some one who has enough time may be interested to learn. But a real entrepreneur will invest his time in his business rather than learning digital marketing. Leave it to specialists. Let them also.

thecashmachine said:

Yep, that's why I wanted to start one. easy to rank and less saturated. But I'm also still putting together the amount of time put in vs the amount of $ you get out it. Still identifying my package prices, how long it takes to work, etc.

If I start an agency I'd actually go into some local businesses, tell them what I do, give them my card for a free audit, then when they call I can convert into a customer. I feel this would be much better than running b2b ads, cold calling, etc.

I already know if i start this agency im going to have no time for other stuff. I'd need to make at least 5k/month for it to be worth it here in the usa. thanks for the info though

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I think industry standard here in the US is $1500/ month, and then you'll want to shoot for a 60%-70% profit margin. So getting to $5k/ month gross would only take 4, not very hard if you choose the right niche.

Worth it if you've got a solid case study like your buddy's business. Business owners often don't get the web, so your pitch should be all about the benefits – think increased visibility, foot traffic, and revenue.

yea its a good place to start in seo. can do the local business around you calling them walking in leaving a card ect, then once u have a few clients you can start looking at town around u and keep growing and moving out farther and farther away

I've been learning and implementing local SEO strategies for my own local service business to a great effect in the past few months and I'm on a similar path in creating my own local SEO agency (maybe marketing it more as a freelancer since I know that these companies get hit with plenty of agency outreach). Currently working on building some rank and rent sites to boost my confidence and have some more case studies to point to in different industries as my local service business is pretty niche and doesn't get lots of search volume (though the conversions are valuable, AOV of $60, and high LTV as they come back relatively often). What steps are you taking to sell the client once you book a meeting with them?

Ofcourse, I'm running a SEO agency myself and it's working quite well, if you put your effort in it then it would pay you back a lot

thecashmachine said:

I've learned a lot about digital marketing in the past year, and the past few months i've strictly been learning about local SEO. I've done a project for my buddies junk hauling business, and he saw pretty good results. I did keyword research local citations, link building, website & gmb optimization, etc. Thats 1 case study in the books I can use.

I live in the U.S, my main thing is convincing local businesses to invest in local seo, is it a major setback for you guys? Like teaching them how it will benefit their business.

I want to start a local seo business, willing to put in work and deliver good results, but is it actually scalable? If I start an agency I'd have to give up one of my sources of income to free up time.

Any suggestions/advice?

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It sounds like you've gained some valuable experience and had positive results from your friend's junk business. Convincing local businesses to invest in local SEO can be a real challenge, especially if they aren't aware of its benefits or don't fully understand how it works.

To overcome this challenge, you can focus on educating potential customers about the importance of local SEO for their business growth. You can highlight how this can improve their online visibility, attract more targeted local customers, and ultimately increase their revenue. Providing case studies and testimonials from your previous projects, such as with your friend's business, can also be very persuasive.

Here are some additional suggestions:

1. Networking
2. Continuous Learning
3. Transparent Communication
4. Offer Additional Services

Starting a local SEO business can be challenging, but with dedication, strategic planning, and a commitment to delivering results, it can also be a rewarding and profitable venture. Good luck!