Search engine optimization (SEO) is an industry that’s becoming increasingly popular due to its steady rise in the past decade. While slow to emerge and pretty low-key at first, the SEO industry has really gained both plenties of attention and a great number of experts. This is the reason why today, SEO stands out as one of the most important aspects in pretty much any field. While a career in SEO can be very lucrative and promising, actually getting to that point can really be tough. If you’re interested in starting a successful career in SEO, here’s how you can do it:
Why should you focus on SEO?
There isn’t a better time than right now to grow and hone your SEO skills. This is because, according to a study, more than 90% of all online experiences begin with a search engine and the actual search. When you look at the results on the result page, you are highly unlikely to browse until page 10 to find what you’re looking for. The first result page(s) is crucial, which is why so many businesses compete for the prestigious top places. The ranking is king here, and if your business is in the top three, you should work hard to stay there. If, however, you’re ranked lower, your goal should be to climb as much as you can. This is where SEO steps in and helps you get to the top.
Do you need a degree to start?
Because this is a relatively new field, there aren’t many schools that offer education aimed specifically at SEO. That being said, there are many formal and informal courses you can take up to learn as much as you can about SEO. A formal degree isn’t usually required to work in this field, yet with many SEO job postings, you’ll notice employers looking for at least a level of familiarity. This is usually aimed at knowing your way around one or more popular SEO tools. Fortunately, you can learn about them on your own, but understand that it will take time and a lot of work.
Will you beat Google’s algorithms?
One of the outstanding aspects of this lucrative and expanding industry is the continual growth you have to keep up with. This means that you will never actually be done with learning and experimenting. Just when you start getting comfortable with your knowledge, Google will inevitably decide to change its guidelines and recommendations. This is because Google is a powerful (probably the most powerful) search engine that never actually “sleeps”. What is more, you will also have to take into account your location: experts in the best SEO Services Sydney has to offer will differ in their approach from the ones in other parts of the country, let alone the world. With Google constantly changing its approach to content and searches and SEO tools becoming more refined, you will find yourself having to keep up with updates and keeping an ear out for potential new ones.
How will voice search change SEO?
While voice search was merely an innovative and futuristic idea in the minds of many just a couple of years ago, today it has become an integral part of our reality. Voice search is on the rise in all parts of the world, and search engines are changing to accommodate it. The transformations are extensive and clearly noticeable even by those who aren’t involved in SEO. A great number of searches people make through Google’s platform these days are actually voice searches instead of typed ones. Of course, this also changes the way Google displays the results, and this slight change has already left a powerful mark on SEO. SEO experts have started getting a lot of snippets that are so rich in knowledge, nuances, and keywords that another change in Google’s algorithms is sure to be expected in the upcoming year.
What career opportunities will you have?
Career opportunities in the SEO industry can take you in two different directions, depending on your wishes and areas of interest. There are two core principles you should follow, and that is to develop content that is rich in highly relevant keywords but also to generate backlinks for a website and web pages that are of good quality. The thing both of these have in common is “good quality.” This is because you can fill your website and web pages with content all you want, but if it’s irrelevant to the line of work and adds no value whatsoever, you’ll essentially be wasting time. A good SEO professional should be able to provide and/or recognize good-quality content. Seeing as that kind of content is in demand, people who can recognize it and perhaps even provide it are very valuable in this challenging market.
What are the best SEO tools to know?
There are many SEO tools out there, and it can be overwhelming, if not entirely impossible, to try to master them all. Many SEO experts usually focus on one or two of the most popular ones, but that isn’t to say that minor tools have nothing to offer. Learning about the search landscape will help you navigate the tools you intend to use, and then you can actually focus on specific ones such as Ahrefs, SEMRush, Alexa, Google Analytics, and so on. All of these will help you conduct the usual keyword research, yet they differ in their approach and the number of features they offer that you can utilize depending on the line of work you’ll be doing.
You will soon learn for yourself that there are many different ways you can launch a career as an SEO specialist. While there is not a single path you should follow, there are some things all of these paths have in common. As long as you’re motivated and dedicated, you will see results, and that will inevitably kick-start your future career as an SEO expert. Be aware that this is a line of work where you will have to work on your skills all the time, but as long as you find this uplifting instead of demanding, you’re good to go.
