How to get SEO clients
To get SEO clients, list businesses in one niche that can pay a monthly retainer, check each company's website for visible gaps, and email the owner or marketing lead about one of them. Proof from their own site beats any pitch about rankings.
Most of the work is the list. Build it once, audit the top 50 sites, and the emails write themselves.
Who buys SEO and pays monthly
| Buyer | Why SEO pays back | Who decides |
|---|---|---|
| Home services with many locations | Every service in every town is a search | Owner, Marketing Manager |
| Ecommerce brands | Category and product pages bring repeat traffic | Founder, Head of Marketing |
| Law and other professional firms | One client is worth thousands | Managing Partner, Marketing Director |
| B2B software | Comparison and how-to searches feed demos | Head of Marketing, Founder |
Skip companies with one cheap product and no repeat sales. They can't carry a retainer.
Spot the need from their website
Export your list with the Website column, then spend two minutes per site.
| Check | How | What to pitch |
|---|---|---|
| Old or missing blog | Open the blog or news page and read the newest date | A content plan around their money keywords |
| Generic page titles | Read the browser tab; “Home” or the company name alone is a gap | Title and description rewrites |
| One page for every service | Look for a page per service | Service pages that can rank |
| No location pages | Search their service plus a nearby town | Local pages for each town they serve |
| Few indexed pages | Type site:theirdomain.com into Google | A site that gives Google more to show |
| Slow on a phone | Open it on mobile data | Speed fixes with a before and after |
Tip: Write the finding in the sheet next to the row. You'll paste it into the email.
Pick one niche
Choose the niche where you can show a past result, even a small one. “I took a roofer from 3 to 40 calls a month” beats “full-service SEO”.
Find the owner or marketing lead
| Niche | ContactYard filters | Job titles |
|---|---|---|
| Home services | Services: Roofing Services, Plumbing Services, HVAC Services. Employee Headcount 21 to 100 and 101 to 250 | Owner, President, Marketing Manager |
| Ecommerce brands | Industry: Retail and Wholesale > Online and Mail Order Retail. Headcount 11 to 20 and 21 to 100 | Founder, Owner, Head of Marketing |
| Law firms | Industry: Government and Legal > Law Practice. Headcount 11 to 20 and 21 to 100 | Managing Partner, Marketing Director |
Under Services and Keywords, exclude SEO and web design so you don't list competitors. Turn on Email required and add your target Location. The total shows as you filter, so you know the niche size before you export.
Send one email with one finding
Subject: {company}'s {service} pages Hi {first_name}, I searched "{service} in {town}" and {company} didn't show up. Your site has one page for all {number} services, and the newest blog post is from {year}. I help {niche} get found for the searches that bring in jobs. Last year I took {client} from {before} to {after} a month. Want me to send the three fixes I'd make first? It's free. {Your name}
Follow up twice. How to write a cold email, how to follow up on an email and personalizing at scale cover the rest.
Worked example: Brightpath Search
Brightpath Search, fictional freelancer in Denver
- Niche
- Roofers and HVAC companies in Colorado, 21 to 100 staff
- List
- 400 owners with Email required, Website column kept
- Audit
- Top 60 sites checked for blog age, service pages and location pages
- Offer
- Three free fixes; paid retainer from $1,200 a month (illustrative)
- Data cost
- ContactYard Growth: $49 for 10,000 contacts; the rest roll over 2 months
- Same 400 contacts elsewhere
- 1,600 to 4,800 credits at 4 to 12 credits per contact
- Goal
- 3 retainers in two months
Two channels that need no outreach
- Web designers. They finish sites and get asked “who does SEO?” Offer to handle the launch checklist and split the retainer. Find them with Services: Website Development.
- Referrals. After a good month, ask each client for two introductions to owners in the same niche.
FAQ
- How do I get SEO clients?
- List one niche of businesses that can pay monthly, audit their sites, and email the owner one finding. Add web designers as partners.
- How do I find SEO clients?
- Filter ContactYard by industry or service, headcount and location, then export the owner or marketing lead with the Website column.
- What is the best way of getting SEO clients?
- Cold email with a real site finding, because you choose who hears from you. Referrals follow once you have one result to show.
- Where can I get SEO clients as a freelancer?
- Local service firms, ecommerce brands, professional firms and B2B software companies in the 11 to 20, 21 to 100 and 101 to 250 employee bands.
- How do I find clients for SEO without a portfolio?
- Offer a free audit of five pages. The findings are the portfolio.
Start free, export your first 200 owners and audit the top 50 sites this week.
Keep reading
How to write a cold email
The parts of a cold email that gets replies, step by step, with a before and after rewrite.
How to personalize cold emails with AI
Let AI read each prospect's website and write a short, specific first line. Includes prompts you can copy.
How to follow up on an email with no reply
When to follow up, how many follow-ups is too many, and 8 B2B templates to copy.