Before delving into the details of how to become an SEO Expert, it is imperative to fully understand what SEO means and how it works as a digital marketing strategy. SEO is all about optimizing the content that you are going to publish. So, why is content optimization necessary? It is important because if your content is optimized, your website will rank higher on any search engine result page. This is basically going to generate more traffic for your website. More traffic for your website means that more people will come across your website. This in turn means that your business will hopefully have more sales. SEO is a complex and crucial part of content marketing. To have a successful marketing campaign, some knowledge about SEO is imperative. It is also a fantastic branding tool. It is gaining a lot of popularity in the world of digital marketing.
Now that you know about why SEO is important and how it works, the rest of this article will take a look into the steps you can follow to become good at SEO.
Steps to become good at SEO
Here are the steps that you can follow to succeed at SEO:
1. A comprehensive understanding of how search engines work:
What do people use search engines for? To find answers or solutions to questions or problems they have. When you search for something in your browser, you’ll see thousands of results pop up providing you links to websites or blogs that answer your question. Search engines, therefore, perform 3 main functions- crawl, index and rank. You need to first acquaint yourself with these three functions of search engines before moving on.
2. Develop core skills:
After you’re well-versed in how search engines work and the three primary functions performed by search engines, you have to then work on the core skills required to become an SEO Expert. A few of these core skills include-
- Keyword research
- Basics of coding
- Content marketing
- On-page optimization
- Link building skills
- Content audit.
The aforementioned skills are all technical skills that you must have. Along with that, you also need to have certain soft skills such as communication skills, negotiation skills, and the ability to compromise and reach a middle ground.
3. Effective competitor analysis:
To be good at SEO, not only do you have to create optimized content but must also learn how to perform competitor analysis of websites. In this way, you will learn where your website stands in terms of ranking as well as the ranking of competitor websites. This in turn will help you expand your knowledge about the market.
4. Keep upgrading your knowledge-base for SEO:
If you wish to become an SEO marketing expert, it is essential to find situations where you can apply your acquired knowledge. Practical experience is essential to become successful. Implement your SEO skills in any content that you create. Owing to the fast-changing, ever-evolving nature of the field of SEO, you will also need to keep yourself updated with any new developments and information in SEO. Read blogs, attend workshops, network, and join industry associations to stay updated with any new developments in this field.
5. Choose an area of specialization:
After you’ve mastered all the aforementioned basic technical skills and soft skills, to become successful SEO personnel, you need then choose an area of expertise. You need to have in-depth knowledge about a specific filed under SEO. This is as important as having a broad understanding of marketing knowledge. A few important areas of expertise include:
- On-site content
- Technical SEO
- Link building
- E-commerce
- Social media
- Email marketing
- Data and analytics
6. Tracking SEO performance:
Another requirement to pursue a career in SEO is to be able to analyze and calculate SEO performance. You have to be able to track as well as review web traffic, your ranking, and conversions. This will help you understand where your website stands in comparison to competitor websites. To be able to do this, you have to include metrics such as average position, keyword rankings, backlink profile breakdown, content marketing results, etc. You have to update and adjust this report on a daily basis.
7. Building a strong SEO network:
In order to learn and improve your SEO skills, networking is essential. You should definitely network with experts in the field of SEO. This will help you come up with new ideas, share tactics and tools for SEO as well as meet new clients who need your expertise.
8. Ability to explain SEO in layman terms:
To have a good client base, you need to have the ability to explain how SEO works and its relevance, in simple terms that your clients can understand.
Follow this step-by-step guide and become an SEO Expert!