Your Ultimate Guide on How to Start an SEO Career

Business, like many aspects of our lives, now resides in the digital world. As a result, many new jobs have opened up in the digital space, as more and more companies hire talent that possess new expertise relevant to new realities. One of these new proficiencies is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), which is a critical aspect of digital marketing. If you are looking for a career shift or are just starting out your career journey, pursuing jobs related to SEO could be worthwhile.

Understanding SEO and all its elements can help you determine how to start an SEO career. Digging deeper could help guide you in knowing what skills to develop, which of your transferable skills could be valuable, and what types of jobs could be right for you.

So, before you dive in, you should first ask the right questions.

What is SEO and how does it work?

SEO involves the strategic process of increasing the visibility of a business or a product on the internet.  Whether in search engines or social media, SEO aims to put the business at the forefront when people search for products or services within the industry. This is important because people are spending more of their time online than ever before. Being easily seen and accessible online can be the difference between a business’ success and failure.

So, how does SEO work? Search engines generate search results based on ranking. A particular content’s ranking is based on quality and relevance. Search engines measure relevance through keyword analysis and then analyse the quality of the website’s content. To achieve a high SEO score, you must strategically craft content and use relevant keywords. You must also improve content quality through effective content creation, strategy, and even design.

Why is it important for marketing?

The goal of every business is to raise awareness for its brand. Traditionally, this has been achieved through advertising. But, the digital realm is far from traditional. Because of the interconnectivity of the internet, there are now ways to reach your target audience more efficiently. Algorithms designed to give users what they want, and perhaps more amazingly, to predict what users will want, are directing traffic in the new information superhighway.

SEO is essentially the science of instructing those algorithms to bring your content to your target market. It uses targeted keywords, on-page optimisation, improved User Experience (UX), and other SEO strategies to deliver content to the right sets of eyes. 

When done right, SEO brings your content to the exact kind of internet user who would most likely make a purchase or at least act on your content’s call to action. It is a highly efficient way of reaching your target audience because it reduces wasted time, effort, and money. You increase your audience-to-consumer conversion while keeping your costs at an optimal value.

The internet is now its own marketplace where players vie for attention. SEO is the weapon of choice for many businesses who want to stay competitive in this new landscape where marketing, point of purchase, and brand loyalty all coexist, often on the same web page.

What skills do you need for a career in SEO?

The most basic SEO skills are knowledge-based, which means they can be learned by anyone who puts enough time and energy into it. An example is keyword research, which is the ability to identify keywords that are both relevant but also not too competitive to avoid being out-ranked by bigger, more established websites. 

Backlinking is another integral skill in SEO, as it helps increase a website’s ranking by linking it to other relevant and reputable websites.

Optimisation skills are also important. On-page optimisation is knowing the proper title tags, headers, captions, and overall content format that would generate the highest possible SEO score. Then, there is also technical optimisation, which involves technical expertise geared towards maximising the speed of your website. 

User Experience (UX) is another valuable SEO skill wherein you combine graphic design and marketing insights to make your website or app as enjoyable to use as possible, encouraging repeat visits or purchases.

Making the most out of SEO requires a wide array of skills, from marketing to visual design and even data analytics. This means that there are also transferable skills that you could apply if you are transitioning from a different industry. Soft skills such as organisational skills, patience, and project management skills can help you understand the different processes faster and even bridge the different disciplines together into a cohesive whole.

What are the different SEO roles?

The interdisciplinary nature of SEO lends itself to a diverse set of jobs available in the SEO field. One of the best ways to start your SEO career path is through the SEO Specialist role. A job as an SEO Specialist requires organising and improving content for SEO optimisation, researching and expanding keywords, and analysing data in order to make the necessary recommendations. 

In other words, SEO Specialists execute the overall content strategy, which gets them in the front row of all SEO activities and decisions, thereby giving them all the knowledge and exposure they need for a fruitful career path in SEO.

If you have relevant technical expertise, particularly in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript development, you can pursue a role as a Technical SEO Specialist. This can also lead to a similar career path from Specialist to Senior SEO Specialist, to SEO Manager, and Head of SEO.

There are other more specialised roles for people with experience in writing and graphic design. Writers can carve a career as content writers by learning all about SEO optimisation and applying its concepts creatively in how they write content. Similarly, visual artists can learn SEO principles and apply them to engaging UX that can make websites more user-friendly.

How can you learn all about SEO?

The best way to learn SEO is through experts and experienced practitioners. Look for people in your network who can teach you basic concepts and possibly point you to opportunities where you can learn on the job or through training. If you work in a company with a digital marketing department, then you can get in touch with them for a possible mentorship programme.

There are also plenty of online resources from which you can build basic SEO knowledge. For advanced learning, many websites offer online courses. Once you learn the rudimentary SEO concepts, the best way to improve your skills and increase your knowledge is through experience. You can only truly learn the best practices by seeing all of the SEO concepts applied in practice, rather than in theory. Through actual experience, you will get to see first-hand evidence and insights into what works in certain situations.

Conclusion

Having the requisite curiosity and passion is how you start an SEO career. Because getting the right motivation will push you into further knowledge and help you identify the transferable skills that can help you in your career journey. Once you dip your toes in this new career, then you can make the best out of the experience by extracting every relevant insight and applying them to the next project. Ultimately, a career in SEO requires a systematic approach, not unlike the process of SEO itself. Make sure you do not miss any steps, and learn from each one as much as you can.

Take the first step to a fruitful career in SEO now and #SEEKBetter jobs. 

You can search for the best SEO jobs on our jobs portal, featuring the top companies in Malaysia. We know starting a new career can be tough, which is why we put together our Career Resources to give you all the tips, insights, and resources you’ll need in your new career journey.