How to Become an SEO Expert (for Beginners)

Summary

In this video, SEO specialist Nathan Gotch shares insights on becoming a top 1% SEO expert. He covers the growing demand for SEO, the diverse skills required, and potential career paths, including agency work, in-house roles, freelancing, and starting an agency. Gotch emphasizes the importance of keyword research, technical SEO, UX optimization, content creation, backlink acquisition, and local SEO. He also stresses the value of side projects, secondary skills, soft skills, and a passion for SEO to excel in the field.

Takeaways

• 😀 SEO specialists help businesses improve their website's search engine rankings, leading to more organic traffic, leads, and sales.
• 💡 The SEO industry is rapidly growing, projected to increase by 18.3% in 2024, reaching a value of $88 billion.
• 🚀 SEO is effective because of user intent—users actively seek answers, unlike interruptive channels like social media.
• 🧠 SEO requires both creativity (art) and data-driven strategies (science) for success, combining multiple skills.
• 💼 SEO specialists have various career paths: working at agencies, companies, freelancing, or starting their own SEO agency.
• 💰 Freelancing as an SEO specialist offers flexibility but comes with challenges like managing marketing, sales, and operations.
• 🔑 Building your own SEO agency can lead to unlimited earning potential by scaling through teams and technology.
• 🔍 Key skills for SEO specialists include keyword research, SEO audits, technical SEO, UX optimization, and on-page SEO.
• 📈 Backlink building is a critical component of SEO, as it strengthens the entire website's search ranking potential.
• 🌍 Local SEO, web analytics, and staying updated with search engine algorithm changes are essential for long-term success.

Q & A

What is the primary role of an SEO specialist?

An SEO specialist focuses on improving a website's keyword rankings in search results to increase organic traffic, leads, customers, and sales.

Why is SEO considered a growing industry?

SEO is considered a growing industry because it is expected to grow by 18.3% in 2024, reaching a value of $88 billion. It is outpacing the broader advertising sector, which grows at about 11% per year.

Why do businesses prioritize SEO over other marketing channels?

Businesses prioritize SEO because it produces direct, attributable revenue. Unlike social media, where you interrupt users, SEO works with intent. Searchers come to you, actively looking for solutions, making it highly effective.

What are the two main skills an SEO specialist needs to succeed?

An SEO specialist needs both 'art' and 'science' skills. The 'art' involves creativity to overcome challenges and develop techniques to beat competitors, while the 'science' involves using data and testing to find what works in each SEO scenario.

What are the career paths available for an SEO specialist?

An SEO specialist can work in three main roles: 1) at an SEO or digital marketing agency, 2) as an in-house SEO lead for a company, or 3) as a freelance SEO specialist or by building their own SEO agency.

What are some of the key tasks involved in an SEO specialist's job?

Key tasks include performing keyword research, conducting SEO audits, optimizing technical SEO, improving user experience (UX), executing on-page SEO, leading content creation, acquiring backlinks, and performing local SEO.

Why are backlinks important in SEO?

Backlinks are one of the most critical Google ranking factors. A website with a strong backlink profile is more likely to reach its full SEO potential, helping lift the entire site’s performance.

What tools are essential for conducting SEO audits?

Screaming Frog SEO Spider, Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Google PageSpeed Insights, and Ahrefs are essential tools for conducting thorough SEO audits.

What is the difference between technical SEO and user experience (UX) optimization?

Technical SEO focuses on what happens 'under the hood,' such as optimizing crawling, indexing, and website architecture, while UX optimization ensures that visitors have a smooth, engaging experience on the site, which can impact how Google ranks pages.

What secondary skills can enhance an SEO specialist's career prospects?

Secondary skills that can enhance an SEO specialist's career include search engine marketing (SEM), copywriting, conversion rate optimization (CRO), basic coding (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP), and prompt engineering for AI tools.