Top 10 SEO Recruitment Agencies for Hiring SEO Experts [2026]

Search For Hire read 1,175 US SEO job listings and found a median advertised salary of $92,500, so its 20% Silver fee on a median hire comes to $18,500.

The same study found that 54.9% of SEO job descriptions mention AI, while only 11% of job titles do. A recruiter who knows search can test in the interview whether a candidate does the AI search work the description asks for.

SEO recruitment agencies compared

Agency	Base	Hiring models	Published fee	Guarantee	Best for
Search For Hire	US, UK, EU and APAC	Permanent headhunting	20% or 25% of first-year salary	12-week rebate or 1 year	Senior SEO and heads of SEO
KAS Placement	New York	Direct placement	19% to 22.5% of first-year pay	6 months	US in-house SEO hires
Intelligent People	London	Permanent and interim	Not published	Not published	Senior UK SEO and AEO roles
Robert Half	Global, since 1948	Contract, contract-to-hire, full time	Not published	Not published	US contract SEO cover
Mondo	Philadelphia, 11 US offices	Contract and direct placement	Not published	Not published	SEO and SEM hires fast
Seotal	Talent across Asia	Hourly, part time, full time	From $15 an hour	30-day replacement	One vetted freelance SEO
Forward Role	Manchester	Permanent, interim, contract	Not published	Not published	UK digital and ecommerce SEO
Sphere Digital	London	Permanent, contract, freelance	Not published	Not published	SEO hires at agencies
Onward Search	Fairfield, Connecticut	Contract, contract-to-hire, direct	Not published	Not published	US contract GEO and SEO
Profiles	Baltimore, 10 offices	Contract, direct hire, executive search	Not published	Not published	SEO staffing on the US East Coast

1. Search For Hire

Search For Hire homepage headline Headhunting agency for SEO and Performance Marketing teams, backed by a 1-year guarantee on Gold-tier placements

Search For Hire suits agencies and brands hiring a senior SEO specialist or a head of SEO who want a recruiter that works only in search. Its site says "we work exclusively in SEO, Paid Media, and Growth teams." The firm launched in 2021 as SEO For Hire and changed its name later.

The about page claims 200+ placements across the US, UK, EU and Australia, and says it fills 95% of search marketing roles in under 28 days. Josh Peacock is founder and CEO. Clutch lists Austin, Texas as its headquarters.

It is the only SEO-only recruiter here that prints its prices. The pricing page offers three tiers:

Gold: 25% of first-year salary, with a 1-year full guarantee.
Silver: 20%, with a 12-week cash rebate of 75%, 50% and 25% across weeks 1 to 4, 5 to 8 and 9 to 12.
Launch: a £2,500 flat fee for a shortlist only, credited back if you upgrade within 6 months.

Its 2026 SEO salary study is the most useful public data on US SEO pay. The 1,175 listings ran from April 2025 to March 2026:

Median advertised US SEO salary by level: Entry $62,500, Mid $73,000, Senior $82,750, Manager $108,225 and Director+ $133,750

Trustpilot shows 4.9 from 84 reviews for the firm under its old name.

Best for: Senior SEO and head of SEO roles at agencies and SaaS brands.
Where it falls short: A small firm, permanent hires only, and no public job board.
Fees: 20% or 25% of first-year salary, or £2,500 for a shortlist.

2. KAS Placement

KAS Placement SEO recruitment page headline Attract top search engine employees, saying it has expanded its SEO recruiting team to include GEO, AEO and LLM staffing

KAS Placement suits US companies hiring an in-house SEO lead on a permanent contract who want the fee written down before the search starts. It has run since 2005 from New York, with what its about page calls more than 40 recruiting specialists around the country.

The SEO recruitment page says companies have used its SEO recruiting for over 20 years, and that the team now covers GEO, AEO and LLM staffing. The agency recruits across sales and marketing, so SEO is one practice among several.

Its recruiting FAQ states the fee: most projects cost 19% to 22.5% of the employee's guaranteed first-year compensation, and contracts are non-exclusive. Many projects start with a fully refundable deposit, usually under $2,000, and each hire carries a 6-month guarantee.

The two firms here that publish a placement fee, side by side:

Published placement fee as a share of first-year salary: KAS Placement 19% to 22.5%, Search For Hire 20% on Silver to 25% on Gold

KAS holds 4.8 from 36 reviews on Trustpilot in November 2026.

Best for: US companies making a permanent in-house SEO hire.
Where it falls short: A sales and marketing generalist, with no contract staffing for SEO.
Fees: 19% to 22.5% of first-year compensation.

3. Intelligent People

Intelligent People page headline Digital marketing recruitment agency London, with 24+ years placing senior marketing professionals

Intelligent People suits UK companies hiring a senior SEO, from SEO manager to director of SEO, in London or remote. Its digital marketing recruitment page names Director of SEO, Head of SEO, Senior SEO Manager, SEO Manager and SEO Specialist among the roles it places.

It names AI search work outright. The same page says it places growth talent across paid media, SEO and CRM, plus "AEO, GEO and LLM optimisation". The firm says it has 24+ years of experience placing senior marketing professionals, on permanent and interim terms.

Its SEO specialist hiring page gives an expected salary of £50,000 to £70,000 a year. That page dates from 2024, so check the band against current data. IT Jobs Watch puts the UK median advertised SEO salary at £45,000 in the six months to November 4, 2026, per our UK freelance SEO rates study.

The site shows a 4.9 rating from 100+ Google reviews through a review widget. Fees are not published.

Best for: UK companies hiring a head of SEO or a senior AEO and GEO specialist.
Where it falls short: UK focus, no published fees, and a salary guide dated 2024.
Fees: Not published.

4. Robert Half

Robert Half SEO Specialist page with a national salary range of $67,750 to $91,000 and listed skills including answer engine optimization

Robert Half suits US companies that need an SEO specialist on contract within days, with the option to convert them to full time. Founded in 1948, it calls itself the world's largest specialized talent solutions firm, and its marketing and creative practice offers contract, contract-to-hire and full-time hires.

Its public salary data is the reason it ranks here. The SEO Specialist salary page sets the 2027 national range from its own placements and Textkernel job posting data:

$67,750

Low end of the national range

$78,500

Midpoint

$91,000

High end of the national range

Robert Half 2027 US salary range, SEO Specialist

The page lists answer engine optimization, AI marketing tools and conversion rate optimization among the skills employers ask for in an SEO specialist. Robert Half publishes no SEO manager page, so the range covers the specialist level only.

SEO is a small part of a firm that staffs finance, technology and legal roles as well, and its job board did not show any SEO titles in the first 25 results we checked. Trustpilot shows 2.0 from 161 reviews.

Best for: Contract or contract-to-hire SEO specialists in the US.
Where it falls short: A generalist, with weak candidate reviews and no published fees.
Fees: Not published.

5. Mondo

Mondo page headline Hire SEO/SEM and GEO talent fast, asking Looking for a search SEO/SEM and GEO staffing and recruitment agency

Mondo suits US companies that want SEO, SEM or GEO talent in days rather than weeks. Its SEO and SEM staffing page carries the headline "Hire SEO/SEM & GEO Talent" and lists SEO/SEM Manager, Analyst and Specialist roles.

Mondo is part of Addison Group and runs 11 US offices, with Philadelphia as headquarters, per its offices page. Its salary guide page quotes an average time to fill of 3 to 5 days for contract roles and 8 to 10 days for full time. The guide itself sits behind a form.

Hiring models and published fees across the ten firms:

Heatmap of ten firms: Search For Hire and KAS Placement publish fees and guarantees for permanent hires; Robert Half, Mondo, Onward Search and Profiles offer contract and permanent work without published fees; Seotal offers freelance and part-time hires with a published rate

The page groups SEO with SEM and paid search, so tell Mondo up front whether you need organic or paid skills. It holds 2.0 from 11 reviews on Trustpilot in November 2026.

Best for: Fast contract SEO or SEM cover in a US city where Mondo has an office.
Where it falls short: SEO and paid search share one desk, and reviews are weak.
Fees: Not published.

6. Seotal

Seotal page headline Hire SEO Freelancer On Contract, matching US small and medium businesses with vetted freelance SEO experts on part-time contracts

Seotal is our company, so weigh this entry with that in mind. It is not a recruitment agency and takes no placement fee: it matches US small and mid-sized businesses with vetted freelance SEO specialists, who then work for you on hourly, part-time or full-time contracts.

Our hire SEO page covers specialists in India, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Bali and Dubai. Each candidate passes a skills screen, an English assessment and a reference check before they reach a client, and screened profiles arrive within 72 hours, per our how it works page.

Our pricing page starts hourly work at $15 with no minimum. A part-time retainer of 60 to 80 hours a month costs $1,000 to $2,000, with a 3-month minimum. We quote full time per role with a 6-month minimum, and an Employer of Record option is available.

If a specialist is not a fit in the first 30 days, we replace them at no cost. The hire SEO page reports a 96% client retention rate.

Best for: Small businesses that want one vetted SEO specialist without a placement fee.
Where it falls short: No permanent search, and the specialists work from Asia.
Fees: No placement fee; hourly from $15.

7. Forward Role

Forward Role Digital and Ecommerce page, saying it recruits across every digital discipline from ecommerce leadership to paid media, SEO and web development

Forward Role suits UK companies hiring SEO in digital and ecommerce teams, with its head office in the North West. Its head office is in Manchester, with offices in London, Dublin and New York, per its about page.

The digital jobs page says "we place SEO Specialists, PPC Managers and Paid Media Execs", and its job board had live SEO roles on November 4, 2026. A Senior SEO Manager role in Manchester advertised £40,000 to £45,000.

That band sits under the £52,000 average that Sphere's agency survey gives UK SEOs with 4 to 6 years of experience.

Forward Role covers permanent and interim hires, with a separate contract arm and an executive search arm for senior roles. The site claims 250+ five-star Google reviews, a figure we could not check on Google itself.

Best for: UK ecommerce and digital teams hiring SEO managers outside London.
Where it falls short: A generalist marketing and IT recruiter, not an SEO specialist.
Fees: Not published.

8. Sphere Digital Recruitment

Sphere Digital Recruitment Agencies 2026 Salary Survey page

Sphere suits companies hiring SEO talent for agencies, media owners and adtech firms in London or New York. Founded in 2012 by Ed Steer and Niall Phelan, it has offices in London, New York and South Africa, and offers permanent, contract and freelance hires plus executive search.

It publishes the most detailed SEO pay tables of any recruiter here. Its Agencies 2026 Salary Survey, dated April 29, 2026, sets out UK permanent SEO salaries by years of experience:

UK permanent SEO salaries in agencies by experience, minimum to maximum with average: under 1 year £26,000 to £34,000, 1 to 3 years £30,000 to £45,000, 4 to 6 years £45,000 to £70,000, 7 to 9 years £55,000 to £85,000, over 10 years £65,000 to £110,000

The average rises £16,000 from the 1 to 3 year band to the 4 to 6 year band, then another £20,000 from 7 to 9 years to 10+.

The same survey gives UK contract day rates for SEO by experience. They run from £200 a day under 1 year to £500 at 10+ years:

Average UK SEO contract day rate in agencies by experience: under 1 year £200, 1 to 3 years £260, 4 to 6 years £320, 7 to 9 years £380, over 10 years £500

Best for: SEO hires at agencies and media companies in London or New York.
Where it falls short: SEO is a sideline within media and adtech, and candidate reviews are poor.
Fees: Not published.

9. Onward Search

Onward Search page headline Hire Marketing and Creative Experts, connecting companies with marketers and creatives

Onward Search suits US companies that want a GEO or SEO specialist on contract, with the option to hire them later. Its marketing and creative talent page lists "GEO, AIEO, & SEO Specialist" among the roles it fills.

The firm says on its about page that it has connected companies with creative, marketing and technology talent for nearly two decades. Its homepage claims a network of more than 1 million vetted professionals, and its corporate address is in Fairfield, Connecticut.

It offers contract staffing, contract-to-hire and direct hire. The 2026 salary guide covers 100+ pay ranges but needs a form to download.

SEO work is thin on its board. On November 4, 2026, a search of its 143 open jobs returned one result for SEO, an ecommerce manager role, and none had SEO in the title. Expect Onward to run a search for your role rather than draw on a bench of SEOs already looking.

Best for: US contract or contract-to-hire GEO and SEO specialists.
Where it falls short: SEO is one line in a long role list, with almost no SEO roles open.
Fees: Not published.

10. Profiles

Profiles page headline SEO Staffing Agency, describing its network of vetted search experts for SEO, content and link building roles

Profiles suits companies on the US East Coast that want an SEO shortlist fast, from a firm with a dedicated SEO staffing page. Founded in 1998 and based in Baltimore, it has physical and remote offices in 10 cities, including Chicago, Dallas, New York, Philadelphia and San Jose, per its FAQ.

Its SEO staffing agency page names technical SEO managers and local SEO specialists among the roles it fills. It promises a shortlist of candidates within three business days of a signed agreement.

Which recruiter in this list commits in writing to a candidate shortlist within three business days of a signed agreement?

Profiles, on its SEO staffing agency page.

Profiles offers contract staffing, direct hire and executive search. None of the 25 jobs on its public board had SEO in the title on November 4, 2026, so like Onward it searches per role. It publishes no fees or guarantee.

Best for: East Coast companies that want an SEO shortlist within days.
Where it falls short: No SEO roles open, and no published fees or guarantee.
Fees: Not published.

Hire a vetted SEO specialist without a placement fee

I co-founded Seotal and lead its SEO work. A recruiter's fee buys a search; we skip that step and match US businesses with one vetted SEO specialist on hourly or part-time terms, replaced at no cost in the first 30 days.

Get profiles within 72 hours. Hire an SEO specialist, or start with our guide on how to hire an SEO specialist.

SEO recruitment agencies: frequently asked questions

Should I use a recruiter or a freelance platform to hire SEO?

A recruiter fits a permanent senior hire where a bad choice costs months. For project work or part-time help, compare the websites to hire SEO freelancers or our SEO agency vs freelancer guide.

What should a US SEO manager earn?

Search For Hire's 2026 study puts the median advertised salary for manager-level SEO roles at $108,225. Our SEO manager salary guide compares SEO manager pay in other markets.