Nowadays, every business has an online presence, and making a website is the first step towards it. But not all websites rank on the first page. However, everyone wants to be on top of SERPs.

And that’s why many marketers and business owners hire expert search engine optimization freelancers who give a much-needed boost to their websites. According to stats, the market size for freelance search engine optimization services worldwide is projected to increase. It’ll go from $11.85 billion in 2022 to $14.12 billion in 2023.

But what is an SEO freelancer? Do you have the talent to become a successful freelancer in this field? And most importantly, how can you become an SEO freelancer?

You might have a lot of queries regarding this topic. And in this article, you’ll get answers to all of your questions. I’ll also share the most effective step-by-step on how to make a successful career in SEO.

So keep reading.

What is SEO Freelancing?

SEO freelancing refers to the practice of offering Search Engine Optimization services on a freelance basis. Freelancers who specialize in SEO work independently and provide their expertise to clients who need to improve their website’s visibility in search engine results.

They may offer various search engine optimization strategies to help clients enhance their online presence and increase organic website traffic. Suppose you’re working as a freelance SEO agent in a company where you work on different projects. Such as:

• Increasing website organic traffic
• Making content SEO friendly
• Removing technical search engine optimization mistakes

And many other tasks. Instead of being employed by a single company or agency, an SEO freelancer manages their own freelancing business. They work with various clients from around the world. They are usually in direct contact with the client.

Many people are interested in learning more about SEO freelancing because it gives you complete control over your services. You have the freedom to charge according to your expertise, and you can choose your clients.

Due to economic conditions, companies are becoming heavily reliant on freelancers. It saves a lot of cost of hiring in-house staff without negatively impacting the company’s progress.

What Does An SEO Freelancer Do?

An SEO freelancer is responsible for improving a website’s performance or writing high-quality SEO-optimized content. So users can find your website easily and rank in higher positions in Google, however, it may sound simple, but this field is extremely complex. There are different types of categories in this field that you should know. An expert SEO freelancer knows every nitty-gritty of search engine optimization.

Keywords Research

You must have noticed that there’s a specific vocabulary for every subject, such as biology, computer science, and literature. Every subject has unique terms and sets of words. Likewise, you need to know about these terms in search engine optimization as well.

One of the most important terms is Keywords. They are phrases, a set of words that users search for. Afterward, you write content on those keywords. Just type the search term “hire SEO”, and Google will automatically show you various search queries. These are Keywords.

You must logically add relevant keywords to your content so Google doesn’t suspect you of keyword stuffing. Keywords stuffing is adding a lot of keywords in a piece of content just for the sake of improving ranking which should be avoided.

Competitive Analysis

Whenever you start a business, what are the top priorities?

Analyzing your competitors. Noticing which actionable strategies they’re using, their weaknesses, their strengths, and how they can stand out from the crowd.

Likewise, for search engine optimization, you have to analyze your competitors. Analyze their high-performing content, keywords they are using, find gaps in their ranking, and how you can create a masterpiece that outranks them.

On-page Optimization

If you want to be successful in this field, then don’t forget on-page search engine optimization. It includes implementing actionable strategies to enhance on-page elements.

For this, you need to work on the following:

• Title tags
• Internal links
• Proper headings

And many more things are included. It ensures that the website of your client doesn’t have any on-page issues that might hurt ranking.

Off-page Optimization

It includes search engine optimization techniques that are implemented outside the website. What does that mean?

It means that you create an awesome blog post. But use outside techniques to increase traffic, such as sharing it on social media. Getting links from other websites and increasing efforts to get high-quality backlinks.

This way, you’ll increase your website’s credibility and authority.

Technical Optimization

Let’s suppose you want to read an article about “best ways to market your book.” But the article takes forever to load. What will you do?

1. Wait for the website to load
2. Read another article

You’ll likely choose the 2nd option because no one wants to wait. That’s where technical search engine optimization comes in to lessen your wait. It removes all crawling and indexing problems. Thus making a website fast and mobile responsive with a structured data markup.

Project Management

If you want to become a successful freelancer, you need at least the basic skills of a project manager. You should know how to pitch content ideas, set project deadlines, strategies, and other discussions about the project with the client.

Measuring Results

Doing hard work is not enough. You need to work smartly and properly track and analyze metrics. It requires monitoring key metrics and identifying chances for enhancement. You should frequently observe website performance, assess keyword ranking factors and study user actions.

Pros & Cons Of Being a Freelance SEO Professional

Being an SEO freelancer has many merits and demerits. If you are considering this path, then it’s important to know both of them. You’ll be able to make a better decision after knowing them.

Pros:

• You can set your work hours and choose where you work from. It offers a better work-life balance.
• You can work with a variety of clients across different industries. It helps you gain exposure to different projects and challenges.
• Freelancers often have the potential to earn more than traditional salaried positions, especially as they gain experience and reputation.
• Freelancing requires you to handle various aspects of your business, leading to skill development in areas like client communication, negotiation, and project management.

Cons:

• Finding and retaining clients can be challenging, requiring marketing efforts and a consistent pipeline of projects.
• Working alone can lead to feelings of isolation because you lack the social interaction of a physical location office environment.
• Freelancers typically don’t receive benefits like health insurance or paid leave, unlike traditional jobs.

Step-by-step Guide To Becoming a Successful SEO Freelancer

Now it’s time that you start your career in this field. As an SEO expert, I highly recommend following every step so you can smoothly start your journey.

Learn, Learn & Keep Learning

You have to start from the basics. Learn the fundamentals of search engine optimization and then dive deeper into complexities. If you start with advanced topics, then you’ll eventually get overwhelmed. So what should you do?

Learn about how Google ranks content. What are indexing, crawling and basic errors?

The research methodologies and basic strategies that are effective for improving rankings. There are several other ways to improve your skills. If you have money, then I recommend:

• Register in search engine optimization courses. You’ll be able to learn from experts who have experience in the field and get various networking opportunities. Read SEO blogs to increase your knowledge on these topics.
• Get 1-1 consultations from industry veterans. Many academies offer online courses at reasonable prices. Buy completing such comprehensive courses along with certifications. You can find many digital marketing courses on Google for free.

But what if you don’t have money? Should you skip the idea of breaking into this field?

No!

Here are two ways you can learn it for free.

1. Read books and guides. Even at EchoFish, you’ll find many articles and guides on search engine optimization.
2. Watch YouTube videos and Ted talks of search engine optimization experts. Neil Patel, Brian Dean, and Matt Diggity. They have created their freelance business, taken it to new heights, and learned from them.

Be Super Clear About Who Your Niche

You must have heard of the phrase:

“Jack of all trades and master of none.”

But how is this relevant.?

It is. When you get started as a freelancer, you see a lot of niches and fields that earn a lot of money. So you’ll likely be blinded by money, fame, or other factors. To avoid this, you have to be clear about your niche.

When you are getting started, focus on one thing. It can be on-page, off-page, or other search engine optimization tactics. Position yourself as an expert and stay focused.

For example, you specialize in local search engine optimization for small businesses. You get a local search engine optimization client with a bento shop in London. They want to improve their online presence so you focus on optimizing their:

• Google My Business listings
• Ensuring accurate business information
• Generating positive reviews.

You also create location-specific content and implement geotargeting strategies. Thus all basic strategies help these businesses attract more local customers.

Be Your First Client

As a beginner, you might not have enough clients. Because to get clients, you need experience.

But how can you get experience when you don’t have clients?

Have you faced a situation like this? If yes, then here is the best solution for your problem.

It is Become Your Client.

Create your website and apply all the search engine optimization techniques to grow it. It’ll attract your target audience eventually, and soon they’ll hire you.

If you just type “expert SEO,” you’ll get many keywords. Write blogs on these topics, create a page about your services, and put all the knowledge of search engine into practice.

Personal Branding Is The New Way To Build Your Empire

According to statistics, 74% of American consumers are inclined to place their trust in individuals with reputable personal brands. People like Gary Vee, Grant Cardone, Seth Godin, and Elon Musk have made themselves a brand. That’s why people trust them and listen to them.

As an SEO freelancer, your personal brand should tell people how you are different from others.

There are many people who are offering the same thing as you at an even lower price. Why should your client base purchase from you?

You have to find that differentiating factor in your freelancing service. It can be your skill, the results you provide, your commitment, or anything. Start building your social media presence, especially on LinkedIn, where companies often search for talented individuals. Build a strong network there and engage with your target audience.

How Much Do You Charge?

This is the most commonly asked question. How much should I charge? Should I charge 15 $ or 2000 $? This is the most confusing question for newbies.

Remember, the prices vary depending on various factors such as your expertise, niche, the company’s budget, etc. So there’s no perfect pricing strategy whatsoever.

So here are some tips that you can follow to finalize your pricing:

• Choose between hourly or project-based pricing.
• Create different service packages. Cater to varying client needs and budgets.
• Go to Google and check how much people in similar fields charge. You can also check Glassdoor and Fiverr. A little bit of research will give you a rough idea of how much you should charge.

Image from Glassdoor

If you have enough expertise, don’t be afraid to charge what you deserve. Know your worth.

Let’s Find Your First Client

By now, you know SEO, have a pricing strategy, and some work samples, but where’s your client?

Here’s the bad news. Most newbie freelancers work on low-paying projects. It doesn’t mean it’ll happen with you too. But it’s better to be prepared for such situations.

Here are 3 freelance job sites where you can find hiring relevant to your niche:

• Upwork
• Fiverr
• PeoplePerHour

You can also work for nonprofit organizations and friends for free. Another way to get your client is by attending industry events and networking.

Build An Exceptional Portfolio

The portfolio is an excellent way to get more clients and show your milestones, client success, and projects to potential clients. It should give clients clear information about how you can help them. But what should you include in it? Here is a list of things you should include.

• Your name
• Contact information
• Case studies of previous projects
• Positive reviews from previous clients

Remember to only add relevant information.

More Valuable Data = More Persuasive Portfolio

If you have a website, you can add your website growth after implementing search engine optimization strategies such as high-quality guest posting, HARO, or writing high-quality content.

Make Your Ultimate SEO Toolkit

To become an expert in search engine optimization, you need two things. First is a creative brain, and second is a search engine optimization toolkit. You can streamline the process and get quick results with this.

I know there are plenty of tools, so you might be wondering which ones are best for you.

For keyword research tools, you should use Ahrefs and SEMrush. These are amazing tools to get keywords, do competitor analysis, run campaigns, etc.

However, I recommend Yoast and Moz On-Page Grader for on-page SEO analyzers. They recommend improving title tags, meta descriptions, headings, and content structure.

For link building and backlinks analysis, try Majestic and Monitor Backlinks. You can monitor and analyze your website’s backlink profile. Moreover, identify high-quality backlinks.

Moreover, learn how to use Google Docs & sheets to share your projects in a presentable manner. Most clients demand CRM experience, such as WordPress. You should know the basics of how to edit, post, delete, and add images.

• Google Analytics: It tracks website traffic, user behavior, and conversion rates.
• Google Search Console: Offers a wide range of insights into how your site appears in search results and helps identify indexing issues.

However, keep experimenting with tools that work best. Remember that in this digital world, only those who are quick to adapt survive. So keep learning and updating your practical knowledge according to the latest trends and information in the industry.

How To Stand Out From the Crowd As Freelance SEO Specialists?

Suppose you see an SEO job hiring post. The requirements are the same, and you apply for this job. Because you perfectly fit the given criteria. But there’s another person who has the same experience as you. How can you stand out in this case? More specifically, how do you make sure your client chooses you?

By having an exceptional portfolio.

But that’s not all. Even after hiring, you’ve to give your best. Don’t overpromise and underdeliver. Here is a list of some essential skills you need to be an expert in this field:

• Understanding of website architecture, HTML, and coding for effective on-page optimization.
• Proficiency in using SEO tools for keyword research, site audits, and backlink analysis.
• Emphasize personalized client interactions. Understand their goals, challenges, and preferences to customize your strategies accordingly.
• Be clear and have effective communication skills. Explain complex search engine rankings concepts in simple words and keep clients updated about the progress.

Is SEO Still A Good Career In 2023?

The short answer is YES, and it’s an excellent career option.

If you are asking this question yourself, here’s the bad news: the SEO industry is too over-saturated.

But here’s the good news: good and expert SEO specialists are too hard to find.

So if you plan on becoming average in this field, it might not be for you because it demands continuous learning, effort, great observation, and dedication to show exceptional results to clients. Moreover, Google’s algorithm keeps changing. There are more than 200 ranking factors on Google.

So the best way to find out if this career is for you is to ask yourself, are you dedicated to learning about this topic?

The journey to becoming a search engine optimization expert is not easy. But it’s worth it.

Conclusion

Now you have all the necessary information, it’s time to implement everything. Start taking action today and give yourself a timeline. Be consistent, and eventually, you’ll get the fruit of your efforts.

Is your website rotting in Google? None of the digital marketing strategy helps rank it to the top position?

We have helped many businesses increase their massive traffic. You can be the next. Contact EchoFish now.