Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the most significant components of digital marketing. As a result, now is a better time than ever to become an SEO specialist. Businesses need these experts to help them reach their professional objectives.

An SEO expert aims to get the most out of search engines’ search results, so the web pages they’re working on rank first. The SEO industry demands widespread technical skills and years of experience to do this.

However, if you’re passionate about keyword research, clued up about Google Analytics, and knowledgeable about link building, it may be a good idea to become an SEO specialist.

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An SEO specialist optimizes websites, so these sites rank higher on major search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. An SEO expert knows how to drive more website traffic through search engines.

These professionals have technical SEO skills for off-page and on-page optimization. They use their expertise to grow web traffic, enhance user experience, multiply lead volume, and accelerate brand awareness.

As SEO is relatively new, many experts haven’t attended universities or colleges to attain degrees in this industry. The type of school and studying you choose depends on your finances, availability, and experience.

Read about the best education tracks to become an SEO specialist below.

To become an SEO specialist, experience is more crucial than academic qualifications. Yet academic qualifications make you a more desirable candidate for SEO jobs. Below are the various ways to become educated in SEO.

Vocational SEO training can last anywhere between one week to one year. This education track is more affordable than degree programs. Regardless of your experience level, vocational schools offer training in the basics and the most advanced techniques.

Vocational training lets you swiftly gain the vital technical skills to enter the workforce faster than a degree allows. For SEO, students can receive sub-baccalaureate certificates in marketing, information technology, business, and computer science.

On average, over 80,000 students receive training in business, and over 30,000 students are trained in computer and information sciences every year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). With countless vocational schools offering different levels of training, the average cost varies substantially.

The majority of community colleges offer a program in digital marketing, which covers SEO too. This might be a disadvantage for students who only want to learn or improve SEO skills.

Yet completing a two-year associate degree program at community college not only makes entry to university easier, but with experience, you can look for entry-level roles. Plus, the broader variety of content improves your digital marketing skills as a whole. This will positively impact your expertise as an SEO specialist.

According to NCES, the average annual cost of tuition and fees at a public two-year university is $3,812. This is something to consider when weighing your options.

A degree in digital marketing will go a long way as an SEO specialist. However, being an SEO specialist has a lot to do with experience. Therefore it makes sound sense to choose a degree program that includes an internship, or any hands-on experience.

Although there’s an ongoing debate about whether universities are preparing students for the workforce, a digital marketing degree and professional experience will make you the SEO specialist employers want. NCES data shows that the average annual cost of a four-year degree program is around $25,487 for in-state students. This includes room and board.

SEO bootcamps are an excellent way to gain job-ready SEO skills or master your current expertise. There are various bootcamps available depending on your SEO skill level, your career objectives, and preferred learning method.

A bootcamp will take as little as six months to complete. You’ll receive a certificate after completing technical training. You can get SEO training at bootcamps that have digital marketing programs, such as BrainStation. After completing a bootcamp program, you’ll have the basic SEO knowledge and skills to land an entry-level job.

As SEO is part of digital marketing, and digital marketing is computer-based, there’s a vast selection of SEO online courses. You can also complete in-person courses if you prefer.

There are courses to teach you the fundamentals of SEO, and courses to teach you advanced knowledge. This depends on your current skill level. An SEO course will cover title tags, how search engines work, search engine marketing, other technical skills, and soft skills.

Unlike degree programs, vocational schools, and bootcamps, you might not gain hands-on expertise. However, within six months, you’ll have a certificate and an opportunity to enter the SEO industry.

Like we’ve discussed, becoming an SEO specialist requires experience. There are many ways to become an SEO specialist, as there are many ways to gain experience.

Let’s review the easiest and best method to become an SEO specialist.

As an SEO specialist, you need to have a balance of soft skills and technical expertise. The most essential of these skills are knowledge of HTML and CSS, keyword research, and Google tools.

Here are the details of each of these highly sought-after skills for SEO specialists.

According to ZipRecruiter, the average annual salary for an SEO specialist is $54,144. Unfortunately, the Bureau of Labor Statistics does not state the job outlook for SEO specialists. However, its statistics for advertising, promotions, and marketing managers will give us an idea of what to expect for SEO experts.

The projected job growth for these professions is six percent by 2029. This figure reveals that SEO is a quickly expanding industry. SEO experts can expect professional opportunities for almost the next decade.

SEO specialists can work full-time or part-time. These professionals can also choose to work as freelancers.

For an entry-level job as an SEO specialist, you need to have at least a certificate in SEO, and two years of professional experience. ZipRecruiter states that the average annual salary for an entry-level SEO job is $42,243, which equates to around $20 per hour.

As an SEO specialist, you’ll write engaging, high-quality, SEO-optimized website content, keep the content and links updated, and set SMART goals. Below we explore these tasks in greater detail.

Although you don’t get professional licenses as an SEO specialist, various courses will award you certificates. You can choose from a broad scope of course providers based on your strengths. Below are a few of the best courses that award certificates for SEO specialists.

HubSpot has a free course for SEO experts, which includes three lessons divided into 15 videos. The content requires a maximum of two to three hours to complete. You have to pass two quizzes to gain the certification.

However, this course only covers the introduction to SEO. So, you’ll need more training to adopt professional SEO skills and knowledge.

This course comprises six video modules totaling nine hours of content. You have to pay $595 for the course, and you must pass five exams to receive the certificate.

This course goes into the fine detail of SEO campaigns, strategies, and techniques. Nonetheless, you’re mostly paying for the Moz reputation more than the actual content.

You can access this 40-hour course for free, and there are 26 modules to complete. Although super-proficient SEO experts won’t benefit from this course, beginners will find all the key elements of SEO.

A few concepts you’ll learn about are content marketing, social media, mobile marketing, and paid advertising.

When you’re looking for an SEO specialist job, you need to ace your job interview. To do this, determine how you develop, manage, and track an SEO campaign, the details about the SEO tools you use, and how you would solve common SEO challenges.

Below are some common questions that an interviewer may ask you.

Becoming an SEO specialist can take as little as two years. Within those two years, you need to gain professional experience, and at least one certificate. The more training you have, the better positions you can apply for.

To further your SEO skills and knowledge, consider a Master’s Degree in Digital Marketing after completing a bachelor’s degree. You can also take short courses and bootcamp programs to improve in areas you find the most challenging.

You should definitely become an SEO specialist in 2021. Studies project the job growth to increase. Plus, there are so many ways to gain the expertise and skills for SEO. Students can develop SEO skills through bootcamps, short courses, vocational training, or degree programs.

SEO specialists can also work as freelancers. For many people, this is an easy profession to manage from your kitchen table. Does this sound like what you need in a career? Then start gaining the skills to become an SEO specialist, pronto.