What is an SEO Specialist?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a marketing process used by digital marketers all around the world to enhance unpaid content and paid ads. SEO specialists aim to grow the quality and quantity of website traffic by increasing the visibility of a website or a web page on a particular search engine, like Google or Bing. The most commonly used search engine tools and techniques are available to large corporations, small businesses, and individuals alike; yet, it’s crucial to have a specialist on a digital marketing team to ensure effective content promotion.
SEO Specialists are digital marketers who have chosen to study SEO techniques to ensure their methods are up-to-date with advancing technologies flooding the market. Understanding Search Engine Optimization fundamentals is essential; however, it’s even more important that every SEO specialist dedicates enough time to growing and refining their techniques. With proper research and training, a Search Engine Optimization professional can ensure their team that the blog, video, or audio they aim to distribute can reach its intended audiences.
Why are SEO Specialists Needed?
The role of an SEO specialist is becoming indispensable due to the applicability of its practices across entire industries. Acting as a crucial member of the digital marketing team, an SEO specialist will often find themselves collaborating on a wide variety of projects every day. Because of this increased demand for SEO knowledge in the field, most digital marketing teams are looking to hire one or more SEO specialists. A large number of professionals from all backgrounds study Search Engine Optimization and other digital marketing topics to enter the field as rapidly as possible.
A Day in the Life
Now that you know what Search Engine Optimization is and why it is growing in popularity, you may be wondering how you could utilize it working in the field. To better understand the role and responsibilities of an SEO specialist, you should learn the daily technical requirements and common challenges encountered in the position. While not every SEO specialist does the same work, there are techniques and tools used by nearly every digital marketing professional working with Search Engine Optimization.
Daily Technical Responsibilities
While the approach SEO Specialists use throughout their careers evolve, some fundamental practices remain consistent, even in daily use.
Optimization
Optimization is an umbrella term used to describe the enhancement of a webpage or other content that often requires significant research. Optimization methods vary from technical practices on the back-end of a site, known as ‘on-page SEO,’ to all the promotional ‘off-page’ techniques like social media marketing. Proper optimization often requires trial-and-error style testing that can be a daily mission for an SEO specialist trying to enhance the visibility of their content.
Keyword Research
Keyword research is best defined as identifying words and phrases (aka “keywords”) that individuals are currently using in search engines. To best optimize content, an SEO Specialist would research the best possible keywords to help rank their article, video, or podcast show in search engines. As the first step in creating a new SEO campaign, keyword research is one of the most central SEO tasks of a specialist’s day; however, many useful online tools make choosing keywords a simple and easy process.
Link Building
Link building is the process of adding links from other websites (external links), as well as links from your own website (internal links) to your content as a way to add value to readers. Most search engines scan the web for authoritative links on webpages, meaning practicing link building helps to build authority for the brand and, as a result, increase rankings within the search engines. SEO Specialists spend a majority of their time researching and experimenting with link building. It is regarded as a very valuable skill in the digital marketing field because of its positive results when leveraged effectively.
URL Tracking
Working in Search Engine Optimization often means being in charge of multiple digital campaigns and pieces of content simultaneously. To effectively track inbound traffic, it’s essential to identify the source from which your traffic is coming. There are several ways an individual can enter a site, such as an advertisement, social media links, and links from a guest post. To track the source of an audience, an SEO Specialist will create unique URLs that will help identify the origin of their visitors.
Analytics
SEO Specialists are constantly compiling data and analyzing the effectiveness of their content. In order to determine the success or failure of their methods, marketers must accurately interpret data using a platform such as Google Analytics. Individuals working in Search Engine Optimization don’t go a single day without checking the analytics on their projects because it’s crucial they know performance levels in the event numbers change dramatically.
Build a Career in Search Engine Optimization
If you think you have what it takes to work in the field of marketing and have an interest in analytics, you may do well in the field of Search Engine Optimization. SEO specialists master the skills needed to enhance digital content while also staying a step above their competitors. As the demand grows for digital marketers, more and more people will choose to enter the field and specialize in Search Engine Optimization.
The New Jersey Institute of Technology enlists a team of digital marketing experts to build an accelerated curriculum that allows individuals like you to learn SEO techniques and practice with SEO tools online.
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