Out of various SEO job titles, I think SEO Specialist can be anywhere between mid to senior roles. Senior SEO Specialists can either move to SEO Manager or SEO consultant. I like to call myself an SEO Specialist, as the roles mentioned above I do it very well.
How to become an SEO Specialist?
To answer the question, let me discuss the job responsibilities of an SEO Specialist. SEO Specialist can be a full-on job, and depending upon the type of agency you work, roles and responsibilities can be as follows:
- Keyword research
- Content Planning
- Design website architecture
- On-Page SEO audit
- Technical SEO audit
- Outreach and backlink building
- Ongoing performance audit
To be an SEO Specialist, you have to master all of these skills. You might get away with outreach and backlink building, but it depends upon the agency setup you are working in.
How do I get hired as an SEO Specialist?
To get hired as an SEO Specialist you don't need a college degree. Instead, you will need experience and proven results to back up your case.
Don't have any clients or projects? I will advise you to do some personal or freelance projects. Getting a freelance project can be hard but setting up a personal portfolio site isn't. My suggestion is to go for some long-tail keywords and use WordPress as your CMS. As a WordPress Developer turned SEO Specialist, I can tell you small initiative counts and it reflects big in your resume. Let me summarize this in the next section, as a roadmap for becoming an SEO Specialist
Roadmap to become an SEO Specialist
Here is a roadmap for becoming an SEO Specialist and landing your first job:
- Come up with a good brand name, that is easy to remember
- Start a project with the long tail keyword in mind
- Plan a content and content calendar for at least a few months in advance
- Register a domain name under your brand name
- Get a decent WordPress web hosting
- Install WordPress as WordPress is the SEO-friendly CMS by far
- Select a lightweight theme, and install an SEO Plugin - Yoast recommended
- Learn about On-Page SEO and Technical SEO
- Master the basics until you succeed in ranking your targeted keywords
I suggest new SEOs be patient and master the basics. A good start is Google's guidelines in SEO. There are a lot of good resources in the SEO community and these are my favourites that helped me a lot when I started:
- Google's SEO starter guide - https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide
- Bruce Clay's blog - https://www.bruceclay.com/blog/
- Backlinko - https://backlinko.com/
- Neil Patel's blog - https://neilpatel.com/blog/
How much does an SEO Specialist make in Australia?
SEO Specialists can make anywhere between 70K to 100K annually in Australia. Annual salary can depend upon various factors, and skilled SEO specialists can negotiate higher than 100K. Likewise, if you are new to the industry with less experience, you might get an offer below 70K too. So, salary is dependent upon how much the company wants to pay too.
Is the SEO Specialist job rewarding?
SEO jobs can be rewarding and fulfilling too. I find happiness when my small to medium-scale clients thank me when they get good results in SEO and ROI.
On an agency level, along with a salary package and the opportunity to work with big brands, the SEO Specialist role can open to more challenging and rewarding roles such as SEO Consultant or SEO Manager. So there is an opportunity to grow and earn more too.
SEO Specialist FAQs
Here are some of the most asked questions about SEO specialists.
How much is an SEO Specialist's salary?
SEO Specialists can make anywhere between 70K-100K in Australia. SEO Specialists can also get promoted to higher-paying roles such as SEO Consultant and SEO Manager, if they prove themselves and are willing to accept more challenges and responsibilities.
Is SEO still in demand?
As with any other skill, good SEO is still in demand. SEO isn't one-off or short-term goal, SEO is a long-term and ongoing role, so there will always be demand for good SEO.