In this time where the complaints of unemployment are many, there are a couple of fields which are flooded with job opportunities. One such field is of Digital Marketing which is full of employment and business opportunities. According to a survey, around 20,00000 jobs will be generated in India for digital marketing. The crucial skill set a digital marketer must have is designing the SEO strategy. The profile of Search Engine Optimization Strategist or SEO Strategist is capable of handling and designing the SEO strategy of the business.
Search Engine Optimization helps in gaining a greater visibility with search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. The SEO strategist job and work hold a lot of importance in a company. The SEO expert is responsible for implementing SEO and social media strategies for clients. He or she should be able to gauge the goals that are necessary for the success of the campaigns for the clients.
Who is an SEO Strategist
A Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Specialist is the person responsible for analyzing, reviewing and executing the changes related to websites in order to get it optimized for the search engine. The specialist maximizes the traffic that comes to a site by improving the ranking within the search engine.
According to SEO.com, The responsibility to show up the website at the top of the ranking is the job of an SEO strategist. If we look back to ten years from now, then the role of an SEO strategist was very different as compared to today’s time. Now the strategist should have updated skill-set in order to fit in the role.
Skills required for SEO strategist work
An SEO strategist work has a variety when it comes to the background and skillsets. For instance, There are chances that the person is having a background of programming and able to focus on technical optimization. Similarly, there may be people who have a good amount of experience in designing, writing etc. But when it comes to an SEO strategist, he should know all the intricacies of the search engine operations.
Most SEO experts will specialize in several of the areas mentioned below:
- In-depth keyword research
- Studying traffic and analytics
- Split-testing similar pages
- Building natural backlinks
- Analyzing the client’s competitors
- Maximizing local search exposure
- Developing strong calls to action
- Working with writers and designers
- Programming in HTML, PHP, etc.
- Expertise in WordPress or Joomla
- Creating effective ranking strategies
- Researching the latest SEO practices
There are many things that count for the functionality of the website and its search operations.
An SEO expert is always equipped with ample SEO evaluation tools like Google Analytics and Moz’s Open Site Explorer. These help to create a thorough action plan. The experts are in continuous process of researching the trending and new search engine updates of core ranking algorithms. They also make sure of how the new changes are going to affect their clients.
Key traits of an SEO strategist
An SEO expert should have both creative and technical skills in order to deliver the best for the clients. Many aspects are related when it comes to achieving a favorable ranking on Google. To make it happen, an SEO strategist must have high-skills along with multitasking.
Here are the ranking criteria an SEO expert will be knowledgeable of:
- Writing quality content focused towards target customers
- In order to make the pages visually appealing, it is necessary to add pictures and graphics
- Make sure that the keywords are used in title and paragraphs
- Must know the vitality of mobile optimized website
- Quality backlinks play an important role
- To build a strong local presence, create citations
- Should be able to drive traffic from various sources
- Content should be if quality and with improves readability
- Should be able to perform research on latest algorithm updates
- Strong customer service and interpersonal skills
Clients may have limited knowledge of how search optimization works. So it is the skill of the SEO specialist to make the team understand all the technical things in the most simpler manner.
Responsibilities of SEO strategist
- Performing keyword research in sync with the client’s business goals in order to optimize the prevailing content and discover new opportunities
- A detailed analysis of the results derived that should be in coordination with the website’s structure and the web pages
- Should suggest and implement strategies for content development. All the strategies should be in sync with SEO objectives
- Moderate search engine programs that include webmaster tools, XML sitemaps etc in order to make the reports of the client projects’
- Also, give a helping hand in producing marketing content like blog posts, posts, case studies etc.
- Execute campaigns for link building campaigns that should go hand in hand with client’s SEO objectives
- Assistance in creating and implementing content strategies, keeping in mind the SEO goals
- Keep the momentum going with SEO, social media, and internet marketing industry trends and developments
- Make use of various tools that support the social media strategy of the client
- Monitor web analytics dashboards, reports, and key reporting tools, and mark the key areas of importance according to the client goals
- Always analyze and keep a tab on the results and the search performance across all the channels
- Must have proper communication with the whole team and management regarding the project status and its development
- Work with the other team members to reach client goals
Required professional competencies
The SEO strategist should be driven towards SEO and internet marketing. An SEO strategist should be able to think analytically and should resolve the identified problems. Also, he or she should be able to look after every minute detail. The person must have the ability to clearly and effectively articulate thoughts and points.
Professional skills and qualifications
- Experience in Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for around 1 to 2 years
- Efficient skills in MS Excel, PowerPoint, and Word
- Must have a know-how with website analysis along with a variety of analytics tools. This includes Google Analytics as well as the internal reporting tool
- Should know how to with popular keyword tools (Google, WordTracker, Keyword Discovery, etc)
- Sufficient knowledge of HTML/CSS and website administrations
- Degrees preferred: BS/BA
- SEO strategist should also be aware of the things like Private Blog Network, AMP etc.
The SEO takes time to show its turnover, therefore it is very important for an SEO strategist to be patient and keep on working. If you are in search of an SEO strategist, make sure that you look out for all the above set of skills and responsibilities. Once you know what to look while hiring the SEO expert. SEO strategist jobs are high in demand as many new websites are coming in. And in the near future, the digital space will be fighting to rank number one in Google rankings. If you want to be in the race, only a SEO expert can help you.
