What SEO to sell to small businesses as agency?

Hello everyone, I would like to apologize in advance for my limited knowledge of SEO as I am still quite new to this. I am starting a web design agency that specializes in building Wordpress/elementor sites, and I have a passion for design. I also have a 9-5 job in sales, which I have been told is the hardest part. I understand that a website's value is based on how many people visit it, and I believe I need to improve my SEO skills in order to sell value effectively. Some have advised me to outsource SEO work, but I prefer to learn it myself, even though I am looking for guidance on where to draw the line. My current plan is to use RankMath for on-page SEO and focus on learning about local SEO, as I will be targeting small businesses. I am seeking advice on whether this approach will be sufficient to increase traffic and clicks for small businesses, as I have been told that off-page SEO and back linking are crucial components of SEO. Any resources or opinions are welcome. Thank you.

Focusing on both on-page SEO and local SEO is a good starting point for targeting small businesses. RankMath is a solid choice for on-page optimization. However, while on-page SEO is important, it’s not the only factor driving traffic and clicks.

Off-page SEO and backlinking are crucial for building authority and credibility for your clients’ websites, which significantly impacts search engine rankings. Backlinks from reputable websites signal to search engines that your clients’ content is valuable and trustworthy.

Here’s why off-page SEO and backlinking are essential:

  • Increased visibility: Backlinks help your clients’ websites rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), making them more visible to potential customers.
  • Improved trust and authority: Links from reputable websites demonstrate that your clients’ content is valuable and trustworthy, boosting their overall authority in the eyes of search engines.
  • Increased traffic: More backlinks mean more referral traffic to your clients’ websites, leading to increased leads and sales.

While you can learn about off-page SEO and backlinking yourself, consider these options:

  • Start with a basic understanding: Learn about different backlinking strategies like guest posting, directory submissions, and social media sharing.
  • Outsource specific tasks: If you find that building backlinks is time-consuming, consider outsourcing some tasks to a specialist agency or freelancer.
  • Prioritize local SEO: Focus on building backlinks from local businesses and organizations, which can significantly benefit local small businesses.

Remember that SEO is an ongoing process, and you’ll need to consistently build backlinks and monitor their performance to see long-term results.