How has selling sites / web service changed over the past 5 years?

The offline industry is older than 5-6 years. I started my SEO business in 2009 and it was mature then. I sold my first offline business website in 2002 or thereabouts.

SEO has a bad name. It had a bad name in 2009, but it went downhill when the pandas and penguins were unleashed...

If you stick to local businesses, local SEO is easy.

IMHO offline businesses are wiser than they were in 2009. But there's still a market for those who know what they're doing.

There was a survey done in 2016 in UK which claimed that something like 30% of business without a website would have one, if they could find someone they trusted to manage the process for them... And that'll be your first hurdle.

There are so may firms, especially from so called "3rd world countries" trying to compete in this space at really low prices - I recommend doing your homework b4 getting your feet wet. I do this for a living and staying ahead of the comp is 75% of the struggle.

great reply, thanks animal. Interesting stat, too. That's what I fear, that a lot of business owners are so bombarded with similar offers that getting through to them will be an uphill battle. I've a few ways to overcome that thanks to this forum but I guess the proof will be in the pudding.

This is exactly what worries me. The barriers to entry are zero so unless you're an amazing salesman I assume you're in for a tough ride.

What can you bring to the table that will show business owners you are more worthy of their trust than a $300 template web "designer"? Or the hassle of Wix or other DIY services?

A real business owner is not interested in a cheap template website. Can you imagine Walmart or Lowe's trusting a $500, $1000, or even $5K designer with their online platform?

This is called "positioning." You want yourself on the trustworthy side of it.

How do you do that?

Stop talking about websites.

I had a realization some months back, and it's become one of my mantras:

When you start talking about features, the prospect starts thinking about price.

When you start blabbing about the website, the features of web design, you lump yourself in with all the competition and you drive the price down.

I worked as a BizDev Manager for a boutique full service IT firm and we had to bill $60K a month to survive. No way were we going to survive on $500 websites. We were doing ecommerce sites and government sites for training programs and supporting business websites. The bill would be $30K at least and probably spread out over 2 or 3 months. How did we get these deals in the face of cheap competition??!

(that's sarcasm)

Real business owners are desperate for competent, trustworthy help. They want to know you're going to be there to solve the problem and they pay a premium for that feeling of security. They will not hire or even talk to the silly template designer: that positioning bounces right off.

Get on the right side of positioning and start getting conversations with real business owners.

As said by Jason and Ron, positioning and choosing the right target are key.

Yes, there are people like the ones you mention. So what?

Do you know why Weight Watchers goes after people who want to lose weight? Why companies that sell cars for $100k or more don't go after 20-year olds who work part-time at some fast food restaurant?

Why not copy them?

Why not go after those who want a website like the ones you want to sell and have the funds to pay for it?

Like you, I know 'business owners' who want a website as long as it costs peanuts. I also know some who paid $14k or more, for instance, for theirs. And some who went the Wix-way and stay, some who went the Wix-way, then got a site made for them for thousands of dollars.

YOU chose which type you deal with.

Funny you should mention that. I took a call the other day from one of these SEO companies (by mistake - misread the caller ID) who offered to get me to the #1 spot on Google. Problem #1, the site he wanted to SEO is a site that I allowed to go dormant, with a WP install and a single 3 year old post. Problem #2, he couldn't explain why I would want that site at #1 for anything, nor why it was worth a "measly $1,000 per month."

If you want to stand out, think niche. Not just "local SEO", but "local SEO for [realtors, ;lawyers, contractors, etc.]"

Not "small business websites", "lead generation sites for [car dealers, commercial lawn services, chiropractors, etc.]."

This will allow you to really dig in and understand what you can bring to the table. You can separate yourself from all the "first page of Google" types by showing how you can be a true partner in their success. You can speak their language.

If you want to go the service provider route, think about how you can build a group of long term, repeat clients. Running and gunning, looking for cheap "build you a website for $100" business means you'll likely spend more time chasing business than doing it.

Thanks for sharing these information about the marketing .