My agency has done $100m SEO service revenue since 2012. But it wasn’t an easy ride at the start.
We made a few mistakes with positioning, pricing, invoice terms, delivery, hiring, pretty much everything.
If I had to start over in 2025, here's what I'd do:
1️⃣ Productize from day one
No custom quotes. No jumping on long calls. No back-and-forths. No "just this once."
- One clear offer
- Fixed pricing
- Structured intake form
Early on, we said yes to everything: reports, audits, odd jobs, even web design lol.
It helped in the short term for cashflow but it stunted our growth.
Productization gives you speed, scale, and clarity.
I’d start with it and stick to it. Say no to everything that isn't on the "menu".
2️⃣ Pick one customer avatar
Not "anyone who needs SEO." That’s a trap.
I’d go deep on one niche.
Think B2B SaaS, law firms, or plumbers.
- Easier messaging (speaking to ONE person)
- More referrals (people know eachother in an industry)
- Higher pricing (specialist)
We started the agency by offering SEO and link building to anyone. When we narrowed down our focus, we built traction and scaled faster.
3️⃣ Go all in on one channel
Not five.
- Cold email if you're on a budget
- Google Ads if you have cash
- Meta Ads if you wanna get a bit more advanced with your funnel
Once you think you've perfected one channel, move to the next.
Early on we were trying way too many things, until we focused on just Google Ads. Because we were charging upfront, we had some positive cashflow, so we were able to reinvest profits into ads.
Once we perfected G Ads we moved to Meta, and now Linkedin, organic and more.
4️⃣ Contractors over payroll
You don't need a huge team to scale.
In fact, in the early days, hiring and training can slow things down.
- Core team for ops, sales and strategy
- Contractors for delivery
- Pay per output, not hours
This model keeps you lean and flexibile.
Being advocates for outsourcing you may be surprised to hear that actually in the early days we were doing almost everything inhouse. Outreach, writing, link building, SEO, everything.
Once we made the switch to building an army of trusted contractors, vendors and specialists, we could scale like crazy, and flex with demand.
5️⃣ Start with ONE killer service
Don't launch with a list of ten. Pick your best offer.
It can be a combo of deliverables. But make sure its ONE solution.
Prove demand > Refine delivery > Build your rep.
Only after that should you add more.
Growth comes from laser focus and being a minimalist.
Not from doing more.
We learned this the hard way, when we stopped doing 'everything' and just focused on link building at the start, we became known as the 'link building for agencies' brand. We scaled because of this.
TLDR:
If I had to start again, I’d:
- Productize
- Specialize
- Go deep, not wide
If you were starting your agency today, what would you do differently?
Cheers
Joe Davies