ow that you know what SEO is and how to use it, would you like a career in the area? If the answer is yes, then you’re in luck. Not only is it a skill that’s in high demand by companies across industries but you can also make a healthy living from it.
Conductor’s The State of SEO in 2025 report found that 91% of marketers reported that SEO positively impacted website performance and marketing goals. While increasing brand awareness through SEO ranked as a top priority across all roles.
What skills do you need to become an SEO specialist?
Companies rely on organic traffic to increase online visibility and when it works, they enjoy the rewards of SEO as a low-cost strategy.
There are a number of skills you need to succeed in the area of SEO.
- Keyword research – Understanding how to find and use the right keywords through keyword research email data can help your content rank higher on search engines and social media, drive targeted and high intent traffic, and increase conversions.
- Link building strategy – Knowing how to use internal and external links to build authority and show your depth of knowledge can help content to rank higher and build brand awareness.
- Content optimization – Understand how to create relevant and informative content that your audience wants and needs by developing content pillars. You should also update and optmize content to ensure new content gets attention and top-performing content keeps bringing in traffic.
- Data analysis – SEO relies on data. This means that you need to be able to analyze data to get insights into customer behavior and understand the reasons behind increases or drops in site traffic or conversions related to SEO.
- Content marketing or copywriting – Being able to write good copy is a real bonus as an SEO specialist. Luckily there are now lots of AI tools you can use for copywriting to generate ideas, create outlines, provide recommendations for optimization or proofread.
What can you earn as an SEO specialist?
The salary of an SEO expert can depend on where they work: freelance, agency, or in-house. It will also depend on the level of experience and time spent doing SEO effectively.
In the orange account: how to detect and deal with orange profile fraud United States, Search Engine Land estimates that you can earn:
- Entry level – $49k to $72k per year
- SEO analyst/SEO executive – $62 – $101k per year
- SEO strategist – $69k – $110k per year
- SEO manager – $80k – $120k per year
- Head of SEO – $109 – $192k per year
In the UK, Indeed.com estimates you can earn
- Junior SEO specialist – £23,642 per year on average
- SEO executive – £25,555 per year on average
- SEO content strategist – £35,811 per year on average
- SEO manager – £37,531 per year on average
- Senior SEO specialist – £42,678 per years on average
What are the best SEO tools?
Luckily, there are loads of great resources and tools out there to help with your SEO activities. Some have free sms to data plans and others are paid, so it’s about finding what’s best for you.
Ranking and reporting SEO tools
- Google Search Console
- GA4
- KWFinder
- SemRush
Page Speed Insights
- Screaming Frog
- SEOptimer
- Moz
SEO keyword and content research tools
- Google Keyword Planner
- Answerthepublic
- UberSuggest
- BuzzSumo
SEO AI tools
- seoClarity
- Surfer