31 Seo Services Success Stories [2024]

Updated: November 19th, 2023
Start A Seo Services

An SEO services business helps other businesses improve their visibility on search engines like Google.

It involves tasks like optimizing website content, building quality backlinks, and conducting keyword research.

Essentially, it helps websites rank higher in search results, making them more likely to be found by potential customers.

Starting an SEO services business can be a low-cost venture, as it mainly requires a computer, an internet connection, and some basic SEO knowledge.

You can offer your services to small businesses looking to improve their online presence without the need for a large upfront investment.

Here are some real life success stories of starting a SEO services:

1. Pearl Lemon ($960K/year)

In August 2017, Deepak Shukla founded Pearl Lemon after experiencing a moment of disappointment and a renewed seriousness about starting his own company. With a background in marketing and a drive to be successful, Deepak focused on building a pipeline of clients through cold outreach, LinkedIn, Upwork, and more. Today, Pearl Lemon generates between 80-110K per month and has expanded into various niches, with plans to continue growing and attracting 1000 leads per month within 18 months.

How much they make: $960K/year
How much did it cost to start: $50
Current team size: 27

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I Started An SEO And Lead Gen Agency With No Experience And Took It To 110K/Month

Deepak Shukla founded Pearl Lemon in 2016, and as of February 2022, the company generates between $80-$110K per month providing SEO and B2B lead generation services to clients ranging from small businesses to public companies.

About
Deepak started Pearl Lemon about 8 years ago
Revenue
Deepak grew the business to $80K/month
Costs
It cost Deepak $50 to start the business
Read by 4,150 founders

2. MetricSpot ($120K/year)

How much they make: $120K/year
Current team size:

Bootstrapping a $3,000/Month Site Working Remotely

Discover how a founder built his SEO business from scratch to over $3,000/month with the help of influencers and affiliates.

Revenue
They grew the business to $10K/month
Read by 378 founders

So... can you actually make money with a SEO services?

Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.

But how?

  1. Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
  2. Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
  3. Take action, because now you have the roadmap.

Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:

Start Now

3. SEO Audit Tool and SEO Website Analysis ($120K/year)

How much they make: $120K/year
Current team size:

Growing a SaaS to $4k/month in a Highly Competitive Market

This case study showcases the success of founder Nick, who grew his technical SEO tool to hundreds of customers and is making over $4,000/month by optimizing SEO.

Revenue
They grew the business to $10K/month
Read by 651 founders

4. Embarque.io: On-demand content marketing services ($300K/year)

How much they make: $300K/year
Current team size:

Growing a SEO Productized Service to $12K in MRR

Learn how a productized agency founder went from working with hyper-growth startups to making over $12,000 MRR.

Revenue
They grew the business to $25K/month
Read by 844 founders

So... can you actually make money with a SEO services?

Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.

But how?

  1. Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
  2. Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
  3. Take action, because now you have the roadmap.

Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:

Start Now

How much they make: $120K/year
Current team size:

How to Build and Validate a Backlink Database in One Month

Online marketing enthusiast builds a unique link-building service in less than 30 days.

Revenue
They grew the business to $10K/month
Read by 407 founders

6. Novus Digital Ltd ($480K/year)

Alex, the founder of Novus Digital, came up with the idea for his SEO agency when a former client reached out to him seeking help. With six years of experience in SEO, Alex wanted to create a company that focused on delivering measurable return on investment to clients, rather than just buzzwords and rankings. Despite initially launching with a shoestring budget, Novus has grown to attract clients ranging from small local businesses to international household names, generating $20,000 per month and with ambitious growth plans for 2022.

How much they make: $480K/year
How much did it cost to start: $2K
Current team size: 11

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I Bootstrapped A $240K/Year SEO Agency [From UK]

Novus Digital, an SEO agency based in the UK and US, provides measurable ROI for clients, with a team of 8 and $20,000 monthly revenue, while transitioning to targeting SME service-based brands and e-commerce stores with a $1-10mil turnover and setting up a registered company in India.

About
Alex started Novus Digital Ltd over 4 years ago
Revenue
Alex grew the business to $40K/month
Costs
It cost Alex $2000 to start the business
Read by 2,144 founders

So... can you actually make money with a SEO services?

Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.

But how?

  1. Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
  2. Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
  3. Take action, because now you have the roadmap.

Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:

Start Now

7. Wolfate ($42K/year)

Carlos, the founder of Wolfate, initially started as a freelance web developer. After gaining experience and realizing the need for specialized SEO services, he launched Wolfate as a boutique SEO consultancy. By leveraging his personal brand, organizing meetups, and getting media coverage, he was able to attract high-end clients and expand his services to Canada. Persistence and hard work were key factors in his success.

How much they make: $42K/year
How much did it cost to start: $100
Current team size: 4

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How Starting A Meetup Group Helped Me Launch A $3,5K/Month Boutique SEO Agency

Wolfate, a specialized boutique SEO agency based in Mexico and Canada, shares its story of expansion through offering services for specific scenarios such as web migration and ranking drops, and implementing successful marketing strategies like organizing SEO meetups and media outreach.

About
Carlos started Wolfate almost 6 years ago
Revenue
Carlos grew the business to $3.5K/month
Costs
It cost Carlos $100 to start the business
Read by 3,543 founders

8. Zero Gravity Marketing ($9.6M/year)

Chris Uzzo, the founder of Zero Gravity Marketing, came up with the idea for his digital marketing agency after building and overseeing the SEO and PPC departments for multiple agencies. With a focus on data-driven strategies and a commitment to transparency, Zero Gravity Marketing has experienced impressive growth, including being recognized by Inc as one of the fastest-growing privately-owned companies and projecting over $10 million in revenue for 2022.

How much they make: $9.6M/year
How much did it cost to start: $10K
Current team size: 70

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We Grew Our Digital Marketing Agency To $9.6M/Year [70 Employees]

Zero Gravity Marketing is a five-star rated digital marketing agency with Premier Google Partnership and recognized by Inc 5000 for the last three years, on track to gross over $10M in 2022, specializing in SEO, paid media management, social media marketing, email marketing, website design, CRO, content marketing and creative services.

About
Chris started Zero Gravity Marketing almost 12 years ago
Revenue
Chris grew the business to $800K/month
Costs
It cost Chris $10000 to start the business
Read by 3,594 founders

9. Regex SEO ($480K/year)

Dmitrii Kustov, the founder of Regex SEO, came up with the idea for his data-driven internet marketing agency while working as a PHP developer at a digital agency. After being given the ultimatum to learn SEO or get fired, Dmitrii immersed himself in the intricacies of SEO and quickly became the head of the agency's marketing department. In 2015, he decided to start his own business to provide individualized, results-driven marketing solutions for businesses.

How much they make: $480K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
Current team size: 18

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I Left My Full-Time Job & Started My Own Marketing Agency [$40K/Month]

Learn how Regex SEO, a data-driven internet marketing agency, grew from a one-man company to a team of 16 full-time employees and over 30 contractors, with $1M+ annual revenue pre-COVID, by prioritizing individual approach, hard work, and retention of good people.

About
Dmitrii started Regex SEO over 8 years ago
Revenue
Dmitrii grew the business to $40K/month
Read by 2,558 founders

10. Spear Growth ($240K/year)

Ishaan, the founder of Spear Growth, started his entrepreneurial journey while exploring various ventures during his time as a computer science engineering student. After gaining experience in marketing and SEO, he left his job at a unicorn startup and realized the importance of understanding business to become a better marketer. This realization led him to start Spear Growth, a B2B SaaS marketing agency that has grown rapidly, bringing in impressive results for clients and expanding its team from 6 to 9 full-time employees in just 6 months.

How much they make: $240K/year
How much did it cost to start: $2K
Current team size: 9

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How I Got A $20K/Month Growth Agency Off The Ground Networking On LinkedIn

Spear Growth, a B2B SaaS Marketing agency, has helped high-growth companies like Hasura and Darwinbox achieve results like 13x SQLs from Paid ads in 6 months and has grown from a team of 6 to 9 full-time people in just the last 6 months.

About
Ishaan started Spear Growth almost 3 years ago
Revenue
Ishaan grew the business to $20K/month
Costs
It cost Ishaan $2000 to start the business
Read by 3,205 founders

11. SEO Hacker ($1.01M/year)

Sean Si, the founder of SEO Hacker, stumbled upon SEO while working as an intern. Despite his lack of formal education and experience, he taught himself the ins and outs of SEO through experimentation and launched his own blog, which gained traction and led to his first client. Through word-of-mouth marketing, the success of his blog, interviews, and community-building efforts, SEO Hacker has attracted and retained clients, earning its status as the best SEO agency in the Philippines.

How much they make: $1.01M/year
How much did it cost to start: $60
Current team size: 50

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From Making $150/Month As An Intern To Starting An $84K/Month SEO Agency
About
Sean started SEO Hacker almost 14 years ago
Revenue
Sean grew the business to $84K/month
Costs
It cost Sean $60 to start the business
Read by 4,073 founders

12. Salt Water Digital ($420K/year)

Daniel Thompson, the founder of Salt Water Digital, came up with the idea for his digital marketing agency while working for a research and development company in 2011. After teaching himself web development and SEO, he built an affiliate site called ExerciseFoamRollers.com. When he was laid off in 2012, he used his unemployment insurance to start his own business and eventually expanded to offer SEO, PPC, and website development services.

How much they make: $420K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
Current team size: 6

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I Went From Being Laid Off To Starting A $35K/Month Marketing Agency

Salt Water Digital is a digital marketing agency specializing in SEO, PPC, and website development, serving small businesses with revenue from $300k to $5m, having grown from $25k/month to $40k/month in the past eight months, with a goal to hit $60k/month by year end.

About
Dan started Salt Water Digital about 10 years ago
Revenue
Dan grew the business to $35K/month
Costs
It cost Dan $1000 to start the business
Read by 2,684 founders

13. Straight Up Search ($360K/year)

ears, and it's an exciting time for Straight Up Search. We have a solid client base and have been able to consistently generate revenue month after month. Moving forward, we plan to continue providing exceptional SEO services to our clients while expanding our team and client portfolio. With our strong foundation and track record of success, the future looks bright for Straight Up Search.

How much they make: $360K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
Current team size: 4

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How I Left My Job To Start A $30K/Month E-commerce SEO Agency

Straight Up Search is a leading full-service bespoke SEO agency with a portfolio of 35 clients generating an average monthly revenue of $30,000, successfully securing PR mentions and high authority backlinks from big publications such as The Independent and Shopify.

About
Jamie started Straight Up Search over 3 years ago
Revenue
Jamie grew the business to $30K/month
Costs
It cost Jamie $500 to start the business
Read by 2,525 founders

14. JumpX Growth ($18K/year)

How much they make: $18K/year
Current team size: 2

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Dustin Lien Is Drawing A 6-Figure Income From His Ecommerce Marketing Agency

This case study follows the success story of a part-time founder who has grown his E-commerce Marketing Agency into a six-figure operation with audience-focused, partnership-building techniques.

About
They started JumpX Growth about 8 years ago
Revenue
They grew the business to $1.5K/month
Read by 508 founders

15. WEBRIS ($750K/year)

How much they make: $750K/year
Current team size: 11

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How This Agency Owner Built Processes to Remove Himself from His $1M Agency

Case study: How a serial entrepreneur used the SEO Sprint Methodology to grow his Florida-based digital marketing firm from scratch to $1.1 million ARR within just over a year.

About
They started WEBRIS over 8 years ago
Revenue
They grew the business to $62.5K/month
Read by 760 founders

16. PinMeTo ($6M/year)

How much they make: $6M/year
Current team size: 82

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Their upsell org is hitting 150% expansion quotas on way to $6m ARR

Learn how PinMeTo has become a global leader in location marketing and local SEO technologies, trusted by major brands like H&M and 7-Eleven, with 3000+ accounts in 100+ nations, and more than 70 employees who represent 17 different nationalities and manage millions of data points annually.

About
Daniel started PinMeTo about 11 years ago
Revenue
Daniel grew the business to $500K/month
Read by 504 founders

17. HelloSEO ($300K/year)

Jade Pruett, the founder of HelloSEO, initially didn't have plans to start her own business. However, after realizing she could leverage her SEO skills to help other businesses, she began offering SEO services on the side. Through webinars, referrals, and networking, she attracted clients and grew her business to generate around $25,000 a month in revenue.

How much they make: $300K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
Current team size: 0

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How I Make $25K/Month As The Solo Founder Of An SEO Agency
About
Jade started HelloSEO over 1 year ago
Revenue
Jade grew the business to $25K/month
Costs
It cost Jade $1000 to start the business
Read by 3,955 founders

18. Rise Visible ($96K/year)

Aunia Kahn, CEO of Rise Visible, started her digital marketing agency after receiving an old computer from a friend that had software like Dreamweaver and Adobe Photoshop. With no previous experience, she learned through trial and error and discovered her passion for digital marketing. Through solid work and referrals, Rise Visible has been able to attract and retain clients, leading to impressive revenue growth and recognition as a top-ranking woman-owned digital agency.

How much they make: $96K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
Current team size: 0

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My Journey Building A 6-Figure Business As A Disabled Woman In Tech

Rise Visible, a full-service digital marketing agency, founded by Aunia Kahn, has achieved Top-Ranking Woman-Owned Digital Agency 2022 by Clutch and is rapidly approaching its first $100K year in revenue, solely through solid work, referrals, digital marketing through Google My Business, reviews, Facebook groups, social media and newsletters.

About
Aunia started Rise Visible about 22 years ago
Revenue
Aunia grew the business to $8K/month
Read by 3,613 founders

19. Profit Parrot Marketing and SEO Company ($600K/year)

Lark and her husband JM started Profit Parrot SEO with a vision of growth. After generating $150/month from their first client in 2009, they expanded their services, grew their team, and now run a profitable $1 million per year business. Their success is built on quality work, long-lasting client relationships, and a focus on SEO strategies that help businesses rank on page 1 of Google.

How much they make: $600K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
Current team size: 7

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This Couple Left A Flooring Company And A Government Job And Started A $1M SEO Business

Profit Parrot SEO, started by Lark Begin, made $150/month from its first client in 2009, and has since grown into a million-dollar-per-year business by streamlining into quality SEO services and creating long lasting relationships with clients.

About
Lark started Profit Parrot Marketing and SEO Company about 15 years ago
Revenue
Lark grew the business to $50K/month
Costs
It cost Lark $500 to start the business
Read by 2,877 founders

20. Woww ($960K/year)

Felix Norton, the founder of Woww Digital, came up with the idea for his business while he was still a student studying Computer Science. He started building websites for friends and family on the side, which eventually became a full-time business. As the demand for digital marketing services grew, Felix and his team expanded their offerings to provide a holistic solution for clients to succeed online. They have achieved consistent growth, even during the pandemic, and are on track to reach their goal of $1 million MRR in 2026.

How much they make: $960K/year
How much did it cost to start: $250
Current team size: 25

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How We Started An $80K/Month WordPress Design Business [Cape Town]

Woww Digital is a Cape Town based digital marketing agency specializing in WordPress web design, achieving consistent 60% YoY growth through a pandemic and providing a complete solution to help clients start, grow and thrive online.

About
Felix started Woww about 8 years ago
Revenue
Felix grew the business to $80K/month
Costs
It cost Felix $250 to start the business
Read by 2,415 founders

21. Front Page SEO ($144K/year)

Janet Camilleri, the founder of Front Page SEO, initially started her business as Redland City Living, a local magazine-style blog. However, after a year, she realized that this wasn't what she truly wanted to do. In 2014, she rebranded as Front Page Web Writing, and eventually transitioned her business to specialize in search engine optimization (SEO). It took time for her business to become profitable, but with the help of a business coach, she has seen immense growth, surpassing her goal of making $100,000 AUD last year and expanding her team.

How much they make: $144K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
Current team size: 1

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How This Aussie Turned Her Love For Writing Into A $144K SEO Business

Janet Camilleri, the founder of Front Page SEO, turned her love for writing and passion for the web into a boutique digital marketing agency specialising in SEO, which has seen tripled turnover and doubled profits in the past year and launched a DIY SEO HQ membership program to guide small business owners.

About
Janet started Front Page SEO about 12 years ago
Revenue
Janet grew the business to $12K/month
Costs
It cost Janet $500 to start the business
Read by 2,548 founders

22. High Voltage SEO ($2.16M/year)

Kyle Roof, co-founder of High Voltage SEO, came up with the idea for his business after realizing that most SEO agencies didn't conduct testing to gain insights into Google's algorithm. He saw an opportunity to differentiate his agency by offering scientifically based, bespoke SEO services. This concept resonated with potential clients and helped the business stand out from the crowd, leading to its success.

How much they make: $2.16M/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
Current team size: 28

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Making $180K/Month As An SEO Company By Running Our Own "SEO Tests"

High Voltage SEO co-founder Kyle Roof explains how his company provides bespoke SEO services based on scientific testing and how offering productized services and shifting from month-to-month to longer contracts helped increase their profitability and client lifespan.

Revenue
Kyle grew the business to $180K/month
Costs
It cost Kyle $1000 to start the business
Read by 1,951 founders

23. Topnotch SEO ($84K/year)

Eddie, a professional SEO specialist, developed the idea for his business, Topnotch SEO, after realizing the growing importance of online marketing and SEO as more people started searching for products and services online. With his background in sales and offline marketing, Eddie saw an opportunity to help businesses improve their search engine rankings and increase online visibility. Through his efforts, he has helped businesses like K Chicken and his brother's business, Renewcar, significantly increase their website traffic and customer inquiries. Eddie's success has allowed him to earn $7,000 per month in residual income and establish himself as a trusted SEO expert in Auckland, New Zealand.

How much they make: $84K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
Current team size: 0

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How I Became A Local SEO Specialist That Makes $7K/Month [From New Zealand]

SEO specialist Eddie overcame credit card debt and COVID-19 impacts to earn $7k per month through residual income, helping local businesses prosper with his effective SEO tactics, including a Korean fried chicken restaurant that now enjoys 29k monthly visitors.

About
Eddie started Topnotch SEO about 2 years ago
Revenue
Eddie grew the business to $7K/month
Costs
It cost Eddie $500 to start the business
Read by 1,689 founders

24. Travel Tractions ($420K/year)

Matthew Davison, the founder of Travel Tractions, came up with the idea for his tourism-focused marketing agency after scaling his previous travel startup to over 500,000 page views a month. He saw an opportunity to help other travel businesses achieve similar results and launched Travel Tractions as a productized service agency, focusing on SEO content and audits before expanding into other services like social media, PPC, and web builds. Despite facing challenges during the COVID pandemic, the company has rebuilt and grown to a monthly revenue of $35k, with a focus on client retention and a predicted triple-digit growth in 2024.

How much they make: $420K/year
How much did it cost to start: $100
Current team size: 11

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How We Started Our $35K/Month Tourism-Focused Marketing Agency With Just A Basic Wordpress Site

Travel Tractions, a tourism-focused marketing agency, which produces and optimizes almost half a million words of content a month for a wide range of travel publications and businesses all over the world, has built back up to be a formidable business today after losing 95% of its business due to COVID and many of the team two years ago, now doing around $35k/month.

About
Matt started Travel Tractions almost 6 years ago
Revenue
Matt grew the business to $35K/month
Costs
It cost Matt $100 to start the business
Read by 1,712 founders

25. NAV43 ($1.14M/year)

Ben Dankiw, co-founder and CEO of NAV43, came up with the idea for his technical digital marketing agency while working as a marketing coordinator. With a strong analytical mindset and experience in Google Ads, he realized the impact he could have on brands at a larger level. After partnering with colleagues and building a client roster, they scaled the business to an MRR in the 6-figures and continue to attract and retain customers through their SEO and PPC services.

How much they make: $1.14M/year
How much did it cost to start: $25K
Current team size: 7

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How Our SEO & PPC Agency Is Aiming $2M/Year With 40 Retainer Clients

NAV43 is a technical digital marketing agency specializing in SEO, CRO, and PPC services, known for its SEO delivery, averaging an MRR in the 6-figures with a client roster across e-commerce, lead generation, and publisher sites.

About
Ben started NAV43 over 7 years ago
Revenue
Ben grew the business to $95K/month
Costs
It cost Ben $25000 to start the business
Read by 1,278 founders

26. Attrock ($500K/year)

How much they make: $500K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
Current team size: 25

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Starting A Bootstrapped Digital Marketing Agency At Age 24 [$500K/Year]

Attrock, a digital marketing agency, has grown its business to generate revenues of half a million dollars annually by providing highly tailored solutions to clients and prioritizing retention over acquisition, resulting in a 95% client retention rate and 25-30% YoY growth.

About
Gaurav started Attrock over 9 years ago
Revenue
Gaurav grew the business to $41.7K/month
Costs
It cost Gaurav $1000 to start the business
Read by 869 founders

27. DKDesigns ($36K/year)

How much they make: $36K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
Current team size: 0

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Setting Off On Our Own In NYC, Running A $3K/Month Digital Agency

Case study about DKDesigns, a web design agency in Brooklyn, NY, that offers affordable corporate quality digital marketing services to small businesses, surpassing their $10K annual revenue goal in the first quarter and closing in on $3K in monthly revenue in their first year.

About
David started DKDesigns over 1 year ago
Revenue
David grew the business to $3K/month
Costs
It cost David $1000 to start the business
Read by 518 founders