What Does an SEO Specialist Do All Day?

SEO specialists are essential to just about every business today. As a result, they’re in very high demand. So, if you’re looking to switch careers or just starting out your career search, you’d be missing out if you didn’t give the SEO specialist profession a look.

To that end, below is a deep dive into what an SEO specialist does all day.

What is an SEO specialist?

First things first: An SEO specialist is a person that optimizes web pages to achieve a higher search engine ranking. They know how to get more traffic to any page, use keywords properly, and stay updated on the Google algorithm changes and market fluctuations. They also know all about optimization trends, the right content to publish, and can find minor issues preventing a website from ranking higher and garnering more attention.

What’s expected from an SEO specialist?

To have all the required skills, an SEO specialist should be knowledgeable of:

• The specifications of building an SEO strategy (both on-page and off-page)
• Researching and finding relevant keywords with proper competitiveness and search volume to use on the website
• Competitor research (identification and analysis of their websites, finding gaps in their strategies and ideas to implement, recommending improvements based on analysis)
• Website technical audit (crawl errors, HTTPS status codes, load time, and other checks)
• Optimization tactics for websites and their content to cater to both search engines and users
• High-quality link-building to improve the website’s reputation, drive more referral traffic, and increase its search engine ranking
• Catching up with trends, algorithm updates, and strategies used in SEO, which are prone to change
• Monitoring the results of their SEO campaigns
• Usage of SEO digital tools (Google Search Console, Google Analytics, Screaming Frog, SE Ranking software, Excel or Sheets, etc.)

Daily technical responsibilities

Every day, SEO experts check website performance and keyword position analytics to see how things are going. The results may change from day to day with Google algorithms, updates, and user dynamics. So, it’s crucial to do daily checks to see how every page of the website you promote is working. Every keyword should also be checked to see its competitiveness and search volume dynamics.

SEO experts also look into where the most traffic comes from to understand what kind of landing pages or pages of the website achieve the best results and gain the most attention. The landing pages with the best-performing keywords and content can become a template for the following ones.

Keyword research

Keyword research is one of the most important kinds of SEO work. Why? Because despite algorithm changes, every search starts with a query containing a keyword So, an expert looks for keyword ideas and determines their competitiveness, search volume, and relevance to the queries to ensure they have chosen the best ones to target. Using tools like Google Search Console and Google Keyword Planner, as well as third-party tools makes the research and analysis much easier and more precise.

Optimization

SEO experts also optimizing your company’s website. Optimization is a term not only applied to optimizing the content with the keywords you’ve chosen. You’ll perform on-site and off-site (or on-page and off-page) adjustments, making sure the website has:

• High-quality content
• The right use of keywords (of course)
• Quality metadata
• Proper internal linking
• Quick load speed
• Spotless code structure

The process includes trying different strategies, keyword matches, code changes, etc., to improve all the aspects mentioned above and get a higher ranking.

The off-page optimization mainly focuses on acquiring high-quality inbound links through carefully planned and executed outreach campaigns.

Coordinating with other teams

You’ll need to cooperate and coordinate with other teams that can potentially affect your campaign results. This includes:

Link-building and outreach: This team is responsible for building relationships with other websites to get backlinks, write and post guest articles, etc.

Content marketing: This team will inform you of their content strategy for the blog of the website and the site in general, optimizing content according to your recommendations, and proofreading/checking landing pages for content quality.

Web development: This team is responsible for website building and ensuring the code is clean and every page you optimize loads super-fast because users aren’t going to wait. You’ll have to communicate with them on testing frequency as well.

UX design: User experience and SEO go hand in hand, so you’ll definitely have to keep in touch with the UX design team to make sure they make the site user-friendly. You’ll also need to communicate with them on adjusting the existing pages according to your competitor's research and analysis.

Product manager/analyst: To improve conversion, which is an important SEO metric, you’ll have to regularly consult with the product manager or analyst of the company to stay on the same page.

Catching up with Google updates and market trends

Mastering all SEO-connected skills isn’t enough if you don’t learn every day. Staying up-to-date with every algorithm change as well as the competitors of your clients is essential to improve the results of your work continuously. Reading articles, using digital tools for research, attending webinars and conferences, and diving into niche-specific forums will not only enrich your knowledge and make you an expert in demand. Still, it will keep your passion for the industry high.

A final note

SEO specialists are responsible for numerous tasks and need to master many skills. But don’t be discouraged if you want to build a career in this niche and don’t have all the requisites yet. Most skills go hand in hand, so you’ll learn one while learning another.

Also, keep in mind that this occupation has many benefits, including everlasting relevance and the ability to work remotely from almost any country. By joining the digital community, you’ll enter a world of possibilities and encounter millions of businesses who need your help—so you’ll always have work. In addition, the compensation is also quite strong.

So, if you’re interested in leaning on your creativity and critical thinking and communication skills, and have a strong desire to learn, make sure to consider exciting field of SEO as a possible career path.

Oliver Smith is a writer and editor. He specializes in content related to digital marketing, SEO, SMM, and eCommerce. Oliver is also a freelance guest post writer and an enthusiastic blogger who helps B2B companies reach their audiences more effectively. When he isn't writing, you can find him at the gym, snowboarding, or doing some other sports activities. Oliver is a husband and the father of two cute girls.