ADD ADVICE TO FAVSearch engine optimisation / marketing (SEO/SEM) specialist
Search engine optimisation / marketing (SEO/SEM) specialists work for online publishers, digital agencies and organisations with large web concerns (such as e-commerce sites, online directories and big companies).
The role of an SEO/SEM specialist is to increase traffic to a website, to improve rankings on search engines, to track the activities of a website’s visitors and to run online marketing campaigns.
Other job titles for SEO/SEM specialists include SEO professional, search engine marketer and internet marketing consultant.
What SEO/SEM specialists do
- analyse the number of visitors to a website and their activity on the site using web analytics software
- report these statistics to their colleagues and to advertisers
- make changes to a website to improve its ranking on Google, Yahoo!, etc
- run marketing campaigns (may include banner adverts, pay-per-click advertising, etc)
- analyse the success of these campaigns
- promote a website on blogs, forums and wikis
- work closely with web editors, designers and web developers
- understand issues surrounding user experience, accessibility and information architecture
- may control budgets.
Key skills for SEO/SEM specialists
- an interest in online trends
- a good knowledge of their market and audience
- understanding of how search engines and websites work
- analytical skills
- good interpersonal skills
- ability to work to targets.
Training to be an SEO/SEM specialist
Training is usually on the job, supplemented by short courses run by professional-training organisations.
Salaries for SEO/SEM specialists
Entry-level positions in search engine optimisation / search engine marketing tend to focus on just one aspect of the industry, eg pay-per-click advertising, link-building or affiliate marketing.
Typical graduate salaries range from £20,000 to £23,000. With a few years’ experience, an SEO/SEM specialist can earn £30,000 and above.
