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Freelance SEM specialists

SEM specialists help improve a website's ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs), aiming to drive more traffic to the site. SEM specialists optimize a website and develop and execute SEM marketing campaigns and relevant keyword research. SEM specialists also often track and report on SEM performance metrics, such as click-through rate (CTR), and pay-per-click (PPC).

SEM specialists deeply understand how search engine algorithms work and how to optimize a website to rank higher in search results. As a result, SEM specialists can help a company save money and increase its online visibility. The average salary for SEM specialists is $60,000 per year. However, experienced SEM specialists can earn significantly more. Freelance SEM specialists can charge anywhere from $25 to $150 per hour, depending on their skill and experience in the digital marketing industry.

Experience and expertise 

Your SEM specialist's experience and expertise will affect your project's overall cost. Depending on the service you are looking for, from in-house SEM management and technical SEO to a one-time hire for a marketing specialist to set up local SEO campaigns, you will see a huge variance in cost. You could save money and hire a less experienced freelancer for simple on-page search engine optimization. But you might not reach the conversion rates you were looking for. If you need ongoing help or someone to manage an entire digital marketing campaign, it's worth paying for a more experienced specialist.

Location 

Outsourcing your SEO marketing services will save you money. Overseas specialists offer online marketing services and charge significantly less than those with the same job titles within the U.S. However, be prepared for language barriers and time zone differences if you want to outsource. 

Project scope 

The more narrow the scope, the easier the SEO strategy will be to forecast and budget. For example, a vague "increasing website traffic" strategy leaves the door open for any type of digital marketing strategy. But, if you provide your SEO team with a step-by-step guide on how you want to increase your website traffic, i.e., through SEM campaigns or link building, then your scope will be easier to obtain and the cost more manageable. 

Timeline

The timeline of your project will affect the cost of your project. A good SEM specialist will tell you that organic search takes time and that search marketing is a long-term marketing campaign. This is true, as SEM changes take a while to show their results in Google Analytics or Bing. Be prepared to pay for a multiple-month project, but short-term projects like simple landing pages or Google Ads are quick and easy tasks for freelancers to do quickly and for a lower rate.

Popular SEM Specialists' costs & examples

SEM specialists are hired for a lot of different projects. Their skills can range from link building to ad campaigns, but an SEM specialist’s most popular projects include:

Content marketing:

While SEM Specialists don't directly create content, they play a huge role in creating the strategy. Using their skills, SEM specialists can perform keyword research to help content creators know what topics will be the most popular and generate the most traffic. They can also help create a strategy for distributing the content to ensure it reaches the right target audience. Depending on their involvement, keyword research can be either an hourly fee or a paid retainer fee.

Paid search (PPC):

Paid search is a type of digital marketing where companies pay to have their ads appear in search results. SEM specialists can help companies create and manage their paid search campaigns and track and report on the performance of their ads. Depending on their involvement, PPC can be either an hourly fee or a paid retainer fee.

Social media marketing:

SEM specialists support social marketing campaigns through research, planning, and execution. They use their knowledge of search engines to ensure that a company's social media content is visible to potential customers. This can be either an hourly fee or a paid retainer fee.

Find talent at the world's work marketplace 

From experience and expertise to the scope of work and timeline, finding an SEM specialist for your next project is not impossible. At Upwork, you have access to the world's top talent, so you can get the quality work you need without breaking the bank. 

Upwork is not affiliated with and does not sponsor or endorse any of the tools or services discussed in this section. These tools and services are provided only as potential options, and each reader and company should take the time needed to adequately analyze and determine the tools or services that would best fit their specific needs and situation.