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If you sell SEO as as service, you have to specialize.
That means you need to focus on a single type of client if you want to stand out and make money.
The market is too saturated and too competitive, and will eat you alive if you don’t
Inside of The Blueprint Training, we teach a framework for how to find the right niche for your agency.
It’s an amazing training, but a lot of you just want to be told agency niches that make money – so that’s what I will do here.
In this guide, I’ll reveal three niches that are guaranteed to make your agency a million dollars this year if you focus on them. These are industries I’ve personally profited from significantly, and I’ve helped other agencies do the same.
We’ll cover:
- The criteria for selecting a niche that maximizes profitability
- 3 high-potential niches for agencies to target in 2024
- Proven strategies to dominate these niches and scale your agency
Let’s get started.
Should You Pick A Niche For Your Agency?
Yes, you should.
Here’s why…
1. The right niche will help you get faster traction in the market
Choosing a niche means your marketing strategy is laid out for you. You know who to target, where to reach them, and their unique pain points.
Let’s say you want to target gyms. Choosing a niche like CrossFit would make it much easier to gain traction.
It gives you direction for building case studies, sales, and referrals. It’s also easier to network because you can reach out to other brands in your niche.
2. A niche allows you to deliver hyper-targeted marketing
Brands without a niche tend to attract lots of leads, but lower conversions.
Why?
Their marketing isn’t targeted, so most leads are all over the place.
Choosing a niche allows you to develop hyper-personalized content for different audience segments based on factors like:
- Geolocation
- Interests and hobbies
- Where they work
- Day-to-day problems they face
- Browsing behavior
You can speak directly to their pain points in every blog post, video, social media post, and phone call.
Choosing a niche helps you attract high-quality leads, especially if you’re creating content that truly resonates with your audience.
3. Having a niche makes selling a lot easier
When you only work with specific industries, your authority, reputation, and conversions take on a snowball effect:
- You take on a client in your niche
- Said client is happy with the results
- You build a case study around the client’s experience
- You use that case study and client referral to prove your value to new clients
Let’s say you run a digital marketing company for coffee shops. When you approach a lead, you can call ten other coffee shop clients to prove your experience and value.
I, on the other hand, must focus on different (and usually less specific) value propositions being a generalist.
It’s much easier to build momentum closing leads when you’re working in a specific niche. When you don’t focus on a niche, it’s harder to explain why you’re the best fit for specific clients – especially if you’re competing against other companies that do focus on their niche.
4. A niche makes it easier to deliver your service
Without a niche, you must run through a new process from scratch with every client. You have to evaluate their unique needs and problems to figure out the best actions to take.
For example, an e-commerce website has a distinct set of problems compared to a law firm website.
Having a niche means that the process is already defined for you. Every business has unique expectations, but there’s a much smaller gap.
Sure, the law firm might pay $10k for a month of services whereas an e-commerce site only pays $3k, but you’ll also have to spend more time researching and developing a service the law firm expects. Paying $10k means they expect $10k worth of results.
In most cases, your profit margins will be higher taking on the e-commerce client (if that’s your niche) because you’ll spend less time on the work process.
The Framework for Choosing A Profitable Agency Niche
Before diving into the specific verticals, it’s crucial to understand the criteria for evaluating the profit potential of a niche. There are three essential questions to ask:
- Does your service directly result in leads or sales for the client?
- Is there significant demand for the client’s offering?
- What is the value of a customer to the client?
Let’s unpack each of these further.
#1: Does the result of your service result in more customers?
It’s critical to be honest with yourself about whether your agency’s services are directly contributing to your client’s bottom line. My agency specializes in assisting law firms, particularly those focusing on personal injury, car accidents, and divorce.
When someone seeks a car accident attorney, they typically search “car accident lawyer near me” on Google. Ranking well for these searches places law firms in front of prospects actively seeking legal help – it’s a bottom-of-funnel tactic that generates high-value leads.
Unlike social media or billboard ads, those searching for an injury lawyer are not casually browsing but urgently seeking help on search engines. This is why SEO and PPC are more effective for law firms than brand-building strategies, as they attract clients actively in need of legal services.
#2: Is there enough demand in that niche?
Driving leads is only part of the equation. There also needs to be significant existing demand for the client’s services. You can quickly gauge this by conducting keyword research to assess search volume for relevant terms in the target market. You can also look at industry reports and statistics to understand the market demand for your services in that specific area.
#3: What’s the value of customer in that niche?
Finally, you must consider the value of a new customer to your client. Pursuing a niche like gyms or fitness centers, where membership may only be worth $50/month, requires a high volume of new customers to justify premium agency fees.
On the flip side, a single new client for a law firm could be worth millions in lifetime value. Delivering even one new case a year could return their marketing investment many times over.
This ties into the overall revenues and profit margins of the niche. A small local gym likely doesn’t clear a million per year in revenue, creating a lower ceiling on their marketing budget. In contrast, professional service firms often have much higher revenues and can afford premium agency rates.
3 Million-Dollar Agency Niches for 2024
Now that we’ve established the niche selection criteria, let’s explore three verticals that are almost guaranteed to generate a million dollars in agency revenue this year.
#1: Men’s Cosmetic & Elective Procedures
The days of men feeling ashamed to invest in their appearance are over. Rising demand for cosmetic procedures like hair restoration, PRP treatments, testosterone replacement therapy, and other elective medical treatments has created a lucrative opportunity for agencies.
This niche strongly aligns with our selection criteria:
- High search volume for terms like “hair loss treatment near me” with strong booking intent
- Premium price points of $5,000+ for many procedures, increasing client lifetime values
- Strong compatibility with local SEO strategies like Google Maps optimization
The rapid growth of this vertical has created a “blue ocean” with relatively low competition compared to more established industries. By specializing early, agencies can cement themselves as the go-to providers before other firms catch on.
Another advantage is that much of the “education” is already happening through organic social media content. As more men are exposed to the benefits of these procedures, they turn to search engines for local providers. Agencies that rank well will be positioned to capture those high-intent searches.
#2: Home Services
Home service businesses like HVAC, roofing, plumbing, and electrical have always been popular among agencies – for good reason. They perfectly align with the selection criteria.
When a homeowner has an urgent need like a broken air conditioner or leaking pipes, their first instinct is to turn to Google, not social media or other channels. Organic search and Local Services Ads are the best way for providers to get in front of prospects with immediate needs.
The value of a single client can also be substantial. An HVAC replacement or new roof can easily exceed $10,000. I recently paid $7,000 for an electrical panel upgrade, hired through a Google search.
Two other factors make this niche especially attractive. First, organic search is somewhat insulated against displacement by Google’s own properties. The local 3-pack and Google Guaranteed slots are likely to remain prominent indefinitely.
Second, the high purchase intent and urgency behind the searches create top-tier leads. When someone searches “emergency plumber near me”, they often need service within hours, not days. These “high-velocity” leads are extremely valuable to home service providers.
#3: Professional Services
Encompassing medical, dental, legal and other licensed professions, the professional services vertical remains a reliable, high-margin agency niche.
Although competition is admittedly fierce for many top-level keywords in these industries, most agencies overlook the mid-market opportunity. By specializing in medical practices, small law firms and other SMBs, agencies can tap into a massively underserved market segment.
Many of these smaller firms have been priced out by enterprise-level agencies. They may not be able to afford $50,000/month engagements, but they can still pay $5,000 – $10,000 per month for reliable lead generation.
By developing systems and processes to profitably serve these clients, agencies can unlock a huge growth opportunity. A focus on localized search terms and conversion optimization creates win-win results.
For example, my agency has successfully carved out a niche serving law firms with $1-3 million in annual revenue. By providing geo-targeted SEO, Local Service Ads management, and other high-ROI tactics, we’ve achieved outstanding results at a profitable price point. There’s enough demand to scale organically without resorting to aggressive cold outreach.
Putting It All Together
Ultimately, agency success hinges not on finding the “perfect” niche, but applying a sound selection framework to identify underserved opportunities. The three verticals outlined here are proven winners, but the underlying principles can be applied to many other industries.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of chasing shiny objects or trying to be everything to everyone. But true scaling is achieved through specialization, systems, and a relentless focus on driving measurable results for clients.
When your client acquisition strategies create compounding returns for your partners, growth is almost inevitable. The key is identifying those critical tactics, standardizing and scaling them.
If you’d like to learn more about how to apply this approach in your agency, I invite you to check out my training program. You’ll get access to the exact frameworks, processes, and tactics I’ve used to scale to seven figures – including personal support to help you do the same.
The opportunity has never been greater for specialized agencies that provide real value to clients. By identifying the right niches and executing with consistency, there’s no reason you can’t make a million dollars or more in the next 12 months.
Start putting these principles into practice and capitalize on the enormous demand for your agency’s services. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out – I’m here to help.
