How to grow an SEO agency? | SEO Agency Lead Generation
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| Platform | Link |
|---|---|
| YouTube | Listen on YouTube → |
What Does “How to grow an SEO agency? | SEO Agency Lead Generation” Talk About?
This episode of the James Dooley Podcast features James Dooley and Kasra Dash diving into the practical strategies SEO agencies can use to attract more clients and scale their businesses. The conversation opens with the foundational principle that an SEO agency must rank its own website first, whether targeting a geographic market like Manchester or a specific industry niche such as dental practices or law firms. Kasra explains that failing to rank your own site hands competitors an easy objection to use against you, while ranking well acts as living proof of your capabilities.
The hosts then move into paid and organic acquisition channels, weighing the pros and cons of PPC, Facebook retargeting ads, and organic social media. Kasra advises against heavy reliance on PPC due to click fraud and the constant account management it demands, suggesting instead that free site audits be used as a hook to draw in prospects. The discussion also covers the value of networking beyond SEO conferences, including local business meetups, and building referral relationships with web design companies, lead generation firms, and PPC agencies who can pass along organic SEO work they cannot fulfill themselves.
A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to lead generation partnerships, specifically through FatRank.com, which operates on a no-win-no-fee model. James and Kasra also discuss other platforms like Bark, Clutch, and Best Rated, encouraging listeners to track KPIs carefully and shift budget toward whichever source delivers conversions. The episode wraps up with a prioritized action plan: rank your own site, partner with a lead generation company, run Facebook retargeting ads, and build a consistent social media presence on platforms like YouTube and LinkedIn.
“If you're looking to grow an SEO business, start off by SEOing your own website because people are going to look there. If not, your competitors are going to say, why do you want to go with them when they can't even rank their own website?”
— Kasra Dash
Who Are the Guests on “How to grow an SEO agency? | SEO Agency Lead Generation”?
James Dooley is a well-known figure in the SEO and digital marketing space, recognized for his expertise in lead generation, affiliate SEO, and agency growth strategies. He frequently speaks at industry conferences and is co-founder of FatRank, a lead generation platform that connects SEO agencies with qualified prospects. Throughout this episode, James draws on his experience measuring marketing ROI and emphasizes the importance of trackable KPIs over traditional, hard-to-measure advertising channels like TV and radio.
Kasra Dash is an SEO professional and agency growth specialist based in Manchester, England. He brings a grounded, practical perspective to the conversation, covering everything from local keyword strategy and backlink profiling to the risks of PPC click fraud and the power of organic social media. Kasra is also associated with FatRank.com and provides detailed insights into how lead generation partnerships can serve as a scalable, low-risk client acquisition strategy for SEO businesses at various stages of growth.
What Are the Key Takeaways From “How to grow an SEO agency? | SEO Agency Lead Generation”?
Here are the key points discussed in this episode:
- Ranking your own agency website for relevant terms is the single most important first step because it serves as direct proof of your SEO capabilities to potential clients.
- PPC advertising is generally not recommended for SEO agencies because click fraud and the need for constant account management can erode margins without a reliable return.
- Facebook retargeting ads are a cost-effective complement to organic SEO because they re-engage site visitors who did not convert on their first visit.
- Networking with web design companies, PPC agencies, and lead generation firms creates a reliable referral pipeline because those partners regularly encounter clients who need organic SEO services.
- Lead generation platforms operating on a no-win-no-fee model, such as FatRank, reduce financial risk for growing agencies because payment is only required upon a successful conversion.
“With PPC, with click fraud, with competitors clicking on your ads, sometimes it's not worth it. You need to be living in that account 24 7. I'd steer away from it.”
— Kasra Dash
Is “How to grow an SEO agency? | SEO Agency Lead Generation” Worth Listening To?
This episode is worth listening to because it moves beyond generic marketing advice and delivers a sequenced, prioritized growth plan specific to SEO agencies. James and Kasra do not just list tactics in isolation; they explain the reasoning behind each recommendation, such as why ranking your own site eliminates a common sales objection and why PPC's click fraud problem makes it a poor fit for most agency budgets. The conversation is honest about trade-offs, which makes the advice immediately actionable rather than aspirational.
What sets this episode apart is the candid discussion of lead generation economics, including how to evaluate platforms like Bark, Clutch, and FatRank using KPIs and how to reallocate spend based on conversion performance. Listeners also benefit from Kasra's insight into using free site audits as a lead magnet and James's perspective on YouTube and LinkedIn as trust-building tools. Whether you are just launching an SEO agency or looking to break through a growth plateau, the frameworks discussed here offer a clear roadmap grounded in real-world experience.
Who Should Listen to “How to grow an SEO agency? | SEO Agency Lead Generation”?
This episode is ideal for:
- SEO agency owners who want a structured, step-by-step client acquisition strategy they can implement immediately
- Freelance SEO consultants considering transitioning to an agency model and needing to understand how to build a client pipeline
- Digital marketing professionals in adjacent fields such as web design or PPC who want to understand how referral partnerships with SEO agencies work
- Entrepreneurs and small business owners who are evaluating SEO agencies and want to understand what separates credible providers from unqualified ones
Where Can You Listen to James Dooley Podcast?
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You can also subscribe using the RSS feed: https://feeds.transistor.fm/james-dooley-podcast
What Are Listeners Saying About This Episode?
“Really appreciated the no-nonsense breakdown on PPC versus organic SEO for agency growth. Kasra's point about click fraud is something I had experienced firsthand but never heard articulated so clearly. The FatRank no-win-no-fee model was news to me and I plan to look into it.”
“The tip about ranking your own agency site as step one sounds obvious but the way Kasra framed it — that competitors will use it against you if you don't — really drove it home. Short episode but genuinely packed with usable strategy.”
“Loved the practical hierarchy James laid out at the end: rank your own site, lead gen, Facebook retargeting, then social. I've been throwing money at Bark without tracking KPIs properly and this episode made me rethink that immediately.”
James Dooley: So if I have an SEO agency and I want to grow that business, I want to get more clients. Whether it might be link building clients, it might be content clients, it might be full on agency work or it might even be technical SEO. How would you grow something like that?
Kasra Dash: There’s many ways you can grow a search engine optimisation business. The first thing I would be doing is finding out exactly where I want to go with it. Do I want to do SEO for all businesses in Manchester? I’m based in Manchester. Do I want to do all SEO for all business in Manchester? If I do, the very first keywords I want to rank for from an SEO standpoint for my own website is SEO Manchester, Manchester SEO. Because that’s the first thing that someone in Manchester looking for an SEO agency is probably going to be searching. And if you’re not ranking number one for it, are you good enough to be doing the work for companies in Manchester for SEO? That’s what they’re going to be thinking. You want to be trying to rank for those terms but then also looking at the industry. If you’re wanting to do SEO for manufacturing companies, if you’re looking to do SEO for law firms, if you’re looking to do SEO for carpet cleaners or for plumbers or for electricians, whatever you’re trying to focus on. If you’re going to focus on an industry, you want to make certain you’re ranking for that. So if it is dental, dental practice SEO or SEO for dentists, you want to make certain that you’re ranking for that as well. First and foremost is making certain you’ve got good quality content, a good backlink profile, lots of nice internal links to have the silo set up and then lots of good testimonials, reviews and case studies online for the work you’re doing from a reputation management point of view. If you’re looking to grow an SEO business, start off by SEOing your own website because people are going to look there. If not, your competitors are going to say, why do you want to go with them when they can’t even rank their own website? So that’s step number one. What’s your thoughts on any paid advertising?
James Dooley: Yeah so obviously with paid you can definitely go down the Facebook ads retargeting route. Even if you were ranking number one for all of your keywords, there is going to be some amount of traffic that lands on your website but never actually turns into contact form submissions or phone calls. Once you are ranking for your main keywords, set up Facebook ads retargeting. Then the next time they land on Facebook or Instagram, they are shown an advertisement of your business. What about PPC? Would you recommend PPC?
Kasra Dash: Probably not if I’m being honest with you. It can work if you get a good PPC agency who lives and breathes PPC accounts. If you’ve got the right keywords that you want to go after, even easier long tail terms like free site audit to lure them in. That’s what I’d do with Facebook ads as well. You need a big hook to get someone to inquire. Give them the free site audit. When the free site audit says technically you’ve got all these problems, you’re missing these articles, you’re 28 backlinks behind your competitor, you might be able to upsell your other services. But with PPC, with click fraud, with competitors clicking on your ads, sometimes it’s not worth it. You need to be living in that account 24 7. I’d steer away from it. I think social media is a better platform for generating and growing an SEO business. I’d go down the route of organic social media. Posting consistently, sharing blog posts on LinkedIn. I’d also be trying to network with a lot of people on LinkedIn. Another big one in my opinion for SEO is networking. Trying to team up with people who might be able to refer you clients for SEO. Lead generation companies, web design companies and PPC companies are probably the main three. All three don’t do organic SEO. When someone asks them can you also do this, they can refer it to you. There are amazing SEO conferences throughout the world. You attend quite a lot and do a lot of speaking at those events. That would be another major play. What’s your thoughts on traditional marketing or networking?
James Dooley: Networking definitely helps. It doesn’t need to be SEO events. It could be local business meetups. With traditional marketing, I like looking at KPIs. If I’m spending 5,000 on Facebook ads, I want to know how many people have come from that campaign. With TV ads or radio it’s hard to track. So it’s not a trackable win for me. But what about a lead generation company?
Kasra Dash: Absolutely, that would be step number two. After setting up SEO and branding, the next part would be teaming up with a lead generation company. We at FatRank.com supply many leads for SEO businesses that want to grow. We have our own platforms and networking events. We work on a no win no fee basis. We’re very strict with who qualifies. If you’re an SEO agency and you’re looking to grow, head over to FatRank.com, fill in the form and explain what you’re looking to do. You don’t pay anything for SEO, PPC, Facebook ads, backlinks or the lead. You only pay on the conversion. But it is very stringent. There are other lead generation companies like Bark, Best Rated, Clutch. They can be expensive but good quality. Check your KPIs. If Bark isn’t working, spend more with Clutch. If Clutch isn’t working, spend more with Top3Rated. If that isn’t working, enhance what you’re doing with FatRank. What’s your top three strategies for growing an SEO agency?
James Dooley: First of all rank your own site. Second, go to FatRank.com. Third, Facebook ads for retargeting. And fourth, social media. I think YouTube is a great platform for trust. LinkedIn too. Networking with marketing managers, business owners, CEOs. See what events they’re going to. Not just SEO events. For me the main three are SEO and brand building, lead generation and social media. Case studies as well.
Kasra Dash: But that’s been our multiple strategies on how to grow an SEO agency. If you guys want to apply at FatRank, check the link in the description or head over to FatRank.com.
Creators & Guests
Host
James Dooley is a UK entrepreneur.