SEO Agency: 12 Ways to Stand Out on the Market

Reading Time: 8 minutes

I don’t need to tell you how many SEO agencies work in Europe and over the world.

These are thousands of agencies that do literally the same thing, possibly with minor differences in their offerings (and prices)

Know that our market is truly supersaturated, or better yet—it’s a real red ocean.

So, what can you do to stand out from the competition in such a crowded market?

Let’s dive into this post, where I’ve broken down 12 essential elements in today’s state-of-the-art world of SEO & digital marketing.

1/ Be the First

I don’t mean just your position in Google (yet).

Be the first to reach out to a client, prepare a unique proposal tailored to their needs, and be the first to surprise them.

What have you recently learned? What has your company done that has enabled another client to earn more or achieve their business goal? Surprise your client with these achievements.

Every agency says they are the best. Do you know why? Because it’s just an idle talk. It’s immeasurable, intangible. No one will verify it. This statement is worth nothing, so don’t repeat this mistake.

Share your company’s secret sauce, your approach to clients’ results, collaboration, and contracts.

These are the elements that truly make you the first.

Oh, I couldn’t forget one!

Always make the call first.

What do I mean?

When you receive a request, do some quick research and call right away.

Just now, your client sent a request to 10 companies like yours. He won’t wait for two weeks for each of you to get back to him. Instead, he’ll choose the first company that contacts him after they send a request.

Why?

Because they were the first.

This means they have an efficient communication system, and most likely, their sales team knows how to handle objections and close the deals.

Be the first in every aspect.

2/ Unique Offer

Right, having a unique value proposition in such a saturated market is crucial.

Everyone offers X keywords for Y price with copywriting, link building, and website optimization.

But what does it actually mean?

Recently, when I was talking to my client, he told me that everyone has exactly the same offer: the same values, only the price varies.

So, what your company stands out?

I know, I sound a cliché as heck, but the most basic things play a key role, always.

Therefore, diversifying your offer and creating something innovative is a breakthrough.

Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about SXO (SEO + UX). That means dedicated solutions for both SEO and the design of the client’s website. That sounds interesting.

Key values that clients pay attention to when making the final choice of an agency:

Proposition Adequacy: how adequate is the agency’s offer to my business.
Proposition Diversification: what really stands out the chosen company’s offer from its competition (style, color, adequacy, case studies, price, etc.).
Contract: the company’s policy and flexibility are important as much as the client’s expectations.
Contract Duration: correct, how long is the contract? The longer, the harder to sell it. But surely, a 1-month agreement wouldn’t work for both sides.
Case Studies: who have you worked with so far? What was the outcome, and how much time did it take for your agency? In terms of results — all really matters. Don’t hide anything.
Company Credibility: recognitions on industry portals, featured in Forbes, visible clients’ reviews. Brag about your work and show off how much it impacted others.
Salesman: listen to your client, ask open-ended questions, and always adjust to your client’s needs. Unless your company can’t match up to your clients’ expectations, then find the most adequate solution. And always remember—be nonchalant and bolt (but not haughty), this type of personality sales best.
Price: transparent and negotiable, it’s first and foremost. The client wants and has to know what he pays for. It’ll help you avoid unwanted objections, and future complaints. Your market is uncannily saturated; an adequate price for a valuable service is a must.

3/ Diversified Business Model

That’s exactly correct.

The more diversified business models your agency provides, the more clients you’ll be able to acquire.

When a customer comes to you, he has specific problems to solve, or if he doesn’t know them—he certainly has specific expectations.

Nowadays, relying on just one business model, let’s assume only subscription-based, it won’t be sufficient to onboard new customers.

Think like your client; what would I buy if I were him?

This is one of those questions that helps you literally go into your client’s head.

There are several business models that your company can offer to stand out in the market:

Exclusively result (no met KPIs = agency doesn’t get a broken dime)
Organic traffic-based (the more, the better)
Hybrid (fixed budget + effect)
Session-based
Effect-based
Sales-based
Subscription.

Alright, before booing—not every model will be suitable for every client.

The best solution depends on various factors, including your client’s domain history, keyword performance & rankings, industry, seasonality, and so on.

Statistically, the more solutions your agency got to offer, the more clients it can serve (and acquire), thanks to its diversity, thus becoming a distinguishing factor compared to the competition.

4/ Negotiable Contract

This is a point that definitely deserves a separate mention.

I know it may seem like a run-of-the-mill topic to bring up, but I must mention it — get a flexible contract.

You can’t imagine how many clients that I signed a contract with told me that they’ve decided to move forward with me because I’m flexible, my contract is negotiable, and I can handle their concerns on paper.

Still, you want to have rigid contact? Think twice.

Your company’s, your employees’ goods are incredibly important, but with your client’s goods; there are not necessarily yours.

5/ Specialize in Niche Markets

The major question is; who is your audience target? Do you want to reach out to “everybody” who owns a business? How do you target your clients?

The question comes down to building a persona, or better called an ICP (ideal client profile), to be able to specify your audience.

Usually, you can say; I have an SEO agency, anyone who has a business can be my client.

It’s true, but a more precise determination of who your agency should primarily reach, especially at the beginning of building your business, will allow you to better tailor a range of services for that specific client. This will accelerate the process of active customer acquisition. And of course, it’ll also accelerate the process of active customer acquisition.

So, what’s your ICP? Is it rather a local business such as a dentist, mechanic, or hairdresser, or are you aiming for bigger, B2B clients like e-commerce, training companies, and private universities?

The more you set down, the more and better clients you’ll gain.

6/ Testimonials & Recommendations

It’s true, they have a crucial impact on the purchase decision.

According to BigCommerce study, 72% of all consumers say positive reviews and testimonials make them trust a business more.

So, the probability increases that out of 100 people considering your product, 72 will make the purchase thanks to good opinions about your product or service.

7/ Position Matters

Clients types “the best SEO companies in Poland,” and you know whom they will contact? The first five organic results. Let’s say 10, so as not to narrow it down too much.

Your website’s position is just as important as your client’s.

Build content regularly, exchange links with your clients’ companies, and invest in paid links (PPC campaigns).

A high position for your company online reflects your expertise and enhances your company’s credibility.

8/ Client Education

Conducting SEO workshops for your clients is not a novelty; however, in many companies, it’s not even discussed yet.

Organize meetings at your office or at the client’s location, educating them about the service they are paying you for.

Such workshops are a great idea for mutual knowledge exchange, building better, more relevant future proposals (after addressing the many doubts you’ll encounter during the training), and strengthening the relationship.

You probably already know that a product doesn’t sell itself; it’s your approach and commitment that matter.

A client who receives an email or a call with such an invitation will surely be eager to take advantage of it, and through such collaboration, you’ll build a long-lasting partnership.

9/ Be Transparent

Technically, I don’t really need to explain this 🙂

But…

I know, this point is self-explanatory, but often the most obvious things are the most challenging to incorporate into an offering or organization.

Be transparent at every stage of your collaboration with the client.

If something goes wrong, for example, due to your mistaken update on the client’s store, and his cart couldn’t process purchases over the weekend, resulting in the client losing thousands of dollars in revenue, inform them about it.

Don’t try to cover it up or say that it’s their fault due to XYZ.

Even seemingly trivial matters can significantly impact your ongoing partnership.

The client will always appreciate honesty, which will lead to positive reviews and contract renewals.

In another situation, you know what consequences to expect.

10/ Data-Driven Decisions

Data plays a crucial role; don’t forget to tailor it to your offer.

If you want to acquire a big client who can pay you well, just focus on a data-based offer.

When a client sends an inquiry like this: ‘’I want to rank for 20 keywords, industry: trichology, location: Warsaw, budget: $1,200 per month’’, at that moment, most agencies receiving this request will simply send an offer based on that budget.

Apart from the aspect of who sends the offer first and how appealing the offer looks, the one who sends their proposal based on strong data, will stand out in the market, and the client is likely to choose them.

Data will help you win; make use of it.

11/ Local SEO Dominance

Act locally, think globally; this maxim comes to my mind writing this point.

Local SEO allows you to focus on a specific geographical area or region, helping you narrow down your target audience. This specialization makes your agency more appealing to local businesses looking to improve their online visibility within their community.

Being a leader in your local market undoubtedly helps you expand into a broader market with trusted, loyal clients and long-term support from the local community.

Acquire smaller clients in your region and, in an ideal scenario, brand advocates. They will be your allies in entering international markets. With their support, you will gain clients through word-of-mouth without the risk of lacking liquidity.

Of course, it’ll all work on one condition—that you provide your services as diligently as possible and achieve the expected results.

12/ Knowledge Is the King

This is something you absolutely must focus on. It doesn’t matter whether you are the CEO of an agency reading this post or one of its employees. One thing is certain: your client loves talking to someone knowledgeable.

Of course, I’m referring to knowledge that will bring benefits to your client from working with your company.

Remember, selecting keywords is not everything. But! In many cases, even this first step can be problematic, isn’t it?

Having knowledge is also the ability to say no.

Interesting?

Imagine: a client comes to you; a small online store with 15 clothing products. They’ve set up their shop on WooCommerce and want to spend $2,500 a month with you.

Location: the entire US market.

Here’s the moment where your assertiveness comes into play.

If you’re already reading this post, you know that the budget is “fine,” but you won’t be able to do anything meaningful for this client. Definitely nothing worthwhile for both of you.

Their store lacks products, variety, it lacks content because there’s nothing to describe. His domain and e-com have no history in search engines; they haven’t gained any links—there’s absolutely no chance of success.

In this situation, when you decline to work with the client, they will appreciate it. Believe me.

Your company will appreciate it too (even though your sales outcome will decrease by $2,500) because its customer managers won’t have to justify the lack of results.

This client will grow their business, and over time, they’ll come back to you.

Better later than never applies here.

You’ll onboard that client in a few months, and your industry won’t be negatively affected.

Knowledge, especially in technical aspects, is fundamental.

And how do you stand out your company in the market?

Let me know in the comments, and if you want to share some ideas worthy writing a post about; ping me on LinkedIn or X.

And don’t forget to share it if you enjoyed it!

Thank you for reading,
Simon

Author Profile

Simon Gorlak

Simon Gorlak is a Digital Marketing Expert with over 8 years of experience. He specializes in 3 areas: SEO, Copywriting, and Email Marketing. Simon's blog gathers knowledge that helps Marketers & C-level to increase profits from their online businesses. Also, his content helps to reach the most difficult customers, make others' content to be read & purchased. Besides digital marketing, Simon speaks 4 languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Polish & works as a Head of Business at an Indian Start-up.

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