Digital Marketing - Is SEO the Right Career for me?

Digital Marketing – Is SEO the Right Career for me?

If you’ve been following Digital Ready’s blog for at least a week now, you’ll be quite familiar with different aspects of Digital Marketing insights shared on it. We’ve been discussing things ranging from what is Digital Marketing to start with to deep-seated aspects regarding the same. Today, it’s time to profoundly focus on various specializations the line of business has to offer, and let’s start to explore the world of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for you, as a Digital Marketing aspirant, to understand if that’s the right turn to take!

What is SEO?

So, instead of just taking the area for granted, or for some kind of a thrill or curiosity to venture in, let’s rationally look at what all the field has to put forward at your dispense. SEO – Search Engine Optimization is one amazing blend of both art and science to optimize your web pages to be found by the search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing etc in their top searches. But why was it called partly art, partly science? The science component of SEO takes care of technological know-how and all the engineering & technicalities of a website such as code, information, architecture and user experience, among other mechanics. Art is all about comprehending the business, and the customer behavior and trying to positively influence it by adding significance to them (be it in terms of manufactured goods, services or strategic solutions) and getting value in return (as leads, profits or brand reputation). SEO plays an imperative role in boosting up sales and scaling the growth of a completely online trade (such as snapdeal.com) or an offline company (such as McD).

Why is the industry growing so fast?

As several reports suggest, radio television and print media have seen a decline as advertising mediums by 15.2%, 18.9 and 14.2% in the last couple of years. And with the dawn of the internet, companies have seen it as a better means to reach their target groups. Here’s why:

Amplified use of search engines to search for information on the web year after year
Established brand advertisers are using SEO vigorously in India and across the world
Conventional or Direct marketers are increasingly moving to SEO as a primary means of Marketing
Versatility and responsiveness in the way users can search for information using different computing gadgets like mobiles and tablets
Untreated SEO listings on Google search result page are more reliable than Ads
Google is fast growing and making demographic, targeted and Geo targeted search results

What skills are needed for a career in SEO?

As already suggested, SEO is a perfect blend of arts and science disciplines, so if you come from the science family and are technically crafted, SEO can add a lot of value to your profile by making you lay your hands on the realistic aspects of the business. SEO helps you climb the professional ladder quite quickly, and facilitates learning new skills related to people management and internet marketing or strategy building. In case you come from the art / commerce backdrop, then SEO may appear a little too knotty due to the wholesome technical skill obligation. The good news is that – most technical aspects of SEO are easy to learn, practice and implement.

Things to look for:

Digital marketing executives look for such people who have built up a deep understanding of two core things:

The significance of providing some worth for the clients and building imperative associations through inbound marketing practices
You’ll need to be truly interested in SEO and have a close eye on the constantly changing landscape to succeed in this industry, without forgetting the procedural elements involved like canonicalization

What the Experts Say:

Anna Wymes, Senior Recruitment Specialist for RightFit.ie said, “SEO is still as popular as ever and there is a big demand for those with both sets of skills (SEO and PPC).” Cecilia Desmond, Recruitment Consultant from Morgan McKinley said, “Inbound marketing specialists require lead generation and content strategy experience, along with a good knowledge of HubSpot and excellent analytical skills”.

Top Tips to Get Started With an SEO Career:

Create your own website and optimize it using SEO – you can showcase this on your CV and it’d speak volumes of your work and worth
Also have an active social media presence. Channelize your inbound marketing and SEO comprehension by producing appropriate content and sharing it on social media
Start looking out for connections on Twitter and LinkedIn to reach out to and help out some communities online
Read as much as you can to get a real-time knowledge about the subject, such as blogs, magazines, and better your understanding of the subject to improve your expertise
Study for and get done the Google Analytics Individual Qualification
Gain knowledge about how to use Google Webmaster and complete the accompanying questions

There’s no exaggeration in saying that almost every website is wanting to acquire professional SEO services for itself, be it internally or externally depending on its financial resources and expertise at disposal. SEO has a very brilliant future for you if you have impressive analytical skills and if you are full of life. You need to keep up with all the latest trends in the field, have an obsession for research and be able to formulate clever and creative marketing strategies to thrash your contenders, and have an extended online footprint.

SEO Job Categories / Designations

Many of the SEO/SEM companies, particularly the larger markets, have employees in the following job categories:

Analytics
Business Management/Development
Link Building
Event Management
Organic Search Engine Optimization
Social Media Analyst
Web Development/Programming
Web Design
Offline Marketing/Advertising
Public Relations/Reputation Management
Paid Search/PPC Management
Web Design
Writing/Blogging

Can I work as a freelancer / self-employed SEO specialist?

Here are some tips for those seeking to be on their own in the SEO domain:

By pairing up with web designers of web design companies, as their clients classically require SEO services
Keep attending conferences and workshops to build your network in the search engine optimization industry
Social media websites such as LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook are great places to gather people who would need SEO/SEM services. Explore networking opportunities as much as you can on the web
Propose free or trial services to generate credibility in your work. Go after word of mouth referrals from friends or family
Attend SEO seminars in your city. They offer a platform to showcase your worth

SEO Salary & Benefits

In developing countries like India, the regular income for an SEO specialist is somewhere between Rs 1.8 lakhs – Rs 4 lakhs per year for freshers. Like any other discipline; the salary depends on a range of factors like the no. of years with Experience, Employer Type, Geographic Location, Company Size, Certifications, among others. There are a host of vacancies and job openings in the Digital Marketing industry and many of the job summaries include experience in search engine optimization. The necessity for both entry-level & experienced SEO/SEM experts will be growing until the Internet as a medium with search engines exists to rule our worlds.

SEO Training & Certification

On the current day, there is no authorized governing body for the SEO industry and there is no rule of thumb like a standard to follow. However, various large and leading institutions and organizations have started to propose International certifications for carrying out SEO courses. Taking these courses can add good weight to your profile. Having said all this, if you see yourself as a potential SEO person waiting to rule the roost, hurry up and contact Simpliskills for their training programmes in various Digital Marketing courses including Search Engine Optimization. For more details about the same, contact: 8008255010.