Being an SEO expert in Seattle
Every business should have a website. You could argue small businesses need websites even more so than big businesses. What small businesses really need, along with a website is good Search Engine Optimization. In order to get the full effect that a website can give, SEO is essential! In fact, SEO helps small business owners create effective traffic to their websites. In addition, SEO done correctly will help rank websites higher in search engines. Thus allowing more potential customers to increases conversion and generate sales.
In Seattle, SEO specialists are especially necessary for most small businesses. Especially when the competition is fierce, and It’s difficult to generate leads and sales without a prominent placement on search engines. Hence why finding and having a good SEO agency should be a high priority. More importantly, as an SEO professional, you need to build the right credentials to get the customers to hire you!
However, there are things to be wary of when getting into this career, and avoiding such pitfalls will help you get there smoothly.
What is SEO?
Before learning how to become an SEO specialist in Seattle, you have to learn what SEO even is. SEO is search engine optimization and strategies that determine where and how a website is ranked on search results. This not only about a good rank on search pages. But also can mean how a site is structured and designed. Also, how beneficial the site is for its audience? For example, is a website suitable for your audience, among other things. Once you understand the inner mechanisms of SEO, you can start to work on being an effective and well-versed SEO consultant in Seattle.
SEO specialist Seattle job market
What does the job market in Seattle look like for anyone trying to become one? The SEO expert market in Seattle is high. With over 100,000 small businesses in Seattle and only a number of businesses specializing in SEO development. According to Glassdoor, there are more than 350 employers looking for SEO specialists. In summary, SEO jobs are available from entry-level SEO specialists to veteran SEO Gurus!
Benefits of being an SEO specialist in Seattle
Being an SEO specialist in Seattle comes with lots of benefits including evolving skills, good pay, and company benefits. In fact, some SEO jobs also offer the opportunity to contract and work from home.
As an SEO what you should and should not do
Being an SEO specialist you will have to know the basics of how to properly rework a website. Have an easy-to-navigate and user-friendly website so that search engine robots can collect information effectively from your websites. Meaning not having all your information in one place while not having a bunch of ideas all over the place. In fact, have a center, a core idea to work around in one place. Then put related ideas that need an in-depth explanation on a different part of the site.
Kiss goodby to scammy SEO techniques
Don’t use scammy tactics like duplicate keywords/information. People who want to make a quick buck will try to use tactics like this. For example, where they try to manipulate their ranking by abusing rules that search engines go by. This might work for a short while but will eventually lead to your website being taken down. Instead, use traditional SEO rules, it will take longer but will benefit you in the long run.
Case studies in Seattle
Here’s a prime example of how impactful and important having good SEO, along with a good SEO specialist. This is a case study on the website Seattlemitsubishifuso.com from visualwebz.com.
“Seattlemitsubishifuso.com is a local truck dealer business in Seattle. Ron Johnson had come to Visualwebz when an ex-disgruntled employee had seized the website. We worked with Ron and were able to take control of an old outdated website. In addition, we recreated the various social platforms which they had lost… The results based on our SEO strategies and careful planning have allowed the Seattlemitsubishifuso.com website to effectively rank and reach the first page. Keywords such as Seattle Mitsubishi trucks and Seattle Fuso trucks etc promptly appear higher. Which results in more customers’’.
This case study shows that SEO specialists have a powerful role in the success of a business. Once reputable, qualified, and experienced SEO experts started work on this site, they focussed on keywords like “Seattle Mitsubishi trucks”. In turn, getting the site to rank high and on the first page of search queries.
What skills employers look for in SEO specialists
The right skills are necessary if you want to land your job as an SEO specialist. it’s important to know what employers ask for and expect of you. Some skills include Digital content marketing, Programming/maintaining code, understanding data, market trends, competition. Also, able to apply PPC (Pay Per Click advertising). It’s important to keep this in mind when learning SEO and how to do it. These types of skills are important for being an SEO specialist, employers specifically look to see if you have the experience, skills and can demonstrate your work delivers results.
Tips on how to start SEO
When starting SEO for a website it’s important to have the basic fundamentals of your website down. Start brainstorming good keywords that will attract a qualified audience to your website. Like in the case study, strategies involving keywords will help improve your ranking on any search engine. There are many SEO tools you can utilize. So make sure to find good ones and equip yourself with outcomes, goals, and strategies. Also, it makes sense to analyze competitor websites that are already ranking high.
Drawbacks of being an SEO in Seattle
There are some drawbacks that you need to be aware of before diving headfirst into this career in Seattle. First, SEO takes a long time to develop, it will be a big investment, and results are not always guaranteed. You have to keep in mind that businesses don’t know how to use SEO most of the time. They might expect results sooner so be honest and frank, that organic SEO takes time. Of course, unhappy customers that are unaware of the time and commitment will result in stress.
SEO specialists in Seattle, don’t all get paid well. Especially to live comfortably in Seattle. According to Seattlerefined.com, around $70,000 is needed to live comfortably in Seattle. A study by Glassdoor found the average SEO specialist in Seattle makes about $50,000+. So although not terrible, it is a setback to wanting to become an SEO expert in Seattle. But, don’t be deterred, as you get better, you will be able to get better gigs that pay you more!
How Search Engines Work
In order to know how SEO works you have to learn how search engines rank websites. Search Engines like Google use 200+ ranking factors in their algorithms. Most of those ranking factors measure:
- Relevancy.
- Domain Authority.
- Quality.
Relevancy is how well a website matches someone’s search. For example, if you search red lipstick, google will search its index for sites related to red lipstick.
Authority is why you don’t get results like red shoes or blue lipstick. Authority is how much that search engine trusts any given website. For example for google, authority is measured using links. Meaning the more links a page has pointing to it, the more authority that page has in Google’s eyes. When other prominent websites on the same subject link your site, it proves the content is of high quality.
Quality is based on your site’s online reputation, your content’s structure, and how users interact with your site. This ties back in with the tips earlier, your content has to be organized and look appropriate for your audience.
How Websites Work
An important but under looked part of SEO is knowing how websites work. Understanding the foundation of how websites work will truly show that you are a certified expert in SEO. For example how a website gets from server to browser and the code that goes into making the website. Meaning Html, JavaScript, PHP, website structure, CSS to name a few.
How a website gets from server to browser
Understanding how this works shows how search engines rank webpages. There are a few steps that go into how a website gets to your screen, here are those steps.
- A domain name is chosen and purchased, then that domain name is linked to an IP address.
- A user then types in your domain name which is now accessible through the IP address. The browser makes a request to turn the domain name into the IP address. Then it requests the code that makes up the webpage, the server then sends those resources to the browser.
- The browser then assembles the webpage from the code that is requested.
- The browser downloads, parses, and executes the code necessary and makes any final requests necessary if more code is needed.
Code That Makes Up a Webpage
Html, CSS, and JavaScript are the main front-end programming languages that help build websites.
Html is the backbone of a website, making up the actual content that goes into it. This means structure, content, links, and just the basic format of a web page.
CSS is how a website looks. Meaning fonts, colors, and layout, among other things. This is extremely important for making your websites to be presentable and user centered.
JavaScript makes a website come to life with its interactivity. In fact, JavaScript opens up many possibilities for your website. It can create a pop-up, direct the user to a different part of your website, or even run ads. Unfortunately, there are repercussions when using JavaScript, Moz.com explains this very well. According to the site, pieces of JavaScript code, “are invisible from your page’s code until they are rendered. This means that search engine crawlers won’t see what’s in your JavaScript — at least not initially.” this means that there will be complications even if you try to organize your content with JavaScript. So use dynamic programming language wisely.
Takeaway on Becoming an SEO Expert in Seattle
Becoming a Search Engine Marketing specialist is surely a great opportunity for anyone looking for work that is not the same day in day out. As an SEO expert, you will find that your skills will only evolve as strategies and technologies continue to evolve too. Becoming an SEO consultant also helps individuals to move into website development. It’s a great stepping stone to move up the ladder, whether it’s content writing, graphics, or web development, it sure is a promising career!
