Hi there, I’m Matthew – a freelance SEO consultant and the founder of Search Hog. I’ve worked in SEO for over 10 years both in an agency setting and in-house.
I have a proven track record in delivering results over hundreds of successful SEO campaigns and have completed Google qualifications for both ads and analytics to be registered as a Google Partner.
Alongside this, I have worked on several high-profile PPC accounts, managing large budgets for some blue-chip companies.
To manage the busier periods, I work with a number of other trusted freelance SEO experts, including developers, PR specialists and content writers to help me on certain projects.
Take a look at my case studies for more examples of my work, connect on Linkedin or get in touch to get the ball rolling on your project!
Why Choose Matthew Pavli for your SEO Project?
No account managers. No junior handoffs. When you hire me, the person writing the audit is the person running the campaign is the person you’re emailing at 9pm about a ranking drop.
I’m a Google Partner, work across SEO, PPC and AEO/GEO, and I run Search Hog as a solo freelance practice with a small network of trusted specialists I bring in when a project calls for it. Most of my clients have stayed with me for three years or more:
- UK-based freelance SEO consultant.
- Over 15 Years of Experience in SEO
- Expert in SEO, PPC, web design and emerging AI search strategies.
- Covering the UK, the US and Canada.
- Competitive hourly rate of £55/hour
As a certified Google specialist, you can trust me to improve the visibility of your website whether it’s on Squarespace, Magento, Wix, Bigcommerce or any other platform.
However, I prefer to work on Shopify and WordPress sites as they have the best SEO capabilities for my clients.
”We have been working with Matt for over 2 years and its fair to say in that time he has completely transformed our website as well as our general online presence. He has supported us in optimising our website, and creating many key words to get the best from search engine reports.
Lucy ThomasDirector, Linggard & Thomas Accountants
What does a Freelance SEO Expert Do?
SEO in itself is a huge field, and any specialist will need to have an array of skills in order to rank sites effectively.
You may be looking for a technical SEO specialist; copywriter; website UX expert or link-building specialist as these are all important skills for an experienced freelance SEO specialist.
In fact, due to the ever-changing nature of working in SEO, it’s more important the specialist is keeping up-to-date with the latest trends than anything else.
Below are some of the main tasks a SEO expert will perform on your site:
Freelance Technical SEO
The main focus of an SEO audit is to understand the technical issue which may be holding the site back from performing well on search engines. With over 200 ranking factors, there’s too many to mention here, but any good freelance SEO specialist will be able to pinpoint the specific problems and suggest fixes for these.
Freelance Keyword Research & Targeting
Researching the top keywords for the site based on keyword volume and relevance provides the basis for the creation of meta titles, descriptions and on-page content to increase your visibility for those keywords. This is a vital part of any SEO project, and something any freelance SEO consultant should be well-versed in!
Freelance Content Marketing & Link-Building
Implementing a content strategy designed to both rank for long-tail search terms and build links is a vital skill for any freelance SEO, now closely linked with digital PR. By increasing traffic for these pages and generating backlinks, in-turn rankings for ‘money pages’ will increase.
Freelance AEO/GEO Support to Boost AI Visibility
Roughly a third of commercial search queries now return an AI Overview. Ranking #3 in Google without being cited in the AI Overview above you is the new position 11. I’ve been building GEO strategies into client work since mid-2024.
When to hire a freelance SEO consultant instead of an agency?
If you're running a £3m+ ecommerce business with a global footprint, hire an agency. They'll throw six people at you and you'll need all of them.
If you're a small-to-mid business, an in-house marketing lead who needs senior support, or an agency that needs white-label help on overflow work, a freelancer gives you three things an agency usually can't:
Direct access to the senior person
No account manager filter between you and the work.
Lower overheads, same skill
You're not paying for a Shoreditch office and a ping-pong table.
Accountability.
I can't blame a missed deadline on others and I am more invested into the success of the project.
If you're running a £3m+ ecommerce business with a global footprint, hire an agency. They'll throw six people at you and you'll need all of them.
I've worked both agency-side and freelance. Most of what a £6k/month retainer delivers can be done by one experienced freelancer at half the cost, if the scope is set realistically.
Freelance SEO Support for Agencies
The shift towards online engagement has seen digital agencies flooded with clients eager to enhance their online footprint. Coupled with the significant workforce changes, often there’s more SEO work than your team can handle.
Whether it’s a one-time need or ongoing support until you expand your team, Matt Pavli at Search Hog is ready to step in and seamlessly integrate with your agency’s workflow, branding, and standards, ensuring a smooth extension of your team’s capabilities.
Whether it’s interim support until your next permanent SEO hire, continuous strategic guidance, or assistance with a specific project like a website launch, I can help. Our freelance SEO assistance for Agencies spans all aspects of SEO, including on-page, technical, local SEO, website migrations as well as expert freelance PPC management.
Freelance SEO Services FAQs
Why Hire a Freelance SEO Expert?
You may be thinking what you need a freelance SEO expert for? Quite simply to improve the keyword rankings for your website and drive more traffic to your website.
If you’re looking for an SEO professional without the hassle of a contract, I can bring my skills to long-term marketing campaigns or one-off projects. And my experience can help you bridge any knowledge gaps in your SEO strategy. Hiring a freelance SEO gives you the affordable flexibility your business needs without compromising on quality.
An SEO Agency has larger overheads to cover. And that can push charges up to £150 per hour vs. around £50 – £70 hour for a freelance SEO specialist. So hiring a freelance SEO consultant is a cost-effective way to stretch your budget further.
Will SEO Work for your Business?
Even the most traditional businesses recognise the power of digital marketing. I can help you increase organic traffic and drive new customers to your website.
Whilst there is a cost involved in implementing SEO, it has one of the highest ROIs of any digital marketing channel and will pay for itself many times over in the long term.
How much do Freelance SEO Services Cost?
You can see retainer pricing on my SEO packages page – for one-off projects my hourly rate is £65/hour.
I’m available for one-off projects and long-term retainers, so contact me to find out how I can create your next campaign.
Where are you Based?
I am a freelance SEO expert based in Cornwall, but work with ecommerce and service-based clients across the UK and further afield.
Will you Sign an NDA?
I’m happy to sign an NDA, often required when dealing with embargoed or sensitive material for a new product launch. Contact me to discuss your requirements.
How do you handle SEO for multiple clients in the same industry?
To prevent conflicts of interest I will only work for one client targeting a particular set of keywords. This does not mean I won’t have multiple clients in the same industry however as they may be targeting slightly different terms. For example, I would work with an accountant targeting local searches in London and one targeting local searches in Manchester as there would be no conflict of interest in terms of target keywords.
Do you use white hat SEO techniques?
Yes, I strictly adhere to Google’s Webmaster Guidelines and use only white hat SEO techniques to ensure long-term success and avoid penalties.
What skills does a freelance SEO specialist need to have?
Critical Thinking
No two websites are the same. So the same SEO strategies won’t work for everyone.
An SEO consultant can pinpoint the issues that are stopping your website from outranking top-performing sites. They can highlight what your competitors are doing wrong and avoid those mistakes. And they can use critical thinking skills to find the best solutions to optimise your site.
Problem-Solving
SEO is an ever-changing environment, so your consultant needs to solve problems on the fly. As Google consistently changes its algorithm, you need a specialist who can identify the impact on SEO and take steps to mitigate it.
An SEO consultant with problem-solving skills can make changes immediately when SEO changes. In addition, they’re flexible enough to switch strategies midstream without disrupting your business.
Basic Coding
Your SEO consultant doesn’t have to be a professional coder to get the best out of your SEO strategy. Your CMS (such as Shopify or WordPress) will have SEO functionality so that a specialist can make changes quickly following guides and tutorials.
That said, look for an SEO specialist with some coding experience. The ability to understand the source code of a website gives your consultant the edge when it comes to targeting relevant features for your SEO campaign. And they’ll be able to make changes without breaking the site.
Trend Forecasting
SEO can be challenging because it’s constantly evolving. First, Google is continually working to improve its understanding of how people use the internet. And then, it changes the algorithm to provide users with better and more relevant information.
An SEO consultant needs to be constantly up to speed with any changes, which can be time-consuming. Better yet, they need to keep an eye on future trends to stay one step ahead on SEO best practices and optimise your website for the best SEO performance.
What do you do as a freelance SEO expert?
SEO audits
When you hire a freelance SEO consultant, the first step is usually a proper audit.
I look at how your site is built, how it’s being crawled, how it’s indexed, and how it’s performing against competitors. That includes technical SEO, content quality, internal linking, backlink profile, Core Web Vitals, and search intent alignment.
The goal is simple: identify what’s actually holding you back and prioritise the fixes that will move rankings and revenue. From there, I build a focused, practical roadmap tailored to your business, not a generic strategy recycled from another client.
Keyword Research
As a freelance SEO specialist, I analyse search intent, competitor positioning, SERP features, and existing content gaps. Whether you’re a start-up building visibility from scratch or an established business that’s worked with agencies before, the priority is the same: target the right keywords that drive enquiries, not vanity traffic.
On-Page SEO
I optimise page structure, heading hierarchy, metadata, internal linking, schema markup, and content depth. I also review site speed, mobile usability, and technical signals that influence how Google crawls and interprets your pages.
Link Building
Google ranks your site for authority on the quality of your links. So the better your link building, the more likely you are to rank for high-competition keywords.
I can help you build the high-quality, trustworthy links required to improve your backlink profile.
