The Complete Guide to Freelance SEO

<p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">Walter writes AI is a useful lens for understanding freelance SEO because the best SEO freelancers already work like a system: they research, write, optimize, and report on a schedule. This guide shows what an SEO freelancer actually does, how to hire one without getting burned, what audits and monthly retainers should include, and how to set KPIs you can defend in a meeting.</p> <h2 id="what-a-freelance-seo-actually-does-and-what-they-should-not-do" class="text-[20px] font-semibold text-slate-800 mt-8 mb-3 leading-snug">What a freelance SEO actually does (and what they should not do)</h2> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">An <strong class="font-semibold text-slate-900">SEO freelancer</strong> is responsible for improving organic visibility by diagnosing issues, prioritizing fixes, shipping content and on-page changes, and measuring results over time. The job is not “add keywords and wait.” It is a loop: audit, plan, execute, report, repeat.</p> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">A good freelancer will usually cover four lanes:</p> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">First, <strong class="font-semibold text-slate-900">technical SEO triage</strong>: crawlability, indexation, site speed, Core Web Vitals, redirects, canonicals, sitemap and robots rules. Google’s own documentation on <a href="https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/how-search-works" title="how crawling and indexing works" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="text-primary-600 hover:text-primary-800 underline underline-offset-2 decoration-primary-300 hover:decoration-primary-500 transition-colors font-medium">how crawling and indexing works</a> is still the clearest baseline for what matters.</p> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">Second, <strong class="font-semibold text-slate-900">on-page SEO services</strong>: search intent mapping, title tags, headings, internal linking, image alt text, schema where it helps, and content refreshes.</p> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">Third, <strong class="font-semibold text-slate-900">content strategy and production</strong>: topic research, briefs, outlines, publishing cadence, and updates. This is where many freelancers quietly become “content machines” for clients, but the good ones do it with planning and quality control, not volume for volume’s sake.</p> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">Fourth, <strong class="font-semibold text-slate-900">authority building</strong>: digital PR, partner links, reclaiming unlinked mentions, and fixing toxic link profiles when needed. If a freelancer’s entire plan is “I’ll build you 50 backlinks,” you are in the wrong conversation.</p> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">What they should not do: promise #1 rankings, hide work behind vague “proprietary methods,” or treat SEO as disconnected from conversion. Rankings without revenue is a vanity project.</p> <h2 id="walter-writes-ai-and-the-modern-freelance-seo-workflow" class="text-[20px] font-semibold text-slate-800 mt-8 mb-3 leading-snug">Walter writes AI and the modern freelance SEO workflow</h2> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">Walter writes AI is often discussed as a writing tool, but the bigger takeaway is workflow automation: consistent research, consistent publishing, consistent internal links, consistent reporting. That is exactly what most businesses fail to do manually.</p> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">A freelancer who understands automation will set up a pipeline that does not collapse when they get busy. In our experience, the fastest wins come from removing friction:</p> <ul class="my-4 space-y-2 list-disc list-outside ps-6"><li class="text-slate-700 leading-relaxed">content planning that is tied to search intent, not brainstorms</li><li class="text-slate-700 leading-relaxed">internal linking that is done every time, not “later”</li><li class="text-slate-700 leading-relaxed">publishing that is scheduled, not dependent on someone remembering</li></ul> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">If you want that style of system, tools matter. For example, VellumUp can scan your site and turn it into an automated content engine that writes in your voice and publishes for you. The practical difference is consistency. Consistency is what compounds.</p> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">If you are comparing options, the decision is usually not “human vs AI.” It is “manual chaos vs a repeatable system.” If you want a grounded way to choose, use <a href="https://vellumup.com/blog/best-ai-for-writing-how-to-choose-in-2026" title="Best AI for Writing: how to choose in 2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="text-primary-600 hover:text-primary-800 underline underline-offset-2 decoration-primary-300 hover:decoration-primary-500 transition-colors font-medium">Best AI for Writing: how to choose in 2026</a> as your checklist for quality, control, and brand voice.</p> <h2 id="seo-audit-what-it-should-include-and-what-to-ask-for" class="text-[20px] font-semibold text-slate-800 mt-8 mb-3 leading-snug">SEO audit: what it should include (and what to ask for)</h2> <figure class="my-8 rounded-2xl overflow-hidden border border-slate-100 shadow-sm not-prose"><img src="https://fwxdribwlccxnmrdzsfs.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/article-images/11a8453c1edcef9b/ai/a-crawl-report-and-site.webp" alt="" class="w-full h-auto object-cover max-h-[420px]" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></figure> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">SEO audit is the first deliverable that separates real operators from template sellers. A proper audit produces a prioritized backlog, not a PDF graveyard.</p> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">Ask for these outputs, in this order:</p> <ol class="my-4 space-y-2 list-decimal list-outside ps-6"><li class="text-slate-700 leading-relaxed">A crawl and indexation summary: what is indexable, what is not, and why.</li><li class="text-slate-700 leading-relaxed">A technical priority list with effort and impact estimates.</li><li class="text-slate-700 leading-relaxed">A content and intent map: which pages target which queries, where cannibalization exists, and what is missing.</li><li class="text-slate-700 leading-relaxed">A quick-win list: pages already ranking on page 2 that can be pushed with on-page fixes and internal links.</li><li class="text-slate-700 leading-relaxed">A measurement plan: what will be tracked weekly vs monthly.</li></ol> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">A strong audit will reference real data sources: Google Search Console, analytics, and a crawler. If you do not have Search Console, fix that first. Google’s <a href="https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9128668" title="Search Console documentation" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="text-primary-600 hover:text-primary-800 underline underline-offset-2 decoration-primary-300 hover:decoration-primary-500 transition-colors font-medium">Search Console documentation</a> explains what to verify and why it matters.</p> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">Here is a simple way to judge an audit before you pay for ongoing work:</p> <div class="overflow-x-auto my-6"><table class="w-full border-collapse text-sm"><thead><tr><th class="px-4 py-2 text-left text-[13px] font-semibold text-slate-700 border border-slate-200 bg-slate-50">Audit element</th><th class="px-4 py-2 text-left text-[13px] font-semibold text-slate-700 border border-slate-200 bg-slate-50">What you should see</th><th class="px-4 py-2 text-left text-[13px] font-semibold text-slate-700 border border-slate-200 bg-slate-50">Red flag</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr class="even:bg-slate-50"><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">Prioritization</td><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">10-30 items ranked by impact and effort</td><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">100+ items with no order</td></tr><tr class="even:bg-slate-50"><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">Evidence</td><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">Screenshots, URLs, examples, query data</td><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">Generic advice with no URLs</td></tr><tr class="even:bg-slate-50"><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">Outcomes</td><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">“Fix X to improve Y metric”</td><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">“Do this because best practice”</td></tr><tr class="even:bg-slate-50"><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">Next steps</td><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">A 30-60 day plan</td><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">“We’ll discuss later”</td></tr></tbody></table></div> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">If your freelancer cannot explain the audit in plain English in 15 minutes, they will not be able to sell it internally to your team either.</p> <h2 id="pricing-monthly-retainer-ranges-that-match-real-work" class="text-[20px] font-semibold text-slate-800 mt-8 mb-3 leading-snug">Pricing: monthly retainer ranges that match real work</h2> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">Pricing is where most people get misled. SEO is not a commodity, but it does have realistic bands.</p> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">For most small to mid-size sites, a monthly retainer typically lands in these ranges:</p> <div class="overflow-x-auto my-6"><table class="w-full border-collapse text-sm"><thead><tr><th class="px-4 py-2 text-left text-[13px] font-semibold text-slate-700 border border-slate-200 bg-slate-50">Business type</th><th class="px-4 py-2 text-left text-[13px] font-semibold text-slate-700 border border-slate-200 bg-slate-50">Typical monthly retainer</th><th class="px-4 py-2 text-left text-[13px] font-semibold text-slate-700 border border-slate-200 bg-slate-50">What that usually includes</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr class="even:bg-slate-50"><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">Local service business</td><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">$750-$2,500</td><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">on-page fixes, local SEO, 1-4 pages/month, reporting</td></tr><tr class="even:bg-slate-50"><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">Small ecommerce</td><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">$1,500-$5,000</td><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">tech + category optimization, internal links, content, product feed issues</td></tr><tr class="even:bg-slate-50"><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">SaaS / high competition</td><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">$3,000-$10,000+</td><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">content engine, programmatic pages, digital PR, deep technical work</td></tr></tbody></table></div> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">If someone offers “full SEO” for $299/month, they are either outsourcing low-quality work, running a checklist with no strategy, or planning to upsell you later.</p> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">Also separate <strong class="font-semibold text-slate-900">audit pricing</strong> from retainers. A real audit often costs $1,000-$5,000 depending on site size and complexity, because it is front-loaded analysis.</p> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">If you are trying to replace part of the retainer with automation, that can be smart. VellumUp can handle the repeatable parts: research, drafts, internal links, publishing cadence, and multilingual output. That lets a freelancer focus on the hard stuff: technical decisions, prioritization, and conversion. If you want to see how this can fit your stack, start with the <a href="https://vellumup.com/integrations" title="VellumUp integrations for WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, Wix, and webhooks" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="text-primary-600 hover:text-primary-800 underline underline-offset-2 decoration-primary-300 hover:decoration-primary-500 transition-colors font-medium">VellumUp integrations for WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, Wix, and webhooks</a>.</p> <h2 id="setting-kpis-what-to-measure-and-what-not-to-obsess-over" class="text-[20px] font-semibold text-slate-800 mt-8 mb-3 leading-snug">Setting KPIs: what to measure (and what not to obsess over)</h2> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">KPIs make or break the relationship. If you only track rankings, you will get ranking-focused behavior. Track business outcomes and leading indicators.</p> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">A clean KPI set looks like this:</p> <div class="overflow-x-auto my-6"><table class="w-full border-collapse text-sm"><thead><tr><th class="px-4 py-2 text-left text-[13px] font-semibold text-slate-700 border border-slate-200 bg-slate-50">KPI</th><th class="px-4 py-2 text-left text-[13px] font-semibold text-slate-700 border border-slate-200 bg-slate-50">Why it matters</th><th class="px-4 py-2 text-left text-[13px] font-semibold text-slate-700 border border-slate-200 bg-slate-50">Good review cadence</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr class="even:bg-slate-50"><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">Organic conversions (leads, sales)</td><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">The result you actually pay for</td><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">Monthly</td></tr><tr class="even:bg-slate-50"><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">Non-branded organic traffic</td><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">Shows demand capture beyond your name</td><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">Monthly</td></tr><tr class="even:bg-slate-50"><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">Share of clicks on priority queries</td><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">Better than “average position”</td><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">Monthly</td></tr><tr class="even:bg-slate-50"><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">Pages ranking in top 10</td><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">Tracks coverage expansion</td><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">Monthly</td></tr><tr class="even:bg-slate-50"><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">Crawl errors and index coverage</td><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">Prevents silent technical losses</td><td class="px-4 py-2 text-[14px] text-slate-700 border border-slate-200">Weekly to monthly</td></tr></tbody></table></div> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">One standalone rule that saves teams: <strong class="font-semibold text-slate-900">Agree upfront on what success looks like at 90 days, not 30.</strong> SEO has lag, even when the work is good.</p> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">For reporting, ask your freelancer to annotate changes. A report without “what we did” and “what we will do next” is not a report, it is a screenshot pack. If you are automating content, make sure your reporting separates “content published” from “content performing.” Publishing is activity. Performance is outcome.</p> <h2 id="red-flags-when-hiring-a-freelance-seo-and-how-to-test-claims" class="text-[20px] font-semibold text-slate-800 mt-8 mb-3 leading-snug">Red flags when hiring a freelance SEO (and how to test claims)</h2> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">Red flags are usually behavioral, not technical.</p> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">If the freelancer guarantees rankings, walk away. Google explicitly warns against anyone claiming special relationships or guaranteed placement in its <a href="https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide" title="SEO starter guide" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="text-primary-600 hover:text-primary-800 underline underline-offset-2 decoration-primary-300 hover:decoration-primary-500 transition-colors font-medium">SEO starter guide</a>.</p> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">If they refuse to explain their work, walk away. You are hiring a partner, not a magician.</p> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">If they push link packages, walk away. Real authority is earned and defended. It is not bought in bulk.</p> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">A quick test that works: ask for one example of a past client where they improved organic traffic, and request the exact changes they made on one URL. You are not asking for confidential data. You are asking if they can talk concretely about their craft.</p> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">Also test for brand voice. If they write content that sounds generic, it will not convert. If you plan to use AI writing, demand a process that avoids the common traps like hallucinated claims and thin content. Use <a href="https://vellumup.com/blog/ai-writing-mistakes-that-hurt-seo-and-trust" title="AI writing mistakes that hurt SEO and trust" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="text-primary-600 hover:text-primary-800 underline underline-offset-2 decoration-primary-300 hover:decoration-primary-500 transition-colors font-medium">AI writing mistakes that hurt SEO and trust</a> as your quality checklist.</p> <h2 id="how-to-become-a-freelance-seo-that-clients-keep" class="text-[20px] font-semibold text-slate-800 mt-8 mb-3 leading-snug">How to become a freelance SEO that clients keep</h2> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">SEO is crowded. Retention is the game.</p> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">The freelancers who stay booked do three things well: they pick a niche, they communicate priorities, and they ship consistently. “Ship” means live changes on the site, not advice.</p> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">If you are starting out, build a simple offer: an audit plus a 90-day execution plan plus a retainer option. Then document your process. Clients do not buy your time. They buy your predictability.</p> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">A practical path looks like this:</p> <ul class="my-4 space-y-2 list-disc list-outside ps-6"><li class="text-slate-700 leading-relaxed">Learn the fundamentals of crawling, indexing, and search intent.</li><li class="text-slate-700 leading-relaxed">Do 2-3 real projects at a discounted rate to build proof.</li><li class="text-slate-700 leading-relaxed">Productize your deliverables: audit template, content brief format, reporting dashboard.</li><li class="text-slate-700 leading-relaxed">Use tools that reduce busywork so you can focus on decisions.</li></ul> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">If you want to scale content delivery without hiring writers, pair your service with automation. VellumUp can act like a backend content team that never misses a deadline. You can even connect it to client sites using <a href="https://vellumup.com/integrations/webhooks" title="webhook-based publishing integrations" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="text-primary-600 hover:text-primary-800 underline underline-offset-2 decoration-primary-300 hover:decoration-primary-500 transition-colors font-medium">webhook-based publishing integrations</a> when the CMS is custom.</p> <h2 id="next-step-run-a-30-minute-freelancer-screening-that-saves-months" class="text-[20px] font-semibold text-slate-800 mt-8 mb-3 leading-snug">Next step: run a 30-minute freelancer screening that saves months</h2> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">Start with one page on your site that already gets impressions in Search Console but sits outside the top 10. Ask your SEO freelancer to propose a specific plan for that single URL: on-page changes, internal links, and one supporting article.</p> <p class="text-slate-700 leading-[1.85] mb-5 text-[15.5px]">If you want the “content engine” part handled end-to-end, set up VellumUp to scan your site and generate a content plan that matches your voice, then auto-publish on a schedule. You can start in minutes at <a href="https://vellumup.com/pricing" title="VellumUp pricing and plans" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="text-primary-600 hover:text-primary-800 underline underline-offset-2 decoration-primary-300 hover:decoration-primary-500 transition-colors font-medium">VellumUp pricing and plans</a> or go straight to an account at <a href="https://vellumup.com/register" title="create a VellumUp account" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="text-primary-600 hover:text-primary-800 underline underline-offset-2 decoration-primary-300 hover:decoration-primary-500 transition-colors font-medium">create a VellumUp account</a>. Your fastest path to organic growth is not a perfect strategy. It is a system that ships every week<