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What Does a Search Engine Optimization Specialist Do?

Laura M. Sands
Laura M. Sands

A search engine optimization specialist helps increase the overall ranking of websites and blogs on major search engines. Often referred to simply as SEO specialists, these individuals perform a variety of tasks, such as creating search engine optimized content, analyzing the optimization of existing content and assuring that titles, headers, meta tags and website themes are all designed to improve a site’s overall ranking. A search engine optimization (SEO) specialist will also research keywords and competitor websites in the interest of positioning a site or a blog in such a way so as to outrank the positioning of other similar sites or blogs and increase the revenue a web property earns.

Search engine optimization is the term used to describe designing a website or a blog with the use of key search terms that an individual is most likely to use when searching the Internet for a particular subject, product or service. In forecasting which search terms are likely to be used, a search engine optimization specialist can design and adjust a website so that those terms, also known as keywords, will be recognized by a search engine and attract new visitors to a website. When a site is properly optimized, its ranking among other sites rises, which increases the likelihood of it being seen by visitors. Ideally, an SEO specialist works hard to assure that a client’s site or blog ranks on the first page of the most popular search engines worldwide.

A search engine optimization specialist is responsible for increasing the ranking of websites on search engines.
A search engine optimization specialist is responsible for increasing the ranking of websites on search engines.

Most search engine optimization specialists are self-employed and many work from home or other independent locations. Independent webmasters often train themselves to optimize their own websites, but many hire a search engine optimization specialist to assist in the building and maintenance of their website or blog. Due to the nature of this career, an SEO specialist must be a strong writer who is able to produce engaging and grammatically correct content while implementing highly targeted keywords that will attract visitors. Ultimately, it is the webmaster’s goal to turn such visitors into customers who will pay for a featured product or service. At the very least, it is hoped that visitors will explore the advertisements featured on a website or a blog since advertisers are willing to compensate site owners for directing web traffic to them.

A search engine optimization specialist will also research keywords and competitor websites.
A search engine optimization specialist will also research keywords and competitor websites.

In addition to strategically using keywords in the content that is crafted for a website, a search engine optimization specialist will also work to assure that keywords appear in places like the titles and the descriptions that accompany websites. As they do in web content, these subtle keyword placements help search engines recognize and categorize a website or blog so it can offer the most useful search results based on individual queries. An SEO specialist may have to periodically edit a site’s optimization to bypass competitors and achieve a high search engine ranking.

Discussion Comments

croydon

@KoiwiGal - Black hat SEO is usually employed when a website is hoping to get their hits up because it counts towards advertising revenue. It's pretty distasteful all around and usually isn't as successful as it used to be anyway. Before Google started getting wise to these search engine optimization strategies, you could stuff a few keywords in the right place and practically make a living out of it. These days you actually have to have decent content as well.

KoiwiGal

@Iluviaporos - Google changes constantly to try and keep ahead of tricks and techniques that attempt to lift websites in the ratings without actually improving their content. Ethical search engine optimization is far preferable because it will make your website stand out as much as possible without compromising quality.

There's a difference between standing on a street corner and promising the world to people if they will just come into your shop, and making sure that your shop has a nice clear and appropriate sign in place.

If you have a decent business with standout qualities you shouldn't need to use tricks to get people in the door. And if you have to use tricks you probably aren't going to sell that much to them anyway.

lluviaporos

Internet search engine optimization is a very difficult thing to get hold of, even if you're a specialist. Google in particular is constantly changing their search algorithms to make their service more accurate, but it means that techniques that worked last year aren't necessarily going to work this year.

It's definitely not something to take for granted and it's so important to small online business, because if you can't be found on the first couple of pages of a relevant search, you simply won't be found at all.

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    • A search engine optimization specialist is responsible for increasing the ranking of websites on search engines.
      By: Gajus
      A search engine optimization specialist is responsible for increasing the ranking of websites on search engines.
    • A search engine optimization specialist will also research keywords and competitor websites.
      By: Eugenio Marongiu
      A search engine optimization specialist will also research keywords and competitor websites.
    • SEO specialists may use keywords and tags to assist with proper pay-per-click advertisement placement.
      SEO specialists may use keywords and tags to assist with proper pay-per-click advertisement placement.
    • Most serarch engine optimization specialists are self-employed and may work from home or other independent locations.
      By: Adam Radosavljevic
      Most serarch engine optimization specialists are self-employed and may work from home or other independent locations.