Key Tips for Starting a Career in SEO

If you’re a recent graduate embarking on your career in digital marketing, or you’re looking to transition into marketing and content creation roles, developing your SEO abilities should be a top priority.

In this post, we’ll provide some key tips to help you successfully launch your SEO career and build a solid foundation in SEO that you can continually expand on.

Build Essential Skills

Succeeding in the dynamic field of SEO requires developing expertise across a diverse yet interconnected set of abilities. At the core is cultivating an analytical mindset – you need to become adept at gathering data from multiple sources, spotting trends and issues in the numbers, and then making thoughtful recommendations. Communication skills are equally vital to clearly convey technical insights and analysis in a compelling way to colleagues and clients.

SEOs need to be organised, detail-focused and keen to learn, as SEO evolves rapidly. Top-notch research skills also help fuel this learning, enabling you to dig deeper into data and identify impactful knowledge. Developing expertise across these interconnected skills forms a solid foundation for an engaging, dynamic career in SEO.

Get to Grips with the Basics

When starting out in SEO, dedicating time to learning the core basics is crucial. These fundamental skills and knowledge areas provide the foundation you need for long-term success.

On the technical side, become familiar with essential on-page optimisation factors, such as how to properly utilise page titles, meta descriptions, headings and image alt text to maximise SEO value. Study up on site architecture basics, like effective URL structuring and link building, and brush up on the importance of site speed and mobile optimisation. Mastering these fundamental technical and content skills lays the groundwork for an impactful SEO career.

Learn How to Use the Necessary Tools

SEO involves much more than just keywords. To effectively optimise content across different platforms and formats requires using a variety of tools for research, content creation, monitoring and automation. Becoming familiar with key SEO tools is essential for success.

Start by learning the core platforms like Google Analytics 4 and Search Console, which provide data on your site’s performance and position you to improve, and keyword research tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush and Keyword Planner to uncover high-potential search terms.

Having the right tools available and understanding how to utilize them will significantly improve your SEO results. They allow you to work smarter and boost productivity and will help you stand out in the job market.

Network and Learn from SEO Pros

Beyond gaining hands-on experience and building core skills, networking with SEO professionals already working in the industry can accelerate your learning curve tremendously. Connect with experts to get insider tips, learn about job opportunities and stay on top of the latest trends.

Attend local SEO and marketing events in your area to meet professionals face-to-face, or look for SEO groups and forums online to join. It’s also worth following prominent SEO experts, companies and thought leaders on social media. Expanding your professional network gives you a support system as you gain experience.

Stay Up-To-Date on the Latest Developments

SEO is constantly evolving as search engines like Google continually refine their algorithms. What works today may not work tomorrow, so to build expertise that lasts, staying on top of the latest SEO trends, techniques and changes is essential. Make it a habit to regularly check industry news and alerts.

Subscribe to authoritative SEO blogs, like Moz and Ahrefs, to get the latest tips delivered to your inbox. And for big algorithm changes, look for official announcements from Google and breakdowns of the impacts. It’s also worth setting Google Alerts for keywords like “SEO” to get notified of new developments.

Make time each week to absorb the latest trends. Staying current with changes will ensure you don’t waste time on outdated techniques. It also helps you capitalise quickly on new opportunities that arise. Ongoing learning is part of what makes SEO exciting and rewarding.

Starting a career in SEO can feel daunting but following these tips will set you on the path to success. At Artemis, we’re passionate about staying up to date with the latest developments in digital marketing and believe in nurturing these skills to build a successful and fulfilling career in SEO.