How to Become an SEO Specialist? 

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Would you like to learn how to improve traffic to your website and boost your business? Then it might be time to learn more about SEO and become a real SEO expert yourself.

It is a skill that anyone can learn, even if you are not involved with websites yourself. There is a lot of free information available about SEO, so you can start learning right away.

The benefits of learning SEO yourself are endless. You can improve the traffic to your website, improve your conversion. You are not or less dependent on SEO agencies, which also saves money, you learn to make better choices if you do work with an agency, and it is an excellent skill to mention on your CV.

SEO is viral within digital marketing, and a good knowledge of this will undoubtedly contribute to your career.

How do I become an SEO Specialist?

But how do you become the right SEO expert? How do you learn to bring organic traffic to your website in the right way? With these ten tips, it’s easy to learn SEO and become an expert in digital marketing.

Start with the right mindset. SEO is not a quick fix. It is a method to achieve your result. Achieving that can take months, if not years. And SEO is just one of the many tools you can use to drive that growth.

Are you an absolute beginner?

Are you an absolute beginner? Then be sure to follow this entire step-by-step plan also to master the necessary knowledge. Start with the basics of digital marketing. For example, learn about Google Analytics and how to interpret the statistics that the program gives you.

What goal do you want to achieve with this?

What goal do you want to achieve with this? Learn more about keyword research and the technology behind your website, and how to optimize this technique.

Don’t forget about content marketing and SEO friendly content writing! After all, content is the first step and the most critical aspect of SEO. Nothing is more effective than a lot of practice with content and writing content in a search engine friendly way.

If you already have more knowledge, then immediately start an SEO course. But be sure to keep educating yourself about the necessary skills. 

Things are changing rapidly in the world of digital marketing, and it’s always good to keep up.

• Start with the basics. Learn how search engines work. First of all, immerse yourself in Google, the most used search engine, and learn about Google’s method and algorithms. They also have several free information available to anyone who wants to learn about the internet. So doubly advantageous.

 

• Learn the basic concepts of digital marketing and what digital marketing consists of. Think of email marketing, website, web design, website architecture, social media, banner marketing, and search engine marketing. So you start with the basics if you want to understand SEO properly.

 

• Learn the real meaning of SEO. SEO is divided into three parts: technical SEO (crawling and indexing), off-page SEO (promotion), on-page SEO (optimizing your website itself), and content SEO (optimizing content with SEO as the goal).

 

• Choose the right workout. There is a lot of information on the internet about SEO, and of course, not everything is reliable. So choose the right, reliable online course, preferably set up by an SEO expert, to teach you the basics of SEO.

 

• Stay informed of changes in SEO. Algorithms change again, and if you lag behind the facts, you will not be successful with SEO for long. Your SEO can work disadvantageously because certain things are no longer or are limited. So stay regularly informed of new developments in digital marketing.

 

• Make it easy for yourself and use the right SEO tools. You need tools to do SEO properly and save a lot of time. Choose a useful paid tool such as Semrush or Ahrefs. But there are also free tools available, for example from Google.

 

• Don’t dwell on the theory for too long, but also practice enough with SEO. Every website is unique. Read about how other marketers approach SEO and practice yourself with your website, or possibly create a practice website so that you can’t go wrong.

 

• Show what you are doing about SEO by starting a blog about SEO or sharing your experiences and knowledge with other marketers. It can drastically improve your skills.

 

• Have patience. SEO is a long term plan, and you will not see great results right away. So don’t jump to conclusions and remain patient.

 

• Listen carefully to the well-known SEO experts. You will see that everyone struggled with SEO initially, but with hard work and a lot of practice, they have become experts. You can certainly always learn something from experts.

In short, there are several essential skills that you need to learn before you can become an SEO expert. Have you already mastered these skills? Then don’t hesitate to keep reading. After all, a lot can change in a short time and this way, you avoid running behind the facts.

 

• I am doing SEO audits to identify technical problems on your site quickly. Some technical knowledge is therefore required.

 

•  Knowledge of your website architecture and how the architecture affects your SEO.

 

•  Keyword research, so you can find and use the best keywords. It also includes the proper use of keywords.

 

•  Content marketing: writing content in a way that is optimal for SEO.

 

•  Optimizing your pages for SEO

 

•  Learning to interpret data and statistics

 

These are the necessary skills. Mastering these well will give you a big head start in learning SEO and other digital marketing skills.

Who Should Learn SEO?

Who should think about delving into SEO? Are you a digital marketer, developer, web designer, or entrepreneur? Then definitely give SEO a chance.

Even if you are still looking for what you want, SEO can certainly be the right choice for you. SEO is a growing market, and many entrepreneurs are looking for the right SEO expert.

You can make good money with SEO knowledge. You can also start a blog or website about SEO, find a job in SEO or sell leads. SEO is a great way to make money in many different forms of business and work.

So almost everyone can benefit from learning SEO. It is also not difficult to learn, and there is a lot of high-quality learning material available on the internet. You can also start practicing anywhere and anytime, and the investment in the learning process is minimal.

Seven tips to become an expert in SEO

Want to get started? Then be sure to follow these seven tips to become an SEO specialist. Now that we’ve mastered the basics, it’s time to get started. But because SEO and digital marketing are so extensive, it is good to keep an eye on certain things.

• As you can see, it is essential to focus on the basics first. Learn about basic terms such as the KPI (Key Performance Indicator), interpreting data and statistics, Google Analytics, keywords, competition analysis, the various SEO tools, and the technical part, such as solving errors in your website. Always stay informed of new developments in the field.

 

• Learn about the architecture of your website and how your website is built. It is essential because it allows the search engine to crawl your website easily, improves the user experience, and reduces the number of backlinks you need to use for good results.

 

• Pay attention to your content. Good content is the best SEO. Learn about keywords, keywords you should use, and how you can best incorporate the keywords in your content. If necessary, learn more about content marketing and copywriting.

 

• Build a friendship with colleagues and others in the field, demonstrate your worth and see what you can do for each other. It can be essential for SEO because you can do better link building. Of course, you can also learn from each other.

 

• Read and learn about link building, how to get backlinks, the pitfalls, and what to look out for in link building. Link building is a great way to do SEO, but it can also be hazardous if you don’t know what you’re doing. You run the risk of a penalty from Google.

 

• Also, learn about converting traffic to customers to maximize your profit and increase your conversion. Some sales tactics and designing your website in a way that benefits your sales is therefore also important. After all, profit is the result.

 

• Learn to perform SEO audits on your website to detect pitfalls and problems before becoming a problem for your findability on the internet and SEO strategy. SEO is only beneficial if your website is technically sound. It also benefits the user experience.

Always keep these tips in mind when working on the SEO of your own or another website. An error is in a small corner but can have significant consequences for the position of the website.

Detecting errors often takes a long time because SEO is a long-term plan. An unfavorable decision can therefore only come up months later.

Therefore, always stay alert to what you are doing and always keep up to date with the field’s latest developments.

Outsource your SEO

Too busy to become an SEO expert yourself? Outsourcing your SEO to an SEO agency is then the right choice. But the choice is vast and can sometimes be very difficult.

There are thousands of desks, not all of which are equally good. Also, hiring an SEO expert is not very cheap. So keep this in mind.

However, the advantage is that you can be sure that your SEO is done correctly (assuming you are working with the right expert).

You also have more time for other things that can help your business grow. So there is certainly something to be said about calling in an expert.

How do you find the right SEO agency?

Pay close attention when looking for a reliable SEO agency. SEO is a relatively new, easy-to-learn skill, which means that many ‘specialists’ out there practice unethical practices, who could even get you a penalty from Google, or who don’t do a good job. So pay attention to who you work with.

 

• Do not respond to spam emails. We all know them, emails from India that promise you the best SEO for a small amount. Do not go into this. These agencies are not knowledgeable and are not reliable.

 

•  Inquire about the company, what do they stand for, and what do they do? Watch for arrogance and make sure both parties listen to each other.

 

•  Go for an honest, reliable agency. Good agencies understand that good SEO takes time and that there is no silver bullet to get a lot of traffic to your website in one go. Good agencies are also honest about that.

 

• Ask the agency about their approach and do your research into which approach you prefer. Choose a desk with which you are aligned.

 

• Ask for references from other clients, see who works at the company and which clients they work with. What tone of voice does the company use on their website, do they partner with companies similar to yours, and what is their approach to SEO? There are many different forms of SEO, and of course, you want an agency that suits your business to get the best results.

 

• The right agency is transparent about what they spend your money on and how they report progress to you. If necessary, ask for an example of a progress report so that you can see whether the method of reporting suits you.
• Read yourself in the Google Best Practice guidelines, and make sure your agency also works according to them. A good company will always work according to these guidelines to avoid penalties.

 

• Don’t go straight to the first company you come across in Google. Google gives priority to local companies, but plenty of SEO companies work remotely, or are located elsewhere, and are very good. Also, SEO companies are, of course, also very good at their SEO. However, that does not always mean that they are the best choice for your company.

Also, pay attention to black hat SEO. SEO uses the wrong methods, which can sometimes even be seen as cheating by the search engines and thus do more wrong than right.

For example, they buy backlinks, keyword stuffing and exploit the algorithm. If a company promises you significant results in a month, chances are they are using these tactics.

These tricks do work. However, the disadvantage is that you will lose all your traffic if your website is imposed a penalty from Google. The risk is, therefore enormous, because you will lose your traffic and your investment. So don’t choose this and pay close attention.

What do you still have to do yourself?

Consult well with the company that will be doing your SEO. Make sure it is clear what you can expect from them to know what you still have to do about digital marketing and promotion.

Some agencies take care of your entire digital marketing, but this, of course, comes at a hefty price. You still have to do your promotion on social media at most SEO agencies and specialists, for example.

Or, for example, to write your content. So always discuss what you expect from the agency to sabotage your growth and what the agency expects from you as a customer. What do you do yourself, and what is outsourced? With these tips, finding the right SEO expert, or becoming one yourself, will work out.

Need help getting higher in Google and discovering the secrets of website conversion? Then check out my free online training.