QUICK HIT: Local Search Industry Data from BrightLocal in Focus

BrightLocal has released its sixth annual Local Search Industry Survey and it provides some interesting insights into current business practices, services, attitudes, growth, and of course salary in the local SEO industry.

Whether you're thinking about throwing your virtual hat in the ring or are currently serving as a search marketer, BrightLocal's data will likely prove fascinating. Some of the highlights include:

  • 92% of SEO professionals feel optimistic that 2018 will be a positive year for SEO
  • The average SEO professional earned $61,711 in 2017
  • In 2017, the average SEO retainer was $1,670/month - with 57% of SEOs receiving under $1,000 per client per month
  • On average, a search professional tackles 7.7 different SEO and business tasks every week
  • Freelance and Agency SEOs bill their clients an average of $110 per hour
  • 59% of in-house SEOs told us their business spent over $1,000 per month on marketing
  • 47% of SEOs work over 41 hours per week
  • SEOs' favorite tasks are heavily data-driven (on-site optimization, SEO audit and analysis, and GMB optimization)
  • 73% of SEOs think that delivering results for clients will be harder in 2018