Starting a career in Search Engine Optimization

So it comes as no surprise that a career in SEO can yield quite the salary. Thousands of SEOs across the country are building quite the income and making much more than even your average senior level programmer with decades of experience.

As a result, more and more people are looking to break into the industry and want to know what they need to do to get a job as an SEO. Back in the day, there were no courses on digital marketing or search engine optimization, so it took a lot of time and testing – and of course capital. But luckily today, all it takes is finding the right mentor or course online to help lead you to the promise land. Supplied below is the information that we think would have been most helpful if we were starting our SEO career from scratch. Believe it or not, you might be able to get your foot in the door faster than you think – and definitely faster than it will take you to get a college degree.

Our goal here, as the leading company in Houston SEO Services, is to break down the skills that a digital marketing agency would be looking for in their SEO. Please note that a degree in communications or computer science is not required – so you can wipe that sweat off your brow and relax; thankfully you won’t need to invest four years of your precious time and go into thousands of dollars of debt just to become entry-level worthy.

Your Technical Skills

First and foremost, an employer like the one at our Houston SEO Company will be looking for someone who knows the SEO basics (terminology, theory, common/useful proprietary tools of the trade). Without this, you’ve got no shot. You need to know what makes a site rank higher/lower in Google. You need to know what a backlink is. You need to know how to use Google Analytics and other common tools of the trade.

In addition, you will need to know how to code in HTML. Knowing this can put you months ahead of your competition. Simply put, a boss will be more likely to hire someone who knows how to create anchor text over someone who doesn’t.

Being proficient in writing is also a huge plus. Often times in SEO, you will be called upon to create compelling content – content that people will want to read and share, content that has a shot at going viral. You won’t be able to create such content if you do not have any writing skills. The more creative, succinct and stimulating, the better. So keep working on your writing – and trust us on this, although it may not seem like it, the investment will be worth the time and hard work.

Soft Skills

As an SEO, you are going to have to talk to your clients. And often times they will not be too familiar with what exactly you do, so it takes a well-spoken, articulate and thoughtful professional to break down the technical barrier and explain things to them. Experience in selling can also come in handy here, as your clients may be impatient with the progress of their campaign, so it takes a seasoned professional to assure them that the process takes time and that it will all be worth it in the end.

So obviously there are a few things you need to become proficient in before you can even step foot in an SEO agency with any hopes of getting a job. This will take time, though as we stated earlier, not as much time as you are led to believe, so don’t get too discouraged! But about the pros and cons of being an SEO?

Pros

1. There’s always something to learn. For those who love to learn, SEO is the place to be. This rapidly evolving discipline will keep you on your toes – because the SEOs that don’t adapt are the ones that are no longer effective, and the ones that aren’t effective are the ones who fall out of work!
2. Scientific Method. This industry is all about the scientific method. You have to test, learn and measure – all day, every day. It’s safe to say that, with all this testing and measuring, there is more mental stimulation in the world of an SEO than most jobs in the market place.

Cons

1. Uncertainty. Given the fact that Google is constantly looking to improve its algorithm, there will always be uncertainty. What works today might not work tomorrow, and that might render your skills obsolete. Now that may be scary to a lot of people looking for stable work. But of course, high risk, high reward – that’s why the SEOs get paid the big bucks!
2. It takes time. Simply put, it takes time for a campaign to start bringing about a profit. This can cause many clients to be uneasy and worried that they are spending too much. If you have the portfolio and the testimonials to allay their fears, this isn’t much of a problem, but for the up and coming SEO, you might see a lot of turnover until you establish yourself.
3. Fierce Competition. In SEO, the competition is fierce – almost cut-throat. Your competitors will call your clients up and try to steal business from you. This will happen, often – so make sure you’re performing, or at least have a strong bond with your client.

Is SEO for everyone? Absolutely not. Especially not for the conservatives out there – those that just want a stable job and paycheck. But if you’re a risk taker and eager to learn, you and SEO might be a match made in heaven.