Contrary to popular belief, an actual search engine optimization (SEO) expert will be doing a lot more than buying thousands of cheap backlinks. SEO experts focus on improving organic search rankings through various strategies, including search engine marketing (SEM) and content marketing.
People new to search engine optimization (SEO) often find themselves scratching their head on what the people involved in this field do. SEO is a crucial aspect of search engine marketing (SEM) as it focuses on improving organic search and increasing visibility in search engine results. At one time, you'll find them writing paragraphs. And a few minutes later, they'll be working with the job codes, utilizing their skills learned from the courses and applying them to the pages. So it's worth asking what SEO specialists actually do at the workplace in terms of search engine optimization and search engine marketing job. In this article, learn everything search engine optimization (SEO) specialists are tasked with doing in the field of digital marketing.
To understand what SEO specialists do, you must first understand what search engine optimization (SEO) actually is. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. SEO work refers to the process of optimizing websites and web pages for successful SEO. It involves optimization techniques implemented by SEO specialists to improve ranking on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP).
As per estimates, there are over 2 billion websites, and the number is going up. With the increasing number of websites, the importance of search engine optimization (SEO) work has also grown. SEO specialists play a crucial role in improving the visibility and ranking of websites in digital search engines. Since search engines like Google rank pages in chronological order, not every website will rank at the top of SERP. This is where seo specialists come in to help improve a website's digital presence. SEO specialists are tasked with optimizing websites for better search engine rankings and visibility for specific digital keywords. Much of the day-to-day activities that SEO specialists do are concerned with search and ranking the website.
SEO is just a component of digital marketing. A few experienced SEO specialists often work cross-functionally with other departments of digital marketing to search for optimal results. But the main role of SEO specialists is always to rank the websites in search results and earn as much organic traffic as possible.
SEO is a continuously evolving field. Google, the biggest search engine on the planet, alone makes about 500-600 changes to its algorithm, which can greatly impact the work of SEO specialists. So the exact duties of SEO specialists, who are search engine optimization professionals, change from time to time, but some of them remain constant.
This is top-level work that SEO specialists engage in to search and optimize websites. SEO is, after all, a marketing channel for businesses and brands. As a specialist, it is important to understand the impact of SEO on marketing efforts. They get in front of the customers searching for something and either generate a lead or deliver a marketing message with the help of an SEO specialist. Different businesses will have their own requirement and specific marketing objectives. However, it is crucial for businesses to consider hiring an SEO specialist to optimize their online presence and improve their search engine rankings.
SEO professionals must understand these requirements. This will include learning about the client's expectations, budget, and the time frame in mind for the SEO specialist.
For most of the clients, the objectives are like they want to generate leads, increase e-commerce sales, raise brand awareness, solidify their reputation, with the help of an SEO specialist. It's the SEO consultant's responsibility to understand these objectives.
In SEO and Search Engine Marketing, in general, everything is based on keywords. These are the words that people type into the search engine to find the information they're looking for. As an SEO specialist, it is important to understand these keywords and optimize websites accordingly. So for a real estate business, the SEO specialist should target key phrases like "House for sale," "Houses under 25,000," and "2 BHK Flat Apartment."
To get these keywords, SEOs work with tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMRush, UberSuggest, Keyword tool, among others. By combining the results from all the tools, they create a list of potential keywords that are worth targeting with SEO.
Researching the keywords is a time-consuming undertaking. The SEO specialist spends a significant time researching, selecting, and de-selecting keywords. He or she is an expert in optimizing websites for search engines.
Search Engines like Google, Bing derive information about a particular website or web page by looking at the tags. An SEO specialist understands the importance of optimizing these tags to improve search engine rankings. These tags, including Title tags, Meta tags, and Image Alt tags, are important for SEO specialists.
The SEO executive should put the keywords inside these tags in a natural way. If it looks forced, then Google may penalize the website for implementing black hat tactics. As an SEO specialist, it is crucial to avoid using such tactics and focus on organic strategies.
So if you’ve ever seen your SEO friend working with codes, then probably they’re inserting the keywords.
Link building is another major component of SEO. It can make or break an SEO campaign. Link building, an essential task for any SEO specialist, involves generating hyperlinks from other websites that point to the client's website.
So if you’ve ever clicked on a hyperlink, then probably it’s done purposely by an SEO professional. They generate links from a variety of sources like web directories, blogs, forums, and other websites that are in the same niche.
While the number of links is important, it's the quality of backlinks that matters the most. Quality backlinks from authoritative websites are hard to earn. An SEO specialist creates a strategy on how to earn these links.
Schema help websites stand out in the SERP. SEO professionals work with Schema.org to create a Schema markup for your website. Once implemented, searchers will get some context about the website before clicking on it.
So even the website isn’t ranked number 1, people may still click on it because of the rich microdata.
Schema markup requires working with HTML tags and XML. So there’s some technical knowledge involved.
Optimized content is also important for ranking a website for specific keywords. Just like the keywords should be in the tags, they should also be used appropriately in the content.
Writing thorough content is actually the task of a content writer. When it’s a long-form article that requires 5000+ words, an SEO executive will be too busy to get it done. It’s the writer who will create the article from scratch.
But the SEO professional will oversee the content creation process. He will supply the keyword, title, subheadings, and other guidelines that the writer must follow.
For smaller requirements, the SEO executive might decide to write it out on his own.
Clients will ask for reports on a weekly or basis to learn about the performance of their website. It is the SEO professional’s job role to prepare a comprehensive and digestible report for their clients.
By looking at the report, they should be able to know what the current rankings are for particular keywords, how much traffic is coming in, and how much of the traffic is converting into leads.
Depending on the client’s requirements, the report can have charts, figures, and screenshots too. Whatever the requirement, the SEO professionals should understand it and prepare the report accordingly.
With the rise of multi-channel marketing, SEO professionals now have to work with cross-functional teams. So they will be spending time with the UX team one day and with the social media marketing team the other day.
So the list of responsibilities is continuously growing the SEO professionals. But ranking the websites and maintain the rankings is the primary objective of the professionals in the SEO industry.
