revnu
YC-backed$3M raisedAs seen in Forbes

How to get clients for SEO

Find businesses losing searches to their competitors, and show them the gap.

Find 40 [type of business] in [region] that compete for local searches, find who runs marketing at each, and write to them about where they're losing searches.

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How to get clients for SEO

To get SEO clients, pick a niche where rankings tie directly to revenue, publish proof of results in that niche, then reach out to each prospect with one specific search gap they can check, such as a competitor outranking them for their main service. Add referral partnerships with web designers and ad agencies, and ask every happy client for an introduction.

  1. 01

    Choose a niche where rankings mean revenue

    Pick businesses where one new customer pays for months of SEO: law firms, dentists, home services, clinics, B2B software or ecommerce in one category. A niche lets you reuse research, show relevant results and get referred inside an industry. Check that businesses in it already spend on marketing; firms running Google Ads clearly value search traffic and have a budget.

  2. 02

    Turn your results into short case studies

    Write two or three one-page case studies: the starting position, what you changed, and the result in traffic, leads or revenue, with a screenshot from the client's analytics or Search Console. Get permission to name the client, or describe them by type and size. If you're new, rank your own site or a small project for a real search phrase and show that.

  3. 03

    Find businesses with a visible search gap

    Search the phrases a buyer in your niche would type, in each city you serve, and note who ranks and who doesn't. A business with good reviews and a real service but no page for that phrase is a strong prospect. Then ask ChatGPT and check Google's AI Overview for the same question and note who gets named. Both make an easy, checkable opening.

  4. 04

    Send a short message with one finding

    Write to the owner or marketing lead in under 120 words: the phrase, who ranks for it, what's missing on their site and an offer to send a short walkthrough. Don't send a long automated audit; it reads as spam and gives away the work. Follow up twice with a new detail each time, then stop.

  5. 05

    Partner with people who sell next to you

    Web designers, PPC agencies, copywriters and business coaches meet clients who need SEO and don't offer it. Agree a referral fee or a white-label rate, and send clients back their way when you can. Speak at a local business group or a niche association meeting, which puts you in front of a room of owners at once.

  6. 06

    Report every month and ask for referrals

    Keeping clients is half of getting them. Send a short monthly report in plain words: rankings that moved, leads from search and what you'll do next. When a client hits a milestone, such as a first page-one ranking or a record month of calls, ask whether they know another owner who'd want the same result.

SEO outreach examples

Cold email with a search gap

Subject: [service] in [city] Hi [first name], When I search "[service] in [city]", [competitor] and [competitor] show up and [business name] doesn't, even though you have [more reviews / a longer track record]. From a quick look, you don't have a page for [service] at all, just a line on the homepage. That's usually the first thing I'd fix. Want me to send a 3-minute video showing what I'd change? [Your name]

Cold email about AI answers

Subject: ChatGPT recommends [competitor] Hi [first name], I asked ChatGPT "[buyer question, e.g. best family dentist in Austin]" and it named [competitor] and [competitor], not [business name]. AI answers often cite the same pages that rank in Google, and your site doesn't have one that answers that question yet. Happy to show you the two pages I'd write first. Worth a quick call? [Your name]

Partnership note to a web designer

Hi [first name], I do SEO for [niche] and keep meeting owners who need a new site before SEO can help them. I'd guess you see the opposite: clients with a new site and no traffic. Want to swap referrals? I can walk you through how I'd handle your clients' SEO so you know they'd be in good hands. [Your name] [Case study link]

Why Revnu for getting SEO clients

SEO clients buy when they can see what they're missing: a competitor ranking above them, a service page that doesn't exist, an AI answer that names someone else. Revnu finds businesses in your niche, researches each one and writes to the person who owns marketing with a specific reason to talk.

  1. 1Reads your site and case studies to learn which businesses you get results for.
  2. 2Finds businesses in that niche and the person who owns marketing at each.
  3. 3Researches each one, writes to them about something specific to their business, in your voice, and sends once you approve.

Lead with their search, not your services

Nobody replies to a list of SEO services. People reply to 'you don't have a page for [service] in [city], and [competitor] does.' Revnu builds each first message around one specific point about that business that the reader can check in a minute.

Agencies are clients too

Web designers, PPC agencies and content shops all have clients who need SEO they don't offer. Revnu can find those agencies as well and write to them about referrals or white-label work, alongside direct outreach to businesses.

Frequently asked questions

Will my outreach sound like every other SEO pitch?

Not if it's specific. Revnu opens each message with something true about that business, keeps it short and asks one easy question. It learns your voice from your website and the drafts you approve, and you can edit any message before it goes.

Can it find businesses in one city or region?

Yes. Give it a business type and an area, such as personal injury law firms in Ohio, and it finds the businesses there and the person to contact at each, with a reason each one fits.

How do SEO beginners get their first clients?

Rank something first: your own site, a small side project or a local business you know, for a real phrase people search. Then offer two or three businesses in your network a reduced-rate project in exchange for a case study. Use those results in direct outreach to one niche. Proof that you've ranked anything beats a long list of services.

Should you offer SEO audits to get clients?

A short, specific audit works as an opener: one or two findings a prospect can check themselves, explained in plain words. A long automated report rarely works, because it looks generic and the owner can't tell what matters. Save the full audit for after the first call, when you know their goals.

Where do SEO agencies find clients online?

In search itself, on LinkedIn and through partners. Rank your own site for '[niche] SEO' and '[niche] marketing' phrases, post findings from your niche on LinkedIn, and write directly to owners or marketing leads with a specific gap. Industry directories and association member lists give you the companies to start with.

Can Revnu get SEO clients for my agency?

Revnu finds businesses in your niche and the person who runs marketing at each, then writes to them in your voice with a specific reason to talk. Every message waits for your approval, and replies are drafted for you to approve too. The SEO work for those clients stays yours.

Is this free?

You start with a free trial. Revnu asks for a card when you sign up and starts on what you typed straight away. After the trial, plans start at $99 a month. Cancel any time in Settings.

Does anything run before I sign up?

No. Nothing is checked or generated on this page. Revnu does the work inside your account, where it can read your website, keep what it finds and carry on from there.

Hand it to Revnu

Find 40 [type of business] in [region] that compete for local searches, find who runs marketing at each, and write to them about where they're losing searches.

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