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In today’s climate, having a successful business means being visible online. Online marketing and SEO optimisation is a must to get your website seen by potential customers.
You can always hire someone to sort out your online marketing; however, learning SEO fundamentals and becoming an SEO expert in your own right will give you autonomy over your own business. This means you can tailor your own website to your wants, ensuring the right traffic is getting to your website.
How Do You Become an SEO Specialist?
As with anything, becoming a “specialist” takes time and effort. However, knowing how to drive organic traffic to your website through SEO better will save you time, energy and money in the long run. By staying up to date with the latest trends in search engine optimization, you can implement an effective strategy. For more information, take a look at our blog on ‘5 Upcoming SEO Trends to Watch Out for In 2023′
Many different factors go into running an SEO company or becoming an SEO expert; it is not simply just adding in a random keyword or adding meta tags.
Learn the basics
Understanding the basics of the SEO industry is the best place to start. This includes learning how audiences interact with search engines and vice versa. Knowing how to attract your audience will allow you to create a plan of action towards optimizing your website content.
– Adam Collins, Expert SEO Consultant
Additionally, understanding how search engines work and interact with Google Analytics will help you understand how and why you need to include specific details on your website. Our guide on ‘What is SEO Consulting?‘ details more about search engine optimization services as a career and what this entails, as well as our new blog ‘National Days: The SEO Technique You Hadn’t Thought Of’, giving plenty of new content marketing ideas!
Understand how search engines crawl
Search engine spiders, or “crawlers”, crawl into websites and review their quality, scanning for errors that could become more significant problems later. Once you have a greater understanding of how these bots work, you can use them to optimize your website speed and attract a higher search volume of organic traffic.
Research what search engines value
Looking at SERPs (search engine results pages) can give you much more information than you realise. By doing a quick Google search, as though you are a potential customer, you can begin to analyse what content comes up first, what websites are doing well and how they are composed with SEO efforts.
This can also be an excellent opportunity to search for different things relating to your website, for example, typing in a question rather than a statement. This may bring up different content.
Interacting with SERPs will also give you time to check your competitors’ websites. You must know what your competitors are doing and, most importantly, what they are doing well. You can then use this knowledge to your advantage and differentiate your website from theirs using a method that already works.
Stay updated on Google Changes
In the past two years, Google has rolled out some significant updates that really changed the face of SEO. First is with the shift of indexing to mobile-first, where basically, the mobile version is predominantly used by Google in the ranking and indexing of websites. That change underlines how critical mobile optimization has become within modern SEO practices.
Core Web Vitals are metrics in respect of user experience regarding page load speed, interactivity, and visual stability that have grown into one of the key ranking factors. Next in line is the fact that E-A-T has been very strong as pivotal criteria Google uses to evaluate credibility of content with users, particularly within the niches of YMYL—Your Money, Your Life.
Adapt to algorithm changes
Keeping pace with Google’s changing algorithms is quite important. This, then, puts on your shoulders the need to change your SEO strategies in step with those changing algorithms. Begin by auditing your site regularly for adherence to new updates. By using tools like Google Search Console, track your Core Web Vitals and take measures to increase performance accordingly.
Focus on improving the user experience, making sure that your site is mobile-friendly, and that your content adheres to Google’s E-A-T criteria. Being updated on the upcoming algorithm changes from valid sources and taking initiative in the execution of the best practices will help you retain or improve your site’s rank.
Use advanced SEO tools
The SEO tools you use can make all the difference between merely keeping up and actually getting ahead. While the classics are still there for good reason, there’s a new crop of SEO tools that are redefining how SEO is done, and it’s worth paying attention.
Take Surfer SEO, for example. This tool is like having an on-page SEO wizard in your pocket. It analyses top-ranking pages for your target keywords and tells you exactly what’s working—down to the number of words, headings, and even specific phrases. It’s all about making sure your content is on point, which is critical in an environment where content truly is king.
WriterZen is another tool making waves. It brings together keyword research, content creation, and optimization in one place. What sets it apart is its AI-driven insights, which can help you uncover hidden keyword opportunities and content gaps you might have missed. It’s all about getting the edge in a crowded content landscape.
MarketMuse is all about content strategy. It helps you plan, research, and create content that not only ranks but also dominates. By analysing your entire content library, it shows you where you’re strong and where you need to beef up your efforts. If you’re serious about content marketing, this tool can be a game-changer.
And let’s not forget ClearScope, a tool that’s become synonymous with content optimisation. It takes the guesswork out of what it takes to rank by showing you exactly which keywords and topics are needed to make your content comprehensive and authoritative. It’s a perfect blend of simplicity and power, making it easier than ever to create content that search engines—and readers—love.
Take a an SEO training course
Keeping up with the latest SEO strategies is essential to staying ahead, and online courses are an excellent way to do that.
- HubSpot Academy offers a free, comprehensive SEO Certification Course covering everything from keyword research to link building.
- SEMrush Academy provides a variety of free courses on SEO and content marketing, led by industry SEO specialists.
- For those looking for more structure, Coursera offers a paid SEO specialisation from the University of California, Davis.
- Ahrefs Academy is ideal for those wanting to master advanced SEO tools and SEO tactics with practical lessons.
- Google’s Digital Garage offers a free course on digital marketing fundamentals, including essential SEO modules.
Benefits of Becoming an SEO Expert
Being a business owner or holding responsibility for online marketing can be stressful, but arming yourself with knowledge makes it much more straightforward.
You can position your website higher in search results
Becoming an SEO specialist will allow you to control your website and offer it to search engines as you wish. This is much better than employing SEO professionals to design and pitch your website, as they may not share your vision.
This also saves you money that would otherwise be spent on employing other people to do the same job, which can be saved or invested back into the business.
Tackling challenges with your website
Having a solid understanding of SEO skills and the internal link building of your website means that if something goes wrong, you have the SEO knowledge to fix it rather than waiting for a third party to try and diagnose it.
Whether it is keyword difficulty, Google’s algorithm or you simply just need more organic traffic, you can begin to repair your website with the SEO knowledge you have previously gained.
You often get an SEO consultant that specialises in specific areas such as WordPress , Wix, Magento or Shopify.
Stand out from your competition
Being armed with SEO expertise gives you a leg up on your competitors. It allows you to stay ahead of the curve and both understand and anticipate changes in algorithms or SERPs, without the need to spend on hefty Google ads.
Becoming an SEO expert also means setting the bar your competitors have to reach to become a threat. You know how to attract organic traffic, distribute keywords, and play to Google’s needs, which other competitors may not, so use that to your advantage.
Efficiency so you can focus on what you do best
Everyone knows the age-old saying, “time is money”. So, the quicker you can start to understand SEO better and everything that comes with it, the quicker you can begin to implement it and start attracting more customers, thus, making more sales.
Traits of an SEO Expert
How to become an SEO expert? You need dedication to the craft and a hunger to keep learning and adapting. Of course, there is no set list of traits one needs to become an SEO specialist, but here are a few more important ones.
Be adaptable
The major search engines are ever-changing, and there is no set checklist of things to do to guarantee success. You need to constantly read up on the state of Google analytics and be ready to adapt your content or methodology. Following other SEO experts on social media can also be a great way of staying up to date on how the SEO market and current SEO strategies are looking. For example, a current SEO trend that’s taking the industry by storm is GPT-3, to help we’ve compiled a helpful blog on ‘GPT-3: Everything You Need To Know’
As an SEO specialist, you also need to be able to adapt the skills and SEO tools you have learnt to fit within your company and its website. Applying your knowledge to your business is the whole point of becoming an SEO expert, so you need adaptability and smartness to mould what you know into your business plan.
Good communication
It is all well and good if you understand everything about SEO; however, you cannot solely implement everything you learn. Therefore, a good SEO expert should be able to communicate to others how to best complete SEO tasks for the company’s benefit. It is no use having all the knowledge but not being able to pass it on to the right people.
Good communication also relates to having the capacity to properly research relevant topics and being able to author SEO blogs or general content that attracts organic traffic and ranks highly in search engine results. Writing articles that inform other SEO specialists or customers about topics reflects a true expert.
Complete understanding across the board
Many business areas require SEO skills, expertise, and several different SEO strategies to learn. Hence, SEO professionals should be able to mould their knowledge to fit all parts of their business and website for maximum efficiency.
Critical thinking
No two SEO plans are the same, meaning you have to look at your website’s needs and goals aside from anyone else’s. SEO experts should be able to engage in competitor research to “out-optimize” similar websites whilst also creating an SEO professional plan tailored to their specific website.
You must be able to think critically about your website’s unique issues and come up with several solutions to fix or improve them.
The Demand for SEO Experts
There has been an overwhelming demand for SEO experts in recent years. Whilst search engines have been around for around two decades, the need for search engine optimization has only gained popularity in the last few years. Businesses now realise the value of digital marketing agencies and thus are willing to invest in it through SEO specialists.
In a society affluent with entrepreneurs, there are inevitably companies that offer the same service or product. Additionally, as customers are increasingly heading to search engines to find new business, it is no wonder that online marketing has become so competitive. Every business wants to sit at the top of SERPs, oozing individuality and having a flawless website ready for any potential customer to browse. So, the demand for people who can successfully execute this is high.
As with many industries, you will be in high demand if you are well-versed in many different sectors of that business. Businesses would much instead employ one person to complete many different jobs than have to liaise with and pay multiple people.
Careers for SEO Experts
A deep understanding of SEO is a lucrative skill in this day and age. Whether you can increase customer traffic, work with Google Analytics or create an SEO strategy, SEO experts are employed for many reasons in various positions.
Search engine marketer
Search engine marketing (SEM) incorporates search engine optimization but also covers a much broader scope. A job in SEM relates to advertising, customer relationships, working with search engines and details skills around “pay per click” marketing (PPC). PPC relates to marketing that encourages customers to click on advertisements.
Marketing analyst
SEO analysis is a large part of a marketing analyst’s job, so having a good understanding of it is vital. The job requires you to see how existing programs are working with search engine algorithms, identify gaps for new opportunities and businesses, and create reports and forecasts based on this data.
Seo manager
Unlike the previous jobs, this job works less with the actual data and relates more to the people doing those jobs. As an SEO manager, you will still require a good knowledge and understanding of SEO and search engine marketing. However, you would oversee an SEO team, generating advanced strategies and implementing plans for them to complete.
What Skills Should an SEO Expert Know?
To label yourself an “expert”, you must have a wide range of knowledge on the relevant topic, as well as a strong knowledge and understanding of the secondary topics you may not deal with on a day-to-day basis.
Becoming an SEO expert requires you to understand and be able to implement the following fully:
- Off-page and On-page SEO
- Link building tactics
- Keyword research and development
- Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising
- Technical and programming skills such as XML sitemaps, meta tags and crawling
- Google’s tools and analytics
- Social media marketing
- How to create, design and modify a successful website
This is not an exhaustive list. If you can go above and beyond these topics, you are more likely to earn a wealthy position in SEO or be more of an asset to your current business.
Understanding Core Web Vitals
Core Web Vitals are a set of specific ranking factors that Google considers essential for providing a high-quality user experience on the web. These metrics—Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)—are significant because they directly impact how users perceive your website’s performance. Google has made Core Web Vitals a key ranking factor, meaning that optimising these metrics can improve your search rankings and, ultimately, your site’s visibility and user satisfaction. In short, better Core Web Vitals lead to happier users and better SEO.
How to Improve Core Web Vitals
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): This metric measures how long it takes for the largest piece of content (like an image or text block) to load on your page. To improve LCP, focus on optimising server response times, implementing a Content Delivery Network (CDN), compressing images, and minifying CSS.
- First Input Delay (FID): FID measures the time it takes for your site to respond when a user first interacts with it. You can improve FID by reducing JavaScript execution time, breaking up long tasks, and optimising third-party scripts.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): CLS gauges how much your page layout shifts unexpectedly during loading. To minimise CLS, set size attributes for all images and videos, avoid inserting content above existing content, and ensure that web fonts load smoothly.
Specialisation Within SEO
Becoming an SEO specialist is about more than just mastering the SEO fundamentals—it’s about finding your niche within the field and excelling in it.
Technical SEO
Technical SEO is the magic that goes on in the background. It forms the backbone of your website’s performance and your visibility in search results, ensuring search engines are able to crawl, index, and understand content appropriately. If you’re going to specialise in technical SEO, you’ll really need to go deep in just a few key areas.
The first of these is site speed optimisation. Users and search engines just love a fast-loading site. That’s not only about having slick experiences; it’s more about keeping them on your website long enough to engage with what is in it. You will have to dwell on reducing the server response time, compressing images, and minifying CSS and JavaScript files. Tools such as Google PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix will help in pointing out areas for improvement.
Next up is schema markup. Structured data is added to your HTML, aiding search engines in better understanding the content in your site and to represent it in a richer format in SERPs. Think of it as a kind of cheat sheet for Google—for whatever it is that your site holds, products, reviews, or even events—so it can turn up more useful results.
Then there are the server-side optimsations: This means getting your site mobile-friendly and using HTTPS, configuring your server for faster load times, reducing crawl errors, optimising your XML sitemap, and managing robots.txt files to guide search engines through your site effectively. It is, quite literally, those tiny details that will make your website run silky smooth and efficient.
Content SEO
Content SEO is where your creativity converges with the strategy. It comprises developing content that gives resonance to your audience and ranks search engines alike. The crux of Content SEO lies in its Content Strategy. First, you need to understand your target audience, their pain points, and then go on to create such content that really solves their problem. It’s not about content creation; it’s more about consistent and strategic content creation.
Keyword research forms the base. It’s about finding what your audience is looking for and then using those terms to guide your creation of content. Tools such as Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Google Keyword Planner will come in very handy. However, it does not pertain to keyword stuffing but rather naturally weaving them into compelling stories that engage your readers.
On-page SEO is the last mile. It’s the process of optimising individual web pages to rank better and attract more relevant traffic from search engines. This is all about making sure that your title tags, meta descriptions, headers, and images work in perfect harmony—just as it should be to boost your visibility. It’s also about how you make sure your content will be easy to read and navigate, keeping users engaged and longer on your site.
Local SEO
Local SEO literally puts your business on the map. It means that each time any person is searching for services or products ‘near me,’ it’s your business that pops up. To be great at local SEO requires these couple of critical SEO skills that are mastered.
First on the list is Google My Business (GMB) optimisation. GMB is your local business’ profile on Google and, most probably, the first thing that appears to customers upon searching for a local query. To optimise your GMB profile, ensure that the information in your business profile is correct, relevant, and current: the address, phone number, opening hours, and services. Keep updating your profile regularly with posts, respond to reviews, and add high-quality photos.
Then, there are local citations. These are mentions of your business name, address, and phone number on other websites, including local directories and social media sites. The reason consistent NAP info is so important across the web is that it helps search engines trust your business information, which can ultimately boost your local search engine rankings. Tools like Moz Local and BrightLocal can help you in managing and tracking your citations.
Finally, reviews can prove to be quite an impactful element for local SEO. You want to encourage satisfied customers to share those experiences through positive reviews on Google, Yelp, or another similar platform. Reviews show prospects this and also indicate to search engines that your business is trustworthy and relevant. Answering those reviews, be they good or bad, will further indicate that you are truly engaging with your customers, which can have a positive effect on your local search presence.
The Role of AI and Automation in SEO
With the evolving world of SEO, so is the need to take on the tools that can give you an edge. This is what AI and automation are—the dynamic duo which is not just changing the game but rewriting the playbook altogether. These technologies help professionals in intelligent creation, automation of the nitty-gritty of SEO tasks, and work smarter, not harder.
AI-Powered Tools
AI and machine learning are the new revelations when it comes to SEO. These are not terms meant to be used for mere talk; they really are changing everything from keyword research to content production. Take AI-driven content creation, for instance: GPT-4 is now capable of producing really high-quality content that is not only coherent but also specific to relevant keywords and audience segments. Not to replace the creativity of man but to enhance it—give one advanced drafts and ideas that one can then refine to perfection.
Then there is predictive analytics, yet another game changer brought to life by AI. Consider the ability to forecast which of your relevant keywords is going to trend or project what amount of organic traffic a certain piece of content is likely to attract, even before it goes live. AI tools can process vast reams of data in seconds and present what a human would—in fact, patterns and trends that would otherwise pass by unbeknownst to the human eye. It avails you with the power to make informed decisions, stay ahead of the curve at all times, and focus on efforts most likely to drive the best results.
Automation in SEO
In respect to streamlining repetitive tasks, automation becomes the hero of the SEO world. Let’s face it—SEO can be a grind. Keyword research, content audits, and reporting are things that are mission-critical to your activities, but they can be time-consuming and drudging. So, enter automation. With SEMrush or Ahrefs, you will be able to automate keyword tracking and research in a way that will let you track hundreds of keywords without moving a finger.
Other critical tasks, typically very labor-intensive, such as content audits, can also be automated. Screaming Frog or DeepCrawl will be able to crawl your entire website within minutes for broken links, duplicate content, and other SEO issues. Now, in just a few minutes, you can do something that used to take hours so you can focus on implementing solutions rather than searching for problems.
The other area where automation really shines is in reporting. This means that instead of manually gathering data from a large number of sources, it is possible to utilise tools like Google Data Studio to easily pull data directly from Google Analytics and Search Console, among others, in order to automatically create thorough reports. These can be set up to include precisely the information you need—whether it’s a high-level view of your site’s performance or a detailed one at specific metrics.
Start Training Today to Become an SEO Expert
The quicker you begin your journey into SEO expertise, the quicker you can begin implementing what you learn and increasing your ratings and sales. You can take many courses to start your journey or further your SEO knowledge.
Of course, you can follow an SEO professional on Twitter, Instagram or YouTube, but if you want a more active approach, here are some companies that offer SEO courses:
Becoming an SEO expert will take time, effort and dedication. If you do not have the resources or time to spend on this journey, some people can help you. Ignite SEO agency offers a range of affordable SEO services, such as a £450 SEO audit and fast track to diagnose any errors, which can then be fixed. If you decide to hire a company for your search engine optimisation, it can be essential to know the right questions to ask. Luckily, we have created an expert guide to run you through ‘How to Hire an SEO Expert‘.
Check out our founder, Adam Collins, giving a talk on all things SEO:
FAQs on How to Become an SEO Expert?
We often get asked many questions about getting into the SEO industry. Here are a few of the most common ones, with our answers.
Do I need qualifications to get into SEO?
No, formal qualifications aren’t a requirement to start a career in SEO. The field is highly accessible, with many successful SEO professionals being self-taught. However, having a background in related areas like marketing, technology, business, or communications can be beneficial, especially for specialized roles such as technical SEO or SEO management.
A bachelor’s degree in these fields might make it easier to understand the broader marketing landscape, but hands-on experience, a solid portfolio, and staying up-to-date with the latest SEO trends and tools are often more critical. Additionally, certifications from reputable SEO courses can add value and demonstrate your commitment to the field, potentially making you more attractive to employers.
How long does it take to become an SEO expert?
The time it takes to become an SEO expert can vary depending on your prior experience, dedication, and the complexity of the concepts you need to master. Generally, it might take around three months to grasp the basics of search engine optimisation, including understanding how search engines work, learning about keyword research, on-page optimization and off-page SEO, and familiarising yourself with essential tools like Google Analytics and Search Console.
However, achieving a deeper understanding of advanced SEO concepts—such as technical SEO, content strategy, link building, and data analysis—typically requires additional time. Expect to spend six to 12 months or more refining these SEO skills through practice, continual learning, and staying current with algorithm updates and industry changes. The learning curve can be steep, but with consistent SEO efforts and real-world application, you can develop the expertise needed to excel as an SEO specialist.
Do I need to know coding to become a technical SEO expert?
While coding is not always a core requirement for SEO roles, understanding the basics of programming can be a significant advantage, particularly for technical SEO. Knowing how to read and write basic HTML, CSS, and JavaScript can help you troubleshoot issues, optimise page speed, and implement structured data, which are technical aspects of technical SEO.
Having coding skills can also make you more self-sufficient, allowing you to implement changes directly without relying on developers. It can give you a deeper understanding of how websites are built, enabling you to optimize them more effectively. Additionally, familiarity with server-side elements, such as .htaccess files, redirects, and sitemaps, can further enhance your technical SEO expertise.
What is a search engine journal?
Search Engine Journal (SEJ) is a popular digital publication that provides the latest news, trends, and insights in SEO, digital marketing, and online advertising. SEJ offers practical advice, expert insights, and industry updates, making it a valuable resource for SEO professionals and marketers looking to stay informed.