Who is a SEO specialist

In the era of rapid development of online commerce, every entrepreneur wants to bring his website to the top of search engine results to attract traffic and, consequently, increase conversions and visibility of the company. A SEO specialist can help to solve this problem. We will tell you who is a SEO-specialist, what he does and how to choose a real professional among numerous specialists.

Who is a SEO specialist

SEO specialist is a person who promotes websites on search engines. Among the main tasks of the specialist: 

• bringing the website to the TOP of search engines; 
• increasing traffic; 
• increasing the number of incoming applications.

A competent SEO specialist is a professional who focuses not only on search engines, but optimizes the resource taking into account the needs of the user as well. After all, if the website is uninformative or inconvenient for visitors, the bounce rate will remain high even if the resource has the top position on Google search engine results.  

What should a SEO specialist do

Foremost, the researcher analyzes the current state of the resource, monitors competitors in the niche, market trends and much more, then draws up a strategy for further promotion and begins to implement changes. Website promotion is carried out in several stages: 

• Working with semantics. The SEO specialist compiles the semantic core of the website (keywords that describe the client’s activities). Based on this information, the SEO manager gives recommendations for text writing to the copywriter, as well as, if necessary, creating new pages. (Read as well: How to compile the semantic core of the website by yourself)
• Working with technical optimization of the website. Internal SEO includes numerous works whose aim is improving the internal structure of the website and its content. As a part of optimization, a SEO specialist eliminates errors and duplicate pages, creates a sitemap, prescribes meta tags and user-friendly URLs, configures redirects, checks page load speed, makes internal link building, optimizes content and makes many other necessary settings. 
• Working with building link weight. During external optimization, specialist works on improving link weight. For each project, a SEO specialist develops a unique promotion strategy based on features and needs of a particular business. This helps to choose the right resources to place external links to the website and achieve the desired promotion result. 

At each stage, the SEO specialist analyzes work results and makes adjustments to the promotion plan. Careful analysis helps to avoid mistakes and choose the most effective methods of promoting your resource. 

SEO-specialist’s skills

A professional who provides SEO, should have many skills, including: 

• Knowledge of key search engine principles, basic Google filters, and resource ranking factors. 
• Knowledge of stages and main principles of optimization (external and internal). 
• Understanding the basics of usability to professionally assess the usability of the website for users and provide further recommendations for structure improving.
• Ability to competently optimize the resource with a balance of commercial and behavioral components. 
• Understanding the basics of digital marketing and the ability to link SEO promotion to other areas of online advertising. 
• Knowledge of search engine tools and services. (Read as well: TOP of the best tools and services for SEO website analytics) 
• Ability to compose a competent technical assignment for programmers, copywriters and other professionals who work on resource optimization. 

In addition, the profession of SEO specialist involves the ability to analyze large data flows, as well as continuously work on professional development, as changes in SEO appear almost daily. 

How to find a good specialist

You have chosen a real professional, if a specialist: 

• Uses only white methods of promotion (building a natural link profile, working on content quality, internal site optimization, etc.). 
• Creates technical assignment for writing high quality optimized texts and does not use unreadable and rewritten texts during promotion process. 
• Promotes the website throughout the whole pool from the semantic core, not just high-frequency keywords. 
• Practices an integrated approach, working with both structure and usability, UX, resource design and more. 
• Develops an individual promotion plan for each project, taking into account the results of marketing analysis and business features. 
• Understands the need to use related areas of promotion, such as PPC, SMM, etc. 
• Performs regular analysis and monitors the growth of applications. 
• Follows new trends and algorithm updates. 
• Cautious in promises, can easily tell about each work stage, provides reports and deciphers key indicators.

Tips for SEO beginners

If you are interested in how to become a SEO specialist, we tell you about the first steps in mastering the profession: 

• Learn the main tools that are needed for effective work on website promotion, such as Google Analytics, Serpstat, Semrush and others. 
• Combine theory and practice. You can learn the ins and outs of the profession on your own through blogs, literature, and other online information, or take paid courses. In any case, it is important to reinforce the knowledge gained through experience. You can optimize your website, offer services to friends, or get an internship in a company that deals with SEO promotion. This will help to understand not only what the SEO specialist is doing, but to work on various projects and get valuable advice and life hacks from experienced colleagues too. 
• Learn new products and trends, improve, experiment.