SEO Resellers

Great info for those trying to resell SEO

Today’s focus is on technology tools. If you are thinking about how to differentiate your SEO reseller business, you need to be focused on technology tools. There are only so many directory submissions you can pack into an SEO reseller program. At some point, the customer can’t really distinguish the difference between 1,000 directory posts and 2,000 submissions. And even worse, they actually may start to wonder if those things are really helping their search engine rankings (hint: They are not all that great).

So where am I going with this? You need to be offering your client or customer a view into the return on investment from their SEO… This is where great SEO reseller programs start to really differentiate from the run-of-the-mill India / off-shore stuff. They offer the customer reports… Not just your monthly activity report, but a real set of analytics that will help them understand the impact of your work on their search engine rankings…

Step back for a second and remember that most customers really don’t understand this product. They’ve been told “there’s gold in them der hills” – but they really have no experience mining… Search engine optimization is a bit of the same thing. Businesses are being told relentlessly that they need to be viral, and social, and organic. But really – they have no idea what these words mean. So you are trying to sell them SEO through your SEO reseller plan, and they just don’t know what they bought… Thus the need for education… Education comes from showing people data and explaining cause and effect. This will best be done through solid technology and world-class reports… And *THAT* is today’s thought on what you should be looking for as you shop the SEO reseller space. Find the best technology platform you can.. But nothing yucky.. You want business professional, the kind of stuff your business clients will really appreciate. See also here.

As always, I am watching the airways for new SEO reseller material that you might find interesting. This article floated by today and I thought it was worth a read.  They make the case that joining an SEO reseller program is actually the conservative thing to do when you are just launching. As I think about all the risks involved with starting your own business, I have to say that I agree. There is just so much emphasis needed on sales and marketing that you can easily lose yourself in the depths of product development. In this SEO Reseller article, they basically say that you should not take your eye off the ball. Sales and marketing are key to any business, especially in the SEO space. So let someone else do the delivery work for you while you work out your sales process. On other words – Outsource first. Sell. Then you can consider bringing the SEO services back in-house if you are not happy with the quality or think you can do it cheaper. All in all, good advice for those headed into the SEO reseller maze. Give it a read and see if you agree.

So many people ask us “can I make money reselling SEO?” And the real answer is, it depends… I mean, can you make money selling cars? Perhaps. Are you a good car sales person? This same line of thinking applies to search engine optimization as well. When people shop for an SEO reseller partner, they focus a great deal of attention on who they are going to partner with. And understandably so. But how much introspection are they really doing on themselves to determine if they are really ready and able to sell SEO? This may be where the real answer lies.

Starting any business is a very difficult thing. You have to have a long-term view. And you need to be ready for set-backs along the way. There really is no such thing as an “easy” start-up. Even guys who have done many start-up businesses know this. So when people head into the SEO reseller space and think they can just sign up for with a reselling organization and sell search engine optimization, I laugh. Why in the world would it be this easy? If it were, wouldn’t everyone be doing it? Seriously folks. Think that through.

So the real search strategy when you are trying to find the perfect search engine optimization to resell is to look both within and around. You need to be ready to sell. Sell, sell, sell. You need to know that this will be hard and that you have what it takes – both financially and emotionally – to stay with it. Then you also need a great SEO reseller partnership with an organization that delivers high quality search engine optimization you can rely on. These two things together will get you where you need to be.

So, people in the SEO industry are all looking for that quick buck. I have bad news on this topic. There is no quick buck. Not in the SEO reseller game or any other. The idea that there is “easy money” out there somewhere is just a fallacy. The sooner you understand that concept, the closer you will be to actually making big bucks.  But don’t hear me wrong, there are many great ways to make a business in the SEO reseller world. There are solid reseller companies out there than can set you up with top-notch search engine optimization services. They know their delivery and can do a great job. But you have to sell.

So the big question for you is: Do you have what it takes to sell SEO? This is a competitive space. There are a bunch of SEO resellers running around doing the same thing you are doing. Are you better? Do you have a great pitch? Do you know how to do the follow-through. Do you understand the biggest part of sales is the follow-up? People think of sales in terms of the pitch or the hard sale. But it is really much more about follow-up and organization. Can you run 400 leads at once and not loss control of your process?  These are the hard questions for you. Think them over. Also read. Things like this.

Today’s post is about the HubShout SEO reseller program. We’ve done some digging to understand exactly who HubShout is and what is involved in their SEO reseller program. Specifically, we wanted to know the background of the founders, client results, and the typical search engine optimization tactics used by the firm. We were also interested in the overall SEO reseller approach they use. In short, is the SEO reseller program any good?

In summary, it is fantastic. The HubShout co-founders have extensive Fortune 100 experience and it shows. As you read about their backgrounds, which are extensively outlined on their website, you will see big Fortune 100 companies like General Electric, AOL, Coca-Cola, Verizon, Ford, Nissan Motors, Chevron Texaco, etc, etc. In other words, these guys have been around the corporate block. They are not some basement operation or an off-shore outfit.

In terms of the substance of their SEO reseller offering, it is rock solid. They say their two founding principles are transparency and business results. And as you learn about their SEO reseller technology you see that they put their money where their mouth is. Their SEO technology is not some download / install junk like you see around the Internet. It is a business-to-business platform specifically designed to help clients see the value you are bringing them as well as openly show the work being done on their behalf. In short, HubShout has designed their SEO reseller white labeled portal to match their corporate philosophy: Transparency and Accountability for business results.

I don’t know any other programs that have this type of approach. I certainly don’t know of any other serious technology platforms that an agency or business can use so easily to jump-start or augment a SEO delivery. I think I mentioned that their offering is completely white labeled.

If you are really attracted to the idea of selling SEO services, then there are a number of factors you should consider. First, nice job for doing some research. If you reading this it is because you’ve realized the importance of a proper survey of the players before jumping into any relationships. In business they call it due diligence. That’s appropriate.

The first thing to realize about the search engine optimization space is that it is much more competitive than you think. There are simply very low barriers to entry. And if you remember anything from Adam Smith – you will understand that this will put downward pressure on prices (remember supply and demand curves?). The other thing to recognize is that SEO services today don’t mean just changing someone’s title tags. That’s very 2003. And those days are seriously over. If you don’t have a clear handle on the difference between on-site SEO and off-site SEO, you have more work to do than I thought.

If you do have the knowledge and desire to really offer SEO, then becoming an SEO reseller might be the smart first move. The reselling model is not unique to SEO. There are resellers in many many different industries. Many well-known ones are in technology. And the same trend is developing in search engine optimization. Here’s a quick overview of how it works.

Someone decides they want to be an SEO reseller because they want to be in this space but don’t current have a search engine optimization product to bring to market. So they look around for organizations that are specifically set up to offer the services. Most good programs offer a private label, or white label SEO, approach where the customer is not aware that the delivery work has been outsources. This is generally attractive because the customer relationship is maintained with the organization that sold the account. In this fashion, being an SEO reseller is VERY different from being an affiliate sales person.  If all works well, both the sales organization and the delivery organization make a share of the profits. The customer receives excellent value and all are happy. At least in theory.

What is white label SEO? This is when one organization does the reselling of the search engine optimization and another does the delivery work. In this sense, it is a partnership between two organizations. If they work well together this can result in a great business arrangement. A private label SEO program allows the sales team to really focus on selling while the SEO delivery team does the work associated with good, white-hat SEO. This is good for both groups – when they are a good fit. But you need to be sure you have found a good fit before you make a long-term commitment.

There are many people out there who want to become you resellers. These people span for very small one-person businesses up to large organizations. You’re looking to increase revenues, and you’re in the region technology and, it is very logical to consider becoming an SEO reseller. It is, if you don’t already offer search engine optimization services.

If you sell web design or web host and, or example, SEO is natural extension for your customers. In fact, they have probably Re: ask you about search engine optimization and wondered if you were in the SEO space. Are people buying a website, SEO is a natural part of the website  process. For these reasons, you should there looking at SEO resellers.

When you research SEO resellers, you want to try to find out what kind of firm is behind the reseller plan. This is because you only want to partner with a professional at SEO company. There are, unfortunately, many firms out there that will offer you in a SEO reseller plan but are not worth working with. As you will be bringing your customer to this product is important that the company you partner with is trustworthy. This requires doing your homework.

Searching Google on the term at SEO resellers. Spend some time with the results from the first page. It stands to reason that you want to work with a firm that is very good at search engine optimization. For that reason, the first page of Google is a great place to start. If they are any good, they should be listed on the first page. This is a great predictor of that type of work they will do your customer in the search engine optimization space.

After you’ve made your shortlist of SEO resellers, get to know each firm. Interview them. Have conference calls and ask to speak to people as high up in the organization as you can. You’ll have to recognize that large organizations will not let you speak to folks at the very top. A smaller boutique SEO firm might give you access to the leadership. In any case, form a judgment about the organization and how it will be to work with them after you’ve become partners.

Welcome to SEO Resellers. This blog is devoted to all issues surrounding becoming an SEO reseller or learning how to resell SEO. There are many many factors involved in picking a business partner. In a way, becoming a reselling agent is a form of partnership. It doesn’t matter if you are doing this in the web hosting space or search engine optimization space. The business dynamics are just the same.

When you are selling someone elses product to your customer, you need to have confidence in their delivery. Your reputation is on the line. And the long-term success of the reselling arrangement depends on many factors. At this SEO reseller blog, we are going to dive deep into the issue. Give you some advice from what we have seen around the SEO resellers community. And I hope we also share ideas that help you bring in income in a meaningful and fulfilling way.