AU SEO Salary & Career Survey ·

Find out what SEO really pays in Australia.

An anonymous, SEO salary benchmark — add your numbers and see exactly where you stand.

~6 minutesCompletely anonymousResults shared back
By Wylan Ho · Kindred Talent

Headline figures — as at 11 June 2026

From 52 anonymous responses so far, read against the 155 SEO roles we've tracked across the Australian market in the past 90 days:

$100k–$120k
Median base salary (reported)
Where the median respondent sits
$95,000
Median advertised salary (roles we track)
Only 21% of SEO listings disclose pay at all
71%
Open to a move
52% open but not actively searching · 19% actively looking
29%
Believe they're paid below market
Just 13% believe they're above it
54 · 40 · 6
Agency · in-house · freelance (%)
Responses so far from NSW, VIC and QLD in near-equal measure

Reported figures come from anonymous survey responses; advertised figures from the roles we track. Updated monthly.

For the broader market, see our digital marketing salary guide for Australia.

Anonymous · 7 sections · about 6 minutes
Australian SEO Salary & Career Survey 2026
Section 1 · Your role1 of 7
What is your current job title? *
Which best describes your seniority level? *
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Which SEO disciplines do you work in? ##INLINE7## *
Traditional / Organic SEO
Technical SEO
Content Strategy & SEO
Link Building / Digital PR
Local SEO
AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation / AI Overviews)
GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation)
E-commerce SEO
International / Enterprise SEO
Section 2 · Your company2 of 7
Do you work agency-side or in-house? *
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What industry is your employer in?
How large is your company? *
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Which state are you based in? *
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What is your work arrangement? *
Fully remote
Hybrid
Fully in-office
Section 3 · Compensation3 of 7
What is your current base salary (AUD, before super)? *
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Do you receive bonuses or performance incentives? *
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If yes, what is the approximate annual bonus value?
Does the above salary include Super, or is Super on Top? *
No, Super on top
Yes, Super is included
Unsure
Section 4 · Experience & tools4 of 7
How many years have you worked in SEO? *
Less than 1 year
1–3 years
3–5 years
5–8 years
8–10 years
10-12 years
12-15 years
15 years+
Which tools do you use regularly? (select all that apply)
Ahrefs / SEMrush / Moz
Google Search Console / GA4
Screaming Frog / Sitebulb
BrightEdge / Conductor / seoClarity
ChatGPT / Claude / AI writing tools
Surfer SEO / Clearscope
Section 5 · Career sentiment5 of 7
Are you currently open to new opportunities? *
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What matters most to you in your next role? ##INLINE5##
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How do you feel about your current salary vs. market rate? *
I'm paid above market
I'm paid at market rate
I'm paid below market
I'm not sure
Any other comments about SEO compensation or career trends in 2026?
Section 6 · Growth & your next role6 of 7
Which areas do you most want to develop in the next 12 months? (select all that apply)
Technical SEO (Core Web Vitals, crawlability, schema)
AEO / GEO / AI search optimisation
Content strategy & topical authority
Leadership & people management
Data, analytics & reporting
Paid media crossover (SEM, Paid Social)
CRO & UX
Digital PR & link acquisition
International & multilingual SEO
E-commerce SEO
What is your career goal in the next 2–3 years?
Stay and deepen my SEO specialist skills
Move into a team lead or management role
Step into a Head of / Director position
Pivot into broader digital marketing or growth
Go freelance or independent consultant
Start my own agency
I'm not sure yet
What you expect in your next role
What base salary range would you expect in your next role (AUD)?
Under $70,000
$70,000–$89,999
$90,000–$109,999
$110,000–$129,999
$130,000–$149,999
$150,000–$174,999
$175,000–$199,999
$200,000-$229,999
$230,000-$259,000
$260,000+
What is the minimum salary increase that would make you consider moving roles?
It's not about salary — the right role matters more
5–10% increase
10–15% increase
15–20% increase
20%+ increase
I would only move for a significant step up (20%+)
What type of company would you ideally move to next?
Agency (boutique or specialist)
Agency (large or full-service)
In-house brand (SMB)
In-house brand (enterprise / ASX listed)
Scale-up or startup
Consulting / freelance
No strong preference
Would you consider a lateral move (same level, same salary) for the right opportunity?
Yes — culture and growth matter more than the pay bump
Maybe — depends on the role and company
No — my next move needs to be a step up
Is there anything specific you are looking for in your next role that you rarely see advertised?
Section 7 · Keep in touch7 of 7
Optional — these details are only used to share results back or stay in touch. Your survey answers above stay anonymous either way.
Would you like me to share the benchmark data with your manager?The data stays completely anonymous — your identity is never attached.
Yes, please
No thanks
Your manager's name
Your manager's email address
Would you like a confidential chat about where you sit in the market, or what's out there?
Yes, I'd love to connect
Maybe later
No thanks
Your name
Your email address
Your phone number (optional)
Your LinkedIn profile URL (optional)
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Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Thanks — your response is counted.

Your numbers are now part of the 2026 benchmark. Here is where you sit against everyone who has contributed so far.

Your read
—
Median base salary
—
Responses so far
—
Open to a move
—
Paid below market
Base salary by seniority
Box = the middle half of salariesLine = medianWhiskers = lowest to highest
<$60k$90k$140k$190k$240k+
Salaries are collected in $20k bands, so the ranges are approximate.
Working arrangement by company size
0%25%50%75%100%
Working arrangement by company type
0%25%50%75%100%
Where SEO is heading — skills the market is trying to learn
Aggregates update live as responses arrive. Segments with fewer than 8 responses are flagged as provisional.
What's next

Stay tuned — I'll be sharing the full findings on LinkedIn first by mid-July, before the complete report is published here on the site. If we're not already connected, add me so you don't miss it.

Connect with Wylan on LinkedIn
Why it is worth six minutes

Australian SEO salary benchmarks.
Real numbers, not guesswork.

Benchmark your package

See how your base, super and bonus compare across seniority, state and company size.

Know your market worth

Find out whether you sit above, at, or below the going rate for your role. The median is $95K.

See where SEO is heading

AEO, GEO and AI search are reshaping the field — see what the market values next.

Who should take this

Built for everyone working in Australian search — in-house SEOs, consultants, content and technical specialists, agency leads and heads of search. Any level, any company size.

In-houseConsultantAgency-sideTechnical SEOContentLead / Head
Watch · 2 minutes
Wylan walks through the survey — and the live benchmark you unlock at the end.
Good to know

Questions, answered.

Is it really anonymous?

Yes. You can complete the whole survey without telling us who you are. Salary data is only ever shown in aggregate — grouped with everyone else's — and is never tied to an individual. The optional contact step at the end is stored separately from your answers.

Who runs this survey?

Wylan Ho — founder of Kindred Talent, a referral network for digital talent based in Sydney. Wylan is an active part of the Australian SEO community — connecting specialists, in-house teams and agencies, backing industry events, and driving the conversations that move the field forward. The survey is run independently, not on behalf of any employer, so the numbers stay honest.

How long does it take?

About six minutes. Seven short sections, one screen at a time, and the form keeps your place as you move through. Most questions take a single click.

When do I get the results?

Straight away, then in full. The moment you submit, the live benchmark opens right here on the page — your numbers read against the market so far. The survey closes at the end of the financial year, and the full 2026 report follows by mid-July — shared on LinkedIn and published here on the site.

What happens to my data?

Responses feed a private dataset used only to build the aggregate benchmark. Nothing is sold, nothing is published at an individual level, and optional contact details are kept separate from your salary answers.

Every response is anonymous. Salary data is only ever shown in aggregate — never tied to an individual.