10 Best Websites to Hire SEO Freelancers [2026]

Fiverr keeps 20% of every order a freelancer completes, so a $500 SEO audit pays the seller $400. On Guru, the freelancer's cut runs 5% to 9%, and a client who pays by eCheck or wire transfer gets Guru's handling fee back. The site you pick decides how much of an SEO budget reaches the freelancer.

Best SEO freelancer websites compared

Platform	Type	Client fee	Freelancer fee	Vetting	Best for
Upwork	Marketplace	5% Basic, 10% Business Plus	0% to 15%	ID check; Expert-Vetted tier	Hourly SEO work
Fiverr	Marketplace	5.5%, plus $3 under $100	20%	Pro tier only	Fixed-price SEO tasks
Toptal	Vetted network	$79 a month; rates on request	Not published	Top 3% of SEO applicants	A senior SEO consultant
MarketerHire	Vetted network	From $5,000 a month	Not published	Under 1% accepted	A senior SEO marketer
Freelancer.com	Marketplace	3%, minimum $3 fixed price	10%, minimum $5 fixed price	Optional paid badge	Fast bids on a project
Seotal	Talent network	No platform fees	Seotal pays the freelancer	SEO test and live interview	A dedicated SEO specialist
Guru	Marketplace	2.9% by card	5% to 9%	Freelancers verified	Long contracts
Contra	Marketplace	$0 to $29 per payment	0% commission	Invite-only top tier	Paying a freelancer you found
LinkedIn Services Marketplace	Directory	Free to message	Free Service Page	None stated	Checking work history
PeoplePerHour	Marketplace	10% plus £0.60	3.5% to 20%	Applications reviewed	UK-linked businesses

1. Upwork

Upwork suits US small businesses that want to post an SEO job, compare proposals and pay by the hour or by milestone. Its client pricing page counts 18+ million freelancers across 180 countries. It also says Upwork verifies every freelancer's identity and location before you connect.

You can post a job or invite freelancers: 30 invites per job post on Basic and 60 on Business Plus. Uma, Upwork's AI hiring agent, builds a shortlist of applicants in under 6 hours, with limited access on Basic. Payments sit in escrow, and you release them only for approved work.

Basic costs 5% of each payment, plus a one-time contract initiation fee of $0.99 to $14.99. Business Plus, at 10%, adds Expert-Vetted talent, which Upwork calls its top 1%. Eligible US clients paying from a checking account get a lower rate: 3% on Basic and 8% on Business Plus.

The freelancer pays a separate fee. Upwork's Freelancer Service Fee article sets it at 0% to 15% per contract, shown before a proposal goes out and fixed once the contract starts. Upwork Basic sits mid-table among the percentage fees clients pay:

• Best for: Hourly freelance SEO services, from a one-off technical audit to a monthly retainer.
• Client fees: 5% on Basic or 10% on Business Plus, plus a contract initiation fee.
• Where it falls short: Screening beyond the ID check applies only to the Expert-Vetted tier on Business Plus.

2. Fiverr

Fiverr fits businesses that want a defined SEO task, such as a site audit or a keyword map, bought at a set price from a freelancer's Gig. Fiverr's guide for clients lists filters for freelancer tier, availability, spoken language, budget and delivery time. A seller type filter finds agencies, which Fiverr offers in Digital Marketing and three other categories.

Fiverr adds its service fee at checkout: 5.5% on all orders, plus $3.00 on orders under $100. The fee applies to all payments in the order, including add-ons, Gig extras and tips. Its clients FAQ says milestones, which split a larger project into approved stages, are only available on orders over $100.

Freelancers earn 80% of each purchase, including extras and tips, per Fiverr's earnings page guide. That flat 20% is the highest freelancer fee on this list:

Fiverr Pro is the vetted tier. The Pro application guide says Fiverr handpicks each Pro freelancer, and Digital Marketing is open to applications. Eligible Pro orders carry a satisfaction guarantee: cancel within 14 days of completion and approved refunds return to your Fiverr Pro balance. The guarantee does not cover hourly orders.

• Best for: Fixed-scope SEO deliverables with a clear price and delivery date.
• Client fees: 5.5% of each order, plus $3.00 on orders under $100.
• Where it falls short: Vetting covers the Pro tier only, and refunds under the guarantee come back as Pro balance, not cash.

3. Toptal

Toptal says only 26.4% of SEO applications pass its first screen, a language and personality evaluation. It suits US companies that want a senior freelance SEO consultant and will pay for screening done before the first call.

The SEO experts page puts the average time to match under 24 hours. Clients rate Toptal SEO experts 4.9 out of 5 from 603 reviews, on Toptal's own page. Growth Collective, a marketing freelancer network, has been part of Toptal since Toptal bought it in June 2024.

Toptal's FAQ lists a flat $79 monthly subscription, charged once you proceed with talent matching and cancellable at any time. Each engagement starts with a trial of up to two weeks, and you are not billed if you are not satisfied. Toptal publishes no SEO rates, invoices twice a month on Net 10 terms and publishes no freelancer fee.

The same FAQ says each applicant interviews with senior Toptal domain experts and completes a test project. Of more than 200,000 people who apply each year, Toptal accepts fewer than 3%. Each stage of its SEO screening cuts the pool further:

• Best for: Senior SEO strategy, site migrations or enterprise audits.
• Client fees: $79 a month subscription; expert rates quoted per engagement.
• Where it falls short: No published rates, so the budget becomes clear only after matching starts.

4. MarketerHire

MarketerHire's SEO page says plans start at $5,000 a month, the highest published entry price on this list. It fits growth-stage US companies that want a senior SEO marketer on a month-to-month contract.

The SEO marketer page counts 60,000+ vetted marketers and 30,000+ successful matches, and lists 48 hours to a first match. The page says MarketerHire handles payroll, contracts and compliance. MarketerHire's pricing page has no plans to pick: you describe the work on a call and get matched at a budget you agree.

Each engagement starts with a two-week refundable trial, then runs month to month. MarketerHire reports a 95% trial-to-hire rate. It publishes no freelancer fee.

The how we vet page describes five stages: recruiting, AI filtering on data from past matches, review by a specialist in the marketer's field, monitored first projects and ongoing checks. It gives an acceptance rate under 1% and says one bad project removes a marketer from the pool. Vetted networks each publish a selectivity figure, measured their own way:

• Best for: Companies ready to fund a senior SEO lead who owns strategy and reporting.
• Client fees: From $5,000 a month, quoted after a consultation.
• Where it falls short: The entry price rules out small one-off SEO tasks.

5. Freelancer.com

Freelancer.com says 80% of jobs receive bids within 60 seconds. It suits a business that wants many quotes on a defined SEO project fast, and its homepage claims more than 89.9 million professionals across 2,700+ skills.

Posting a project is free. You review bids and portfolios, award the project, and fund milestone payments that you release once you approve the work. Contests work too, with no fee to post or award one.

The fees and charges page charges clients 3% or $3.00, whichever is greater, when you award a fixed-price project, and 3% of each hourly payment. Cancel within seven days of acceptance and the fee comes back. Paying by card, PayPal or Skrill adds $0.30 plus 2.3%.

Freelancers pay 10% or $5.00, whichever is greater, on fixed-price projects and 10% on hourly work. Members of its Preferred Freelancer Program pay 15% on Recruiter projects.

Screening on Freelancer.com is optional. A freelancer can pay $99 to apply for a Verified by Freelancer badge, which the page describes as a rigorous verification process with its vetting team. Users who move a project and its payment off the platform face a penalty equal to 30% of the maximum project budget.

• Best for: Getting fast, competing quotes on a defined SEO project.
• Client fees: 3% per project or payment, with a $3.00 minimum on fixed price.
• Where it falls short: Verification is an optional badge the freelancer pays to apply for, not a screen applied to each bid.

6. Seotal

Seotal is our company, so weigh this entry accordingly. It is a freelance talent network that matches US businesses with vetted freelance SEO specialists in six markets: India, the Philippines, Vietnam, Bali in Indonesia, Malaysia and Dubai in the UAE. Seotal is not an agency and not a marketplace: you do not browse profiles or post a job for bids.

A client shares its goals and gets 3 to 5 vetted profiles within 72 hours, then interviews them by video, per our how it works page. Vetting covers a portfolio review, a written SEO test, a live interview with a senior SEO lead, an English assessment and a reference check. Seotal accepts fewer than 5% of applicants.

Our pricing page lists hourly work at $15 to $30 with no minimum. A part-time retainer costs $1,000 to $2,000 a month for 60 to 80 hours, with a 3-month minimum. Seotal quotes full-time hires per role, with a 6-month minimum.

There are no platform fees, no success fee and no fixed-price projects. If a freelancer does not fit in the first 30 days, Seotal replaces them free. The site reports 96% client retention, its own figure. Country pages cover an SEO specialist in India and an SEO specialist in the Philippines.

• Best for: US small businesses that want one dedicated SEO expert for hire on set monthly hours.
• Client fees: No platform fees; $15 to $30 an hour, or $1,000 to $2,000 a month part-time.
• Where it falls short: No fixed-price projects, and part-time retainers carry a 3-month minimum.

7. Guru

Guru charges clients a 2.9% handling fee on each invoice, and its employer pricing page gives 100% cashback when you pay by eCheck or wire transfer. It suits US businesses that expect to pay one SEO freelancer many invoices over a long contract.

You post a job free and get quotes from freelancers, often within a few hours, per Guru's how it works page. You compare quotes on feedback, portfolios and earnings data, then agree the scope, payment terms and timeline. Work runs in WorkRooms, and SafePay holds the money so the freelancer can see the funds before work starts.

Guru's homepage lists 80,304 freelancers in Sales and Marketing and says it verifies freelancers, while its pricing and how it works pages name no skills test or interview stage. Across the ten platforms, stated screening and client protection range from nothing stated to a screen on each hire:

Freelancers pay a job fee of 5% to 9% by membership level, per Guru's freelancer pricing page. Basic membership is free with a 9% fee, and Executive costs $49.95 a month with a 5% fee.

• Best for: Long freelance SEO contracts paid by recurring invoice.
• Client fees: 2.9% per invoice by card; nothing after cashback by eCheck or wire transfer.
• Where it falls short: No stated skills screening, so interviews and test tasks are yours to run.

8. Contra

Contra charges freelancers no commission, and its pricing page lists no client payment fees when the freelancer pays for Pro. It fits businesses that have already found an SEO freelancer and want contracts, invoices and payments in one place.

Contra's companies page claims 1M+ independents and 50K+ companies, and it runs a hiring page for SEO specialists. The pricing page describes Contra as commission-free "for all creatives".

For a freelancer on the free plan, Contra's fees overview, dated August 7, 2026, sets the client platform fee at $15 on payments of $1 to $499 and $29 on $500 or more. Card processing adds 2.9% plus 30 cents, about $30 on a $1,000 payment by Contra's own example. ACH costs 0.8%, capped at $5.

Pro costs the freelancer $29 a month or $199 a year and waives that platform fee. Contra's top tier, Top Independents, is 1% of its freelancers. Each is personally vetted by the Contra team and joins by invitation, per its Top Independents article.

A client pays $600 to an SEO freelancer on Contra's free plan, by ACH. What does Contra's fee table add?

A $29 platform fee, plus ACH processing of 0.8%, capped at $5.

• Best for: Paying a freelance SEO consultant you already know, with contracts and invoices on one platform.
• Client fees: $15 or $29 per payment, or nothing if the freelancer is on Pro, plus processing.
• Where it falls short: No stated screening outside the invite-only Top Independents tier.

9. LinkedIn Services Marketplace

LinkedIn's Services Marketplace returns up to 5 proposals from one short questionnaire, and messaging providers is free. It suits a business that wants to check an SEO consultant's career history, recommendations and shared connections before a first call.

The same page cites internal LinkedIn data: 82% of people who are hiring or have hired a service provider say a referral from their professional network is the best way to find a good candidate. Providers list their services on a free Service Page.

LinkedIn's help article on shopping for services describes two routes to a provider. You can request a proposal from a provider's profile, or let the matching system send your request to several providers. The system matches on availability, not your connections or location, and you cannot filter matched requests by location or industry.

Only providers with a Premium Business subscription can respond to requests shared with additional providers. A monthly limit caps how many requests you can send.

Clients and providers message on LinkedIn, then finalize the terms of any agreement outside LinkedIn. The help article adds that LinkedIn does not endorse any provider's services.

• Best for: Checking a freelance SEO expert's track record through your own network.
• Client fees: None listed; messaging providers is free.
• Where it falls short: LinkedIn endorses no provider and terms are settled off LinkedIn, so the contract and payment setup are yours.

10. PeoplePerHour

PeoplePerHour bills its buyer fee in pounds: £0.60 plus 10% on card and PayPal payments, per its terms. It fits US businesses that work with UK teams or want UK-based SEO help, since the platform calls itself UK-first.

Buyers post a project for proposals or buy fixed-price Offers. The PeoplePerHour homepage says PeoplePerHour hand-reviews and approves each freelancer, and counts 3 million rated freelancers across 8,766 skills. It also says freelancers complete 90% of projects within 7 days, and a banner offers hiring through Toptal's vetted network.

Its user base leans toward the UK:

The terms set the freelancer fee by lifetime billing with each buyer: 20% below £250, 7.5% from £250 to £5,000, and 3.5% above £5,000, excluding VAT. Bank transfers cost Gold members nothing and Silver members 2.5%.

For hourly work, a buyer can reject an invoice within three days if the time billed is not related to the project. PeoplePerHour then adjusts the invoice, provided both accounts are in good standing.

• Best for: US businesses with UK operations, or buyers who want fixed-price SEO Offers.
• Client fees: 10% plus £0.60 by card or PayPal.
• Where it falls short: Buyer fees are set in pounds, and a freelancer starts at the 20% tier with each new buyer.

Hire a vetted SEO freelancer without platform fees

I lead growth marketing at Seotal. On most sites above, you screen candidates yourself and pay a fee on each invoice; we match US small businesses with one vetted freelance SEO specialist and charge no platform fees.

Send a brief and get 3 to 5 profiles within 72 hours. Hire a freelance SEO expert, or take the interview questions from our guide on how to hire an SEO specialist to whichever site you use.

SEO freelancer websites: frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to hire an SEO freelancer?

Hourly rates vary by country and seniority. Our breakdown of SEO freelancer rates compares hourly rates by country, and our guide to what SEO consultants charge compares consultant rates by region.

What should a contract with a freelance SEO consultant include?

Put the deliverables, reporting, access to your accounts and ownership of the work in writing. Our SEO contract agreement template lists the clauses, and our guide to hiring an SEO specialist on contract covers the terms to agree before work starts.