Freelancers Report Rising GEO Demand But Still Back SEO for the Long Haul, Fiverr Survey Finds

A new Fiverr survey reveals that 67% of search freelancers have seen more client requests for generative engine optimization than for traditional Google-ranking work — yet most still believe SEO offers stronger long-term returns.

The findings arrive at a pivotal moment for digital marketing professionals navigating a landscape where AI-powered search tools are rapidly reshaping how consumers discover information online. The survey, part of Fiverr's 2026 Holiday Marketing Index released on September 21, captures a profession caught between evolving client expectations and the enduring weight of established search strategy. For context on how the discipline has shifted in recent years, the broader picture of how SEO continues to evolve alongside emerging technologies helps frame why these findings carry weight beyond the freelance marketplace.

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What Freelancers Are Actually Seeing From Clients

The gap between GEO and Google-ranking requests is notable but not overwhelming. Sixty-seven percent of surveyed search specialists reported a rise in GEO-related client requests over the past year compared to 56% who reported an increase in requests tied to improving Google rankings. That 11-point difference signals momentum rather than a wholesale pivot.

Despite the surge in GEO inquiries, 61% of search specialists still consider Google SEO the strongest long-term investment. Fiverr's report advises funding both channels — a recommendation that reflects the dual reality most freelancers are already living.

The index polled hundreds of Fiverr's top-rated freelancers across three categories: search, user-generated content, and e-commerce. Respondents came from eight countries including the U.S., Canada, the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Australia. Fiverr notes that results are "self-reported and not projected against the general population."

Beyond the survey data, Fiverr's internal marketplace figures show GEO services grew by 29% between November 2025 and April 2026 — a number that points to real commercial traction even as methodological questions remain about how that figure was calculated.

Why the Split Matters for Budget Allocation

For businesses trying to make sense of competing demands on their marketing budgets, this split is more than an industry curiosity. When the majority of specialist freelancers are fielding GEO requests while defending the long-term case for traditional SEO, it suggests the market is not moving in a single direction — it is branching. That distinction matters enormously when planning resource allocation heading into 2027.

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The AI Pricing Problem Nobody Is Talking About

One of the more striking findings sits at the intersection of technology and economics. Sixty-one percent of surveyed search specialists report that clients expect lower prices simply because AI is involved in the work. Search specialists, who use AI more frequently than other surveyed groups, also face the greatest pricing pressure as a result.

This creates a quiet but serious tension. As demand for AI-adjacent services like GEO grows, the very association with AI is driving client expectations downward on cost — even as the complexity and expertise required may be increasing.

Eighty-three percent of search specialists say clients are increasingly hiring them for strategic advice and expertise rather than simple task execution. That figure is higher than comparable responses from e-commerce specialists at 79% and user-generated content specialists at 76%. The role of the search freelancer appears to be shifting from technician to consultant — yet the pay does not always reflect that evolution.

Typical project costs reported by 61% of search specialists range from $150 to $300. Half of the specialists also believe that businesses consistently underestimate how long search work takes to produce measurable results — a perception gap that affects both project scoping and client satisfaction.

The Expectation Gap Is a Business Risk

Planting a tree and installing a light switch are not the same undertaking. Clients often expect the immediate gratification of a switched-on result when the reality of search investment resembles years of careful cultivation before meaningful returns materialise. This mismatch between expectation and reality is one of the most persistent friction points between businesses and their search specialists — and it is costing both sides.

Understanding the full scope of the challenges businesses face when investing in SEO goes some way toward closing that gap before it becomes a source of project failure or client churn.

What the Pricing Pressure Signals More Broadly

The assumption that AI involvement reduces the value of a deliverable reflects a wider misunderstanding of how AI tools function in professional workflows. AI does not replace the judgment, strategic framing, or accumulated expertise a skilled search specialist brings — it accelerates certain elements of execution. Discounting fees on that basis is the equivalent of paying a surgeon less because they use modern equipment. The tool does not diminish the expertise; it extends it.

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GEO Is Rising on the Agenda — But Questions Remain

The Fiverr findings do not stand alone. Search Engine Journal's own State of Search 2027 report, published September 18, 2026, found that 43% of search professionals plan to invest in or prioritise GEO in the coming year. An additional 14% identified optimisation for AI answer engines as a factor contributing to their best results.

It is worth noting that the two surveys are not directly comparable. The SEJ report polled search professionals about their own plans and outcomes while the Fiverr survey captured freelancer observations about client behaviour. Still, both data sets point in the same direction: GEO is steadily moving up the priority list across the industry.

What Neither Survey Resolves

What neither survey resolves is whether GEO investment actually translates into improved visibility or measurable business outcomes. The Fiverr survey measures client requests and freelancer perceptions — not performance results. That gap between demand and demonstrated return on investment is something businesses should weigh carefully before reallocating budget.

The emerging discipline of search experience optimisation and how it intersects with user intent offers a useful lens here — because visibility in AI-generated answers is only valuable if it connects with the right audience at the right moment in their decision-making process.

Transparency Concerns Worth Noting

There are also transparency concerns about the Fiverr report itself. Key methodological details — including the total sample size, number of search specialists surveyed, exact survey dates, and precise question wording — were omitted from both the report page and the accompanying press release. Earlier Fiverr holiday surveys, including a 2024 edition conducted with research firm Censuswide, offered more specificity on sample sizes and collection dates. As of publication, Fiverr had not responded to a request for clarification on these details.

Readers should factor this into how much weight they assign to the specific percentages cited. The directional trends are consistent with broader industry data, but the precise figures warrant appropriate scepticism until fuller methodology is disclosed. For comparison, the Search Engine Land research archive provides a useful benchmark for how well-structured search industry surveys are typically documented and presented.

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Looking Ahead: Practical Implications for Businesses and Freelancers

For businesses planning their search strategy heading into the holiday season, Fiverr recommends beginning search work three to four months in advance — a timeline endorsed by 28% of surveyed search specialists. The report's suggested phasing places search activities first, followed by creator hiring through November and store-related work from October through December.

The broader takeaway from the survey is that the search industry is not abandoning SEO. It is expanding to accommodate a new discipline running alongside it. Clients are asking for AI visibility. Freelancers are fielding those requests while defending the case for longer-term search fundamentals.

Three Ways to Put This Into Practice

Readers can put this information to work in the following ways:

1. If you are a business owner, expect search projects to require both time and budget — and resist the impulse to discount freelancer fees simply because AI tools are part of their workflow. The strategic expertise being applied has not diminished because the instruments have changed.

2. If you are a freelancer, the shift toward advisory roles means positioning your expertise as strategic counsel rather than task completion is increasingly where your value lies. Pricing should reflect that repositioning, not accommodate client assumptions shaped by AI hype.

3. If you are allocating marketing budget for 2027, the convergence of GEO growth data from both Fiverr and SEJ suggests that building familiarity with AI search optimisation now — while continuing to invest in Google SEO — offers the most defensible position as the search landscape continues to evolve.

The profession is not at a crossroads so much as an expansion point. The specialists navigating it most effectively are those who treat GEO not as a replacement for what came before, but as an additional layer of expertise that compounds the value they already deliver.