Be it business owners, budding marketers or SEO career enthusiasts, knowing and understanding SEO in an era of internet and digital marketing is of utmost importance.
If there is any amount of resentment with relates to SEO, then that’s because of the huge number of spam agencies that have taken business owners for a ride. Marketers now have to face the brunt by having to face a tough time making businesses realize the significance of SEO. Hence, both business owners and marketers need to know SEO to save their grounds.
As for individuals seeking a career in SEO, here are some of the required skill sets that can help your career take off as an SEO pro. Read on to know.
Required Skills
- Knowing the functioning of Internet: To facilitate easy grasping of SEO, knowing the basics of how the internet works is important. While basic surfing skills help a lot, have a sound knowledge of the internet fundamentals like IP addresses, HTTP coding and how they can work with a web browser and a server is necessary.
- Being internet savvy helps: What we learn out of our own interest lingers longer in our minds than what is forced upon. Its never enough to be a book worm, you have to have the urge to learn more than what’s served. Only then do you flourish.
- Sound HTML knowledge is required: Knowing HTML coding well, is a weapon that will help you fight throughout your SEO career. Without sound knowledge of the language, you’ll find yourself heading nowhere.
- Communication (Writing and Oral): It’s never enough to emphasize on how important it is to be strong in communication, written and oral. A lot of individuals perceive that SEOs do not have to face the customer’s upfront. But that’s a misconception. You’re the person working on the client’s website, so its ideally you who he/ she would want to contact incase of any issues. Besides you may be called up for inputs and guidance to trainee SEOs. For all this and more, you need to be strong with your communication.
- MS Excel Skills: Proficiency in MS Excel is an advantage for every individual but for SEOs it’s a prerequisite to keeping themselves organized and on their toes so as to pull out and analyze data as and when required.
- Fundamentals of Blogging: Blogging basics like creating WP accounts, adding and editing posts, installing plugins, Authorship installations etc should be known to an aspiring SEO.
- Elementary knowledge of Social Media: Knowing the platforms and how they function, understanding the features like paid ads, sponsored stories, how to integrate them into a website, etc.
- Google Analytics: Google analytics is a vital tool for monitoring on-page and off-page performance and measuring the results thereof. Understanding its functionality and being able to use it is therefore very important for an SEO aspirant.
Initiative-taking Habits That Will Pay
- Inclination to learn: It pays. SEO is ever changing and evolving and the best way to tame the horse is to stay updated with the latest tools and developments. These updates would however not be available to you in the theoretical books and handouts. Hence, inculcate the habit of reading industry updates to stay ahead in your league. Besides, having the latest update will have people approaching you for help and guidance.
- Creativity in link building strategies: Undoubtedly link building is a very important aspect of SEO that helps in rankings but post the Penguin and Panda updates, link building requires being done creatively using a combination of blogging, guest blogging, press releases, etc. Finding creative ways to attain links will help you gain better authentic rankings for your clients.
- SEO is dynamic: Accept the fact that SEO will no longer work in the traditional stereotype way. Getting rankings and visibility for the client is of utmost importance and to achieve results you have to be dynamic, adaptable and flexible to learning and change too.
If you’re looking at a career in SEO in an organization, you may also be tested for your team player skills, leadership skills and presentation skills too. This is mainly because an SEO expert’s KRA is not just limited to performing the mechanical on-page and off-page activities. You will have roles where your soft skills will be put to test and being able to deliver under such situations will validate and enhance you as being an expert.
The primary goal of SEO is to drive in traffic and leads into a website (your own or your client’s) followed by branding. Organizations mostly hire SEO specialists (individuals or firms) therefore leading to the huge demand of SEO professionals.
With more and more people having access to internet, digital marketing has become the preferred medium for businesses to market themselves. Moreover, SEO comprises of a considerable chunk of digital marketing and its here to stay. So, if you think you have what it takes to be in this profession, take the plunge without thinking too much as it’s one of the very rewarding careers one can opt for.
What are your thoughts and takes on SEO as a profession? Are you looking for SEO training? Post your comments below or visit our website for a comprehensive training program on SEO.
