Why is SEO for Freelancers So Important?

SEO Strategy

Mar 19

Written By Emily

why is SEO so important for freelancers?

When I started freelancing copywriting, I spent zero time on content marketing or SEO optimisation. And I consistently felt stressed about where my next project was coming from.

SEO for freelancers is so important because it’s one of the most effective ways to guarantee consistent, high-ticket projects over the long term.

If you don’t currently use content marketing and SEO for your freelance business, I’ll convince you to start in this post.

Want tips on how to get wildly better at copywriting? Here is my top advice for copywriting for beginners.

What is SEO for Freelancers?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of making your website discoverable in search engines. Whenever someone types in “[your services] in [your city]”, you want your website to shine at the top of search results.

But even if you’re not targeting local clients, you still want to rank for industry-specific keywords – that’s what SEO for freelancers is.

5 Benefits of SEO for Freelance Websites

If you head to Google now and type in an industry-specific keyword, you probably get a lot of hits from massive, established websites. You’ll never compete with the giants, so why even bother focusing on SEO for your freelance website?

There are five important benefits I like to share with the freelancers I work with…

1. More eyes on your offers

You’ll see a boost in website traffic by targeting the right keywords. Sure, if you’re a marketing expert, you probably won’t rank first for “marketing services”, but you certainly could rank for something more specific like “marketing for real estate agents”.

There are thousands upon thousands of untapped keyword phrases that huge companies aren’t bothering with, making them perfect for SEO for freelancers.

Don’t worry – I’ll show you how to target those keywords later in the post.

2. Boosted brand awareness

The more searches you show up in, the better your brand awareness. Imagine having dozens of high-value blog content ideas for your website, each ranking in Google searches for different keywords and phrases.

People will begin recognising your brand, trusting your content, and coming directly to you when they have related questions.

This doesn’t just open the door to more client inquiries; it also makes gaining press, sponsorships, affiliates, and other important marketing opportunities much easier.

3. More sales!

Getting more sales is the underlying goal of every action we take in our businesses. We don’t have a viable business if we're not making money!

Yes, social media is a great source of sales – just like cold emailing, PPC, and referrals. However, having a website that thousands of people visit every month is a consistent source of leads that you own.

Having regular inquiries every month is a great feeling, and you know those who find you are already primed for your services.

4. Build your credibility and authority

Ever wanted to be a keynote speaker? How about being asked to be an expert source for a publication? These are the types of doors that open when your content starts making waves on Google.

We’re not trying to make our service pages rank in Google searches with SEO for freelancers. Instead, we want a strong bank of expert-style SEO blog posts that bring in your organic traffic. These dramatically boost authority and establish you as an expert in your niche.

5. Better access to local clients

If you’re looking to build relationships with local clients, SEO is a must. Ensuring your pages rank well for local searches (e.g., photographers in London, graphic designers in York, etc.) means local clients will easily find you and choose you over your competition.

The Cons of Focusing on SEO for Getting Clients

Sounds great, but what’s the catch with SEO for freelancers?

Hard work

Ranking at the top of Google searches is incredibly hard and requires consistent work. You won’t see results within the first few days or weeks, which puts many freelancers off starting.

Don’t give up now, though! There are some incredible copywriting tools that make the process much easier.

Time-consuming

You’ll also need to dedicate time every week to creating content for your website. It’s tough to carve out time to increase website SEO when you could be doing paid client work, but I guarantee you it’s worth the effort.

Requires consistency

It’s a sinking feeling putting hard work into something and having little to show for it. But working on your freelancer SEO takes consistency. Thousands of freelancers give up every single year – be the one who sticks with it.

If you start right now, you’ll start seeing results within three months. With consistent effort, you’ll have a website that can easily generate ad revenue, product sales, and new client leads on autopilot within a year.

Quick Tips for Boosting Your SEO for Freelancers

I’m taking it back to basics and outlining what you can do this week to start boosting your freelancer SEO. If you want more specific help, you need a website copy audit to pinpoint areas that need work.

Post at least two content-rich blog posts per week. If you’re stuck on what to write, here are 10 blog content ideas.
Use Uber Suggest to find keywords and create a list of words and phrases to target.
Choose a specific keyword for each web page and add it to your titles, body content, ALT text, URL slugs, and meta descriptions.
Ensure the technical SEO on your website is on point – improve page speed, navigation, layout, and user experience.
Use the Google Search Console to make sure your website is indexed and searchable.
Use Canva to create professional-looking graphics for each blog post. Yes, graphics are also important for optimisation.
Use this handy SEO checklist to make sure each of your blogs is optimized for SEO.

You’ll need over 50 blog posts on your website to get the best results, so post consistently every week to create a high-value blog section for both potential clients and the Google algorithm.

SEO for Service Providers: The Takeaways

Building a website that consistently ranks on Google takes time and effort, but it’s definitely worth your time. Whether you still haven’t landed your first freelance client or you’re struggling to get consistent leads, SEO will help give your business the monthly consistency it needs to thrive.

So this week, start writing content-rich blogs for your website – I want to see at least ten value-packed blogs published on your site!

Don’t forget to grab your blog SEO checklist to help optimize and improve every single blog you publish.