Navigating Long-Term Client Relationships as a Tech SEO Freelancer
Hello, fellow tech SEO enthusiasts!
I am reaching out to uncover the variety of tasks a technical SEO freelancer typically handles monthly for long-standing clients. We’re not talking about short-term gigs like website migrations or comprehensive audits, but rather ongoing engagements solely focusing on the technical facets of SEO. This is separate from roles that involve link-building or creating content strategies.
In my experience, I operate as a “fractional technical SEO.” This involves partnering with in-house teams that either don’t require a full-time tech SEO specialist or simply lack the bandwidth to tackle these tasks. Essentially, I integrate with these teams, enjoying the same access as a regular employee through tools like Jira, Slack, GitHub, AWS, and Teams.
Here’s how I typically contribute:
- Monitoring & Analysis: I continuously track our performance using tools like Google Search Console and inspect server logs for anomalies or opportunities.
- Ticket Management: I draft and perform quality assurance on development tickets.
- Communication & Collaboration: Regularly liaising with development, marketing, and content teams is crucial, alongside weekly or monthly meetings to ensure alignment on objectives.
- Stakeholder Engagement: I participate in calls with stakeholders to drive buy-in for our initiatives.
- External Partnership: When necessary, I collaborate with outside SEO agencies for comprehensive results.
- Site Auditing: After each developmental sprint, I compare the staging and live versions of the site to identify discrepancies or areas for improvement.
- Additional Responsibilities: Often, my role evolves beyond pure tech SEO tasks, encompassing areas like optimizing Merchant Center feeds, recommending new category pages for e-commerce clients, and advising on conversion rate optimization (CRO), user experience (UX), internal linking, and content audits. I also create mockups for new product listing pages (PLPs) and product detail pages (PDPs), and suggest product bundling or upselling tactics.
Additionally, I’m curious about how fellow freelancers structure their pricing models. Do you prefer hourly rates, or do you operate on a retainer basis?
I’ve shared my approach, which naturally developed as I discovered where I could add the most value. This hands-on involvement contrasts with merely offering consultancy, where engagement might not include tangible task execution or accountability. I would love to hear how others in the field navigate their roles.
2 responses to “Tech SEO freelancers with long-term clients, what work do you do?”
As a tech SEO freelancer working with long-term clients, the tasks can indeed be quite diverse and multi-faceted, allowing for significant integration within the client’s team and operations. From my perspective and experience, here are some detailed insights into the specific responsibilities and activities you might undertake, along with some practical advice on managing these roles effectively:
Ongoing Technical Audits and Monitoring:
Continuous site audits are crucial. This involves more than just a one-time diagnostic check—think of it as ongoing health monitoring. Regularly crawling the website and analyzing key SEO metrics help identify issues quickly. This is where tools like Google Search Console, Screaming Frog, and server log analysis come into play. You’ll want to focus on areas like crawl errors, indexability issues, site speed, and mobile usability. Providing ongoing reports keeps stakeholders informed about site health and upcoming priorities.
Development Collaboration:
Writing and QA for development tickets is an essential ongoing task. A solid understanding of platforms like JIRA is beneficial. Prioritize clear communication with the development team, ensuring that technical implementations align with SEO best practices. Customize your interactions based on the team’s workflow to keep processes streamlined. Holding periodic code reviews jointly with developers can ensure alignment and prevent miscommunication.
Information Architecture Optimization:
Regularly assess the website’s structure and suggest improvements to enhance user experience and ensure that search engines can crawl and index more effectively. This might include refining internal linking strategies, optimizing navigation, or recommending structural changes that support both SEO and UX.
Data Analysis and Reporting:
Becoming adept at using data analysis tools and crafting insightful reports is key. Beyond mere observation, provide actionable insights from tools like Google Analytics, GSC, and others to drive strategic decisions. Regular monthly or bi-weekly reports can help in demonstrating value and guiding future strategy discussions.
Stakeholder Engagement and Training:
Engaging with stakeholders to foster understanding and support for SEO initiatives is crucial. Conduct training sessions or workshops for clients’ teams to keep everyone on the same page regarding SEO best practices. Presenting complex data and results in a comprehensible manner can help ensure greater buy-in.
Cross-Functional Collaboration:
As you noted, there’s often a degree of ‘scope creep’ where your role expands into other areas like CRO, UX, and more. This highlights the importance of being resourceful and versatile. Embrace these opportunities, as they underscore your value as
Thank you for sharing your insightful experience! It’s fascinating to see how the role of a fractional Technical SEO freelancer can extend beyond traditional boundaries. Your emphasis on continuous monitoring and stakeholder engagement resonates deeply—those aspects are often overlooked yet crucial for achieving long-term success.
One area I’d love to hear more about is how you balance the technical SEO work with the evolving landscape of search engine algorithms. As algorithms continuously change, ensuring that your long-term strategies remain aligned with the latest updates can be quite challenging. Do you incorporate regular training sessions or workshops for your in-house teams to keep them informed about these changes, or do you mainly handle those adjustments yourself?
Additionally, regarding your pricing model questions, I have found that a hybrid approach often works best. Beginning with a retainer provides stability, while including provisions for hourly billing on specific tasks can also create flexibility for both parties. This ensures clients feel secure in the ongoing partnership while also being able to accommodate any unforeseen needs that arise.
Would you be open to sharing any particular success stories where this collaborative and adaptable approach has led to significant improvements for your clients? It would be great to learn how these long-term relationships have evolved and the impacts your contributions have made!