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How To Become A Search Engine Optimizer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a search engine optimizer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted Expert

Chris Carter

Search engine optimization (SEO) specialists are responsible for analyzing, reviewing, and implementing websites optimized to be picked up by search engines. They have to develop content to include keywords or phrases to increase traffic to the website.

For an SEO specialist, the most commonly required education level is a bachelor's degree. We found top courses for search engine optimizer from Udemy, Coursera, EDX, and ed2go that will help applicants advance in their career.

SEO specialists can expect to make an average salary of $93,453 per year or $44.93 per hour. They can work in their free time, as this job is very flexible.

What general advice would you give to a Search Engine Optimizer?

Chris Carter

Professor, University of Cincinnati

I would recommend playing up their value as critical analysts and researchers who can synthesize information in accessible ways. I would tell them to be open to all kinds of writing opportunities, whether technical, journalistic, or editorial, watching for possibilities in online and print venues alike. English majors' detective skills suit them well to museums and libraries, but also to private and governmental organizations that need shrewd investigators. Turning interpretive savvy into pithy prose and presentations can be great for public relations, and a penchant for lucid communication can set graduates up for podcasting and social media management. Some people might turn those talents toward careers in law or marketing. Others might continue their paths as creative writers and cultural critics, though it's worth noting that full-time, tenure-track jobs in English Departments are hard to come by.

ScoreSearch Engine OptimizerUS Average

Salary

7.6

Avg. Salary $99,672

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

5.7

Growth Rate 10%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.51%

Asian 11.99%

Black or African American 6.24%

Hispanic or Latino 8.82%

Unknown 4.70%

White 67.73%

Gender

female 21.22%

male 78.78%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress Level

5.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.4

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

5.5

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a search engine optimizer

Explore search engine optimizer education requirements

Most common search engine optimizer degrees

Bachelor's

67.2 %

Master's

11.7 %

Associate

11.7 %

Start to develop specific search engine optimizer skills

Skills	Percentages
Search Engine Optimization	16.32%
CSS	13.40%
HTML	11.62%
Web Development	11.02%
Digital Marketing	6.64%

Complete relevant search engine optimizer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New search engine optimizers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a search engine optimizer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real search engine optimizer resumes.

Research search engine optimizer duties and responsibilities

Manage paid advertising using AdWords, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Create, manage, and analyze YouTube advertising campaigns and brand channels.
Manage a team in order to meet pre-agreed UMTS Pre launch radio network KPIs.
Manage SEO and SEM campaigns, tracking, and split testing strategically and using proprietary tools.

Prepare your search engine optimizer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your search engine optimizer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a search engine optimizer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Search Engine Optimizer Resume templates

Build a professional Search Engine Optimizer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Search Engine Optimizer resume.