7 Upwork Alternatives for Finding Reliable SEO Experts Without the Hassle
Upwork can feel overwhelming when you need quality SEO help fast. Between sorting through hundreds of profiles, managing proposals, and hoping your chosen freelancer actually delivers, the process eats up time you could spend growing your business. Fortunately, several platforms offer simpler ways to connect with skilled SEO professionals who know what they’re doing. This list covers seven solid alternatives that make hiring easier, whether you want pre-vetted experts, niche marketplaces, or agencies that handle the heavy lifting for you.
- Legiit
Legiit operates differently from typical freelance marketplaces by focusing specifically on digital marketing services, including SEO. Instead of posting a job and waiting for bids, you browse pre-packaged services with clear deliverables and fixed prices. This structure removes most of the guesswork since you know exactly what you’re getting before you pay.
The platform attracts specialists who understand link building, on-page optimization, content strategy, and technical SEO. Many sellers maintain detailed portfolios and customer reviews that help you assess their track record. You can filter by service type, price range, and delivery time to find someone who matches your needs and timeline.
What makes Legiit particularly useful is the accountability built into the system. Sellers compete on reputation, so they have strong incentives to deliver quality work on schedule. The fixed-price model also means no surprise invoices or scope creep halfway through a project.
- Toptal
Toptal screens freelancers through a rigorous vetting process that accepts only the top few percent of applicants. When you hire an SEO expert through Toptal, you skip the usual headaches of sorting through unqualified candidates. The platform matches you with professionals based on your specific requirements, and you can start a risk-free trial period to make sure the fit works.
The trade-off for this quality assurance is cost. Toptal freelancers charge premium rates that reflect their experience and the platform’s selective standards. If your budget allows for higher rates and you need someone who can hit the ground running without hand-holding, Toptal delivers consistent quality. The platform also handles contracts and payments, which simplifies the administrative side of hiring.
- Mayple
Mayple takes a matchmaking approach to connecting businesses with marketing experts, including SEO specialists. You fill out a detailed questionnaire about your business, goals, and challenges. Their team then reviews your needs and pairs you with a vetted professional from their network who has relevant experience in your industry.
This human-driven matching process saves you from reviewing dozens of profiles yourself. Mayple also provides ongoing monitoring and support throughout your engagement, which adds an extra layer of accountability. The platform works best for businesses that want a more guided experience rather than a self-service marketplace.
Pricing varies based on the expert you’re matched with and the scope of work. The personalized approach means you’re more likely to find someone who understands your specific market and can create strategies that actually move the needle for your business.
- Codeable
While Codeable specializes in WordPress development, many projects require both technical implementation and SEO knowledge. The platform maintains a curated network of WordPress experts who often have strong SEO skills, particularly around site speed, schema markup, and technical optimization.
If your SEO needs involve WordPress-specific issues like optimizing page load times, fixing crawl errors, or implementing structured data, Codeable connects you with developers who understand both the code and the search implications. Every expert on the platform goes through a vetting process, and Codeable manages the project workflow to keep everything on track.
This option works especially well when your SEO challenges require technical fixes rather than just content or link building. The platform handles payments and provides support if issues arise, making the experience smoother than hiring a random developer from a general marketplace.
- Gun.io
Gun.io focuses on connecting businesses with pre-screened software developers and digital specialists, including those with SEO expertise. The platform emphasizes quality over quantity, accepting only a small fraction of applicants after technical assessments and interviews.
When you need SEO work that intersects with development tasks like building custom analytics dashboards, automating reporting, or implementing complex tracking setups, Gun.io provides access to technically skilled professionals. The platform offers both full-time and part-time arrangements, giving you flexibility based on your project scope.
Gun.io handles the matching process after you describe your needs, similar to how a staffing agency operates but with more transparency and faster turnaround. The platform also manages contracts and provides support throughout the engagement, which reduces your administrative burden.
- Catalant
Catalant serves businesses looking for experienced consultants rather than freelancers, including SEO strategists with corporate backgrounds. The platform attracts former agency directors, in-house marketing leaders, and independent consultants who work on higher-level strategy rather than execution tasks.
If you need someone to audit your current SEO approach, develop a comprehensive strategy, or advise your internal team, Catalant provides access to seasoned professionals. The platform handles the matching process after you submit your project details, and you can interview candidates before making a decision.
Expect to pay consultant rates rather than freelancer rates, but you gain access to expertise that can reshape your entire approach to search marketing. Catalant works best for established businesses with meaningful budgets who need strategic guidance rather than task-based services.
- Working Not Working
Working Not Working originally focused on creative professionals but has expanded to include digital marketers and SEO specialists. The platform operates as an invite-only network where members showcase their portfolios and availability status.
You can browse profiles, review past work, and reach out directly to people who interest you. The platform attracts professionals who value quality over volume, often working with select clients rather than juggling dozens of small projects. This approach tends to yield better results when you need someone who will invest time understanding your business rather than applying cookie-cutter solutions.
Working Not Working charges businesses a membership fee to access the network, which filters out casual browsers and creates a more serious hiring environment. The platform works particularly well for ongoing relationships rather than one-off tasks, since you can maintain direct contact with professionals you’ve worked with successfully.
Each of these platforms solves different problems depending on your situation, budget, and the type of SEO help you need. Some offer pre-packaged services that eliminate guesswork, while others provide strategic consultants for bigger challenges. The key is matching your specific needs with the right marketplace structure. Take time to explore a couple of options, read reviews, and start with a smaller project to test the waters. Once you find a platform and professional who deliver results, you’ll wonder why you spent so much time on Upwork in the first place.