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To begin with, an SEO specialist is a digital marketing professional with in-depth expertise in techniques for ranking websites within organic search results. An SEO specialist is usually employed in digital marketing agencies, web development companies or as a corporate employee. The mission of an SEO specialist is to maximize the volume of organic traffic from search engines such as Google, Bing, Yahoo etc. This is achieved through a combination of different techniques: on-page and off-page optimization, link-building, social media marketing strategies, optimizing website speed and security level, content planning and more. An SEO expert, for that reason, is often engaged in researching trending keywords and creating appropriate content to successfully position web pages organically in search engine results.
In addition, an SEO specialist is responsible for running tests, collecting and analyzing data. It will be able to identify search trends and obtain valuable information regarding the preferences of its customers. In this way, it will be possible to maximize the return on investment. Finally, an SEO expert is able to use his knowledge about how search engines work to plan and optimize search engine marketing (SEM) campaigns. For this reason, he or she will also be able to analyze the data of various search engine marketing campaigns, manage their costs, and take the necessary steps to meet the spending budget.
If you are interested in learning about the technical skills of an SEO expert, we recommend that you continue reading this article.
What are the Technical Skills of an SEO Expert?
First, it is worth mentioning that the SEO specialist is not required to have a degree for professional purposes. As a matter of fact, at the moment, no specific academic paths in this field have been created yet. On the other hand, in order to successfully carry out such activities, it is necessary to have a strong aptitude toward digital marketing activities including a strong aptitude for data analysis, understanding, and representation.
Obtaining these skills can be achieved through specific training courses, available both in-person and online, and a lot of practice gained by dealing with concrete cases. An SEO specialist will need excellent technical skills in using the most common web tools. These are Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools or other similar tools. Also very important turns out to be a solid knowledge of CSS or HTML, as they are necessary to optimize the structure of web pages.
Three other technical skills that are in high demand and valued are as follows:
- The ability to work with back-end SEO elements such as .htaccess, robot.txt, metadata etc.
- The ability to create reports that show analytically the data collected
- An understanding of changes, evolutions, and updates in the SEO field
What are the Soft Skills Required of an SEO Specialist?
First of all, an SEO expert - to be complete - should demonstrate several soft skills, which are currently in high demand not only in the digital marketing field but also in many others.
Effective Communication
First, an SEO specialist must display solid and effective communication skills both to successfully collaborate with other professionals close to him or her and to relate properly to his or her clients.
Critical Thinking
Critical thinking consists of the ability to provide an objective and unbiased analysis of the situation in order to form one's own judgment. For an SEO expert, the ability to ask questions in order to then provide answers is an important element within this aspect.
Empathy
Empathy is that ability to perceive the emotions of others, combined with the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling. According to recent research, empathy is the most important skill within leadership qualities.
SEO Expert: Conclusion
In conclusion, the professional figure of the SEO expert or SEO consultant is nowadays of paramount importance within its field of reference. His or her role, digital skills and competencies turn out to be crucial as they are capable not only of solving concrete problems, but also of successfully realizing those goals that digital marketing activities aim to achieve effectively. Would you like to book an SEO consulting? Contact us! We will be happy to auit you!
