What is SEO?

Search engine optimisation (usually known as SEO), is the process of making sure a website or webpage is primed to reach the top of a search engine results page. In practice, SEO jobs can involve researching relevant keywords, analysing web data, writing optimised copy, and creating traffic and ranking reports.

SEO professionals might work freelance or at a digital marketing agency, optimising websites for a number of different clients, or for a business in-house, dedicating their time to optimising one website. In SEO, you’re likely to work with a variety of analytical software programs in order to track a site’s performance. SEO campaigns increasingly involve outreach to online influencers in order to generate traffic and backlinks.

Salary information and career progression

Opportunity within the SEO industry

SEO jobs are in great demand, and that demand is only set to grow in the coming years. According to Conductor’s 2018 marketing jobs survey, SEO job openings are up 43% year-on-year, while content marketing jobs are up 33%. With the mammoth size of the SEO industry — it’s expected to reach £80 billion by 2020 — it’s unlikely that anyone with the right skills will struggle to find a job in SEO, no matter how many other candidates are in the pool.

Recent changes in the sector

Two recent developments in technology will have a big impact on the world of SEO in the near future: voice search and artificial intelligence (AI). Voice search is increasingly being used on mobile devices and home assistants such as Amazon Echo and Google Home. SEO professionals will need to adapt online content to keep up with this trend. On the AI front, Google has been exploring new ways of using AI to rank web pages. The SEO community will need to anticipate any changes that this could lead to.

Future Prospects

As more and more customers use search engines to find the products and services they require, businesses increasingly need SEO experts to help their websites rise above their competitors. Because of this, SEO jobs are likely to be in-demand for the foreseeable future, especially as the search engine landscape is constantly evolving, making it difficult for laymen to keep up.

• Salt’s advice for getting a SEO job

  To get a job in SEO, you have to be up to date on the latest developments within the sector. Google and other search engines are constantly evolving, so it’s important to keep up with any changes that could impact your potential clients’ or employer’s rankings. Reading leading SEO blogs will also help you stay abreast of what’s what.

  Employers’ requirements

  Employers will expect those applying for SEO roles to have in-depth knowledge of Google and possibly other search engines. You should be familiar with Google Analytics and other analytical tools, and ideally have demonstrable experience of increasing a brand’s search rankings in a previous role.

  CV requirements

  It’s important to highlight your previous experience on a CV for an SEO job, but make sure your experience is recent as the industry moves at a swift pace. Employers will be looking out for candidates who are proficient with SEO tools like Google Analytics and Screaming Frog, so make sure you list any of these that you use. It’s also a good idea to mention any keywords that your previous clients rank particularly well for, so that hiring managers can view your achievements for themselves.

  Interview preparation

  An interview for an SEO role will likely be focused on your process and your experience. Interviewers will ask for examples of previous successes, and may pose hypothetical questions about how you would approach different tasks.

  Popular SEO interview questions include:

  1. Which tools and programs do you use for your campaigns?
  2. How would you go about optimising a website?
  3. How do you carry out keyword research?
  4. Tell us about some recent Google algorithm changes and how they have impacted your work.

  Educational requirements

  SEO jobs do not require any particular degrees or qualifications, but an educational background in marketing, business, computer science or another related field could come as an advantage. Coding skills are not always a prerequisite, but familiarity with HTML and CMSs is a must.