Having an SEO specialist or link builder job is exciting and challenging, in equal measure. This is an appealing opportunity and potential career for anyone who would love helping businesses grow. It’s great to be passionate about digital marketing and advertising for this role. Besides, you should have diverse knowledge, from the free link building tactics to the technical SEO peculiarities. Does helping companies improve their website's visibility and rankings make you feel accomplished?
In the past few years, SEO salary has seen drastic changes and fluctuations. Whether you are a seasoned SEO link builder or just considering this path, you likely have many doubts. How much can you expect to earn as an SEO and link-building specialist? This article will answer this and other questions about this career.
What Is the Job Description of an SEO Link Builder?
As an SEO link builder, you are responsible for developing strategies to increase the number and quality of inbound links to a website. The goal is to improve the website's visibility and search engine ranking.
Yet, if you want to have a more diverse career in this field, you can opt for an SEO specialist instead of focusing on a link builder job. Typically, an SEO expert will use on-page, off-page, and technical SEO. If your role is within an SEO agency, you may work directly with multiple clients, helping to build bespoke strategies that align with their overall goals.
Your duties would include the following:
- Creating and adjusting SEO strategies based on the client’s needs.
- Collaborating with other departments to improve your SEO strategy.
- Doing continuous keyword research aligned with particular goals.
- Being responsible for finding high-quality websites for guest posting.
- Building relationships with other bloggers and site owners to create a network and get backlinks.
- Working with the writing team to ensure content meets the best SEO standards. This might include assigning topics to writers and establishing requirements.
- Monitoring the website's backlinks.
- Constantly learning and refining the best SEO practices to boost clients' website rankings.
What Is the Average SEO Salary Range?
Several factors can impact your salary as an SEO link builder. Your income might depend on location, years of experience, level of education, job requirements, and the industry.
Salary By Location
Location can be a major factor influencing your salary as an SEO link builder. For example, you are likely to make more in cities with fewer SEO specialists and higher demand for such experts, and vice versa. Yet, you can always try to get a remote job in other cities or countries regardless of where you live.
In developing countries with less attention to digital marketing, the demand is low, affecting your ability to earn more. Also, some employers may pay you less if you live in an area with lower living costs. Other factors linked to a location that can affect your income are variables like the cost of living and taxes.
According to Check a Salary, if you are in the UK, you can earn an average of £33,752 per year for an SEO specialist or link builder job. Your income can go as high as £49,529 or as low as £10,400.
Salary By Years Of Experience
The more experience you have, the higher your chances of earning more as an SEO link builder. According to Pay Scale, in the UK, the average base SEO salary is broken into the structure below:
- Junior level SEO Specialist – £23,213
- A middle-level SEO specialist – £32,847
- Experience SEO specialist – £46,500
The best practice is to check the salary levels for your skills and experience before accepting an offer. Remember that getting new knowledge is one of the best ways to get paid more. There are many ideas you can explore to become a better SEO expert and link builder.
Salary By Industry
All sectors have different priorities and pay rates. Some industries are more profitable than others, so they will pay you more. For example, in the UK, your SEO salary can vary a lot depending on the niche you’re working in. First, try checking the industries that have the biggest digital marketing budgets.
According to the research, the marketing-oriented leaders are retail, finance, and technology. For example, tech and software companies spend about 25-50% of their budget on digital marketing, including SEO. A company that sets promotion as a priority will definitely have a higher pay rate. Besides, these industries have the biggest number of SEO job postings.
Freelancer SEO Link Builder Salary
Working as a freelance SEO specialist is a whole different story. You can set your schedules and pay rates. But several factors like ratings, taxes, competition, or the quality of your portfolio will determine how much you earn. On Upwork, a UK-based SEO link builder asks for anywhere between $20 and $200 per hour. In comparison, most link building experts or Upwork agencies from Eastern Europe or India charge around $6-$40 per. hour. Given these varying rates, it can be cost-effective to hire a link building expert on an outsource basis, allowing you to tap into global talent and expertise while keeping costs manageable.
How Does Link Building Pricing Influence the Link Building Jobs?
Often businesses avoid SEO because they believe it is too expensive. Besides the SEO salary expenses, every company needs a budget for link-building activities. The link prices can vary based on your industry. They can start at $10 and go up to $2,500 per link or even more. This depends on whether you use sites for guest articles or contextual backlinks. Besides, the link-building pricing is also different for permanent and temporary links.
So, a big part of any link builder job is to learn how to optimize expenses. If you, as an SEO expert, can save your company money and still get great results, they will value you even more. And this is a great way to get yourself a raise and start earning more. So, your SEO salary will depend greatly on your skillset and willingness to evolve.
Conclusion
SEO specialists and SEO link builders are essential to help businesses bridge the gap between them and their target audience. That’s why these experts are in high demand. And you can earn more than average if your job gets significant results and shows great ROI. Sharpen your SEO skills, gain new knowledge, and watch your professionalism increase with your salary. And if you also love what you do, a link builder job might be your dream come true.
