Studies Reveal SEO Analysts are in High Demand
2013 may be known as the “Year of the SEO Analyst.” Studies have confirmed a 112 percent increase in demand for SEO professionals over the past few years and starting salaries as high as $94,000.
In another survey, 93 percent of all business respondents expected their SEO businesses to grow by the end of 2013. Of these, 82 percent reported plans to hire more SEO staff by year’s end.
A career as an SEO analyst can very rewarding. Unlike many technology jobs, stress levels are relatively low and employment opportunities are at an all-time high. Mid-level employees can expect salaries around $60,000, and senior analysts may earn as much as $100,000.
What Do I Need To Become an SEO Analyst?
In order to become a successful SEO analyst, you should have certain qualities that lend themselves to the performance of SEO analytic tasks. These qualities include:
- Excellent communication skills. SEOs must communicate with both marketing and IT co-workers and must be able to translate what each type of expert says. SEO analysts must also be able to communicate with clients and review content for appeal to average readers, so they must be fluent in many forms of communication.
- Thorough understanding of programming languages. HTML, CSS and other web programming languages are important to SEO analysts even if they do not program. The must understand these codes in order to be able to manage SEO projects and review work by others for consistency or errors.
- Knowledge of Google Analytics. Google Analytics changes consistently, so SEO analysts must stay abreast of the latest updates and changes.
It is helpful if an SEO analyst has at least three years of SEO experience before taking an analyst position. Experiences should include testing optimization, interacting with search features, studying Google rules and guidelines and interacting with clients.
Where Can I Find SEO Training?
Although most SEO analysts have some type of background in computers, very few have a specific SEO degree. SEO is still one of those job fields in which experience is far more important than initial training. However, workshops and seminars are available that can build on general SEO experience to help an individual pursue a higher-level job in SEO analytics.
What Is The Job Outlook for SEO Analysts?
SEO analysts will find jobs everywhere, but certain cities are much more likely to have jobs than others. According to recent surveys, the top ten cities for SEO analyst jobs are:
1) New York
2) San Francisco
3) Los Angeles
4) Chicago
5) Boston
6) Washington
7) San Jose
8) Seattle
9) Atlanta
10) Dallas
Salaries range from around $44,000 for entry-level positions to $96,000 for executives.
Searching for an SEO analyst job may be challenging, and you may find yourself taking a variety of positions as you work your way up the ladder. However, the more you refine and hone your SEO skills the more productive you will be and the more opportunities that will open themselves to you.
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