A professional SEO consultant is made, not born – learn more about what it takes to work in the online marketing industry.
Working as an SEO consultant admittedly can involve long hours helping a client optimize their website, but it is very rewarding and challenging. Knowing that you have helped a client increase traffic to their website, grow their sales leads and boost their conversion rates is very gratifying. So if you’re interested in a career as an online marketing specialist, find out what skills and experience you require.
Willingness to share information with clients
One of the key roles of a successful SEO consultant is to teach clients about optimisation and act as a coach and mentor. Irrespective of whether a client chooses to pay for ongoing SEO services or move their internet marketing in-house, this will enable them to be able to make small tweaks to their online campaigns. It can also help your clients understand why changes are being made to their site, the results they can expect and expected timeframes.
Transparent and honest
An SEO expert who is going to make their mark in the SEO industry needs to be transparent and honest about the methods they are using to optimize websites. Clients are looking for companies who practise “white hat” SEO techniques (methods that fall within the Search Engine guidelines) to improve rankings. You should also be able to outline clearly what is included with your packages, give upfront quotes and provide regular feedback.
Wide knowledge base
To have a thriving career as an SEO consultant, not only should you have a good understanding of Search Engine Optimization techniques, but you should also have a broad understanding of different industries. These may include tourism, retail, telecommunications, and healthcare. This helps specialists to be able to talk a client’s language and optimize sites across a wide spectrum of industries and trades.
Awareness of different search engines
To become a successful SEO specialist, you also need to be knowledgeable about popular search engines in the region(s) in which you are working. It is also ideal to have a working knowledge of the popular search engines in the world. Google may be the dominant search engine in Westernized countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, but in China for example Baidu has the largest market share.
Strong analytic and IT skills
Working as an SEO consultant requires a high level of technical ability. As well as an understanding of how Search Engines work and website architecture, you will also need to be conversant in the leading Content Management Systems (CMS), and have a basic understanding of HTML and image manipulation software. You should be comfortable liaising with software developers. An optimization specialist will also be expected to provide on-page and off-page analysis, as well as produce competitor analysis reports.
Excellent client liaison skills
SEO professionals work very closely with their clients to optimize their website. It is the role of the consultant to set down realistic expectations and SEO goals for optimisation at the start of the campaign and keep in constant contact with clients via regular monthly reports, emails, and phone calls. In general, a specialist needs to have great communication and customer service skills, be able to multitask and meet deadlines.
Commitment to ongoing training and education
An SEO consultant who wants to stay on top of their game should be dedicated to ongoing training and development. The search engine market is a very fast-paced and dynamic industry and thus specialists in this field need to be diligent about reading SEO blogs, watching webinars, going to courses and monitoring social media trends to further develop their knowledge base. This information should be used to improve and enhance your internet marketing campaigns.
Search Engine Optimization is a fast-moving environment and to be an SEO expert you need to be passionate about the industry, eager to learn more about advances in Search Engine technology, new tools and ways of optimizing your client’s website and readily share this information with your clients. The SEO Works has a team with proven experience in helping our clients improve their rankings – contact us today.
