Business Plan [your logo here] [your business name here] Professional SEO Prepared by [your name here] [your business name here] [Business Name] Business Plan [date] [your name] - Director 123 Main Street Temple, Texas 76501 Phone: (254) 555-5555 Page 1 of 8 “PRINTED COPIES ARE UNCONTROLLED” Professional SEO Business Plan [your business name] TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary ............................................................................................ 3 Company Description ......................................................................................... 3 Product or Service............................................................................................... 3 Market Analysis ................................................................................................... 4 Strategy and Implementation ............................................................................. 5 Management Team .............................................................................................. 7 Financial Analysis ............................................................................................... 7 Page 2 of 8 “PRINTED COPIES ARE UNCONTROLLED” Professional SEO Business Plan [your business name] 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY [your business name] is a new SEO business, which specializes in [what you specialise in]. [your business name] will provide numerous products and services for this market including: [what you intend to offer]. The business is located in [your location] and will focus on providing SEO solutions for local business within the area, as well as abroad. [your business name] is an [type of business] and [your name] is the owner. There is a community in the [your location] that has not been exposed to professional SEO, because many similar businesses are located in larger cities. [your business name] is aware that [your location] is an untapped resource, and would like to make SEO available to businesses for use in promotional and informational materials. [what you specialise in] are unique features of this business. [your business name] will offer various optimization services to fit each company’s preferences. Our SEO services will be provided in a more personalized and individual way. The owner has invested [amount of money] in equipment purchases and [amount of money] in cash to start this business. Additional start-up costs for this venture will be [amount of money]. This capital will be secured from two major sources: State Bank loan for [amount of money] and Targeted Small Business Grant for [amount of money]. [your name] has already purchased some necessary pieces of equipment and will use the loan and grant money to acquire additional equipment and inventory, and for other start-up expenses. 2. COMPANY DESCRIPTION [your business name] is a local small business which will provide quality SEO packages and services to everyone from individuals to businesses. [your business name] will help individuals and businesses in a way that will compliment their products and services. [your business name] will optimize and sell its own products, packages and services. This business will provide its customers with quality promotional materials and help small businesses establish their own marketing strategies online. [your business name] was registered as a business entity in the state of [your state and country] on [date]. [your business name] registered business activity number is [your business number] [your business name] is 100% owned and operated by [your name]. 3. PRODUCTS AND SERVICES [your name] will be providing search engine optimization solutions to small business. These services will include : [what you intend to offer in bullet points]. [your business name] will provide customers with search engine optimization strategies in an effort to increase revenue, traffic and help build their customer base right here in the [your location] area. Based on my level of experience and expertise, the areas I have identified as potential target markets include: [business types you intend on targeting]. The unique point of difference between [your business name] and competitors in the area is that we will : [how you intend to be different from your competitors in bullet points]. In the future, [your business name] may expand its services to other areas of online business such as : Page 3 of 8 “PRINTED COPIES ARE UNCONTROLLED” Professional SEO Business Plan [your business name] [other potential services you may offer in bullet points]. 4. MARKET ANALYSIS Product / Service [your business name] products and services are unique because of [reason why they are unique in some way], personalized service, and competitive prices. [your business name] strives to be viewed as being professional and as providing high-quality work. [your business name] SEO services will also be completed in a timelier manner than that of our competitors’ and delivered to customers more quickly, due to the personalized nature of our business. Target Market [your business name] will serve businesses in the [your location]. Most of these will either be small businesses, without their own consultants, or businesses that just don’t have time either know how to perform their search placement and marketing strategies. Research has shown that there are more small businesses now than ever before. Also, more and more companies are outsourcing their search placement and marketing activities. These trends are expected to continue in the foreseeable future. [your business name] ‘s goal is to capture 10-15% of the market in its two years of operation. Market Need [your business name] satisfies the market need for a local business that will work on a more personal basis with the community. [your name] will be supplying [what solutions you plan to deliver to your clients], and other promotional materials. [your business name] will be a supplier of search marketing and SEO services with competitive prices, as well as originality and convenience to the local market. [your name] services will be available to any person or business that has a web presence need. For example, small businesses that cannot afford a big consultancy firm or individuals who need assistance with general tasks such as keyword research and website audits will be included in this target market. Currently, the market need is being filled by high-profiled consultancy services with much higher fees and charges that we intend to offer. Competitors [competitor A business name] - Priced at $[insert competitors rates here]. The production quality is good and this business can handle big or small jobs. Marketing techniques include newspapers, Internet, and the yellow pages. [competitor A business name] has a good central location but their services are quite costly. This competitor caters to big businesses mostly. Their overall market share is 20%, but they possess only 5% of [your name] market share. [competitor B business name] - Priced according to the project. Quality is excellent but services are mass-produced. [competitor B business name] has a nationwide market and their distribution system is via mail catalogues and the Internet. Marketing strategies consist of magazine advertisements and TV exposure. [competitor B business name] is located in [location], so it does not pose an extreme threat to [your name] local market. Overall, [competitor B business name] possesses 30% of the national graphics market and 7% of the local graphics market. Competitive Edge An advantage that [your business name] has over its competitors is that it is a small business; therefore, it is able to give more personal attention to each customer’s needs. Customers will be dealing directly with the owner and not just a company employee or representative. [your business name] also has much less cost in terms of overheads, inventory and equipment. This will allow a much more competitive rate for our customer base. Page 4 of 8 “PRINTED COPIES ARE UNCONTROLLED” Professional SEO Business Plan [your business name] [your business name] will stay on top of progress in the field by reading trade journals, monitoring competitors, attending seminars, and upgrading to top-of-the-line equipment in order to produce the newest technologies available. Location The location of the facility is important because it will be near potential customers. We hope that this will help [your business name] to gain an additional advantage over the competition and provide greater customer satisfaction. Industry Trends New technology is introduced constantly to the SEO industry. [your name] plans to attend trade shows, read industry publications, and observe competitors in order to follow trends in the industry. At this time, the industry is very successful and 10-15% annual growth is planned to continue through the next five years. Methods of Distribution Once presented, our search engine marketing and promotional materials are immediately uploaded live to the clients webspace. If required [your business name] may provide onsite training to clients locally. Advertising and Promotion [your business name] will initially advertise through newspapers, local business publications, and by the word-of-mouth satisfaction of customers. Promotional items will emphasize the cost effectiveness and professional capabilities of [your business name]. [your name] will have a fee schedule for the assorted products and services that [your business name] offers. The prices will be competitive within the local area and our packages offer our clients a range of cost effective options. [your business name] is able to charge less than his competitors and still make a profit due to his low overhead and lower personnel costs. Expected sales for Year 1 are [monetary amount], for Year 2 are [monetary amount], and for Year 3 are [monetary amount]. 5. STRATEGY AND IMPLEMENTATION Marketing Primary marketing and business implementation strategies include the following. [insert your marketing strategies here] Client Management Database Automated database technologies will be utilised in order to establish a network of clientell and referrers. This will help solidify our relationship with both existing and new customers by means of direct marketing including: Networking Direct mail Newsletter distribution [insert other methods here] Strong relationships with affiliates and key individuals and organisations will be identified and acted upon over time. We currently have established relationships with hosting companies, small local business, Page 5 of 8 “PRINTED COPIES ARE UNCONTROLLED” Professional SEO Business Plan [your business name] web design firms, and [other businesses and organisations here] We see teaming with these organisations as a integral part of the overall importance to our growth and ongoing success. Advertising Traditional advertising methods, including the [insert traditional print media advertising here if applicable], will be undertaken in the first two months of operation. We are also investigating other cost effective advertising strategies such as [insert advertising methods here]. Long term advertising methods will include [insert advertising methods in bullet points here]. Education [your business name] will embrace a strong educational programs and classes to better position the business as leader in its field. Ongoing training and educational activities will play a vital part of [your business name]’s regular business makeup. This will ensure that [your business name] is exposed and experienced with new and evolving technologies as they emerge. In particular, [your business name] plans on the following training courses as setout below within the first 12 months of operation. [training classes and educational programs here in bullet points]. [your business name] will also be actively involved in networking with other SEO consultants in order to stay abreast of industy trends. Online Marketing [your business name]’s main business website will be used in conjunction with the methods listed above to demonstrate our professionalism and expertise within the SEO industry. [your business name] will be proactively involved in promoting the business online, particularly via printed business literature we distribute, search engines, webmaster forums and outsourcing sites such as freelancer and guru.com. Pricing and Fee Structure [your business name] will adopt 3 basic fee structures. These will be implemented in accordance with continual measurable feedback and client survey responses. [your business name] has found the best pricing strategies that work most effectively are as follows: 1. Monthly retainer: Clients will be chaged a monthly fee set at an agreed price for a period of time as setout within the contract. 2. Per project: Fixed pricing per project, based upon the amount of work and time involved, as well as expenses incurred. 3. Per hour: Applied for maintenance and small tasks services. A standard hourly rate will be charged at $XX. 4. [insert additional fee plans here if required] Financial Projections [your business name] has estimated that profits of approximately [$XXXXX] should be achievable by Page 6 of 8 “PRINTED COPIES ARE UNCONTROLLED” Professional SEO Business Plan [your business name] [date]. This takes into account the number of proposals already submitted to prospective clients’ projects and assumes payment of 33% of the estimated total charge for each project in advance. 6. MANAGEMENT TEAM About the Owner [your business name] is the final achievement of a deep seated interest of SEO and online marketing, and a desire to continue this work as a career for [your name]. He is ready to begin his own business as an [business type]. [your name] has over 20 years of experience in SEO. As the primary designer at [your business name], he will bring expertise to the area of [your area]. Management Setup The owner, [your name], will be the sole person involved in the startup of the business. He/she will operate the business individually until his/her customer base and production levels expand to a point where additional help is necessary. [your name] will keep up with the ever-changing SEO industry by attending training workshops, seminars, etc. He/she plans to continue his/her education and monitor trends in these ways. [your name] graduated with an Associate Degree in SEO Communications from Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo, Iowa. He/she has twenty years of experience as a SEO consultant with a company in [location]. [your name] has created an extensive portfolio of his past work which is available for viewing. Consultants While trying to grow his business, [your name] will depend on the consultants at the [consultancy institution and location] to give him advice. He will also be contacting [name of legal advisor] for legal advice and services. 7. FINANCIAL ANALYSIS This section presents an economic model that realistically puts forth the basic financial assumptions of [your business name]. The model is based upon conservative assumptions and demonstrates [your business name] can be profitable in its first year of operation. The economic model shows a need for an additional [amount of money] to launch the company. [your business name] capital needs are largely for inventory, equipment, working capital, and marketing. Sources of Funds Owner’s Equity (Equipment Already Purchased and cash) $XX,XXX TSB Grant $XX,XXX State Bank Loan $XX,XXX TOTAL $XX,XXX The following pages present cash flows, profit and loss statements and other financial information projections for three years. Page 7 of 8 “PRINTED COPIES ARE UNCONTROLLED” Professional SEO Business Plan [your business name] [enter your financial projections here] Page 8 of 8 “PRINTED COPIES ARE UNCONTROLLED”