Your numbers
What a seo specialist should include in expenses
Typical costs include SEO and rank-tracking tools, crawler licenses, reporting software. Add your own and keep receipts for tax time.
Where unbilled time goes
SEO Specialists commonly lose billable hours to audits, reporting and client education. Count these when choosing your billable hours per week.
Pricing models
Common choices are monthly retainers, one-time audits and hourly consulting.
Tip: Tool costs are real; include them in expenses before setting retainers.
The math
Gross revenue = ($90,000 + $9,000) ÷ 0.72 = $137,500. Billable hours = (52 − 5) × 24 = 1,128. Minimum rate = $137,500 ÷ 1,128 = $122 per hour. See the methodology. Example inputs are illustrations, not market data.
General hourly rate calculator · Tax set-aside · Retainer pricing · All professions
Frequently asked questions
What should a seo specialist charge per hour?
It depends on your target income, costs and billable time. With $90,000 take-home, $9,000 expenses, a 28% tax set-aside, 5 weeks off and 24 billable hours a week, the minimum comes to about $122 per hour. These are example inputs, so enter your own.
How many billable hours does a seo specialist really have?
Many freelancers bill fewer hours than they work because of audits, reporting and client education. The example uses 24 billable hours a week; track your own time to find your number.
How should a seo specialist price work?
Common models are monthly retainers, one-time audits and hourly consulting.
Is this the rate I should quote?
No. It is the minimum that meets your targets. Add margin for demand, specialty and risk.