I was laid off during the pandemic. One moment, I feel like I have job security due to the ongoing demand for SEO services. The next moment I’m looking at the dreaded calendar invite to attend a meeting with my boss and HR.

I was terrified because I had three kids, a mortgage, and healthcare costs that could wipe us out. 

For years, freelancing had been a side hustle. It was something I did for extra cash, never as my primary income. But necessity has a way of forcing change and with no safety net, I went all in. 

Five years later, I’ve built an SEO consulting business that has generated over $1 million in revenue.

If you’re working in-house or agency-side and thinking about taking the leap into full-time freelancing, this guide is for you. I’ll break down the steps I took to turn my side hustle into a thriving business, so you can do the same.

Prepare for feast and famine

Almost every SEO freelancer has experienced feast or famine. One month, you might land multiple high-paying projects; the next, work could dry up completely

This unpredictability can be frustrating and, at times, terrifying if you’re used to a steady paycheck.

Don’t panic.

Instead of spending freely in good months, set aside income for the slow ones. Remember that inconsistency is part of the process and you’ll build a steady pipeline of clients as you earn credibility.

Save six months of income to get you through (if you can)

I really wish I could tell you I had saved six months' worth of expenses before going full-time, as it would have given me breathing room while I built a client base. I wasn’t afforded this luxury, but I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to freelance full-time.

One of the biggest traps new freelancers fall into is the race to the bottom, accepting any client at any rate just to keep money coming in. 

When you’re desperate, you make bad decisions. Savings allow you to be selective, choosing projects and clients that align with your long-term goals instead of scrambling for short-term survival.

The mindset shift is the toughest battle you'll face

Freelancing requires mental resilience. The toughest part of this journey is handling rejection, uncertainty, and comparison.

• Prepare for rejection: Not every client pitch will land, and not every lead will say yes. A “no” today doesn’t mean failure, it just means it wasn’t the right fit.
• Stop comparing your journey to others: Some freelancers scale to six figures in a year; others take five. Your growth is your own, and success isn’t always linear.
• Find a mentor or accountability partner: Having someone to turn to, whether it’s for business advice or just motivation, makes a huge difference. Surround yourself with people who understand the journey and can help you stay on track.
• Learn to say no: Not every client is a good fit. Turning down work that doesn’t align with your expertise removes you from the scarcity mindset and allows you to scale faster.

Map out a financial plan

Beyond savings, you need a financial roadmap to guide you. Without one, you risk undercharging, overspending, or struggling to make ends meet.

Start by calculating your bare minimum income. This is the amount you need to cover rent/mortgage, groceries, insurance, taxes, and other non-negotiable expenses. Then, factor in additional costs like software, internet, and business expenses. 

Next, determine how many clients (or projects) you need per month to replace your salary, this is the profit you’d get after expenses.

If you’re in the US or another country without universal healthcare, research your options early and factor that in. Monitor income, expenses, and profitability using accounting software like QuickBooks or a simple spreadsheet. 

Luke Carthy does a great job of breaking it down in this MozPod episode.

Create essential assets before pitching clients

Before reaching out to potential clients, have assets that prove your expertise. Even without freelance experience, you can showcase your skills in other ways.

Build a simple portfolio website

When building your website, include:

• Who you are and what you do
• Examples of past work
• Contact information

If possible, secure yourname.com or yourcompany.com for credibility.

Showcase case studies

Break down SEO wins from past projects or personal experiments. Clients want to see how you solve problems.

Collect testimonials

If you’ve done freelance work, ask past clients or colleagues for a short testimonial. Social proof builds trust. 

If you haven’t done client work, ask folks you’ve worked with before to write you a LinkedIn recommendation that you can use as a testimonial on your website.

Create personal projects

No client work yet? Analyze a website’s SEO, run an experiment, or publish a detailed breakdown of an SEO strategy.

Once again, Luke Carthy is a great example here. He reviews e-commerce websites of potential clients he wants to work with and publishes his analysis on his blog. Even when it doesn’t get the attention of the desired client, other similar brands take note and hire him to fix SEO and conversion for their website.

A strong portfolio builds trust faster than any pitch. It shows clients you can deliver results before they hop on the first call.

Decide between cold outreach vs. organic attraction

Freelancers find clients primarily in two main ways: actively reaching out (cold messaging) or attracting leads through visibility (organic attraction). The best approach depends on where you are on your journey.

Cold messaging

If you’re starting out and need clients quickly, direct outreach can be effective. For example, in this episode of MozPod, Joshua George explains how he used cold outreach to sign his first client

If you’re reaching out cold, don’t send a generic pitch. Demonstrate immediate value by analyzing their site and identifying quick SEO wins. Tools like Moz’s Free Domain  Analysis let you generate a snapshot of a prospect’s SEO health.

Sharing key Insights, such as broken links, technical issues, or keyword opportunities, shows that you’ve done your homework and makes your outreach stand out.

For example, here’s a quick report for Toys "R" Us I pulled from Moz Domain Overview.

If I were reaching out to a potential them as a potential client, I could get information like:

• The main topics the website covers
• The type of keywords they rank for
• SERP competitors
• Link health
• Keyword opportunities and gaps
• Top pages with errors

It literally took 30 seconds to get this snapshot in Moz. Imagine what you could do if you spent 5 minutes pulling data that positions you as the best expert to solve a problem.

Organic attraction 

Organic attraction takes longer but is far more sustainable. You establish authority by sharing valuable insights, case studies, and industry knowledge through LinkedIn, Twitter, or blog posts.

Personally, I prefer organic attraction. My newsletter and social presence consistently put me in front of decision-makers, which led to referrals and inbound leads. 

If you start building authority now, you’ll have a steady stream of opportunities when you’re ready to go full-time.

Further reading:

Chima Mmeje’s guide to becoming a thought leader

Leverage your existing network

Your first client might already be in your circle; you just have to ask.

When I went full-time, I reached out to a dozen industry contacts. I didn’t ask for work directly. Instead, I asked for advice and mentioned I was available for referrals or overflow projects.

Here’s an example of a message I sent:

What was the worst that could happen? They say no, and I move on. But more often than not, people were happy to offer advice, and some even had immediate opportunities.

One of those connections, Trevor Stolber, gave me one of my first freelance SEO projects. He didn’t need my help, but he was willing to give me a shot. That first opportunity created momentum that led to many more.

What if you don’t have an existing network?

• Join Slack groups like SEO Community and Women in Tech SEO
• Attend in-person SEO meetups to build relationships organically.  Use Google to find local meetups in your area. For example, I live in Minnesota and have been active with the MnSearch Community.

Fill your empty slots with white-label work

One of the quickest ways to land freelance work is by white-labeling for agencies. You offer your services to agencies looking for help on a client project. 

Think of it like ghostwriting. They claim the results and pay you for your time, but you can’t mention the client on your portfolio because technically, the agency is your client.

While working on my direct client pitches, I picked up a few white-label gigs from agencies with whom I had built relationships over the years. 

It helped because:

• Outsourced work removed the burden of selling
• It provided income while I invested in building my brand to take on clients directly

Here’s how to find white-label work:

• Reach out to SEO agencies that might need extra hands for client projects
• Contact marketing agencies that don’t have in-house SEO teams but offer SEO services
• Leverage freelance job boards and Slack communities where individuals and agencies post projects they need support with

Would I recommend starting with white-label work? 

Yes, but with caution.

It’s great for early experience and quick income but caps your earning potential because agencies take a cut. You can reasonably expect your rates to be ~50% or less of the agency's hourly rate.

The long-term goal should be to transition to direct clients, where you can charge higher rates and focus on growing your brand.

Apart from freelance clients, I run two websites on the side:

• #SEOForLunch
• SEOJobs.com

#SEOForLunch

I have written 423 issues for #SEOForLunch newsletter. That’s consistent weekly publishing for over eight years. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that side hustles take a lot of time.

Growth was slow, but consistency paid off. I gained subscribers through:

• Word of mouth
• Weekly LinkedIn and Twitter posts
• Cross-promotions with other industry newsletters

Eventually, I introduced paid sponsorships, generating ~$20K in 2024. But the bigger win is leads for my consulting business, which are worth more than ad revenue.

SEOJobs.com

I launched SEOJobs.com to fill a gap in the industry by connecting SEO professionals with job opportunities. In 2024, it made ~$20K, covering:

• Developer and designer costs
• A contractor to manage listings
• New platform updates

I monetize SEOJobs.com through:

• Paid job listings from companies hiring SEOs
• Newsletter sponsorships

However, revenue isn’t the only benefit. The real value is expanding my network, reinforcing my industry credibility, and attracting consulting opportunities, just like #SEOForLunch does.

If you’re looking to monetize a newsletter or other side-project, here’s my advice:

Provide value first and monetize later: Nobody wants to read a newsletter filled with ads. Focus on building an engaged audience first.

Make sure your side hustle serves a bigger purpose: Both SEOForLunch and SEOJobs.com feed into my consulting business and generate inbound leads. If your side hustle supports your primary business, it’s twice as valuable.

Not every client is willing or able to invest in six-figure SEO partnerships. The key is knowing who to target, where to find them, and how to prove your value.

3 criteria to choose the right clients

High-value clients have three essential traits:

• They see SEO as a long-term investment: They aren’t chasing quick wins; they want sustainable, strategic growth.
• They have the budget and resources: Some businesses want enterprise SEO but lack the funds or internal support. The best clients already understand the importance of SEO and are ready to execute.
• Their business model supports SEO-driven ROI: If a company sells $5 widgets with a $1 profit margin, a $100K SEO investment isn’t practical. But if they sell $2,500 mattresses, they only need 75 additional sales to justify the cost.

Which channels attract six-figure clients?

From my experience, there are two channels that attract the best clients:

• Referrals: Most of my high-value clients come through recommendations from past clients and industry peers.
• Organic inbound leads: My newsletter, #SEOForLunch, and LinkedIn posts put me in front of decision-makers looking for SEO services.

Raising rates is one of the hardest parts of freelancing. Despite 10+ years of agency experience, I undercharged early on and hesitated to ask for more. Thankfully, my confidence grew and I’ve found a system that works when raising my rates:

• Use a waitlist to drive demand: If you’re successful enough to be fully booked out, use a waitlist to monitor your lead pipeline. You can capitalize on the demand for your service to raise your rates for new clients.
• Increase rates at renewal: If my work delivers results, I discuss an increase in the rates when renewing the contract.
• Shift from hourly to value-based pricing: Instead of billing for time, I charge based on business impact.

Winning new clients is great, but retaining them is where the actual profitability lies. 

A few ways to retain clients include:

Tie ROI to business goals

To retain top-tier clients, you have to tie SEO ROI to business outcomes. I focus on metrics that matter to executives including:

• Revenue from SEO: I connect SEO performance to conversions and revenue growth.
• Cost savings vs. paid acquisition: I show how SEO lowers dependence on expensive paid channels and improves overall marketing efficiency.

To make reporting frictionless, I use Moz’s Custom Reports to build easily digestible SEO reports. The reporting feature in Moz Campaigns lets me highlight client wins, track progress, and schedule recurring updates, so clients can see the value of my work.

For example, if I only wanted to report on search visibility, I could create a one-click report that shows search visibility on desktop vs. mobile and drills down to traffic sources.

Communicate in a language clients understand

One of the biggest mistakes SEO consultants make is using jargon that doesn’t resonate with decision-makers. Clients don’t care about “canonical tags” or “crawl budgets”—they care about how SEO impacts revenue.

How I simplify SEO for clients:

• Instead of: "We fixed JavaScript rendering issues blocking Googlebot from crawling category pages."
  Say: "Your product pages weren’t showing up in Google. We fixed that, and now customers AND Google can find you."
   
• Instead of: "We optimized internal linking for better PageRank distribution."
  Say: "We made it easier for Google and users to find your most important pages, which should help them rank better and drive more revenue."

I’ll reiterate my previous point on tying ROI to business goals:

• Conversions → Revenue
• Traffic → Potential customers
• Technical SEO fixes → More pages eligible to generate revenue
• Rankings → Increased visibility over competitors

Earn loyalty by going the extra mile

The best way to keep clients loyal is to make them feel valued.

Here’s how I go the extra mile:

• I proactively solve problems: Instead of waiting for clients to spot issues, I bring solutions before they ask.
• I advocate for their brand: If I see an opportunity for them (like a press mention or collaboration), I share it, even if it’s not directly related to SEO.
• I educate and empower: When delivering reports during client meetings, I explain what they mean, why they matter, and how they can use the insights internally.
• I show appreciation: Small gestures, like sharing a relevant article or congratulating them on a milestone, go a long way.

Success in freelancing comes down to finding the right clients, proving your value, and nurturing relationships. Raise your rates as you grow, build a network that brings opportunities, and diversify your income for long-term stability. Most importantly, treat freelancing like a business—the more intentional you are, the more freedom and profitability you’ll achieve.