One single Google search query can produce thousands of results, listing several links to websites, web pages, and content. Every business, brand, and website wants to appear in these search results, making search engine optimization (SEO) crucial.
SEO helps businesses surge their search engine rankings and drive traffic to their websites. Hence, companies hire skilled SEO specialists to optimize their web pages and boost their organic rankings.
If you want to pursue a career as an SEO professional, it’s important to learn what the role entails. In this blog, we have shared the SEO job description, including its duties, responsibilities, qualifications, skills, and salary packages.
Who Is an SEO Specialist?
SEO Specialists find ways to optimize websites for search engines and increase sales for their companies. They aim to boost website search engine rankings and drive organic traffic.
They use various keyword research, link building, content creation, and other techniques to increase the number of website visitors, generate more leads, and increase business revenue. They conduct keyword research using advanced SEO tools, such as SEMrush and Google Analytics, which build brand awareness and reputation, yielding significant benefits for the company.
The SEO expert job description for these professionals also includes implementing strategies for increasing brand visibility across digital platforms and connecting with prospects. They collaborate with other team members to develop new ideas and handle social media profiles for better user engagement.
They have extensive experience and knowledge in the field and can apply for mid-level to senior-level job positions.
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What Does an SEO Specialist Do?
SEO specialists are decision-makers and problem-solvers. They understand how to create valuable and relevant content for the target audience. The job description of SEO executive includes the following tasks:
- Monitoring search engine algorithms to stay updated and keep up with the changes.
- Ensure the website aligns with the current search engine algorithms and best practices.
- Keyword research to find relevant search terms and phrases related to business.
- Develop effective content marketing strategies.
- Find ways to acquire quality backlinks and maintain strong relationships with third-party websites.
- Enhance user experience and improve conversion rates using various optimization methods.
- Audit website architecture to enhance its usability and organic rankings.
- Manage social media to build links and distribute valuable content.
- Build a strong backlink profile and improve website crawlability.
- Make a website accessible for users so they can navigate it easily.
- Create engaging meta tags to attract users and encourage more clicks.
- Drive targeted traffic to the website through link-building tactics.
- Optimize HTML tags, alt tags, canonical tags, etc., so that users and search engines can understand a website better.
- Monitor website performance continuously and make improvements.
- Track KPIs and metrics and prepare detailed reports to share with stakeholders and team leaders.
- Suggest changes and improvements to boost the online presence of a brand.
Before we look at the roles and responsibilities of SEO specialists, let’s understand what SEO specialists are not.
- They are not PPC strategists who focus only on paid ads. SEO specialists are involved in organic and paid marketing strategies.
- SEO specialists are not paid media strategists who manage ad strategies across digital channels. They follow best practices for keyword research and website optimization.
SEO Specialist Job Description
SEO specialists are professionals who perform various tasks and duties daily. Their job responsibilities often match the SEO analyst job description, taking care of every detail to boost a website’s search engine rankings and drive sales.
SEO Specialist Job Responsibilities
The job responsibilities and duties of an SEO specialist may vary based on the team size, company, project, and other factors. However, job postings for SEO specialists mainly include the following requirements:
1. Optimization
- Optimize website content to improve its readability and relevance so users and search engines can find it helpful.
- Optimize various on-page elements, such as meta titles, page headings, images, content, and more, according to keywords.
2. Technical SEO
- Ensure that the website structure, URL, and internal links are optimized to make it accessible to search engines.
- Perform technical audits to find and resolve various issues that can hamper indexing, crawlability, and overall performance of a website.
3. SEO Strategizing
- Create comprehensive SEO strategies that align with business goals, target audience, and competition in the market.
- Ensure strategies lead to higher ROI and better results.
4. Keyword Research
- Do keyword research to find relevant words and phrases related to the business.
- Assess keyword search volumes, competition, and search intent to select the target keywords.
5. Link Building
- Build quality and relevant backlinks from high-authority websites and create a strong backlink profile.
- Execute link-building techniques, such as guest posting, social bookmarking, broken link building, etc., to increase a website’s domain authority.
Also Read: 15 Types of Backlinks in SEO
6. Content Creation
- Create quality and optimized content that contains relevant keywords.
- Develop content strategies and follow SEO best practices to engage new users.
7. Website Evaluation
- Track and assess a website’s performance and user experience and run website audits.
- Find areas of improvement and create strategies to take corrective measures.
8. Web Coding
- Have basic knowledge of HTML coding to optimize HTML tags and troubleshoot website issues.
- Work with website developers and designers to optimize website code for search engines.
9. Search Analysis
- Analyze competitors and industry trends to uncover opportunities and meet market requirements.
- Understand user behavior and search patterns to create data-driven strategies.
10. KPIs Monitoring
- Track different KPIs, such as keyword rankings, conversion rates, organic traffic, click-through rates, email open rates, social media likes and shares, etc.
- Use various analytics tools to identify trends and make informed decisions.
11. Integrating Content Strategies
- Collaborate with content writers and editors to optimize content and align it with SEO strategies.
- Integrate SEO best practices in content development to make it SEO-friendly and drive more traffic.
Here are a few more common SEO job responsibilities that most companies list while posting jobs for SEO specialists:
- Work on optimization strategies to boost the website’s search engine rankings.
- Manage the budget of SEO campaigns, estimate the monthly expenses, and prepare detailed reports.
- Handle page optimization.
- Test, collect, and analyze data for paid ad campaigns.
- Identify trends and insights for maximum ROI.
- Use keyword research and analytical tools for improved efficiency.
- Work with other team members, such as graphic designers, web developers, web designers, and content writers.
- Monitor daily performance and progress of the campaign and make necessary improvements.
- Update links, website architecture, content, and other aspects to boost a website’s search engine rankings.
- Set measurable goals and achieve them through marketing efforts.
- Create useful and compelling content for websites and off-page SEO.
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Also Read: What is Local SEO? Benefits, Ranking Factors, Process
SEO Specialist Essential Skills
If you aspire to be an SEO specialist, you would need to acquire some necessary skills that recruiters look for. We have listed a few key capabilities commonly found in SEO job description for freshers and experienced individuals:
1. Technical Proficiency
SEO specialists must be aware of all the technical aspects associated with search engines, HTML tags, website optimization, image optimization, Google Analytics, etc. They use valuable insights to make decisions regarding server-side redirects, page loading speed, rendering, schema markup, lazy loading, microdata tagging, etc.
2. Coding
Coding enables SEO specialists to collaborate with developers and optimize HTML tags. They can identify gaps and make required changes to improve a website’s performance. Coding knowledge also helps them how to write code and connect pieces to troubleshoot issues. Sign up for a trusted SEO course online to learn the basics of HTML tags.
3. Website Transfers
SEO specialists must be proficient in website migrations, which is a challenging task that demands a lot of practice. Before you apply for an SEO job, make sure to acquire knowledge of website transfers.
4. Communication
You will work with clients, stakeholders, and other team members. You will require efficient communication skills to express your ideas and views to others and run seamless marketing campaigns. You will have to understand your client’s demands and goals and convey results to them.
5. Analytical Mindset
On-page and off-page SEO job description also include analytical thinking as SEO specialists analyze and interpret data related to website traffic, user behavior, keyword rankings, competition, and more. Based on analytics and insights, they develop strategies and make improvements.
6. Adaptability
The digital landscape is constantly evolving, and so is SEO. Specialists need to adapt to these changes to keep up with trends and search engine algorithms. They must quickly adapt to various things, such as competition, algorithms, technologies, consumer behavior, client needs, etc. This skill will enable them to maintain market share, drive organic traffic, and deliver what customers want.
7. Curiosity
SEO specialists must always be curious and eager to learn. They must upskill themselves to make a promising career and stay ahead of the competition.
Also Read: What is SERP? Full Form, Meaning, Features
SEO Specialist Qualifications
You don’t need a specific degree or technical expertise to be an SEO specialist. However, a digital marketing SEO job description includes a few essential requirements and qualification criteria that you must meet.
- A fair knowledge of SEO, social media, content optimization, Google Analytics, and email marketing.
- Well-versed in using digital marketing tools.
- Proven SEO experience.
- Understanding of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
- Proficiency in customer acquisition, conversions, and performance marketing.
- Knowledge of search engine ranking factors and algorithms.
- Experience in A/B and multivariate experiments.
Salary and Compensation Packages of SEO Specialists
The average salary of an SEO specialist is INR 3-4 LPA in the beginning. A professional with 4-6 years of experience can expect INR 8-10 LPA.
FAQs related to SEO Specialist Job Descriptions
Yes. Due to the increasing popularity of digital marketing, companies are actively recruiting SEO experts for various job roles and are ready to pay attractive salary packages to deserving candidates. The average salary of SEO specialists can be somewhere around INR 7-9 LPA.
SEO specialists manage marketing and SEO activities. They manage link building, website optimization, keyword research, content strategy, and much more. Their aim is to boost a website’s search engine rankings and drive organic traffic. They also handle paid ads and ensure higher ROI.
SEO specialists are responsible for various tasks and activities. Their responsibilities can vary depending on the project and requirements, but their daily work life involves a few common tasks, such as keyword research, managing clients, analyzing issues, auditing websites, generating content, optimizing web pages, building quality links, optimizing content, staying updated with search engine algorithms, and preparing detailed reports.
Companies are leaving no stone unturned to establish a strong online presence and attract users. For this, they need skilled SEO professionals who can optimize their websites and content, increase brand visibility on search engines, and drive more visitors to web pages. So, we can be certain that SEO will be an integral part of business success for a long time.
SEO experts can specialize in various areas, including mobile content, technical, on-page, off-page, e-commerce, finance, social media, email, voice search, and enterprise.
Digital marketing agencies are the top recruiters for SEO specialists. Moreover, online retail and e-commerce stores, startups, and local businesses also hire them. Whether it’s a big company or a small business, every organization with a website or online presence needs some sort of help with its SEO, making SEO one of the most sought-after careers.
SEO specialists have many professional opportunities to explore. They start with junior-level positions but can soon move to executive roles. After gaining a few years of experience, they can apply for an SEO manager role and then head of the department. They can also work as freelancers, start an agency, or become consultants. There is a lot of scope for SEO trainers and SEO bloggers, too.
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Conclusion
As businesses rely heavily on organic traffic and online visibility to generate leads, the demand for SEO specialists is also increasing. It is a rewarding career with ample opportunities for growth and advancement.
Watch tutorials, read blogs, and listen to podcasts to learn SEO and related concepts. You can also join an online SEO course to acquire skills and knowledge. With a passion for learning and determination to grow, you will soon mark your place as a skilled SEO specialist.
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