In the ever-evolving digital landscape, and the seemingly endless number of algorithm updates Google pushes out each year, the role of an SEO Specialist has become pivotal for businesses aiming to make a mark online. But what does an SEO Specialist truly do?
Beyond the jargon of “optimisation” and “ranking,” these experts navigate the intricate maze of search algorithms, website structures, and user behaviours to ensure a website’s visibility. From understanding the nuances of on-page elements to diving deep into technical audits and off-page strategies, an SEO Specialist wears multiple hats.
In this article, we’ll demystify the day-to-day tasks of these digital maestros, shedding light on how they shape the online presence of brands, and why their role is indispensable in today’s digital-first world. Whether you’re someone looking to break into the SEO world, or a business owner wondering if you should work with SEO Specialists, this article is definitely for you.
What Is SEO?
SEO is the art and science of getting a website’s web pages to rank higher in search engines, primarily Google. Ideally, you should be ranking your webpage on the first page of the search engine results pages (SERPs) for target keywords.
How do you break into this field?
Entry-level job postings tend to mention that they are looking for candidates with a marketing-related degree. Though from my personal experience as an SEO Specialist and having studied marketing as a major in university, you don’t actually need that piece of paper.
Given that SEO is a skill that can be self-taught to a certain extent, building and optimising your own websites from scratch is an excellent way to show potential employers that you know your stuff.
For example, you can consider running your the online marketing magazine like markonmag where you share everything you’ve learned about digital marketing.
What Is An SEO Specialist?
Simply put, the goal of SEO Specialists is to help optimise their clients’ websites to improve their search engine rankings on Google. This is done to achieve several business goals – to increase the number of organic visitors to the site, to increase conversion rates, and to increase the number of business transactions occurring on the site. To do so, one must have a high-level proficiency in all three pillars of SEO – on-page, off-page, and technical SEO.
What Are The Three Pillars Of SEO?
1. On-page SEO
In layman’s terms, on-page SEO is the process of implementing changes that are, well, on the page. These include measures implemented to select the keywords that best match the search intent of the page, optimising page titles and meta descriptions with the keywords, creating and publishing content based on those keywords, and putting a solid internal linking strategy in place.
It is a user-centric aspect of SEO that ensures that users find the content helpful and the site easy to navigate on both desktop and mobile devices. To be specific, here are some common on-page SEO implementations:
- Conduct keyword research. SEO Specialists analyse search data to identify relevant keywords and search terms that people are using to find products or services similar to those offered by their website. Simply put, it involves looking for keywords that will reach the intended audience.
- Optimise website content. SEO Specialists must create and optimise website content, including meta tags, descriptions, headers, and other elements, to make them more search engine friendly.
- Conduct competitor research. SEO Specialists do this to identify the types of information, headers, and subheaders that should go into each page to maximise the chance of ranking for the target keywords.
- Collaborate with other marketing professionals. SEO Specialists also work closely with other marketing professionals, including content creators, paid media managers, and marketing professionals, to create and execute comprehensive marketing campaigns that integrate SEO strategies.
- Ensure that there are specific internal links placed on the web pages. SEO Specialists do this to help users navigate the site and to help Google understand the relationship between pages.
2. Technical SEO
Aside from on-page SEO, SEO Specialists also need to execute technical SEO strategies. This ensures your website is findable, crawlable, indexable, and rankable from the perspective of web crawlers (again, primarily Google’s crawlers, Googlebot).
To do this, SEO Specialists need to:
- Perform technical audits. SEO Specialists perform a comprehensive review of a website’s technical aspects that can impact its search engine rankings. Their goal is to identify and address any technical issues involving the crawling, indexing, and ranking web pages that may affect a website’s visibility. SEO Specialists also provide clients with recommendations on addressing technical issues including (but not limited to):
- Site speed optimisation. SEO Specialists also need to do site speed optimisation, which involves addressing specific CSS and Javascript issues and auditing a website indexation using Google Search Console’s (GSC) error reports.
- Crawling optimisation. We also need to optimise robotx.txt files and perform XML sitemap audits to optimise the site’s crawlability, ensuring web crawlers are able to reach essential pages.
- Indexing optimisation. SEO Specialists also need to check the site to see if important pages have been excluded from the index by accident.
- Canonical tag assessment. Canonical tags on a website need to be audited to see if they have been implemented correctly.
3. Off-page SEO
Aside from on-page SEO, there’s also off-page SEO which involves optimising for factors that happen outside of your website. Off-page SEO requires gaining links from other websites, sharing on social media platforms, and having mentions of your website all over the internet. To be specific, SEO Specialists need to:
- Audit the site’s existing backlink profile. SEO Specialists do this to identify spammy links to disavow them.
- Build high-quality backlinks. SEO Specialists create and execute a link-building strategy to increase the number of high-quality backlinks to the website, which can improve its search engine ranking.
- Monitor website traffic and search engine rankings. SEO Specialists also use analytics tools to monitor website traffic and user behaviour and track search engine rankings to measure the effectiveness of SEO efforts.
The Job Description For SEO Specialists
Now that we know what an SEO specialist is and what it does, let’s get to know the specifics–what does an SEO specialist actually do?
Responsibilities
- Perform SEO audits, recommend SEO strategies, and implement website changes to reach SEO objectives
- Developing and implementing effective SEO strategies for the improvement of organic traffic and search ranking and the maximization of ROI
- Use a variety of tools, competitive research, and other methods to discover optimal keyword targets appropriate to the business needs of the client
- Oversee SEO campaigns which encompass Technical Auditing and Onsite Implementation, Link Outreach, and Content development
- Able to demonstrate understanding of how duplicate content and page load speed affect SEO by advising clients on best practices for successful implementation and improvement
- Analyze backlinks to client and competitor sites to identify outdated links, 404s, incorrect redirects, or opportunities for competitive improvement
- Monitor client’s sites regularly for crawling and indexing issues. Issues identified will be surfaced to the respective Campaign Manager and Technical Director, and documented for client communication/follow-up
- Have the ability to audit prospects & existing client’s organic performance. Everything from a backlink profile to analyzing server logs
- Demonstrate a hunger to stay abreast of the latest industry developments, and factor these into your day-to-day work
- Understand metrics and KPIs and continually suggest optimizations to improve performance
- Apply, and be able to explain, SEO best practices for site navigation, breadcrumbing, internal links (including anchor text optimization), and HTML sitemaps to client websites
- Apply, and be able to explain, SEO best practices for domain, sub-domain, and directory structure to client websites
- Keep track of Google’s algorithm updates and provide recommendations to clients whenever changes happen
Credential requirements
As mentioned, most companies prefer candidates with a degree, though, it is not a requirement to excel in the job. Alternatively, SEO software like Moz and Ahrefs have online certifications you can try to show your SEO competency level to potential employers.
Skill requirements
- Experience using SEO tools such as Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, and SEMRush
- Proficiency in Google tools like Google Analytics 4 (GA4), Google Tag Manager (GTM), GSC, and Looker Studio
- Proficiency in SEO-related Excel/Google Sheets functions
- Being able to communicate and work with web developers internally & externally
- Familiarity with content management systems (CMS) like WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Squarespace, Magento, Opencart, and Adobe Experience Manager
- Ability to implement technical SEO fixes on most CMS types & static websites
- Familiarity with cloud hosting environments
- Understand international SEO
- Ability to develop knowledge of client’s business and their competition
- Keeping up to date with the latest industry news and trends
- Effective time management skills with an ability to multitask and prioritize
- Strong attention to detail
- Ability to present and communicate ideas in a coherent and effective manner.
Salary
Now, this will vary based on the country you are working in and the platform you are referring to for this information. Let’s take a look at Singapore for example.
On average, you can expect to earn about SG$ 3,000 to SG$ 4,000 if you want to work as an SEO Specialist in Singapore. Of course, this range is not set in stone. Various other factors like the number of years one has been in the industry and how often an individual negotiates for salary increments play a role in influencing those numbers as well.
Why Work With An SEO Specialist
To put it in simpler terms, working with an SEO specialist can benefit you in several ways:
1. Save time and resources
Instead of learning SEO on their own or delegating it to in-house marketers, business owners can free up their time to focus on other areas of the business where they have more expertise. In-house marketers would need much time to learn SEO from scratch, including reading and testing. And this will increase the amount of time required to conceptualise and execute an SEO strategy
2. SEO Specialists have experience
Besides saving time, you’ll benefit from the experience of SEO Specialists who generally have agency experience. This means fewer worries about encountering mistakes as you can rely on the expertise of experienced SEO Specialists. SEO Specialists from SEO agencies like First Page have much experience working with clients of various sizes (SMEs to MNCs) and industries.
An example would be First Page’s success stories on how we helped a florist increase their e-commerce business revenue, a local automotive business improve their ranking, and a local bakery grow their website traffic–all through SEO marketing.
3. Get answers & SEO solutions tailored to your brand
You also get answers to your SEO concerns when you work with an SEO specialist. SEO Specialists can answer any SEO concerns you have for your brand. We also craft a tailored SEO strategy specific to your website’s situation.
4. Increase your website traffic and boost your online visibility
Someone experienced can do the heavy lifting of optimising your website for search engines. In doing this, we can increase the number of visitors to your website, resulting in more leads, sales, and revenue. We can also increase your brand’s online presence, making it easier for potential customers to find you.
5. Provide insights and analytics
We also provide SEO insights and analytics. We use various analytics tools to track website traffic, user behaviour, and other metrics. All these help to them provide valuable insights. This can help businesses make the necessary adjustments in marketing strategies and business decisions.
6. Maximise Return On Investment (ROI)
SEO is a cost-effective marketing strategy that can generate long-term results, making it an excellent investment for businesses looking to maximise their return on investment. But, SEO marketing strategies can only be effective when done right. So, it’s only essential to work with an SEO specialist to do the SEO strategies to maximise your SEO investment.
Should You Work With An SEO Specialist
Our short answer? YES!
Hiring an SEO specialist is a smart move for businesses looking to improve their online presence and attract more customers. With a LOT of tasks involved in optimising a website, it can be overwhelming to handle it all on your own.
When you partner with a top SEO agency in Singapore like First Page, you can save time and resources while ensuring that your website ranks higher on the SERPs. Plus, when you work with us, you get access to a full suite of digital marketing services to help you achieve your business goals.
Contact us to learn more and start crafting a tailored SEO strategy for your website.
