Things you need to know about a career in digital marketing and SEO

Digital Marketing and SEO are two of the most commonly used terms on the internet. They are like the climate and weather of the internet world, so when you are "in" the internet world you are constantly in touch with them - even if you don't notice them. Both of these subjects came into existence with the arrival of the internet. You might wonder how to become an SEO Specialist or a Digital Marketing Expert, if that was a career potentially of interest to you. One of the first things that you will need to know is that there are no hard and fast rules in how to become an SEO Specialist or a Digital Marketer.

What is Digital Marketing and SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and is a part of digital marketing. This defines the grounds of everything you will do as a professional SEO. You will follow certain procedures, apply methods and create techniques and strategies to take a website to the top of the search engine rankings. To do that you have to play around with keywords, anchor texts, backlinks, content, social media, web design, etc. "Digital Marketing" is an umbrella term which has many different types of marketing methods hidden underneath it. Pay per click (PPC) marketing, SEO, social media marketing, blogging, email marketing, eCommerce marketing, etc. are all different aspects of digital marketing.

How to become an SEO Specialist or a Digital Marketing Expert

As mentioned earlier, there are no hard and fast rules to become a digital marketer or an expert in search engine optimization. However, your knowledge of marketing is extremely important in both niches. How well you understand the internet, the internet users, the latest internet trends, and the various platforms and methods of marketing, plays an important role in your career. For SEO, you can go to various institutions that will provide you a certificate after obtaining SEO training for 3 to 6 months. Some courses can even be shorter than this. Shaw Academy offers some very useful digital marketing courses that can be helpful when you have chosen this career path.

When you want to put visual ads on the internet, you will need some knowledge of graphics too. However, it would be wrong to say that most people end up being search engine optimization and digital marketing experts accidentally or unintentionally. The essence of this job lies in your understanding of marketing trends on the internet, and consistent you are in your marketing approach. PPC, email marketing and content marketing are not technical terms, but it is the tediousness of these jobs that compel companies to hire experts, who would only focus on doing them.

Familiarize yourself with social media. Know how emails work and how to use various email marketing software. There are an extensive range of subjects such as meta-tags, ad copies, keywords, SERP software, content marketing, article directories, PageRank, domain authority, blogging, backlinks, social networking, analytical tools etc. that you will need to become familiar with if you want to step into any of the fields. This should not be too daunting however, as once you are into digital marketing you will gradually start to learn all of these things. Your next step is to have yourself recognized as a digital marketing expert to get the attention of employers.

How To Start The Job?

There are many ways for you to be a digital marketing expert and provide your services to people. First, you have access to online websites for freelancers which will allow you to get in touch with employers from around the world and work as a freelance expert. You could become part of a company, a studio, or an agency which provides any or all of the digital marketing services. There are literally tens of thousands of online SEO and digital marketing firms to choose from. The most important thing is to have some experience and a current portfolio which you can show to your employers.

As a digital marketing expert, it is an absolute necessity to have some presence on the internet. Make sure you have a website, no matter how basic, to show your prospective employers that you are a serious professional.

What You Can Expect And What's Expected Of You

Your starting salary will probably not set the world on fire, and the initial duties which you will be tasked with will most likely be quite easy and non-complex. Your salary will depend a lot on your previous work, which is why your portfolio - the record of your work to date – is accurate, and your can be justifiably be proud to present it when asked for. If you have a certificate to prove your SEO and digital marketing skills, you will be paid well right from the beginning. However, like with most roles, it is your real world marketing experience which will be a great plus for you.

You should have a passion for your work. You need to have a knowledge of the terms. Even if you don't know many of the specific subjects associated with digital marketing, you must have a basic idea of what they are. Perhaps most importantly, never lose sight of the fact that you are expected to provide results – after all, that is what you are being paid for.

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