How to become an SEO freelancer without underpricing or burning out

Many SEO professionals enter freelancing for a similar cause: freedom. They dream of fewer conferences, versatile hours, and the power to decide on their very own initiatives. 

What they don’t anticipate? Freelancing isn’t simply “search engine marketing with out a boss.” It’s search engine marketing plus gross sales, scoping, contracts, billing, and consumer administration. With out these important items, even the strongest SEOs battle to make freelancing sustainable. 

We’ll break down every step on this course of to bridge the hole between dream and actuality. By the top of this text, you’ll know precisely easy methods to construct a sustainable freelance follow so you may turn out to be a digital nomad answering consumer emails and having fun with mojitos from a seaside in Bali (in case you so select). 

Earlier than you get began: Perceive what you’re really constructing

Let’s make one factor clear: search engine marketing freelancing doesn’t appear to be attending quarterly planning conferences to combat for funds or sending one other unhappy Slack to the product crew asking them to prioritize your suggestions.

In that situation, you’re nearer to a contractor embedded in somebody’s workflow than an unbiased freelancer. And that distinction issues. It determines how a lot management you could have over your time, scope, and pricing. 

search engine marketing freelancing usually consists of:

• A clearly scoped engagement with an outlined begin and finish.
• Possession over how the work is delivered, not simply what’s delivered.
• Pricing tied to outcomes or deliverables as a substitute of availability.
• The power to say no when a undertaking doesn’t match.

So earlier than you stop your job to take in your first consumer, ensure you know precisely what you’re signing up for. 

Step 1: Choose one factor and get unreasonably good at it

Now that you already know precisely what your search engine marketing freelancing gigs ought to appear to be, right here’s the key sauce to how some freelancers can cost $200/hour whereas others nonetheless battle to get $40: 

Specialization. 

Generalist freelancers compete on availability and value. “I do search engine marketing” means you’re combating everybody who simply “does search engine marketing.” You win initiatives by being there when the consumer wants somebody — and your value is what they’re prepared to pay. 

Specialists, then again, compete on experience, pace, and pay-off. An skilled who “audits JavaScript rendering points for React migrations” will face a a lot smaller pool of rivals. Due to that, you may value primarily based on what you’ve delivered. 

In the case of search engine marketing freelancing, these high-value specializations appear to be: 

• Technical search engine marketing audit for site migrations: Corporations funds for migrations as a result of they’re petrified of what may go incorrect. They pay properly for any de-risking an skilled can supply. 
• Programmatic search engine marketing implementation: Websites earn a living from natural site visitors at scale, so that they perceive properly the ROI of investing in your providers. 
• Technical enterprise ecommerce search engine marketing: These high-stakes websites with complicated templates, faceted navigation, and crawl funds demand excessive budgets and well timed deliverables. 
• search engine marketing that truly will get you ChatGPT visibility: Sure, GEO is a promoting level that everybody needs to purchase, and sure, providing that particular talent (and backing it up with knowledge) will put you on the map. 

What doesn’t work? 

• search engine marketing “guru” positioning: Claiming broad experience with out clearly defining the issue you remedy or the end result you ship. 
• Lack of specialization: Providing each search engine marketing service underneath the solar with no outlined specialty makes it more durable for prospects to know the place your experience really lies. 
• Competing on value: When value is your foremost differentiator, you’re positioning your self as interchangeable as a substitute of useful. Expertise-driven specialists not often win or lose work primarily based solely on their hourly price. 

Most freelancers resist freelancing, considering, “What if I flip away work?” 

You might be! That’s the purpose. Turning down misaligned work is the way you defend your time, pricing, and the standard of your work. 

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Step 2: Flip that one factor into one thing you may promote 100 occasions

The road between “I’ll do an SEO strategy personalized to your wants” and “I ship a technical search engine marketing technique with these eight elements, this deliverable format, and this timeline” is productization. It’s the distinction between delivering constant, repeatable work and reinventing the wheel for each new consumer. 

Many freelancers misstep right here by customizing too early. A consumer would possibly say, “We additionally need assistance with content material,” and also you, as a freelancer, reply with “Positive, I might help with that.” Now you’re not delivering a productized audit — you’re doing customized work with an undefined scope. 

Right here’s what you have to outline to maintain your deliverables constant: 

• Scope: What’s included within the work. 
• Deliverable format: What the ultimate product ought to appear to be (e.g., prioritized spreadsheet, slide deck, kickoff name). 
• Timeline: Outline this on the very least as ranging from the second the consumer indicators your proposal. 
• Worth: We’ll get into this will of worms in a second. 

Relying on the providers you’re providing, you’ll additionally need to specify: 

• Content audits.
• Aggressive evaluation. 
• Key phrase analysis.
• Implementation assist. 
• Ongoing monitoring. 
• Further stakeholder presentation.

The important thing to constructing out a powerful productized proposal is that this: you in the reduction of on ambiguity. 

The prospect both wants what you’re providing, or they don’t. In the event that they want extra, you may observe up with one other proposal together with the extra pricing. 

Tip: If you happen to do have a consumer asking, “Are you able to additionally have a look at our weblog content material, subdomain, redirects, or one thing that’s exterior of the scope of this present undertaking,” you don’t need to say no. 

You possibly can say, “Sure, however that’s one other undertaking that I’ll must scope out.” Simply ensure you say something however “Positive, I can take a fast look.” Resist. 

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Step 3: Worth it such as you’re operating a enterprise

Arguably, that is the trickiest facet of freelancing. It may be laborious to place a value in your time and experience — and even more durable to defend your pricing whereas promoting your providers.

There are three pricing fashions you may strive right here: hourly, project-based, and retainer. Most begin with hourly since that’s the best to know, and sure, that may be a little bit of a lure.

Hourly pricing: Good for inexperienced persons, horrible for specialists

Setting an hourly price is smart if you’re beginning out and aren’t certain how a lot to cost. Merely take your day job, slender down how a lot you receives a commission by the hour, and take into consideration how a lot your advantages are price to you. Add all that collectively, and growth! Hourly price.

For instance, say you bought paid $100,000 at your full-time job. That’s about $48 per hour. And the common price per hour for personal trade advantages is about $13. Which means if you wish to make precisely what you had been earlier than, you’ll have to be paid a minimum of $61 per hour.

In follow, search engine marketing freelance charges vary from $75 to $200 per hour, although entry-level freelancers would possibly begin nearer to $50. Think about your expertise and experience, and value your self rigorously so that you don’t get locked right into a too-low price.

Hourly price is nice to start out, however it falls brief if you’re good at your job. You’re being rewarded for working slower and being penalized for getting higher at your job.

Venture-based pricing: The mannequin for productized work 

When you’ve productized your merchandise, you can begin utilizing project-based pricing. If you happen to’ve delivered the identical audit 15 occasions, you know the way a lot work it takes you — and you know the way a lot it’s price.

The consumer doesn’t care if one thing takes you 20 hours or 15. They care about getting a high quality deliverable in a well timed style.

However it may be laborious to get out of that hourly mindset. Right here’s easy methods to value initiatives if you’re beginning out with freelancing:

• Estimate how lengthy the work will take you (or go along with your greatest guess in case you’ve by no means accomplished it).
• Multiply that by 1.5 occasions to account for communication overhead, revisions, and surprising complexity.
• Monitor precise time spent (sure, although you’re not charging by the hour).
• Ship the undertaking.
• Modify pricing for the subsequent consumer primarily based on actual knowledge (and consumer outcomes).

After your first 5 initiatives, you’ll know your precise prices. Up till then, you’ll be making educated guesses, however that’s OK. Everybody begins by guessing. 

Tip: Keep in mind, the factor you’re charging for right here is your data, not your time. What the consumer is paying for is the outcomes you supply. All the time tie your work to the way it might help your consumer obtain their objectives. Nobody can put a price ticket on exceeded KPIs. 

Retainer pricing: Helpful for recurring work, however harmful with out boundaries 

Retainer pricing is smart when the consumer wants constant month-to-month deliverables, equivalent to technical evaluations, advisory assist, and optimization recommendations. 

You simply need to watch out right here to keep away from scope creep. “We’re paying you $5,000 a month” can rapidly flip into “Are you able to assist with this product launch, this electronic mail marketing campaign, this aggressive evaluation?” Guard your time correctly.

Right here’s easy methods to construction your retainers so that they be just right for you:

• Outline the precise month-to-month deliverable: Clearly define the duties you’ll be engaged on every month. For instance, “one technical audit per thirty days” or “three web page evaluations a month.” 
• Set rollover limits: Clarify what occurs if duties are put to the wayside or initiatives get placed on pause. This would possibly appear to be saying “unused hours expire after 60 days” or “a most rollover of 1 month’s unused hours.” 
• Exclude advert hoc requests: Clearly notice that further initiatives require separate proposals. 

For instance, say you could have a consumer who pays $6,000 a month for “month-to-month technical search engine marketing evaluate and eight hours of advisory assist.” 

• Month 1: The consumer makes use of six hours. These two unused hours roll into month two. 
• Month 2: They use 10 hours (unused two hours plus commonplace eight hours). 
• Month 3: The consumer asks for a content material audit. That undertaking is separate and has its personal pricing. 

The perfect path right here for a brand new search engine marketing freelancer? Begin with project-based pricing to your core choices. Add retainers solely after you’ve delivered the identical undertaking a number of occasions and you already know precisely what you’re committing to. 

Tip: Solely supply retainers when you already know you may firmly maintain a consumer to a set scope of labor. Be assured in what you’re promoting and the way lengthy it takes to ship, so that you make the most effective use of your time. 

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Step 4: Construct programs earlier than you’re underwater

The important thing to protecting all of this constant? Methods. 

As a freelancer, you’re the undertaking supervisor, account supervisor, and supply proprietor. Methods are what hold work transferring when nobody’s checking in on you. 

Right here’s what you have to create a strong system so nothing slips by the cracks: 

• Shopper onboarding. 
• Electronic mail (follow-ups and replies).
• Billing.
• Contracts.
• Deliverable templates.
• Offboarding.

Shopper onboarding: Get everybody up entrance

The most important delay to any undertaking? Ready on entry for instruments, documentation, and fundamental questions. The correct onboarding course of means you may hit the bottom operating. 

Right here’s what it is best to at all times ask for earlier than work begins: 

• Device entry: Google Search Console, Google Analytics 4, crawl device permissions, CMS login.
• Stakeholder contacts: Who approves deliverables, who solutions technical questions, who handles billing.
• Venture context: Recognized points, earlier search engine marketing work, enterprise priorities, earlier undertaking timelines (migration, updates, product launches). 

You may get this with out seven days of electronic mail tennis. Simply ship over a direct request for this data, and don’t schedule any subsequent steps till you could have what you want. 

Template all the things right here. Every consumer will get the identical questionnaire and contract construction. 

Contracts

You recognize what each freelancer loves? Getting paid. You recognize what you have to receives a commission? Getting it in writing.

Set your contract phrases forward of time so that you don’t simply hit a prospect with “uh” after they ask you ways a lot and when. Right here’s what it is best to have ready:

• Fee phrases: Widespread choices embrace 50% upfront and 50% on supply for undertaking work, or month-to-month invoicing for retainers and recurring work. Select a construction that protects your money circulation whereas remaining cheap to your purchasers.
• Deliverable format and timelines: Web-30 or Web-14 are commonplace phrases right here. They’re simply fancy methods of claiming you receives a commission thirty days or two weeks after you invoice.
• Communication expectations: Clarify the assembly cadence, most well-liked channels, and response occasions to keep away from surprises.
• What’s not included in your scope: Simply so everybody is totally clear on what work is being accomplished and what isn’t.

And don’t really feel married to the primary contract time period you outline. Be versatile. That’s the enjoyment of being a freelancer — you may at all times change issues up when you have to. 

You possibly can both Google Docs your technique to success right here, or you may look into investing in instruments: 

• Contract signature: PandaDoc or DocuSign.
• Invoicing and fee monitoring: Wave, FreshBooks, or Bonsai.

Observe: Choose certainly one of every, use it for each consumer. Don’t change until you could have a cause. 

Deliverable templates

Deliverable templates save hours of formatting. It means you don’t must mentally undergo your guidelines of all the things you have to evaluate. You possibly can simply have a look at a clean template of what you’ve accomplished up to now and transfer ahead.

Listed below are some good examples of templates to have available:

• Audit spreadsheet with constant columns: Embrace the problem, location, impression (excessive, medium, low), effort to repair (often in hours), precedence, and any further notes.
• Govt abstract templates: This could simply be the way you break issues down for the consumer in layman’s phrases.
• Supply electronic mail template: This provides subsequent steps and assist window particulars.

The aim right here is to maintain issues constant throughout purchasers. You’re offering the identical high quality work each time, irrespective of how busy you might be.

Communication

Purchasers don’t want each day check-ins. They should know the undertaking is transferring ahead and nothing essential is blocked.

What that appears like depends upon the consumer’s wants. It may very well be: 

• Weekly async updates through electronic mail: Clarify what was accomplished this week, what’s arising subsequent, and what’s blocked.
• Biweekly or month-to-month calls: Clarify the identical issues, however this time over the cellphone. You also needs to schedule a name in case you’re doing a kickoff or delivering a undertaking.
• Month-to-month emails: That is higher for hands-off purchasers that you just belief (and belief you) to get issues accomplished.

Observe: If a consumer is pushing for each day Slack entry or unscheduled calls, evaluate your scope and pricing. You possibly can at all times replace your scope of labor if new wants come up. 

Offboarding

Nobody likes to see a consumer go, however the way you deal with parting is essential to creating a optimistic, lasting impression. Ensure that to incorporate: 

• Remaining deliverable handoff: This could embrace the remainder of your work and a video walkthrough in case you didn’t have an opportunity for a name. 
• Transition documentation: If you happen to had been working with one other crew to implement your suggestions, present steering on easy methods to implement modifications and embrace any technical context they’ll must know. 
• Publish-project assist window: Outline a transparent assist interval (e.g., “two weeks of electronic mail assist for clarification questions concerning the deliverable”). After the window, further assist is a brand new engagement. 
• Request suggestions: Ask for a testimonial or LinkedIn suggestion whereas the work is recent. Most freelancers wait too lengthy. 

Ensure that to doc what you’ve realized about your self, the consumer, and your course of as soon as issues are accomplished. Take into consideration what went properly, what went poorly, and what to cost your subsequent consumer for comparable providers. 

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Keep away from these pitfalls

Most freelancers return to full-time employment as a result of they really feel burnt out, underpaid, and overworked. 

Those that construct a sustainable profession deal with freelancing like a enterprise, not only a versatile job. Sure, ingesting your mojito in Bali is enjoyable — however you continue to must reply consumer emails inside 24 hours, even if you’re off the clock. 

The most important pitfalls that the majority newbie search engine marketing freelancers fall into are: 

• Saying sure to misaligned initiatives: Newbie freelancers are often anxious about money circulation, however saying sure to a undertaking that doesn’t match is what will get you caught in a feast-famine cycle the place short-term money circulation choices stop you from constructing secure, repeatable work. 
• Delivering various things for every undertaking: You possibly can’t optimize what you don’t perceive. Hold your providing constant so you already know what works, what doesn’t, and what’s only a consumer quirk. 
• Ranging from scratch with every consumer: Each new consumer ought to really feel simpler. If onboarding Shopper No. 5 feels as chaotic as Shopper No. 1, you want a greater system (or simply any system). 
• Pricing for fee and forgetting sustainability: Pricing too low to “get your first consumer” can get your legs underneath you, however it’s not the way you keep in freelancing. It’s higher to work on two well-priced initiatives than 5 underpriced ones. Rigorously decide your workload — and financial savings — so you may hunt for the suitable consumer. 

What you’re really constructing as a profitable search engine marketing freelancer

Freelancing isn’t simply “search engine marketing with versatile hours.” It’s a service enterprise the place you outline the providing, set the phrases, and handle the enterprise. 

If that seems like extra work than having a boss, you’re proper. Freelancing means buying and selling predictable employment for management over all the things: scope, pricing, schedule. Some folks thrive on that commerce as a result of they get to be their very own final supervisor. Others notice they’d quite another person deal with that for them. Each are legitimate selections. 

The important thing right here is in case you’re going freelance, deal with it just like the enterprise it’s:

• Choose a specialization. 
• Flip it right into a repeat undertaking.
• Worth it correctly.
• Construct programs that scale.
• Say no to all the things that doesn’t match.

That’s the framework. The remainder is execution, iteration, and at all times enhancing the components of the enterprise that talk to you — be that SEO audits, content strategy, link building, and even consumer administration — to construct one thing sustainable.