It takes training, ongoing education and commitment to become an SEO expert.
Search Engine Optimisation is a growing industry and a lot of SEO expert jobs are available at the junior, mid management and director level. You may be working in house, as part of an advertising agency or take a role with a SEO company. However you need more than just qualifications or training to become an SEO professional. Read more about what it takes to become an SEO consultant in Australia.
Training
SEO companies may offer on the job training or send you offsite to an education facility that offers courses. Some marketing courses at selected universities also teach Search Engine Optimisation techniques as part of the curriculum. Other useful online training and resources for SEO consultants include SEOMoz, SEObook and SearchEngineNews.com.
Knowledge of Search Engines
Google may hold the monopoly in countries such as Australia but websites also need to be optimised for other Search Engines such as Yahoo and Bing*. Countries like China, Russia, and South Korea may favour local Search Engines. An SEO expert must also have advanced understanding of on page optimisation, link building strategies and SEO copywriting (see below).
Wide knowledge base
Not only it is important to have a good understanding of Search Engine Optimisation, an SEO expert needs to have a broad understanding of different industries such as retail, hospitality, healthcare, electronics, insurance and telecommunication. This is important because clients may come from different sectors so it is beneficial to have an overview of different industries.
Ongoing education
Search Engine Optimisation is a dynamic industry and it is important for an SEO professional to undergo ongoing education and training throughout their career so they can keep up to date with changes in the SEO industry. This may involve:
- attending conferences and education workshops
- viewing webinars and information videos
- reading blogs
- monitoring social media
A good source of information includes Matt’s Cutts blog, SEOMoz‘ blog and other blogs such as the SEO Works blog and SEO Global Network.
Good copywriting skills
An SEO expert must have good copywriting skills. An SEO company may employ an SEO copywriter to write the bulk of the copy but the SEO professional must be able to write detailed client briefs to able to guide the copywriter. They must also have the required skills to be able to subedit the text ready for publication on the Web.
Analytic skills
In addition to sound writing and internet skills, an SEO expert must also have well developed analytical skills to be able to produce periodic reports for clients using Search Engine tools such as Google Analytics. The SEO consultant will be expected to provide on page and off page analysis as well as competitor analysis reports for clients. This information is required to improve the optimisation of the website.
Social media
Social networking is increasingly becoming more important in Search Engine Optimisation. It’s ideal if SEO service providers to have a working knowledge of major social networks such as YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. It is important that SEO techniques are combined with other internet marketing campaigns such as social media, advertising and public relations strategies.
IT savvy
As well as having a good understanding of Search Engine technology, SEO specialists must be able to use content management systems but also have a basic understanding of HTML and image manipulation software such as Photoshop. These skills are a must have as the copy is usually uploaded and optimised via a content management system.
Personal attributes
Regardless of whether you work in house or you are an external SEO consultant, you need to be service orientated, have good attention to detail, be able to multi-task and meet deadlines. A large part of the role will be client liaison and managing client’s expectations. Ideally, periodic reports will be sent to your clients to keep them updated of your progress.
Being employed as an SEO professional can be a very challenging and rewarding career but it takes ongoing training, dedication and commitment to become and stay one of the best SEO consultants in Australia. If you are interested in pursuing a career as an SEO expert, keep checking our website for any job vacancies.
*Yahoo and Bing have signed an agreement to merge which will take place in late 2010 or early 2011.
