Why Your SEO Won't Work On Commission Exclusively
SEOs who can deliver know this is a lopsided deal. Let's discuss creative solutions that allow everyone to win.
This week’s #SEOForLunch is sponsored by Semrush EnterpriseAs many of you know, I run SEOJobs.com, which is a site dedicated to matching awesome employers with even greater SEOs.
The platform is open to everyone, and I love being able to help both sides of the hiring equation. That said, there are two hard rules I stick to when it comes to publishing user-submitted job listings:
No unpaid internships.
No egregiously underpaid roles that take advantage of people.
Over the years, there has been this idea that, at face value, makes a lot of sense, but in reality, does not work. That is, SEOs working on commission.
Let’s break it down and i’ll share why I often lump this into rule #2.
Thank you to this week’s sponsor: Semrush Enterprise
AI Mode's 51% Overlap Means Big Opportunities
Google's AI Mode is shaking up the game again. New Semrush research shows 92% of responses cite ~7 domains, with only 53% overlapping traditional top-10 Google results.
Translation? Your brand’s AI visibility operates on completely different rules than organic SEO. But that 47% represents untapped opportunity where smart brands can leapfrog competitors.
Also noteworthy: the intent response patterns, where commercial and transactional queries generated longer responses featuring more sources. There’s extra real estate here.
Winners are already optimizing for both traditional and AI search simultaneously—like with Semrush Enterprise and AI Optimization.
Why Commission-Only Sounds Good in Theory
Digital marketing is an unregulated industry. There are no formal degrees, certifications, or governing bodies—just an internet connection and a computer. That low barrier to entry has created a flood of unqualified providers selling services they can’t deliver on.
We’ve already seen this with the rise of “AI SEO” scams, but it started long before that with SEO itself. Business owners, chasing a “easy button” solution, bought into promises that sounded too good to be true. The result? Wasted time, wasted money, and an industry reputation that sometimes makes SEOs look worse than the stereotypical used car salesman.
Given that history, it’s not surprising when business leaders suggest a commission-only model. On paper, it aligns incentives and removes the risk of paying for nothing. But in reality, no SEO worth their salt will take that deal, and for good reason.
Why It Doesn’t Work in Practice
There are plenty of reasons commission-only models fall apart in SEO: timelines, external variables, attribution challenges, and a fundamental risk imbalance. Let’s start with the last one.
Risk Imbalance
Nobody likes being taken advantage of and that includes SEOs. Organic growth takes time, and in many cases SEO is a negative ROI for months before momentum kicks in.
Now layer on the real-world variables: your business pivots products, adjusts pricing, changes shipping policies, or even gets acquired. In all of those scenarios, the SEO“rewarded” only with commission is left holding the bag.
If the SEO is expected to absorb 100% of the risk, why wouldn’t they simply build their own competing business, “rank it”, and keep 100% of the upside? That logic alone makes the commission-only model unworkable.
External Variables
When an SEO is commission-only, they’re betting on a long list of factors completely outside their control. Think web development resources, product or service quality, content and link budgets, or even economic and political shifts.
Any one of these can derail a sound SEO strategy. And the truth is, most of them sit well beyond an SEO provider’s decision-making power.
And then we hit the topic of attribution which is an area where organic almost always gets screwed.
Attribution
We can’t avoid the attribution conversation. Forget debating first touch, last touch, or the latest multi-touch “miracle” model. Let’s look at a few real scenarios:
A user discovers your blog via a non-branded Google search. They leave for lunch, come back later, type your domain directly, and make a purchase. Does SEO get credit?
A user watches your TV commercial, Googles your brand, clicks an organic listing, and buys. Is that really an SEO-driven sale?
A business leader ends an SEO engagement after reading “SEO is dead.” Yet organic traffic keeps flowing from the SEO work already done. Should the SEO still be paid?
These aren’t edge cases, these situations above happen every day. And they show how commission-only models oversimplify a very messy reality. SEO’s impact compounds over time, but the payouts in this setup are murky at best. Bottom line: it’s a one-sided deal that dumps nearly all of the risk on the SEO.
What The Ask for Commission-Only Deals Really Mean
Let’s be honest - most business owners don’t actually want commission-only deals. What they really want is results at a cost that keeps them profitable while scaling… without taking on any of the risk.
The path to that outcome isn’t commission-only SEO. It’s partnering with someone who understands how the channel evolves, can set realistic expectations, and is accountable for both execution and measurement.
Timelines and Deliverable Transparency
Too many SEOs sell the dream instead of the reality. They hype “massive opportunities” instead of being upfront about the months of effort and investment required. This sets false expectations, damages trust, and ultimately makes the industry look bad.
Organic growth compounds over time, but only if everyone is aligned on what the work entails and how long it takes. Nothing derails a project faster than starting with different timelines and completely different definitions of success.
Accountability and Measurement
One of the biggest traps in SEO is pitching it as a “secret sauce.” Businesses don’t care about your proprietary execution, they care about results. When SEOs lean on mystery instead of communication, accountability vanishes and clients are left demanding miracles… because that’s how it was sold to them.
Great SEOs flip that script. They educate clients, outline clear roadmaps, and connect deliverables directly to business goals. Attribution will never be perfect, but that’s no excuse to avoid measurement. The best SEOs quantify impact however they can, even if it means estimating the impact of the halo effect of organic visibility, because they know nothing threatens SEO budget faster than failing to prove value.
Creative Alternatives That Work for Both Sides
It would be a mistake to end this post with just “don’t do commission-only.” There are creative ways to structure deals so the risk isn’t one-sided and both parties have something to gain. Here are a few:
Base + Performance Bonus
This is the “everyone wins or no one wins” approach. A base retainer or salary ensures the SEO is compensated for their work, while performance bonuses, tied to clearly defined metrics can create (mutual) upside. The SEO is rewarded for going above and beyond, and the business earns more revenue when those targets are hit.
Ownership Equity
If you want an SEO to work with little or no upfront pay, they need long-term upside. Equity is one way to make that happen. By giving the SEO a stake in the company, their success is directly tied to the health and growth of the business. Equity also encourages their involvement in higher-level decisions that often trickle down to impact search performance. This model carries risk for both sides, but the upside can be virtually unlimited for everyone.
Traditional Salary or Contract
It’s not flashy, but it works. Pay for expertise and time. The SEO earns a predictable wage, and the business retains all of the upside if they’ve hired the right partner. The risk for the business is investing in someone who can’t deliver—but when the fit is right, this tried-and-true model is still the most stable and scalable option.
Respecting the SEO Profession
For years, SEO has been the channel that never quite got the respect it deserved. SEOs were rarely invited into the right rooms, and leadership often expected miracles, regardless of the countless variables outside an SEO’s control.
To be fair, SEOs haven’t always helped our own cause. Too often we’ve delivered under unrealistic constraints instead of drawing boundaries and setting proper expectations. But 2025 and beyond won’t reward that approach. We’re entering an era where brand strength and organic visibility are directly tied together.
The companies still chasing “easy buttons” and overnight rankings won’t survive. The ones doubling down on product, service, and customer experience AND using SEO to amplify that foundation.. will not only survive but thrive.
The reality is simple: SEO isn’t the right fit for every business anymore. Like any other marketing effort, it requires due diligence and a clear-eyed assessment before diving in. Those who treat it with respect will continue to see compounding returns. Those who don’t… won’t.