Win SEO clients by being the kind of SEO Google tells site owners to look for. Show examples of past work, explain what you'll do and how you'll measure it, ask about their business, and never guarantee rankings. Google says no one can guarantee a number one ranking, and it warns buyers about SEO firms that email out of the blue.
Google publishes a page for business owners on whether they need an SEO and how to hire one. Read it as a seller and it becomes the most useful sales checklist you'll find, because it lists the exact questions your prospects have been told to ask.
Google's buyer questions, turned into your pitch
On its guide to hiring an SEO, Google tells site owners to ask a prospective SEO a set of questions. Answer each one before you're asked and your pitch stands apart from the ones that don't.
- Can you show examples of your previous work and share some success stories? Your reply: Two or three permitted examples, or your own site if you're new.
- What results do you expect, and by when? Your reply: A realistic range plus the effort involved.
- How do you measure success? Your reply: Named measures, such as clicks and queries.
- What's your experience in my industry? Your reply: Sector work, or how you'll learn theirs fast.
- What about my country or city? Your reply: Local knowledge, or your research method.
This is an inference on my part: Google wrote the page for buyers, not sellers. But if buyers follow it, a pitch that already answers it saves them a step and shows you've read what Google tells them.
A checklist for every prospect
- Lead with your strongest service. Google's list runs from site reviews and technical advice to content, keyword research, training and generative AI work. Don't pitch all six; pick the one where your examples are best.
- Interview them before you sell. Google expects a good SEO to be curious about what sets a firm apart, who it's up against and how its buyers arrive. Turn that into your discovery call agenda.
- Request read-only data for the audit. Google advises owners against handing over write access at this stage, so asking for less than that shows you know the boundary.
- Show both sides of the estimate. Set out the likely gain and the hours it'll take, side by side.
- Mirror their questions in writing. This proposal layout adapts well.
What never to promise
Google says no one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google, and warns buyers about anyone claiming a special relationship with Google. If a prospect has read that page, a ranking guarantee loses you the deal on the spot.
Watch how you present data from your software, too. Google is plain that outside SEO software can't see its internal ranking signals and carries no Google approval. Research platforms still save hours, and a good agency SEO toolkit is worth having, but label every chart and score as an estimate from that platform. Mixing the two up is an easy way to lose a sharp buyer's trust in the first meeting.
Google also reminds site owners that they're responsible for the actions of companies they hire, and that deceptive content could get a site removed from the index. Expect careful buyers to ask how you work. Explaining every change you'll make, in plain words, builds the trust that wins the contract.
First contact: a message outline you can copy
Google tells site owners to be wary of SEO firms and web consultants that email out of the blue. That's the barrier any outreach to strangers runs into, so the only first message worth sending is one that proves you've looked at their site. Here's an illustrative five-line outline:
- Name a real page and the issue you checked there.
- Say where you'd start and which figure you'd track.
- State plainly: no ranking guarantee.
- Offer to review their Search Console with read access only.
- Ask if a 15-minute call suits them.
Before it goes, recheck each observation on the live page, and send each note to one named person. For other places prospects gather, see where freelancers find remote work.
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Limits of this approach
- Google's page targets owners; this sales use is my reading.
- No conversion data per channel is quoted here, because none was found.
- Use real, permitted results only; label tests as tests.
- Some small local firms will do the work themselves, as Google notes.
- Tailored outreach still meets the distrust Google describes, so expect silence.
Frequently asked questions
Should I guarantee rankings to win SEO clients?
Never. Informed buyers have been told by Google itself that such promises can't be kept, so a guarantee marks you out as the wrong hire.
How do I show results with no past clients?
Work on your own website or a clearly labelled test project, then show what you changed and what happened next. Never present an invented case study as client work.
What access should I ask for during an audit?
Read access to Search Console is enough for a first review. Asking for more at that point raises a red flag with anyone who has read Google's hiring advice.
Is cold email a good way to find SEO clients?
It's an uphill route, since Google warns owners about firms that make unexpected contact. If you try it, reference something specific and verified on their site.
Do I need to specialise in one niche?
It helps with one buyer question in particular: Google suggests owners ask about experience in their industry. Sector examples answer that directly.
Which services should I offer first?
Pick the area where your evidence is strongest. Spreading a pitch across everything Google lists makes it sound vague.
