How to Make Money with SEO: Opportunities for Everyone

If you’ve mastered the art of SEO and know how to pull in traffic from Google and other search engines, you’re sitting on a goldmine of opportunities. While offering SEO services is a common path, it’s far from the only one. In fact, your expertise can be the foundation for building something even bigger and more sustainable.

By leveraging your ability to rank pages and attract targeted visitors, you can create multiple income streams. From passive revenue models to scalable online ventures, the growth potential is enormous when paired with the right strategies.

In this post, we’ll reveal the secret of how to make money with SEO. If you’re ready to explore what’s possible and put your skills to work in smarter ways, let’s get started!

What is SEO?

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, involves a series of techniques focused on improving how content appears, ranks, and performs in organic search results. 

The primary goal of SEO is to rank your website on the first page of search engine results pages (SERPs) for keywords that matter to your audience. The higher your site ranks, the more visible it becomes, which leads to more people visiting your site.

How Do Search Engines Work?

To understand how SEO works, it's essential to grasp how search engines function. Search engines like Google use crawlers, also known as bots or spiders, to explore the internet and gather information. These crawlers follow links from one page to another, collecting data to create a large database called an "index."

For example, if Google indexes a page on the GemPages website about page builders, it will follow any links on that page, such as those leading to Shopify stores, to collect additional information. 

The content of these pages, along with the context of the links, allows search engines to interpret what the pages are about and how they relate to each other. For instance, if GemPages links to an article on website building challenges, Google will recognize that using page builders is a potential solution.

Search engines also evaluate factors like page load speed, mobile-friendliness, and overall user experience. These aspects play a vital role in determining a page's ranking, ensuring that the content not only aligns with search queries but also provides a positive experience for visitors.

Once you get the hang of how search engines operate, you can apply SEO to make your site more search-friendly. SEO includes three main strategies to assist search engines in finding, understanding, and ranking your pages:

• On-page SEO: Enhancing your website’s content and structure are optimized for both users and search engines.

• Off-page SEO: Gaining backlinks from other websites to increase your site’s credibility and authority.

• Technical SEO: Making sure your website’s technical setup allows crawlers to easily navigate and index your pages.

How To Make Money From SEO From The Ground Up?

Time for the exciting part! For those who are looking to turn SEO skills into cash, let’s dive into how you can make money with SEO.

Get a Full-Time Job as an SEO Specialist

If you're new to SEO, one of the quickest and most reliable routes to start earning is by landing a full-time SEO specialist position. The demand for SEO professionals is growing rapidly, with the median salary for SEO specialists reaching $58,288 in 2024 – an impressive 18.4% increase from the year before. This surge in salary is a clear sign that SEO expertise is more valuable than ever.

Starting in a full-time role allows you to dive deep into the world of SEO without the pressure of freelancing or starting your own business. You’ll get hands-on experience with real-world projects, learn from industry veterans, and build a portfolio that will set you up for long-term success. As you have experience, you'll unlock more chances for career growth and higher earnings.

Pros: 

• Be able to test strategies and learn with the support of existing resources.

• Receive a consistent paycheck.

Cons:

• Work long hours in a fast-paced, sometimes chaotic environment.

• If you're entrepreneurial, it can feel limiting to work for others.

Read More: ​​13 Creative Ways to Make Money on Shopify

Craft SEO Content

Creating SEO content is another great method to make money with SEO, especially if you enjoy the process. It may not provide quick returns, but with persistence, it can turn into a solid income stream. By producing high-quality SEO-focused articles, tutorials, or case studies for your own platform, you can attract organic traffic and establish a loyal audience.

Once your platform gains traction, you can monetize it through ads, affiliate links, or even by offering your SEO services to others. The key to success is consistently creating valuable, SEO-optimized content that meets the needs of your audience. As your platform grows and more people visit, your traffic and income will increase, turning it into a sustainable source of revenue.

Pros: 

• Minimal startup costs, mainly time and effort.

• Flexible work schedule and location.

• Build personal brand and authority in SEO.

Cons: 

• Monetization takes time with audience building.

• Require consistency in content creation and SEO practices.

How To Make Money With SEO, From Junior To Expert Levels?

Build an eCommerce Store and Sell Products

Starting an eCommerce store with a focus on SEO brings an excellent possibility of tapping into the growing online market. With the global eCommerce market set to hit $6.09 trillion in 2024, reflecting an 8.4% growth from the previous year, it's the ideal moment for new businesses – especially those with an SEO edge – to succeed and stand out.

Begin by selecting a niche and deciding which products you want to sell. Keyword research will show you what buyers are searching for and help you pinpoint the products in high demand. For instance, if “ice blender” is trending but there are few competitors, seize the opportunity and capitalize on the trend.

After that, analyze your competitors’ SEO strategies. Understanding how they rank will give you insights into what it takes to get to the top for your target keywords. With a strong SEO plan, your store can rise above the competition and drive meaningful profits.

Pros: 

• ​​Gain long-term, compounding benefits as your store ranks higher.

• Manage your business from anywhere.

• Create a scalable business that can run with little hands-on effort once established.

Cons: 

• Invest significant time in research, SEO, and set up before seeing returns.

• Risk of low sales or market changes affecting your product's demand.

Note: If you're not a business pro but want to dive into eCommerce, GemPages – a Shopify intuitive page builder – lets you design a gorgeous storefront with just a few drag-and-drop moves. No coding required! You’ll have a sleek, high-converting store that’s ready to go, all while giving you the freedom to focus on applying SEO to drive your success. It’s the perfect tool to get your eCommerce business up and running quickly and effortlessly!

Offer SEO Freelancing

Businesses are always eager to find SEO experts who can help them stay ahead of the competition and rank for the keywords that matter most to their target audience. This creates an opening for you to step in and offer your SEO skills to help businesses improve their visibility.

There’s a range of services you can provide, such as SEO audits, link building, content marketing, on-page optimization, and technical SEO. If you're not so confident with SEO, start with a micro SEO service, and as you gain confidence and expertise, add more services to your portfolio.

It’s also a great idea to specialize in a specific niche like SaaS, local businesses, or eCommerce because clients tend to value industry expertise. And don’t forget, SEO isn’t just for websites. You can optimize content on platforms like YouTube, Amazon, and even podcasts. Nail those, and you can see some impressive earnings.

Pros:

• Work anywhere, on your schedule.

• Keep expenses low.

• Work with businesses in different industries.

• Constantly improve your skills by staying updated on SEO trends.

Cons:

• Struggle to stand out in a competitive market.

• Face unpredictable income, especially early on.

• Manage client expectations, as SEO results take time.

• Experience isolation due to lack of a team or office setting.

• Deal with burnout from balancing multiple clients and staying updated.

Flip Websites

Website flipping can be a profitable venture if you have a knack for SEO and a keen eye for spotting hidden potential in websites. Basically, it's all about buying a website that's not doing so well, fixing it up with your SEO skills, and then selling it for a profit.

The key to flipping websites is finding ones that already have some value like decent backlinks or a bit of traffic, but are still underperforming. Once you buy a website, you’ll want to improve things like content, keywords, page speed, and user experience to make it more attractive to visitors and search engines.

After you’ve worked your SEO magic and the site starts picking up traffic, it’s time to sell. Sites can go for a lot more than what you paid for them. For example, if a site is making $1,000 a month, after some tweaks, it could be worth around $5,000.

Pros: 

• Potential for high profits with a good ROI.

Cons:

• Risk of losing money if improvements don’t work.

• Demand strong SEO and content skills.

Rank and Rent Leads

Alt Text: lead-generation-with-seo.

Rank and rent is an SEO strategy in which you build a website, optimize it for a specific niche or location, and then rent it out to businesses that pay for the leads it generates. The idea is to drive traffic to your site and collect high-quality leads you can sell to local businesses looking for those exact customers.

This works well for industries that rely heavily on lead generation, like home services, real estate, or law firms. While it requires some upfront work to rank the site, it can become a steady income stream once consistently generating leads.

Pros: 

• Bring in money consistently with minimal ongoing effort.

• Easier to attract clients, since they pay for leads rather than committing to long-term contracts.

• Unlike traditional SEO services, you’re not required to manage client expectations or deliverables over time.

Cons: 

• Require a lot of time and effort.

• Need negotiation skills to convince businesses to buy leads from you.

Read More: Top Lead Generation Landing Page Examples for Your Shopify Store in 2024

Be an SEO Coach

After years of honing your SEO expertise, you might start feeling the pull to do more than just apply your skills. You might want to share them. Teaching others what you’ve mastered is both fulfilling and a brilliant method to generate SEO passive income while expanding your reach.

Creating and selling high-quality SEO courses is a smart move. Whether you prefer in-person coaching or online programs, platforms like Gumroad, Udemy, Teachable, or your own website can help transform your expertise into a profitable business.

The first step is deciding how to package and deliver your course. Here are some engaging options to inspire you:

• Free YouTube Lessons: Offer quick, actionable tips for free and earn through ad revenue. It’s a great method to grow your audience while generating passive income.

• Premium Video Courses: Provide detailed, in-depth training on platforms like Udemy or Teachable, where students can pay for exclusive access to your expertise.

• Task-Specific Templates: Sell ready-to-use templates or guides for specialized tasks, such as optimizing WordPress site speed, through Gumroad.

• Subscription-Based Communities: Build an expert-led online group where members pay monthly for exclusive tips, tools, and strategies.

• One-on-One Coaching: Combine pre-made materials with personalized Zoom or in-person sessions for a high-value, hands-on experience.

If teaching is your thing, this is your chance to turn your SEO knowledge into a scalable, profitable venture while empowering others to succeed.

Pros: 

• Generate SEO passive income once the course is created.

• Boost credibility and visibility in your niche.

• Control content, delivery format, and pricing to suit your style.

Cons: 

• Invest significant initial effort to create high-quality content.

• Compete in a crowded SEO training market.

• Pay platform fees that cut into your earnings.

• Face unpredictable SEO money depending on course performance.

Read More: How To Generate Shopify Passive Income: Ideas & Tips

Wrapping Up

No matter your level of experience, there’s always an opportunity to discover how to make money with SEO. However, excelling in this competitive space and earning a substantial income requires more than just knowing the technical ins and outs. It takes perseverance, dedication, and the ability to adapt as the SEO landscape constantly shifts.

Now’s the time. Start boosting your SEO skills today and keep moving forward on your path to success!