Search engines, like Google, Yahoo, and Bing, have become a part and parcel of our digital life today. Whatever we wish to find over the internet, we turn to search engines. And, most of the time, we get the answer to our queries through the top three or four search results itself. Whether one is looking for the best smartphone to purchase or searching for any restaurant nearby, search engines give appropriate results. Do you wonder why some of the websites always appear on the search results when you type the related keywords? Well, such websites have basically done their Search Engine Optimization or SEO correctly.
SEO isn’t a new topic anymore. Anyone belonging to the field of digital marketing surely knows about SEO and how significantly it affects the growth of any business having an online presence. Hiring an SEO Specialist, or having an SEO team is a common trend witnessed in many of the organizations today. As such, SEO training online has gained momentum and professionals are relying on it to take their career ahead in this field.
If you too are an aspiring SEO professional, then this article will surely give you some valuable insights on how to build a successful SEO career.
So let’s get started.
What is SEO?
You must have some idea about SEO, but it is definitely not easy to understand. Search engine optimization is basically the process of increasing the traffic to a website through organic means, i.e. without using paid advertising. SEO allows a website to appear on the top of a Search Engine Result Page (SERP) when a user enters certain keywords that match the information contained in the web page.
Long back, SEO was a simple process and many people used certain hacks to appear on the top of search engine results. Today, however, the search engine algorithms have become quite advanced, and only those websites which follow the appropriate search engine guidelines and best practices are able to rank higher in the SERP. Google, for example, keeps on introducing algorithm updates frequently, and with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, is able to differentiate between genuine and fake websites.
There are various ranking factors that search engines use to determine the top results for a query. For example, companies that follow SEO practices have high-quality content that makes search engines understand that it is the most relevant result the reader can get for a specific topic. Similarly, there are factors like page load time, crawlability, interlinking, user-interface, mobile-friendliness, backlinks, the addition of appropriate keywords, etc. that determine the overall ranking of a web page.
Starting a Career in SEO
Starting a new career can be quite overwhelming for people. There are many considerations and a lot to learn before one gets comfortable with handling the new responsibilities. Fortunately for SEO, you can be spared of the usual job stress if you have the right skills. Firstly, digital marketing, including SEO, is a field that doesn’t require any particular qualification requirements. Even if you graduate in a different field rather than marketing, but have a knack for this field, then you can get started without much struggle.
Here are some of the steps to follow for mastering SEO and starting a career in it.
Research well about the field
Before beginning a career in any new field, it is crucial to know about its career prospects. Research about the expected salaries, growth opportunities, demand in the job market, companies that hire SEO specialists, etc. That said, your findings will definitely lure you into becoming an SEO specialist as it is a promising career.
Learn the basics
You can find a lot of reliable resources to learn the basics of SEO. We would recommend you to first explore the concepts of digital marketing which will facilitate your understanding of SEO. Then, you could begin with concepts like working of search engines, On-page and off-page SEO, keyword research, link building, interlinking, and more.
Take up a training course
After you get a complete overview of SEO, the next suitable step would be to take up an online training course which would give you knowledge of the advanced SEO concepts and skills that actually get you hired in good companies. Awareness of the SEO basics would help you select the right training course that offers job assistance too.
Gain some work experience
After completing an online course, chances are that you may land at a company of your choice. Demonstrating your skills will get you hired in a short span of time and your actual learning will then start. Conversely, you can also start as an intern or a freelancer by writing SEO optimized blogs, or working on projects involving traffic growth of a website through SEO.
Keep on updating your skills
SEO is a field that keeps on evolving; the strategies that work today may not prove to be fruitful tomorrow as search engine algorithms become more advanced. So, even if you achieve your dream job, it is essential to keep updating your SEO skills and stay abreast of the latest trends and best practices.
Bottom Line
Tech giants, as well as startups, hire SEO Specialists to maintain a good amount of traffic to their website in the long run. As online advertising would continue to gain traction in the future as well, SEO is here to stay and so would be the demand for SEO experts. So without further ado, follow the steps that we discussed and start learning SEO today.
