SEO is the link between websites, blogs, and other online content and their intended audiences. It is indeed an era of insatiable curiosity, and people are always looking for information. Their first stop, the search engines. On the other hand, owners of websites are constantly making an effort to drive information-seekers to their sites to offer them the information that they need. The SEO concept is what connects people to what they are looking for faster by offering suggestions in the form of SERPS (Search Engine Result Pages) based on the keywords used. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. In theory, SEO are the guidelines used to optimize a website to rank high in organic (referring to non-paid) search engine results to attract traffic to it. Google, which has about 90.5 market share in the world, gets more than 63,000 searches every second. These searches eventually end up on relevant websites. As of January 2019, there were 1.94 billion websites on the internet. All these sites need organic traffic to grow their business and stay on course.
Why is SEO Important?
The importance of SEO goes beyond visibility. From a business perspective, every guest on the site is an opportunity for revenue. According to BrightEdge, 40% of a site’s revenue flows through organic traffic. A good SEO strategy should give any website a good, perhaps first-page, search engine ranking. Appearing top in the SERPs means that a website gets roughly 20% of all clicks, which translates to huge business potential. Other importances of SEO include:
SEO improves search engine rankings for a website in the organic search engine result pages. Websites that rank top It helps to improve the quality of a website to give the audience an easier time navigating through and ultimately good user experience. A high website ranking in search engine result pages has been established to give users a solid reason to believe that a website is credible and trustworthy. Scoring high based on trust and credibility is how sites have grown to become an authority in their areas of specialization. SEO is a long-term marketing strategy. It takes time and effort to rank high, and the outcome is equally long-lasting.
Is a Career in SEO Worth It?
Did we mention that by January 2019 the number of websites stood at 1.94 billion? Well, all these sites need SEO to be visible by ranking high in search engines. However, ranking is not as simple as it sounds. Search engines use a unique algorithm so that websites that are most helpful and relevant to the user come top on search results. Several search engine ranking factors come into play for a good ranking to be achieved. Such factors include
Keywords Secured sites Content length and quality Page speed Inbound links Time spent on the site Site mobile-friendliness
However, these ranking factors and the algorithm used is often a secret. Site owners have to be in the know of the constantly changing search engine requirements to keep their sites ranking high. It is not an easy task. This is why many companies and site owners hire a dedicated SEO specialist to handle this bit of task. And because SEO is part of a business income strategy, it is no longer viable depending on web designers to manage it. Their skills are limited! This is why there is a demand for skilled SEO professionals.
What Is in for You as an SEO Specialist?
SEO is the future of digital marketing.
SEO is a broad field. Under it, you will meet the content optimization strategist, the site developer, the SEO analyst, the link builder, the SEO technical expert, and more. You can specialize or delve right in. At the end of the day, you decide how you package your skillset. SEO space is constantly changing. As such, there is always something new to learn or discover. If you love acquiring knowledge and putting it into practice, you are in for some fun and learning. An SEO specialist may opt for the employment or self-employment route. Finally, there are no laid down requirements for taking a course in and pursuing a career in SEO. If you have the passion and the will, learn the basics and then work out how you will master the skills by taking up a course and taking on more projects.
Here Is How to Become an SEO Expert
Get information and familiarize
Everything starts from a learning point. A simple search in Google will give a lot of information about SEO. Start by Google’s Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide and Google Webmaster Guidelines to gain some insight on what SEO is all about and what one can do to optimize their site for SEO.
Learn SEO skills
SEO has different components, including On-page SEO, Off-page SEO, and Technical SEO. Apart from understanding these components, you also need to have an understanding of other SEO aspects, including link building, backlinks, the terminology used, and other aspects around the subject. Beyond core SEO aspects, consider acquiring skills like writing and communication, basic programming which includes reading and coding HTML.
You will need Google Analytics skills
Google Analytics is about numbers. It is about generating reports that will help you understand your audience and how your strategy is performing and come up with an improvement plan. Here, the knowledge of how to use google sheets and excel will be required. You will also need to learn how to interpret, communicate, and present these reports.
The SEO Tools
SEO tools like SEMRUSH, Chrome Developer, Yoast SEO are fundamental in SEO. There are many more. What counts is getting the right SEO tools and using them to the success of the website.
More information
Sometimes it is not just acquiring theoretical knowledge. You need some inspiration from experts and the SEO community. Besides, you will be catching up with the latest trends in the process. This is why you need to read books, sign up for publications, and even take part in webinars.
The value of a certification
While getting a certification is optional, having a competitive edge in the market is a plus. Certifications are a way of telling the world around you that your skills, knowledge, and experience are authentic. A certification like Google analytics will take you a step ahead in your career.
Put your knowledge to the task
All we have acquired in the points above is theoretical knowledge. All this will be wasted if knowledge is not applied practically. Most people start by building their site. This does not only polish the SEO skills but also improve their online presence. Feed your site with quality content with the right keywords, build links, and create backlinks.
The SEO Course
Well, you could do all this without necessarily taking an SEO course. However, be prepared for a steep learning curve. A course in SEO helps you to grasp the concept faster and easier since it is structured. It will cover every aspect of SEO in order which saves you some trial and error time. Studying SEO, along with building a practical experience around it, is the best approach to being successful in this career. While at it and before you land your first client, the practice cannot be overemphasized. Polish your knowledge and build your confidence by taking SEO mock test not once but several times. Lastly, tests bring you up to date with the latest trends in the industry and for this, you need to identify a credible learning provider. An SEO Training Course would be a great place to start if you decide to go this route.
