The majority of people understand that search engines are a tool. After all, it’s an essential component of marketing for all businesses, whether they’re large or small. However, many people have limited knowledge of how search engines function. This is particularly likely to be true when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO). It’s common for marketers to assume that the only thing they need to do is include keywords in the content on a website. In reality, SEO is far more complex.
Search engine algorithms are complex, and they’re always changing. For a webpage to rank for competitive keywords, it’s essential to understand the specifics of organic searches. It’s crucial for businesses to have an expert at their disposal so that they can get the results that they need. This is a service that an SEO specialist can provide.
SEO experts are currently in high demand. Smart Insights and CMO.com states that SEO is the most sought-after marketing skill. Data from Indeed.com says that there are over 10,000 SEO positions in the United States, while the U.K. has more than 8,400 positions. On naukri.com, an Indian website, there are more than 5,700 jobs that make SEO skills a requirement.
If you have some experience with either digital marketing and SEO, and you’re interested in advancing in a career, you should think about working as an SEO specialist. This can be an exciting field, and you may be able to earn more money as well. It’s the job of an SEO specialist to manage content, optimize websites, and work on off-page SEO techniques.
If you’re curious about the work that SEO specialists do, and you’d like to find out more, keep reading.
Each Day, An SEO Specialists Takes On A Variety Of Tasks
There’s much more to SEO than keywords. A solid SEO strategy is going to be fairly complex. Furthermore, strategies can vary from one site to the next. This means that SEO specialists have plenty of variety on the job. Generally, a workday for a specialist will include some of these tasks:
Researching Keywords
Major search engines like Google regularly alter the algorithms that they use. However, keywords are still an important element of any SEO strategy. After all, the majority of searches still begin with keywords. When you’re an SEO specialist, keyword research will help you to find competitive, popular, and relevant keywords that your target audience is likely to use. That way, you’ll know where to focus your attention.
Optimizing Your Site
As stated above, keywords are just one small part of the SEO puzzle. Optimization is another important task that SEO specialists much manage. Optimizing includes high-quality content, on-page optimization, clean HTML, fast load times, internal links, and solid metadata. Another part of optimization is testing various elements. This is the best way to increase conversion rates.
Building Links
Search engines don’t just focus on your site and its content. They also consider what other people are saying about you. When we use the word “saying,” we mean that search engines look at the sites that are linking to you. If sites are taking the time to link to your content, it shows that those sites are taking you seriously. Major search engines consider this when deciding how a site should be ranked. When you work as an SEO specialist, one of your responsibilities will be to find ways to encourage other sites, especially authority sites, to link back to you.
Building URLs
The clients of SEO specialists typically have more than one campaign running at the same time. The purpose of these campaigns is to bring more traffic to a website. It’s essential to identify where that traffic is coming from. As an example, someone might see a URL in a tweet or Facebook post. They might click on an ad or follow a link in an email newsletter. You’ll want to create distinct URLs for all of these sources so that it’s easy for you to see where your traffic is coming from.
Analyzing Analytics
Analytics let an SEO specialist can see which tactics are working and which ones aren’t. It’s important to look at the analytics on a regular basis. This allows you to see how a site is performing, which keywords are bringing in traffic, and where traffic is coming from.
Optimizing For Mobile Devices
Google began using a mobile-first index back in 2018, which means mobile should be a vital part of any SEO strategy. SEO specialists must ensure that all sites are fully optimized for mobile devices.
Remaining Current
Because search engines regularly alter algorithms, SEO specialists need to read blogs, forums, news articles, and other sources so that they can keep up with these new developments. Following the news means that specialists will be prepared for any challenges that lie ahead.
Maintaining Focus
There are a lot of potential distractions an SEO specialist will have to deal with during the course of an average workday. From meetings to emails, there will always be something or someone that demands your attention!
Communicating With Other Marketing Teams
As you can see, SEO specialists already have a number of responsibilities. In addition to the tasks listed above, you’ll need to coordinate with any other teams focused on digital marketing, such as:
- Social Media Marketing Teams: SEO specialists should be coordinating with the social media team so that they can improve awareness of the brand and build authority. Remember, major search engines like Google take this into account when deciding how a site should be ranked.
- PR Teams: Publicity materials, such as press releases, are considered content, and content is key in any SEO strategy. Specialists should communicate with PR teams to ensure that the content they’re creating is SEO optimized.
- Paid Search Market Teams: While pay-per-click teams primarily focus on paid ads and searches, specialists may work with them on keyword research.
- Content Strategy Teams: As mentioned above, content is a crucial component of SEO. Because of this, SEO specialists spend a lot of time working alongside content marketing teams.
- Web Development Teams: To optimize a site for search engines, that site must be structurally sound. Fast load times and clean HTML are an important part of SEO, which is why SEO specialists frequently work with web design teams. Specialists also need to coordinate with these teams on testing.
What A Standard Working Day For An SEO Specialist Looks Like
Generally, an SEO specialist will handle a mixture of the tasks listed above on an average workday. The amount of time devoted to each task will vary from one day to the next. If a new site or a campaign is being planned out, keyword research will likely be a specialist’s main focus. When there isn’t additional work that needs to be done, a specialist might turn their attention to industry news.
However, meetings and emails are likely to take up a significant amount of time on any workday. The nature of meetings and emails can vary from one job to the next. Some specialists work for an employer, while others have their own clients. No matter what your role is, it’s likely that your daily tasks will be similar. This includes meetings and emails. Internal meets are usually quite different from meetings with clients. Your emails could include explaining SEO to your clients.
Whether you’re working for an agency, doing in-house SEO, or working with your own clients, you need to master the necessary skills in order to become an SEO specialist. Employers don’t want to train someone that only knows the basics. Instead, they’ll want to work with an expert that already has the skills needed for the job.