Have you ever thought about going freelance on the SEO field but you do not know which are the most sought-after profiles and which are the best paid SEO fields? On this post I will show you some take-aways that I have gotten from a research that I did with some data from Upwork, one of the main platforms to find freelance jobs.
Where the data comes from?
To start with, let me introduce you to Upwork if you do not know how it works so that you can understand where the data comes from. Upwork is a sort of job portal where freelancers can sign up to find new opportunities and companies publish job offers. On the job offer, the job publishers can include a project description, the hourly rate that they are willing to pay for those services and the skills they are looking for, among other fields. Below we can see an example:
Basically for this research I have scrapped from Upwork 5.000 results which were given for the query “seo” and got the hourly rate and the skills and expertise. It is worth to mention that when it comes to the hourly rate field, as shown in the screenshot, a range is given so basically to get an exact number and make the data comparison easier I have used the average of the minimum and maximum. Afterwards, I have categorized these skills in different groups depending on their SEO areas and mainly I have ended up with nine big groups: Tracking & Analytics, Research, PPC, Content Management, Copywriting, On-Page, Technical, Social Media and Linkbuilding.
As you can observe, there are some groups which are not a specific SEO areas such as Social Media or PPC, however I still considered interesting to include them as once you take over some SEO freelance projects many times you are meant to take over PPC campaigns or Social Media activities as companies are seeking a person which can be in charge of most of the digital marketing activities. It must be the case for these job offerings because as mentioned previously these data is gotten by using the query “seo”.
On this post we will first go over a high-level overview of each of the nine classification groups and later on we will dig into each group and their specific required skills.
The raw data which was scraped from Upwork can be found over here, if you would like to do your own researches.
First insights: groups classification
Considering the group classifications, we can see at first sight that the hourly rates range from around 20 dollars to 28 dollars, being linkbuilding the worst paid group and tracking and analytics the best one in financial terms. When it comes to job offerings, the most demanded skills are related to social media, although it is the second worst paid group, and copywriting.
On this table below we can see the results shown in a different way and sorted out by the best paid jobs:
| Area | Weighted average dollars per hour | Number of skills occurrences | Variety of Skills |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tracking & Analytics | 27,70 | 954 | 13 |
| Research | 26,92 | 1026 | 20 |
| PPC | 26,37 | 1936 | 26 |
| Content Management | 24,61 | 1867 | 16 |
| Copywriting | 24,31 | 2343 | 19 |
| On-Page | 24,23 | 486 | 5 |
| Technical | 22,85 | 1939 | 38 |
| Social Media | 20,71 | 3631 | 37 |
| Linkbuilding | 20,18 | 449 | 5 |
1.- Tracking and Analytics
The best paid jobs are related to Google Merchant Center, Campaign Reporting, Google Tag Manager, Budgeting and Forecasting and Marketing Automation, being paid over 30 dollars per hour. On the other hand, the worst paid jobs are related to MySQL, Marketing API integrations and SEO reporting, being paid under 21 dollars per hour.
The most demanded skill is Google Analytics, which is paid with around 27 dollars per hour.
| Area | Weighted average dollars per hour | Number of skills occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Google Merchant Center Jobs | 40,25 | 16 |
| Campaign Reporting Jobs | 35,50 | 28 |
| Google Tag Manager Jobs | 32,84 | 38 |
| Budgeting & Forecasting Jobs | 32,59 | 52 |
| Marketing Automation Jobs | 31,89 | 35 |
| Campaign Analysis Jobs | 29,87 | 15 |
| Tracking & Analytics Jobs | 29,00 | 127 |
| Performance Monitoring Jobs | 28,47 | 16 |
| Google Search Console Jobs | 27,95 | 101 |
| Google Analytics Jobs | 27,02 | 418 |
| SEO Report Jobs | 21,43 | 46 |
| Marketing API Integration Jobs | 17,89 | 37 |
| MySQL Jobs | 15,06 | 25 |
2.- Research
When it comes to research projects, we see that the hourly rate range is higher than Tracking and Analytics. On the one hand, some projects related to Brand Positioning and Messaging, Market Analysis and Growth Analysis are paid with over 40 dollars per hour. On the other hand, Audience Research projects are paid with only 16 dollars per hour.
Most of the projects are related to Keyword Researches, which are paid with around 26 dollars per hour.
| Area | Weighted average dollars per hour | Number of skills occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Brand Positioning & Messaging Strategy Jobs | 49,15 | 22 |
| Market Analysis Jobs | 44,20 | 19 |
| Growth Strategy Jobs | 40,68 | 15 |
| Brand Marketing Jobs | 37,21 | 14 |
| Marketing Research Jobs | 36,45 | 15 |
| SEM Keyword Research Jobs | 31,77 | 31 |
| Business Development Jobs | 30,99 | 24 |
| User Research Jobs | 29,92 | 19 |
| Audience Targeting Jobs | 29,23 | 22 |
| Market Research Jobs | 28,72 | 62 |
| Experience Strategy Jobs | 28,21 | 21 |
| SEO Strategy Jobs | 27,14 | 35 |
| SEO Keyword Research Jobs | 26,02 | 266 |
| Competitive Analysis Jobs | 25,87 | 86 |
| Ahrefs Jobs | 25,17 | 59 |
| SEMrush Jobs | 23,38 | 34 |
| Research Jobs | 23,17 | 209 |
| Google Trends Jobs | 22,97 | 19 |
| Moz Jobs | 22,63 | 28 |
| Audience Research Jobs | 16,17 | 26 |
3.- PPC
The best paid jobs are related to strategy conceptualization, Google Shopping and Campaigns setups, being paid over 35 dollars per hour. On the other hand, those jobs related to Pinterest Ads, Snapchat Ads and pixel setups are the worst paid with under 20 dollars per hour.
The jobs which were the most demanded were the ones related to Google Ads, with around 350 occurrences.
| Area | Weighted average dollars per hour | Number of skills occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Advertising Strategy Jobs | 41,51 | 21 |
| Pay Per Click Advertising Jobs | 38,07 | 37 |
| Google Shopping Jobs | 37,65 | 20 |
| PPC Campaign Setup & Management Jobs | 34,21 | 36 |
| Adobe Advertising Cloud Jobs | 30,68 | 19 |
| Paid Media Jobs | 30,68 | 58 |
| Google Display Network Jobs | 30,47 | 17 |
| Google Ad Manager Jobs | 30,30 | 15 |
| Pay Per Click Jobs | 30,07 | 60 |
| Advertising Jobs | 29,46 | 34 |
| Campaign Optimization Jobs | 28,30 | 101 |
| Google Ads Jobs | 28,11 | 352 |
| Display Ads Jobs | 27,29 | 112 |
| Search Engine Marketing Jobs | 26,44 | 244 |
| Product Listing Ads Jobs | 26,27 | 79 |
| Video Ads Jobs | 26,06 | 96 |
| Google AdSense Jobs | 25,10 | 35 |
| Retargeting Jobs | 24,60 | 121 |
| Campaign Setup Jobs | 23,71 | 66 |
| Campaign Management Jobs | 23,57 | 119 |
| Build Lookalike Audiences Jobs | 20,48 | 53 |
| Dynamic Ads Setup Jobs | 20,18 | 49 |
| Pinterest Ads Manager Jobs | 19,78 | 58 |
| Pixel Setup & Optimization Jobs | 19,62 | 46 |
| Snapchat Ads Manager Jobs | 18,65 | 44 |
| Pinterest Marketing Jobs | 14,64 | 44 |
4.- Content Management
The jobs which are related to strategy conceptualization, Active Campaigns, Press releases and Hubspot are the best jobs in financial terms, getting paid for them rates which range from 25 to 30 dollars per hour.
Most of the job offerings have an average hourly rate which ranges from 22 to 25 dollars, although there is an exception with the Email Communication jobs, with a very low rate being in the region of 7 dollars.
The most prevalent jobs are related to Content Writing.
| Area | Weighted average dollars per hour | Number of skills occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Content Marketing Jobs | 30,93 | 171 |
| Content Management Jobs | 28,83 | 23 |
| ActiveCampaign Jobs | 28,04 | 27 |
| Press Release Jobs | 27,29 | 17 |
| Content Strategy Jobs | 26,65 | 24 |
| HubSpot Jobs | 25,92 | 63 |
| Content Marketing Strategy Jobs | 25,03 | 356 |
| Website Content Jobs | 24,46 | 269 |
| Content Distribution & Promotion Jobs | 24,39 | 14 |
| Mailchimp Jobs | 24,08 | 30 |
| Newsletter Jobs | 23,77 | 59 |
| Content Writing Jobs | 23,15 | 486 |
| Content Creation Jobs | 23,12 | 46 |
| Website Jobs | 23,11 | 162 |
| Content SEO Jobs | 22,52 | 106 |
| Email Communication Jobs | 7,13 | 14 |
5.- Copywriting
It seems that the best job offerings are related to Headlines creation and ads copies. On the other hand, the worst paid jobs are related to social media content creation and blog posts creation.
The most demanded skills are those related to Copywriting Jobs and SEO writing jobs.
| Area | Weighted average dollars per hour | Number of skills occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Headlines Jobs | 31,47 | 35 |
| Ad Copy Jobs | 28,74 | 39 |
| Copyediting Jobs | 28,73 | 30 |
| Text Ads Jobs | 27,65 | 95 |
| Copywriting Jobs | 26,46 | 367 |
| eBook Jobs | 26,39 | 22 |
| Email Jobs | 25,83 | 32 |
| SEO Writing Jobs | 25,17 | 305 |
| White Paper Jobs | 25,09 | 22 |
| Editing & Proofreading Jobs | 24,91 | 140 |
| Creative Writing Jobs | 24,79 | 108 |
| Article Writing Jobs | 24,23 | 193 |
| Blog Content Jobs | 23,70 | 259 |
| Article Jobs | 23,57 | 186 |
| Blog Writing Jobs | 22,22 | 278 |
| Writing Jobs | 21,89 | 99 |
| Blog Site Jobs | 21,30 | 15 |
| Blog Jobs | 18,50 | 34 |
| Social Media Content Creation Jobs | 14,94 | 84 |
6.- On-Page SEO
It is not a very varied group, having only 5 skills therein. The job rates fluctuate from 20 dollars to 26, being the Landing Page Jobs the best paid job and On-page Optimization Jobs the worst paid ones.
The most demanded skill is related to Landing Page jobs.
| Area | Weighted average dollars per hour | Number of skills occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Landing Page Jobs | 26,34 | 217 |
| Yoast SEO Jobs | 24,19 | 56 |
| On-Page SEO Jobs | 22,49 | 120 |
| Website Optimization Jobs | 22,49 | 38 |
| On-Page Optimization Jobs | 20,94 | 55 |
7.- Technical
Speaking for myself, it was a surprise to see this category in such a low position when it comes to the average rates, being paid around 30 dollars per hour.
The best paid jobs are related to Setup and configuration, SEO auditing and GoDaddy. On the other hands, the worst paid jobs are related bug fixing, jQuery, Elementor and Plugins for WordPress, although there are a bunch of other skills being paid under 20 dollars per hour too.
The most demanded skills are those ones related to WordPress and SEO Auditing.
| Area | Weighted average dollars per hour | Number of skills occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Setup & Configuration Jobs | 32,71 | 19 |
| SEO Auditing Jobs | 31,44 | 53 |
| GoDaddy Jobs | 30,29 | 17 |
| Software Design Jobs | 29,03 | 15 |
| SEO Audit Jobs | 27,72 | 117 |
| Shopify Jobs | 27,13 | 96 |
| Wireframes Jobs | 27,13 | 19 |
| Web Design Jobs | 25,45 | 86 |
| Technical SEO Jobs | 25,39 | 89 |
| Mobile App Design Jobs | 25,39 | 31 |
| Technology Jobs | 24,70 | 79 |
| WordPress Plugin Jobs | 23,92 | 19 |
| Visual Design Jobs | 23,88 | 64 |
| Software Jobs | 23,30 | 22 |
| Responsive Design Jobs | 23,11 | 59 |
| Website Development Jobs | 22,98 | 86 |
| Website Redesign Jobs | 22,85 | 75 |
| Bootstrap Jobs | 22,64 | 14 |
| Bing Webmaster Tools Jobs | 21,79 | 21 |
| Wix Jobs | 21,73 | 22 |
| HTML Jobs | 21,48 | 102 |
| Components Design Jobs | 20,91 | 16 |
| WordPress Jobs | 20,68 | 273 |
| Website Customization Jobs | 20,66 | 29 |
| DeepCrawl Jobs | 20,52 | 23 |
| PHP Jobs | 20,19 | 61 |
| HTML5 Jobs | 20,14 | 42 |
| CSS Jobs | 20,09 | 75 |
| WooCommerce Jobs | 19,86 | 54 |
| JavaScript Jobs | 19,17 | 73 |
| Squarespace Jobs | 18,98 | 28 |
| Web Application Jobs | 18,91 | 16 |
| WordPress SEO Plugins Jobs | 18,83 | 26 |
| CSS3 Jobs | 18,61 | 31 |
| Plugins for WordPress Jobs | 18,39 | 23 |
| Elementor Jobs | 17,86 | 26 |
| jQuery Jobs | 16,52 | 21 |
| Bug Fixes Jobs | 16,24 | 17 |
8.- Social Media
The best paid jobs are related to influencers management. On the other hand, the worst paid jobs are related to Messenger Marketing, Instagram and Community Management.
The most demanded skills are related to Facebook.
| Area | Weighted average dollars per hour | Number of skills occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Social Media Post Jobs | 29,75 | 24 |
| Influencer Marketing Jobs | 25,01 | 154 |
| Graphic Design Jobs | 23,44 | 92 |
| Social Media Advertising Jobs | 23,32 | 205 |
| Social Media Marketing Jobs | 23,09 | 265 |
| Facebook Advertising Jobs | 23,06 | 166 |
| Facebook Ads Manager Jobs | 22,76 | 176 |
| LinkedIn Campaign Manager Jobs | 22,64 | 78 |
| Facebook Marketing Jobs | 22,62 | 205 |
| Instagram Marketing Jobs | 21,72 | 178 |
| YouTube Jobs | 21,59 | 85 |
| Adobe Photoshop Jobs | 21,46 | 89 |
| Social Media Management Jobs | 21,19 | 249 |
| Facebook Jobs | 20,92 | 226 |
| Instagram Jobs | 20,89 | 198 |
| Adobe Illustrator Jobs | 20,37 | 58 |
| LinkedIn Jobs | 20,12 | 79 |
| Twitter Ads Manager Jobs | 19,69 | 60 |
| Instagram Ad Campaign Jobs | 18,79 | 61 |
| Twitter Jobs | 18,77 | 78 |
| Pinterest Jobs | 18,72 | 65 |
| TikTok Jobs | 18,35 | 27 |
| Facebook Ad Campaign Jobs | 18,29 | 70 |
| Social Media Optimization (SMO) Jobs | 18,29 | 91 |
| Social Media Content Jobs | 18,29 | 150 |
| YouTube Marketing Jobs | 17,62 | 63 |
| HootSuite Jobs | 17,59 | 17 |
| WhatsApp Jobs | 17,44 | 18 |
| Snapchat Jobs | 15,86 | 38 |
| Social Media Account Setup Jobs | 15,07 | 37 |
| Google+ Jobs | 14,67 | 30 |
| Social Media Posts Jobs | 14,63 | 94 |
| Social Media Marketing Strategy Jobs | 14,57 | 46 |
| Twitter Marketing Jobs | 14,43 | 49 |
| Community Management Jobs | 14,41 | 17 |
| Instagram Stories Jobs | 14,11 | 76 |
| Messenger Marketing Jobs | 13,44 | 17 |
9.- Linkbuilding
The linkbuilding group is not very varied, having only 5 different skills and being paid around 20 dollars per hour.
| Area | Weighted average dollars per hour | Number of skills occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Off-page Optimization Jobs | 21,98 | 47 |
| Off-Page SEO Jobs | 20,71 | 105 |
| Backlinking & Outreach Jobs | 20,35 | 124 |
| SEO Backlinking Jobs | 20,34 | 92 |
| Link Building Jobs | 18,02 | 81 |