A search engine optimization (SEO) specialist researches, analyzes and modifies websites to be search engine friendly, resulting in a website ranking higher in the search results of major search engines such as Google and Bing.
An SEO person optimizes websites to ensure appropriate search results and a great user experience, increasing website traffic, lead volume and brand awareness. In other words, an SEO specialist is no different than any other digital or traditional marketing professional in that they all have the goal of increasing sales for the business they work for.
SEO professionals can improve a website’s exposure on Google by conducting keyword research and using SEO tools such as Google Analytics. This has significant benefits for any organization. Some may work with other members of the marketing team to develop new projects or improve social media account management to increase user engagement and traffic.
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WHAT ARE THE JOB DUTIES OF AN SEO SPECIALIST?
Whether you work for a digital marketing firm or freelance for a client, the job duties of an SEO specialist vary. However, the vast majority of SEO specialist jobs will cover all or most of the following:
- Create SEO strategies to help your company’s website rank higher in search results.
- Keep SEO campaign costs under control by forecasting monthly costs and resolving discrepancies.
- Work closely with the web development team to ensure SEO quality standards are applied consistently across all site content.
- Collaborate with editorial and marketing teams to improve SEO in content production and distribution.
- Take responsibility for improving the site for search engine marketing.
- Regularly research, identify and optimize new SEO keywords for use on company website and marketing materials.
- Study and implement SEO references.
- Develop and implement a link building strategy.
- Change your site architecture, content, links and other features to improve your SEO placement for your desired keywords.
- Set measurable goals to demonstrate that your marketing efforts are improving.
- To better evaluate the effectiveness of your SEO strategy, use SEO tools like Google Analytics to monitor daily performance indicators, which is absolutely necessary for an SEO specialist on a daily basis.
- Improve website search results by writing interesting, high-quality website content such as blog posts and page descriptions.
WHERE DO THE SPECIALISTS COME FROM?
Most SEO specialists and other search engine optimization professionals start out in another sector before harnessing their technical talents and using their transferable skills and education to venture into SEO.
Although there is no specific college or university degree in SEO, and no four-year marketing program will give you the technical knowledge you’ll need to excel in the field.
Most SEO professionals in this field seek additional certification to prove to employers that they have specific skills. Which are necessary to execute their digital marketing strategy, improve search engine traffic and ensure their website appears at the top of search engine results pages. Courses like the Search Engine Optimization Certificate will also allow you to achieve real results that prove your skills. It will take place under the supervision of an SEO specialist who is familiar with the requirements of potential employers.
Even if you have a relevant degree, you will almost likely need to upgrade your skills through a certification program or other online course to demonstrate that you are active in the ever-changing SEO industry.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A SUCCESSFUL SEO SPECIALIST
In order to thrive in the field of digital marketing and search engine optimization, competent SEO experts must have the following important qualities:
Three levels of SEO
There are three levels of search in SEO rankings, and every SEO professional should consider all three when developing a marketing strategy:
TECHNICAL
A technical link refers to parts of your website that are not content. This section provides suggestions for strengthening the backend structure and foundation of the site. Performing a full website analysis will be a big part of this effort as it will reveal technical SEO options to improve website speed, indexing, mobile-friendliness, crawlability and architecture. Technical SEO will improve the readability of the website, improve the user experience and prove to the search engines that the website is worthwhile.
ON-PAGE SEO
On-page SEO is the process of optimizing the material on your website so that search engines can better understand the topics and recognize them as a valuable resource. Keywords, meta tags, internal links and HTML heading tags are all used in on-page SEO to increase search engine traffic and ensure your website ranks high in Google results.
OFF-PAGE SEO
As you know, Off-page SEO means using various link building strategies to increase the relationship between your website and other websites. Off-page SEO also means taking steps to increase a website’s reputation, which signals to search engines that the website is a trusted source and should appear at the top of search engine results.
All levels of SEO play a role in how prominently your website appears in Google search results, and SEO professionals need to be aware of this.
ENOUGH MIND FOR MARKETING
The technical aspects of SEO are critical, and identifying flaws that can cause Google to bury your website in search results is critical. But when you get past that, SEO jobs are a lot like other digital marketing or even traditional marketing tasks in that you will need to generate and post content that describes the benefits of the consumer while bringing them closer to the sale.It is difficult to create content that will interest both the people on the opposite side of the search engine and the Google algorithm. This comes with time and practice.To be truly successful in an SEO role, you need to think about content marketing at a deeper level, as well as the psychology of the consumer and the target audience you are marketing to, and the overall business goals that help drive product awareness.
ABILITY TO THINK BIG PICTURE
As we have already seen, SEO affects every aspect of your business. Since a business website is so important, SEO is closely related to the rest of these factors.
Having precise goals for SEO marketing is beneficial. As an SEO specialist, it is your responsibility to focus on search engine rankings, traffic growth, brand recognition and conversions (turning a visitor into a customer).
An SEO specialist will be effective if they are able to outline these goals and then implement an SEO strategy while keeping the overall goals of the organization in mind.
EXCELLENT COMMUNICATION SKILLS AND COOPERATIVE SPIRIT
The SEO Specialist will work with various departments within the company, including revenue, customer service, web development, statistics, IT, marketing and more. It’s also not always obvious why making changes to your website will help with SEO and, as a result, traffic and conversions. That’s when effective communication comes in handy.
SEO specialists must be able to explain in a convincing and clear way why certain changes are necessary and how they will benefit the website and the bottom line of the company. Additionally, a section of your role requires you to collaborate on site with teams from different backgrounds and perspectives.
You can also be involved in creating various content for the website, so make sure your writing skills are up to standard for SEO jobs.
CURIOUSNESS AND ADAPTABILITY
Google’s algorithms for ranking search engine results are constantly changing. This can be frustrating or exciting depending on your point of view, but an experienced SEO specialist approaches the job with passion.
You need to be adaptable to thrive in the SEO profession. Many professionals benefit from constant learning, but an SEO specialist must do so in order to survive. Furthermore, as an SEO expert, you cannot afford to be complacent if you are in charge of a single company’s website; it is your responsibility to continually review its content to ensure that it complies with ever-changing SEO best practices.
WHAT ARE SOME JOB DESCRIPTIONS FOR SEO SPECIALISTS?
SEARCH ENGINE MARKETER
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) are sometimes misunderstood, but they are very different. SEO is part of search engine marketing because you will be selling to both customers and search engines, search engine marketing requires acquiring skills like advertising, pay per click (PPC) marketing and some customer relationship management. An understanding of keyword research and SEO tools such as Google AdWords, Bing AdWords and Google Analytics is essential.
BUSINESS MARKETING CONSULTANT
SEO experts have valuable knowledge that is in high demand. To qualify for the Business Marketing Consultant position, you must have a proven track record in SEO, as this position requires you to work with clients and provide solutions to their specific needs.
DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER
The domains of digital marketing and search engine optimization are strongly intertwined. SEO, PPC, SEM and social media are all types of online marketing that digital marketers often manage. Digital marketing professionals implement marketing strategies, manage content, strive to improve SEO, and maximize the use of social media to increase traffic, brand exposure, and sales.