SEO career for no-techies: tips for finding a perfect career match

Intro

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is an excellent career choice for those who are looking for job opportunities on the lists of the easiest and most well-paid jobs. If you are good at navigating the internet and interested in marketing in general, you can build a successful SEO career.

Furthermore, the study showed that only a small percentage of the total number of SEO positions are technical (22.9%). A larger proportion of job offers seek non-technical SEO professionals, such as SEO managers (77.1%). Therefore, there is no demand for technical degrees and complex knowledge of technologies to step into the field.

The results of work as an SEO specialist will depend on the correctly chosen approach to the tasks set and on competition in the market. As in any other profession that is related to the Internet and information technology, it is very important to constantly develop and improve, update your knowledge, and follow the latest trends and news that change frequently.

What is SEO?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is search engine optimization and the complex development of a website to increase revenue and traffic from search engines. In simple words, it attracts traffic to a website from Google search.

Search engine optimization considers the selected search phrases called the semantic core. The main goal is to promote the site to the TOP-10 of search results. The better the search engines evaluate the resource, the higher the lines it occupies in the search results, and the more people visit it.

Website optimizers try to do everything possible to ensure that the site satisfies the user who made the request as fully as possible. Based on the assessment results, the search engine evaluates the site and determines what position this or that page should be in. The more informative, useful and user-friendly the page, the higher its position in the search engine will occupy.

What skills are needed to build a successful career in SEO?

To start a career in SEO, one must have good communication skills to understand the requirements and develop current promotion strategies. It is also necessary to have creative skills and to design and develop effective messages that will generate web traffic for the company website and customer interest in the organization or product.

Good analytical and technical skills are a must-have as well. SEO specialist mainly focuses on web marketing strategy to increase internet search results for a company. According to research, the most popular skill set includes the following: tools, data, analytics, content, and marketing. Furthermore, a good SEO specialist always learns to stay up-to-date with the latest industry developments.

SEO skills

An SEO specialist must have basic knowledge in his field. "Base" is the theory of search algorithms, filters and ranking factors, and practical knowledge. The first thing with which knowledge of SEO specialization begins is the study of the principles of search operation and the factors influencing a site's ranking in organic search results.

It is necessary to understand how sites are indexed, what is the principle of search results, what role links and site structure play in SEO, etc. For example, even a junior specialist needs to be able to conduct a technical audit of the site, draw up a competent technical specification, and also collect and cluster semantics.

Writing skills

Understanding the process of writing good texts is an important element of SEO. Perhaps you are not a copywriter yourself, but it is always worth improving your skills. To help colleagues with what is called SEO copywriting, you must know what constitutes good text. When writing, the text should be convincing and have sufficient relevance to the search queries used by site visitors. Get to know copywriters' process when researching, writing and editing their work. This will help you better think through your own copywriting requests.

Basic development skills

According to research, the most popular programming languages that require basic knowledge when hiring SEO specialists are PHP, SQL, Go, JavaScript, CSS, and HTML. Understanding the basics of HTML, CSS and JavaScript can help you make your sites bot-friendly.

SEO specialists do not have to be full-fledged developers. If you understand the code, you can already identify problems with rendering, indexing, and usability. There are cases when knowledge of the basics of code creation or the ability to read existing code can benefit advancement. This will also facilitate communication with developers who make changes to your sites.

Such knowledge helps to see changes on edited pages from the inside, and you understand how it works. Learning programming is not required for SEO, but knowing the basics of these three widely used languages ​​will help you in your career.

Analytical Skills

The ability to competently convey information about the progress, results and justification of one's SEO work is crucial for success in the industry. It will be much easier for you to get approval and a budget if you know how to demonstrate the work results.

Reporting is not just adding labels to the graph or even recording the reasons for increasing and decreasing indicators. Profound SEO reports are an excellent way to impress customers and allow them to understand the meaning of the results, draw conclusions and make informed business decisions based on them.

SEO tools using

The correct use of the necessary SEO tools can greatly facilitate the work of any SEO specialist. Beginners should also learn to use and configure basic online SEO tools in addition to the main ones (Google Analytics and Google Search Console).

Research shows that 63.4% of all SEO jobs require basic knowledge or knowledge of certain industry-recognized tools such as Yoast SEO, Google Search Console, Semrush and Google Analytics, etc.

• Chrome Developer Tools is a set of developer tools built into Chrome. They are usually used to check the HTML code of a page.
• Yoast SEO is a blackberry from the most popular SEO plugins. Knowing how to use this plugin will not make you a professional. Nevertheless, you will not become a professional if you do not know all the subtleties of working with Yoast SEO.
• SEMrush is one of the most recommended SEO tools. This tool is designed for many tasks, including link building, keyword research, competitor analysis, PPC campaigns, and more.

What are the best career paths in SEO?

If you decide to build a career in SEO, you will not be limited by a strict set of job duties. Furthermore, the SEO career path is an excellent way to fulfil creative and interesting tasks, getting a decent level salary in return.

You can choose one of the following positions depending on your skills and strengths.

SEO Specialist

This position requires you to analyze, test and modify websites. This is done to make them more convenient for search engines. To ensure that SEO best practices are used for all sections and pages, you will need to work with a web development team in most cases. The main tasks for this position will be website structure optimization, keyword research, link building, reporting, and content optimization in collaboration with a copywriter.

SEO Analyst/Head of SEO

You can become an SEO Analyst and optimize your digital marketing strategy and conversions by gaining significant SEO experience. SEO analysts need to see the bigger picture of search trends and develop direct strategies to achieve the required KPIs.

Content Marketing Manager

If you're not tech-savvy (there are a lot of technical aspects to SEO work), you can train to become a content marketer. You will need to be responsible for researching and writing content. Also, the main tasks in this area for you will be developing an overall content strategy and cooperation with marketing and SEO teams. This is to ensure that everything you write is consistent with the overall digital marketing goals of the company. Research shows that 57% of marketing executives consider content development to be the most effective SEO strategy.

PPC Manager

PPC (Pay Per Click) is a paid advertisement that often runs through Google Adwords. As a PPC Manager, you will be responsible for keyword research, campaign budget optimization, creative management, and audience targeting.

SEM Specialist

The term SEM (search engine marketing) is broader than SEO. It includes contextual advertising, search engine optimization and customer relationship management. Good people in this industry should be able to get websites to the top of both organic and paid search engine rankings with the right strategy.

Conclusion

Careers in SEO are gaining popularity worldwide, and many professionals are working on this skill and improving themselves. According to research, 14% of US small businesses spend $5,000 a year on SEO services. SEO is necessary for everyone in the market, whether a small company or a large organization.

SEO is a part of digital marketing, and digital marketing has increased significantly due to the availability of the internet and easy online payment methods. SEO professionals need to learn many things and have many skills. SEO offers career opportunities and tremendous potential for growth.

SEO professional is someone who has knowledge of the algorithms behind search engine results that can help an organization appear in search results. A career in SEO is good and has great prospects in the future.