Marketing strategies often come and go, but there's one that's made quite a name for itself in recent years; SEO. Well, it may surprise you to learn that 70% of businesses still don't have an SEO strategy, but that's quickly changing.

With demand for high-quality SEO services projected to soar in the coming years, SEO professionals are presented with a unique business opportunity. However, you still need to learn the ropes! Let's talk about how to make money with SEO in 2022 and beyond!

What Is SEO?

Search engine optimization is a popular organic marketing tactic where websites optimize their content to rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs). Google uses crawlers to index trillions of pages on the internet, and they rank each of them for various keywords and searches. This is how you find the information you're looking for when you search on Google.

As a result, brands of all sizes and industries compete with each other to rank higher for certain keywords. Ideally, they try to rank at the top of the first page because, let's be honest, how often do users go to the second page of Google.

Google uses over 200 ranking factors for websites, which is why SEO comes in handy. Due to the variety of ranking factors, SEO services are typically very diverse and require a thorough audit and detailed strategy to be successful. Because of the incredible learning curve involved, businesses are typically willing to pay top dollar for these services, as the results tend to last for much longer than paid ads.

Is SEO a Good Career?

SEO is a great career for anybody who finds it interesting. If you enjoy writing, problem-solving, web design, data analysis, or any type of content creation, then you should enjoy SEO. This is especially true if you enjoy breaking up your routine, as SEO specialists typically have a diverse skill set and set of tasks.

Typically, SEO specialists, especially independent professionals, will need to understand:

Business principles
Marketing fundamentals
Basic web design skills (basic coding is also helpful)
Writing engaging content
SEO tools (Google Analytics, Google Search Console, keyword research tools)
Customer service and client relations
Networking (for link-building)

The list goes on and there are plenty of other skills that could make an SEO specialist even more valuable. For example, graphic design, video creation/editing, and social media skills could come in handy, but they aren't necessary for success in the industry.

Overall, if you enjoy working from a desk or remotely, learning new skills over time, and problem-solving, then SEO should be a great fit for you.

How to Get Started

There is no gold-standard in the SEO industry, no certifying body, or anything of the sort. You could get started for free just by reading materials on popular SEO blogs or taking an online SEO course to teach you the basics.

From there, keep reading, and don't stop. Seriously.

SEO is not particularly complex, but there's always something new to learn. For example, Google updates their algorithms periodically, which you will need to know about. There are also plenty of skills that could benefit you down the line, including coding, strategizing, and useful tools.

In the beginning, we'd strongly recommend learning more about the writing side of things, before you even begin your SEO career. From there, we would recommend getting familiar with:

WordPress or other CMS tools
Google Analytics
Google Docs
Google Search Console
Keyword research tools
General SEO tools

The list goes on, but these are a great start to branch out your SEO knowledge.

How Much Does SEO Pay?

SEO specialist salaries can vary widely. Someone with a thorough understanding of content marketing as well as technical, off-page, and analytical SEO may earn anywhere from $35,000 to $60,000 in a full-time job. However, if you run an SEO business, you can typically charge much more.

Freelance SEO experts, especially those with a breadth of experience, can typically charge $50 to $100 an hour. The average business spends $2,800 per month on managed services, so with enough clients, it's very realistic to earn a 6-figure salary with your own SEO business.

However, you will also need to invest in SEO tools and software if you want to be successful. Fortunately, most SEO businesses won't spend more than $150 to $500 a month on these tools, which isn't bad in the context of averaging $75 an hour for your services! You just need to know how to start earning!

How to Get Paid With SEO

Like every business, there's no such thing as a guaranteed payout. A busy coffee shop could stop having customers tomorrow, and an SEO business could never even find its first client. However, there are ways to maximize your chances of success, so let's talk about that!

1. Start as a Writer

Freelance SEO writers are in high demand, and it's a great way to get your foot in the door. There are plenty of content mills and businesses looking for SEO content writers.

On average, a brand new writer may start at the bottom, earning around $0.03 per word or less, which is $60 per 1,000 words. This incentive to write fast and churn out quality content could pay off in the long run. However, the keyword there is quality, as you'll still need to build a portfolio and maintain client relations.

Even if this isn't feasible as a full-time living at first, keep practicing and developing your portfolio. As you get faster and build more skills, you'll be able to charge more and increase your earning potential exponentially.

2. Build Your Own Blog

If you're going to write for a living, why not write about your favorite topics? If you love health and fitness, hiking, or photography, why not start a blog about it? It may take time to build an audience, but it will be well worth it once you do!

Once you start building traffic, there are plenty of ways to make money with a blog. You could try affiliate marketing, advertising, or plenty of other strategies. Just write quality content about your passions, follow the best SEO practices, learn from other successful blogs, and be consistent!

3. Offer Link-Building Services

Building backlinks, which are links from other sites to yours, is an important part of SEO. Search engine algorithms are powerful, but they can't fact-check everything on their own. How would they know which information is right?

For that reason, they rely heavily on other websites (especially industry-specific websites) to establish authority for websites. These links act as votes in their favor, and business owners are often willing to pay for link-building services. You could offer these services in one form or another by creating "link bait" for their websites, reaching out to other blogs, guest posting, or conducting competitor backlink research.

4. Sell SEO Services

By directly selling SEO services individually or as a package, you can find the widest range of potential clients. This way, you won't be limited in the types of clients you can find. However, this does require the widest knowledge base, so you will need to learn a lot about SEO.

Offering a full SEO package will make you a one-stop-shop for businesses looking to grow their SEO strategy. You can offer SEO audits, strategizing, content management, and so much more, setting your own prices. You may only need one or two clients to make a decent living with industry prices as high as they are.

If you're worried about the costs dwindling, don't. SEO has a strong outlook as a career, as it's such a niche subcategory of marketing that requires a wide range of knowledge. Building up a comprehensive package to offer clients is sure to be a lasting and profitable skill set!

5. Web Design Services

Web design is the foundation of SEO. Everything else simply builds upon it.

SEO specialists don't have to be skilled web designers, but they can certainly charge more and find more clients with web design experience. Of the 200 ranking factors in Google's algorithm, nearly all are dedicated to testing the usability and design of the website.

6. Auditing/Editing

Believe it or not, there's a market for making existing content more engaging, optimized for search engines, or more appealing to users. Businesses are often willing to pay top dollar for SEO auditing and consulting services, especially if you're willing to follow up by touching up on these issues afterward!

All you need is the right SEO checklist for beginners. We recommend using tools like Shine Ranker SEO tool to help you get started. This way, you can easily offer these services to businesses.

Build Your SEO Career Today

Now that you know how to make money with SEO, there's no time like the present to get these skills under your belt. They're not as difficult to learn as they seem; it's just a wide range of topics. Start small, work your way up, and keep learning for the best chances at a lucrative and lasting career!

Stay up to date with our latest SEO news and feel free to contact us with any questions or for help launching your new SEO career!

How to Make Money With SEO: Top 6 Ways to Get Paid as a Beginner