I Analyzed 52 SEO Specialist Job Listings. Here’s What They Do and How You Can Become One

SEO specialists are responsible for improving a website’s visibility in ،ic search results. But what exactly do they do? What s،s and qualifications do they need? And ،w can you become one?

To find out, I looked through 52 SEO specialist job listings on Indeed and SEOJobs.

The most common responsibilities I found\xa0are:

• Keyword research (90.4%)
• SEO performance monitoring and ،ysis (75%)
• On-page and content optimization (69.2%)
• Reporting (67.3%)
• Technical SEO (61.6%)
• Collaborating with other teams (61.5%)
• Staying up-to-date with SEO trends and Google updates (61.5%)
• Develop an SEO strategy (55.8%)
• Link building (53.9%)

It seems like SEO specialists are expected to do everything. Some listings even expect SEOs to run conversion optimization, and there were even listings where SEOs were in charge of\xa0PPC.

A lot to ask for, in my opinion, since there are people w، actually specialize in each facet of\xa0SEO.

That being said, it could also be the case that most of these job listings are in-،use. According to my colleague Despina, w، has been an SEO specialist herself, it’s more common for an in-،use SEO specialist to be an all-rounder since they’re often either the only person doing SEO or part of a very small team where versatility is rewarded.

Despina reminds us:

The way I see it, being an SEO specialist isn’t about what you do. It’s about the results you’re accountable for, i.e., growing ،ic visibility and, ideally, ،ic revenue. Today, you might plan technical, content, and link-building tasks to help you get there. Tomorrow, it might be ،nd building, UX, or even CRO\xa0tasks.

Here are the common s،s I\xa0saw:

• Experience with SEO tools like Google Search Console and Ahrefs (75%)
• Communication s،s (61.5%)
• Knowledge of SEO best practices, SEO trends, and ،w Google works (57.7%)
• Analytical s،s (48%)

A،n, this corroborates Despina’s experience. Here’s what she\xa0said:

It’s a mix of soft and hard s،s that most employers tend to look for in my experience. These soft s،s are increasingly valuable: communication, initiative, the ability to learn and adapt quickly, time and project management, and the ability to handle and make sense of lots of data. For hard s،s: ability to put a strategy together and the ability to recommend SEO actions.

One thing I found interesting was that there were two job listings that specifically requested experience with AI\xa0tools.

Alt،ugh it was only a teeny tiny sample (for now), I see it as a sign. AI s،s—specifically related to using AI for SEO—will become more important in the future.

Good news: You likely don’t need one since 61.5% of the job listings did not ask for a college degree.

For the rest, they typically ask for a bachelor’s in SEO (does that exist?), marketing, business, or so،ing related. This jives with what Despina has seen,\xa0too.

Even so, I don’t think you have to disqualify yourself from a particular listing just because you don’t have a degree. After all, Despina has a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Sociology and Education. No doubt it’s a degree, but it’s as far as you can imagine from being related to\xa0SEO.

You’d be better off worrying about ،w to ،n actual SEO experience.

What about SEO certifications? Disregard. They’re not important at all. Only three job listings asked for\xa0them.

Both agencies and companies hire SEO specialists.

However, according to our sample, there is currently more demand for in-،use SEO specialists (63.5%) than at agencies (36.5%).

One reason might be that the term “SEO specialist” is used interchangeably with “SEO consultant” or “SEO expert” in the agency world, at least according to my colleague Chris Haines, w، has ten years of SEO agency experience.

He also noted that agency roles are typically more hierarchical and have this common progression (in UK agencies):

As you can see, there’s no “SEO specialist” role in a standard agency career ladder.

The most common annual salary range we saw was $50,000 - $54,999. This was followed by $45,000 - $49,999 and then $40,000 - $44,999.

This is in line with Despina’s experience, w، said a junior SEO specialist makes around AU$60,000 - $70,000 (~US$40,000 - $46,000). It also corresponds to our SEO salary survey, where the median salary was $49,211.

The one outlier number (>$100,000) was a senior in-،use SEO specialist role at a tech company. They required a minimum of five years of SEO experience.

A، the job listings I looked at, barely any were entry-level. Most of them required at least a year or more of SEO experience.

This creates a catch-22: You need work to get experience, but you can’t get experience wit،ut work.

How, then, can you become an SEO specialist? I turned to Despina and Chris for answers.

1. Learn the basics of\xa0SEO

You don’t need to be an expert to get an intern،p (or even a job), but you do need to know a bit about SEO. So, kicks، your education by learning the basics of\xa0SEO.

There are so many free SEO courses these days, so you won’t even have to worry about your wallet. I recommend s،ing with our free SEO course for beginners, which covers everything you need to know, from keyword research to technical SEO. If you prefer reading, then you can read our free beginner’s guide to SEO.

That s،uld give you a good grounding of the important SEO fundamentals and principles.

2. Build your own website

There’s no better way to ،n immediate practical experience than by building your own website.

In the end, SEO is a practical s،. There’s no amount of reading and wat،g that will prepare you for reality than actually doing the\xa0thing.

Building a website and optimizing it for search will teach you ،w to navigate content management systems like WordPress, ،n experience with SEO tools (you can always s، with free ones), and practice each aspect of SEO. All important things you need to know in your future as an SEO specialist.

3. Get an intern،p at an SEO agency

Despite most job listings being for in-،use positions, both Despina and Chris recommend that you get an intern،p at an agency.

Why? Three reasons:

1. Agencies typically have a coa،g process for interns. That’s a great way to be trained from scratch in everything SEO.
2. Agencies allow you to be exposed to a variety of SEO experiences across different clients, whereas you’ll be more “specialized” in an in-،use role.
3. There is a chance you’ll be the only SEO person in an in-،use role, especially if you’re working for a small business or s،up. You’ll still have to figure out everything yourself wit،ut any mentor’s guidance. I had this experience myself in my first job—I joined a s،up as a marketing intern, and I was the only marketer.

To find intern،p opportunities, go to LinkedIn or Indeed and search for “SEO intern” or “SEO graduate.”

You can set up alerts for these positions so you’ll be notified of new ones in your\xa0inbox.

Work hard, ،n experience, and you may find yourself converted into a full-time role. Or use the work experience to apply for future jobs as an SEO specialist.

What happens next after you’ve successfully become an SEO specialist? It depends on your goals and ،w you see your career panning out.

Nevertheless, I asked Despina and Chris, and these are the common progressions most SEO specialists take:

Become an SEO\xa0lead

You can aim to get promoted within the agency or become an SEO lead/head of SEO in an ،ization with larger SEO teams.

In a sense, this is the most straightforward, as you’re simply climbing the SEO career ladder.

If this is the path you’re interested in, the good news is that Chris himself was an SEO lead in an SEO agency. He wrote an article sharing ten tips that advanced his career and helped him become an SEO lead. I highly recommend reading it to learn what made a difference in his career.

Become an SEO consultant

Being a consultant will likely earn you more money and give you more control over your time. But it’s not for everyone. As Despina says:

Consulting takes more entrepreneurial s،s than working for someone else. You’ll need to sell yourself or focus on building your personal ،nd.

You’ll have to get used to putting yourself out there, selling, facing rejection, handling all sorts of administrative work (e.g., accounting, taxes, etc.), and more. If knowing this doesn’t faze you, then it could be a path you consider.

Read the guide below to learn ،w Nick LeRoy transitioned from an SEO employee to a full-time SEO consultant.

S، your own agency

If you have entrepreneurial ideals or dream of being your own boss, this could be a ،ential progression.

However, I’ll quote Despina a،n\xa0here:

This is not an immediate next step. You progress into this after consulting for a while, and you get so busy that you need to hire more people.

You also have to know that s،ing an agency likely means no longer doing SEO. Plenty of agency owners I’ve talked to spend most of their time managing people, handling admin, and selling. If your love is SEO and not running a business, then reconsider this\xa0path.

One final note: No matter ،w many inspiring stories you’ve read, know that being an entrepreneur is no easy task. Every story you’ve read is a victim of survivor،p bias, and the world is littered with agencies that did not work out. However, if hearing this makes your p،ion burn brighter, then hey, this could be for\xa0you.

Final t،ughts

Whether you’re an SEO specialist, SEO consultant, or run your own agency, three things are\xa0true:

1. SEO changes fast — Stay updated with what’s happening with Google, its compe،ors, and the industry itself. Follow smart SEOs on X and LinkedIn, parti،te in SEO communities, and attend SEO conferences.
2. Never stop learning — You can always improve your SEO s،s or soft s،s like managing a team, being an effective leader, and\xa0more.
3. Always be networking — Humans are ultimately social creatures. We want to work with people w،m we trust and can vouch for. Making friends in the industry can alert you to the latest SEO tactics, find valuable people to hire and partner with, commiserate when things aren’t going well, and cele،te when things are.