How to Become an SEO Expert: The Ultimate Guide
Whether you’re a sole entrepreneur trying to build your brand or a savvy business professional looking to help others build their brand, search engine optimization is a necessary skill that you require to thrive in the online marketing industry.
Although you can now learn SEO from a traditional 4-year college course, it’s still a relatively new niche, and many people would prefer to get online certifications or learn through experiences with their websites. This article discusses who an SEO expert is, what they do, and the steps to help you become one.
Who Is an SEO Expert?
Search engine optimization involves optimizing a website to improve online visibility and increase organic traffic from search engine result pages. Hence, an SEO expert is an individual who masters SEO principles and applies them to achieve higher search engine rankings.
Over a billion websites are jostling for attention on the search engine results page for every search. However, SEO experts strive to rank their websites on the first page of Google or other search engines, so they can reach a pool of potential customers online. There is no universal path to becoming an SEO expert, but the steps below are good places to start.
1. Take SEO Courses
Although certification is not a requirement in most SEO job roles, it’s important to get fundamental knowledge of SEO principles through courses. You’ll learn SEO essentials, including how search engines work, HTML, and important Google ranking factors to help you use Google algorithms.
The basic knowledge above will usher you into more technical aspects of SEO, where you will master keywords, content marketing, link building, technical optimization, and optimizing content. These advanced skills will distinguish you from other social media personnel and guarantee explosive results.
The great thing about taking SEO courses is that you do not need to invest as much money as in getting a traditional degree. They are widely available across social media platforms and massive open online courses (MOOCs) for little or no fees. Below, we have compiled a few courses to help you get started.
2. Practise Your SEO Skills
Practice makes perfect, indeed. The best way to learn a language is to speak it. Likewise, it’s possible to master SEO principles by constantly applying your skills. You should diligently employ your skills, even if no recruiter requires your services. You can do this by running your website.
With your website, you can test almost anything. The experiments can revolve around content formats, keyword optimization, content lengths, and ultimately link-building strategies. This independence will allow you the flexibility of learning and implementing changes without consequences or scrutiny from an employer.
On the other hand, running a website isn’t an easy task. The first disadvantage is that there is no profit yet at the inception stage. Instead, you will spend more money to finance the cost of owning your website.
Time commitment and juggling numerous roles might also be challenging, although you can employtime management tips to manage your workload. However, if you’re consistent, you will achieve great results from your website, and it can become a side hustle or your main business long-term.
3. Develop a Portfolio of Projects to Showcase Your Work
Compiling your SEO-practiced skills into a work portfolio is a good way to keep track of your progress. The projects that make up your portfolio can also include tasks, assignments, and other relevant hands-on experiences you completed while taking your courses.
While developing your portfolio, ensure that you reflect your strengths through your completed projects. Package your achievements to demonstrate the various SEO strategies you have experimented with and their results. Additionally, highlight data and statistics so that hiring managers can identify meaningful metrics that point towards your success as an SEO expert.
Even if you haven’t worked as a paid SEO expert before, you’re able to still tailor your portfolio to feature the SEO challenges you have faced, the solutions you used to surmount them, and the results you recorded. Tailoring your portfolio to a particular SEO niche can also hint at your professionalism and expertise to the client or hiring manager.
4. Start Working Freelance or Get a Job as an In-House SEO Expert
Aside from working on your website, you can become a freelancer and take on clients. Do not fret, even if you do not feel like an expert and might be a little hesitant about test-running with other people’s websites.
You must understand that your study of SEO courses and application of the other steps above has you in a much better position than an average online business owner. The more consistent you become in noting what works and doesn’t, the better your expertise.
Alternatively, you can work at an agency or as an in-house SEO. The perk of this method is that you can learn and grow faster. This speed is because you’re surrounded by people who are already proficient with SEO. You will get up to speed with their scrutiny, supervision, corrections, and guidance.
The skills and advanced SEO knowledge you develop while working as a freelancer or an in-house SEO expert keep you moving upward on the corporate ladder. In no time, you’ll be able to mentor entry-level SEO specialists or even teach from the wealth of knowledge you have accumulated.
5. Network Effectively to Gain More Exposure
Whether running your website or taking off as an in-house SEO expert or freelancer, you must have developed an attractive portfolio to showcase your SEO skills. Don’t be afraid to reach out to potential clients or employers. Engaging your professional community through article writing for other websites will also drive traffic to your page, help link-building efforts, and raise your professional profile toimprove your site’s ranking on Google.
Additionally, you should stay updated on current industry trends. you’re able to achieve this by networking with other online and offline professionals in the advertising, digital marketing, and user experience niche.
Start a Career as an SEO Expert
SEO is a rapidly growing field, putting digital marketing and SEO skills in high demand. As such, professionals with SEO expertise are incredibly valuable assets to businesses and brands today. Following the steps outlined in this article will help you on your way to becoming an SEO expert.
If you’re looking to learn or brush up on your SEO skills, here are the six best websites you could use.
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