Local SEO Isn’t Dead but Yo Local SEO Agency Is
If you’re still out here selling just Local SEO, I hate to break it to you, but Google is making sure your agency career dies a slow, methodically planned out, excruciatingly painful death as we look on and giggle like anime women.
SEO alone isn’t enough anymore, especially in competitive niches. Google keeps shifting the game, stacking the deck against small businesses, and making sure you have less and less control. Backlinks? Meh. Citations? Cute, but not a game-changer. Optimized Google Business Profile? Cool, except Google is now deciding who gets to show up based on shit that has nothing to do with SEO.
If you’re still telling clients that SEO alone is the answer, you’re lying to them. The businesses actually winning right now are everywhere their customers are. Google Is Slowly Murdering Traditional SEO and Let’s be real. You’ve seen this coming. More ads and LSAs shoving organic results further down the page. Google is squeezing every dollar they can out of local search. AI-driven rankings and personalization fucking up the old SEO playbook. You could be ranking first for one person and completely invisible to another. User behavior outweighing SEO tactics. CTR, brand search, & engagement tings are deciding who ranks, not just backlinks and keyword stuffing (yeah im talking to YOU).
So yeah, SEO still matters, but if that’s all you’re offering, you’re playing a losing game. The agencies actually making money are helping businesses stay in front of their customers 24/7, not just trying to rank them on Google like you are ya lil jive turkey.
Omnichannel Marketing Is THE Way to Survive what im dubbing the purge of the Get Rich QWick Agencies
Your average customer has the attention span of a goldfish on speed – not the good speed something your hilbilly neighbor cooked up last week. They don’t just search Google once and pick the first business they see. They check reviews, scroll through Instagram, click on an ad, watch a video, and then maybe – maybe – they’ll call. If your clients aren’t constantly showing up everywhere, they’re invisible. And if you’re not offering a way to make that happen, you’re a doo doo head.
Businesses that are crushing it in local markets aren’t just ranking on Google. They doing all kinds a shit (your niche may or may not benefit from all these directly):
- Running Facebook and Instagram ads
- Showing up in YouToobs
- Sending email and text follow-ups
- Running Local Service Ads
- Actually building a brand (by changing their mascots to those damn animal characters)
When people start searching for your client’s name instead of just “plumber near me,” that’s when you win. And guess what? Google rewards that shit by ranking them higher too so wake the F up you goofy mfs.
How Local SEO Agencies Can Stop Dying and Actually Make Money
If you want to survive, stop being just an SEO agency. The best agencies that I follow are systemizing their services (or already have) and offering real marketing solutions instead of just playing the SEO guessing game. Your client’s may not be able to immediately jump into all these BUT it should be your goal to work up to the ones that make sense for each niche. Here’s what I have seen/done:
Productize Your Offers – Stop selling SEO as a standalone service. Package it with paid ads, social media, and automation dealies. Build repeatable processes so every client gets the same high-quality service without sucking up all your time.- Price based on outcomes, not hours worked. Clients don’t care how many citations you built, they care about money in the door.
Start Running Paid Ads – Google Ads and Local Service Ads are eating up search real estate. Either learn how to run them or watch your clients go to someone who does. Retarget website visitors with Facebook and Instagram ads because most people won’t convert the first time they see your client’s business. Stay in their face until they do.
Leverage Social Media and Content – Help clients build an actual brand instead of just chasing rankings. Start simple and post short-form videos, review highlights, and local content that actually engages people.
Automate Lead Nurturing – Set up email and text follow-up sequences so your clients don’t lose leads. Offer review generation automation because more reviews = higher rankings and more trust. Use chatbots and to respond to inquiries instantly.
Sell Results, Not Services – Stop talking about SEO like it’s some magic spell. Clients don’t give a shit about DA, backlinks, or citations. Charge based on the value you bring with leads, booked appointments, or revenue increases instead of just “SEO.”
Local SEO Alone Won’t Save Your Clients Or Your Agency
If all you’re doing is optimizing Google Business Profiles and building backlinks, you’re on borrowed time old sport (this is fun I see why he does it). The agencies that will still be around in five years are the ones who get omnichannel marketing and brand-building. SEO will always be a piece of the puzzle, but if that’s your entire business model, Google is about to give you one of the heaviest of b-slaps that your grandchildren are going to feel
