Notably, SEO is the current, and probably the only, “next face” of internet marketing. Therefore, any aspiring online marketer should make the prudent choice of including this efficient marketing strategy for their business. Coupled with the increasing usage and spread of the internet, successful marketing requires more than just regular advertisements.

Having said that, building a successful SEO agency that will ascertain the achievement of stellar success is undoubtedly daunting. According to recent statistics, approximately 9 out of 10 start-ups fail on their first try. Therefore, it is evident that the chances of succeeding are minimal. However, success can be a possibility if the correct measures, steps, and precautions are taken. Though many learn through trial and error, there is a lot to gain from learning from other entrepreneurs who made mistakes but ultimately succeeded.

For beginners, a myriad of questions need to be answered: How can I get clients without having a large portfolio? How can I find the perfect team? What is the most effective way of organizing and presenting results to my customers? What about organizing the agency’s workflow? Worrying too much can actually contribute to imminent failure. However, it is possible to attract customers to your website with little or no prior knowledge about your business or exactly what you offer.

Building Credibility

Turning prospective customers into buyers of your services may not occur unless you fill and address their needs. That is to say, turning complete strangers into enthusiastic and invested customers comes from building your credibility with them. When building your credibility, avoid the following strategies:

- Spamming contact forms on websites about your SEO services

- Sending direct messages via LinkedIn to potential costumers about your SEO services

While the methods mentioned above could potentially gain you a few more clients, these tactics oftentimes backfire, thereby causing damage to your reputation.

How to Establish Credibility

As mentioned previously, your credibility score could be the only sure way of succeeding in this rather complicated market structure. According to most experts, various customers base their purchase decisions on two core credibility qualities. The qualities are:

- Expertise. This means that you have effectively communicated your level of experience and have followed through with displaying it via services rendered.

- Trustworthiness. Developing trust with your customers provides higher scores on the credibility scale. This can be achieved by delivering on promises and following through on the commitments you make.

Though credibility may take some time to build, constant devotion, diligence, and consistent effort are essential. But why is developing credibility of such importance?

The Importance of Credibility

There are endless claims from executives who have been taken for a ride by several SEO companies. Their experiences have created negative, preconceived notions against other SEO agencies. Currently, many brands are becoming keen to avoid any negative association with SEO companies. Therefore, the conversation is moving from SEO towards the unblemished term with the same meaning, “inbound marketing.” New SEO service providers in the market face a difficult task of attracting clients who demand a visible and proven track record. Therefore, without tangible credibility, making it in this sector is close to impossible.

How to Demonstrate Credibility in the Digital Marketing Business

Having mentioned the importance of displaying credibility, highlighted below are some of the methods of demonstrating credibility.

Showing your expertise

Most SEO agencies are skewed towards rankings. Trying to convince your client that you will improve their company’s ranking in search engines is an old tale. Instead, begin by ensuring that your site is at the top of natural search results. This will ascertain that you have the necessary skills to undertake the task. Actually, it is an indicator of trustworthiness. Keep up with the current trends, the latest news, and innovations to maintain this.

Create a good impression

Many SEO agencies fail in the beginning simply because they have created an unprofessional website that contains poor grammar, misspelled words, or other avoidable writing mistakes. Avoid common typos and grammatical errors that can cost your success. If the client likes your website, they may offer your firm a trial job to test the authenticity of your services.

Human face!

Even as an entrepreneur looking to hire an SEO agency for SEO services, you most likely prefer interacting with other people. Many people feel more comfortable with an agency if they can see the faces of whom they are communicating with before employing their services. For example, if a local business is searching for a SEO Agency in Boca Raton, they are more likely to go with the SEO company that has a personable website that highlights employees names, provides some backstory on how and why their business was created, etc. Developing an authentic human connection has been proven to play a huge role in customer retention. Therefore, ensure your digital images are of excellent quality and go out of your way to meet your clients face-to-face when possible.

Encourage positive feedback

Positive feedback provided by clients you have previously worked with is very influential when it comes to credibility scoring. Therefore, try to include testimonials on your website and in your e-mail correspondences with potential clients. Some of the vital elements to consider when including a testimonial include:

- Include a job title and date

- Include a backlink to the client’s website

- Keep the testimonial short using key phrases

- Provide a link to the client’s profile either through LinkedIn or a similar site

Write clear case studies

Case studies provide better information when compared to testimonials. However, being a new SEO agency still on the verge of developing, finding high profile clients who can provide valuable case studies can prove to be challenging. Therefore, consider volunteering your services to a local charity and featuring them on your marketing materials. You should also consider offering your services to well-known companies pro-bono, which will help you build your brand name and reputation within those industries, while also allowing you to create case studies based on said work.

Conclusion

The tips mentioned above can prove to be instrumental in your SEO agency’s success. A few other insider tips can also prove to be beneficial. They include:

- Handle negativity with positivity

- Developing the five Ps of personal credibility: being punctual, polite, presentable, personable and prepared.

- Writing high-quality content for all of your marketing materials

With that said, you now have the tools to launch a successful SEO agency. All the best to you!