Online marketing is an essential skill for today’s businesses. Yet the online world requires more than just marketing skills. In order to create websites and online marketing products that will be seen, it also requires tech skills and the ability to analyze data. Specifically, search engine optimization, or SEO, is a vital component of any online marketing program.

SEO is the process through which website designers and online marketers optimize websites to be found more easily by search engines. An SEO analyst is a professional who designs and implements SEO and social media marketing strategies. If you have strong analytic skills, love technology, and have skills in advertising and marketing, then an SEO analyst job might be the perfect fit for you.

What Might an SEO Analyst Do?
What exactly does an SEO analyst do? The 30,000-foot-view is that these analysts create SEO plans for companies, implement them, and then analyze the data to determine if they are working appropriately. They may oversee the overall online marketing goals for a business, or they may focus entirely on SEO. The primary objective, according to Payscale.com, is to ensure that the company’s online content is easily found and viewed by potential clients or customers.

The actual duties performed in SEO jobs are quite varied. On a daily basis, as the SEO Analyst, you could find yourself:

• Researching keywords that align with client objectives and optimization goals.
• Analyzing SEO efforts and provide recommendations to the structure of the website or web pages to help with marketing goals.
• Diagnosing the effectiveness of the SEO strategy.
• Studying to stay up-to-date on constantly changing search engine algorithms.
• Monitoring and evaluating results from the search engines.
• Implementing changes to improve marketing efforts and results.
• Accessing web analytics dashboards.
• Using reporting tools to help clients make appropriate changes.
• Creating link building strategies to assist with SEO efforts.
• Developing an understanding of a variety of search engine ranking factors and translating that understanding into workable solutions for the business.

Where Does an SEO Analyst Work?
Companies of all sizes need the skills of an SEO analyst. Some SEO analyst jobs are full-time positions within large companies, where the professional may work in an office setting with other members of the marketing team. Other SEO analysts will work on a contract basis, running a freelance business and working with more than one client at a time.

Where Can I Find a Career as an SEO Analyst?
With the right training, such as a digital marketing and advertising degree, you will be able to find a number of SEO analyst positions. First, you must decide if you wish to work in a company or work as an independent contractor. If you choose to work with a company, you will need to look for digital marketing positions in large companies that have enough demand to hire someone full time. If you prefer to work with smaller companies, consider the contractor route, establishing your own business to deliver your analyst work.

The job of an SEO analyst Is not limited to commercial companies. Any entity that has an online presence needs these services. In addition to corporations, retail stores and similar commercial businesses have an interest in developing a good online marketing strategy. Consider looking for work in:

• Educational institutions
• Non-profit institutions
• Government organizations and entities
• Medical and research facilities

Sometimes, those with the skills of an SEO analyst will find work under another title. These professionals may be employed as:

• Search engine marketing professionals
• Digital marketers
• Business marketing consultants
• Marketing analysts
• Content marketers
• SEO managers

Necessary Skills for an SEO Analyst
The job of an SEO analyst requires strong analytic capabilities and an understanding of technology. You might be a good candidate for this career if you:

• Enjoy working with technology and analytics tools
• Have a basic knowledge of web design and administration
• Have strong analytic skills
• Can look at data sets and draw accurate conclusions from them
• Have a passion for helping businesses find success in their marketing efforts

Most of these roles require a degree in online marketing and one to three years of web experience in other fields.

Job Outlook and Expected Earnings
The role of SEO analyst is a relatively new role as the demand for optimization and high search result rankings has grown in the last decade. This is a high-demand career field as online presence continues to be critical to the success and growth of today’s companies. Because this career field is so important to today’s companies, it also has a high average salary. Payscale.com estimates that average annual salary for an SEO analyst job to be $186,018.

If you’re passionate about technology and have the right skills to make a career out of SEO analytic work, this career field could be a good choice. Get started on the right career path with the right degree, like a Bachelor of Science in Digital Marketing & Social Media from Johnson & Wales University Online. Contact us today to learn more about how this degree program could jump start your career as an SEO analyst.