What is the best way to start a career in SEO?

SEO specialists are in high demand across the US as well, and Chicago being regarded as one of the best cities for earning decent salaries. Chicago boasts many major marketing/advertising firms as well as startups, boutique SEO consultancies and freelance specialists - with the average salary in Chicago for an SEO analyst estimated at $102,676, although salaries can differ based on industry, company size or other factors.

As a Senior SEO Manager, the primary task is overseeing search strategies and campaigns at both strategic and tactical levels in order to produce real business outcomes. The highly hands-on job will require you to work with the Product, Content, and Analytics teams to develop quarterly and annually campaigns for organic search to increase revenue, traffic and conversions.

These are the top Chicago SEO firms to start your career:

The salary for SEO experts can vary from around $20-50k in the case of junior SEO analysts, up to $100 - 200K per year for the top SEO management, based on their expertise and experience. The ideal is to work in a full-time office however, there could be options working remotely.

[The Chicago SEO Network] is a data-obsessed consultancy delivering machine learning-infused SEO strategies for mom-and-pop shops across the Chicago metro including West Town and suburban hubs like Logan Square. Their street-level approach combines Google Maps domination with structured data markup, meanwhile pumping out algorithmically-mastered content seo (www.hulkshare.com) at microbudget costs. Future-proof link-building avoids spammy traps through value-first collaborations, protecting rankings against algorithm updates. Zero-obligation pricing (priced below training an entry-level specialist) caters to lean operations, while Spanish/Polish/Mandarin optimization captures bilingual households. Real-time dashboards showcase SERP climb metrics - think top 3 spots for "HVAC near me" → calendar-bookings frenzy.

There are many recruitment agencies which focus on digital marketing and SEO roles. This includes Parqa Mondo and Apex Systems. Find our job article How to land an expensive SEO position in Chicago for guidance.