How to Get Hired as an SEO: Expert Advice from Industry Leaders

Shawn Massie - Episoide 49

Written by Eli Adams

Founder & CEO of Fire Us Marketing with more than 15 years in the digital space. My aim is to teach business owners how to elevate themselves online. The HOW is more important than the WHAT these days.

SEO Career Panel Introduction

Welcome to this special episode of the Digital Revolution podcast. We’re doing things a bit differently today. Instead of a one-on-one interview we’ve brought together a panel of SEO experts to talk about how to get ahead in the world of search engine optimisation.

We want to help people at all stages of their SEO career, from those just starting out to those looking to move into leadership roles. We’ll cover three areas:

  1. Getting your first SEO job after high school or college
  2. Moving into a director or senior manager role
  3. Moving into a director or VP role when you’re already in a leadership role

Let me introduce our panel of experts:

  • Brian Wood from Minnesota, has enterprise SEO experience and leads a team of 50+ SEOs
  • JJ Stedman, a long-time colleague of mine I’ve worked with at PetSmart and multiple digital marketing companies
  • Kevin Hancock, another colleague and partner at Firus Marketing

We’ve done hundreds of interviews between the four of us and have hired SEO professionals at all levels. We’ve also climbed the SEO career ladder ourselves so we have experience from both sides of the table.

Download Our Free SEO Guide Here!

Your First SEO Job

What Managers Want in Entry-Level Candidates

When hiring for junior SEO roles, managers often look for candidates who show a genuine interest and desire to learn and grow in the industry. JJ Stedman says:

“I’m looking for someone who cares and has some sort of desire and drive to move forward. When reaching out to college students, they may not have direct SEO experience, but many are learning about it in school. What I’m really looking for is someone who is dipping their toes in, playing with free tools, networking and learning about marketing and SEO on their own.”

Key Qualities

Some of the key attributes that can separate entry-level candidates:

  1. Curiosity and a willingness to learn
  2. Self motivation to research and experiment
  3. Ability to ask good questions
  4. Resilience when things fail
  5. Long term commitment to growth in the industry

Practical Experience Counts

Brian Wood says:

“Hands down, the best SEOs have built their own sites and have tried to rank sites for stuff. If they have built their own sites and have ranked it for something, that counts. I love that person more than the person with 2 years of agency experience.”

Your Own Website

Building your own website is a great way to get practical experience and show off your skills to potential employers. JJ Stedman says:

“Build a website. Start with WordPress, install your own themes, learn HTML and CSS and just figure it out. If anyone comes to me on their resume and says they have a website – Squarespace, Wix, I don’t care what it is – you’ve tried. Now you have an online presence.”

Some of the things to include in your personal website project:

  • Title tags and meta descriptions
  • Alt tags for images
  • Good navigation structure
  • Footer optimization
  • Robots.txt file and sitemap
  • Google Analytics and Google Search Console integration

Reality Check for Entry-Level Roles

Be realistic about your first SEO job. Many entry-level roles start at lower salaries, around $30,000 per year, especially at agencies. This is common for many in the industry who then move up to higher salaries as they gain experience and move in-house.

Continuing Education and Skill Up

To stay competitive and move up in your SEO career you need to keep learning and developing your skills. Some of the resources to use:

  1. YouTube tutorials and courses
  2. Industry podcasts
  3. SEO conferences (when you can)
  4. Twitter/X (follow influential SEOs)
  5. LinkedIn (connect with industry experts and join SEO groups)
  6. Case studies and data driven experiments
  7. Online courses and certifications

Kevin Hancock says follow the voices of authority:

“Follow great voices on Twitter or X. You’ve got to follow the John Muellers of the world, Rand Fishkin back in the day. There’s just a lot of different voices out there and they’re constantly putting out case studies and experiments.”

Man in Blue and White Long Sleeve Shirt Using Computer

Moving into a Leadership Role

Key Differences Between Junior and Senior Positions

As you progress from a junior SEO role to a more senior position or leadership role, there are several key differences in the skills and qualities employers look for:

  1. Strategic thinking: Ability to see the bigger picture and plan long-term
  2. Project management: Successfully handling larger, more complex projects
  3. Team leadership: Guiding and mentoring junior team members
  4. Cross-functional communication: Working effectively with other departments
  5. Data analysis and interpretation: Drawing insights from complex data sets
  6. Problem-solving: Addressing more challenging SEO issues
  7. Industry expertise: Deep understanding of SEO trends and best practices

Demonstrating Your Value

Kevin Hancock emphasizes the importance of documenting your achievements:

“Bring the receipts. Document things like ‘I did this last year, and it increased our traffic by 13 percent year over year, which resulted in X number of conversions and X amount of additional revenue.’ Bring the receipts, do the whole humble brag, and see what you can do to get that next position or raise.”

Developing Leadership Skills

To prepare for a leadership role, consider the following:

  1. Seek out a leadership coach or mentor
  2. Take on additional responsibilities in your current role
  3. Volunteer to lead small projects or initiatives
  4. Improve your communication and presentation skills
  5. Stay updated on industry trends and share knowledge with your team
  6. Develop your emotional intelligence and people management skills

The Importance of Long-Term Thinking in SEO

JJ Stedman highlights the long-term nature of SEO work:

“SEO compared to other channels inside of marketing is the long game. You don’t really check a lot of boxes in SEO quickly. Sticking it out in a role sometimes and with a company is the best way to go because as you interview, you can say, ‘Yeah, I was here for two years. Here are all these things that cumulatively took forever to do.'”

Preparing for Leadership Interviews

When interviewing for leadership positions, be prepared to:

  1. Discuss your experience managing complex SEO projects
  2. Provide examples of successful team leadership
  3. Demonstrate your ability to communicate SEO concepts to non-technical stakeholders
  4. Share your vision for the role and how you would contribute to the company’s success
  5. Highlight your problem-solving skills and adaptability in the face of challenges

Advancing to Director or VP Positions

The Unique Challenges of High-Level SEO Positions

Moving into director or VP-level positions in SEO presents its own set of challenges and requirements. Brian Wood explains:

“The overwhelming majority of the best SEO leadership roles are never posted. That job is never posted anywhere. You do not have the opportunity to apply for it. You can only be recruited to it.”

Optimizing Your LinkedIn Profile for Recruitment

Given the importance of being discovered by recruiters, optimizing your LinkedIn profile is crucial. Brian Wood offers several tips:

  1. Use a professional-looking photo
  2. Craft a compelling summary
  3. Incorporate relevant keywords from job descriptions you’re interested in
  4. Utilize the skills section effectively
  5. Respond to all recruiter messages, even if you’re not currently looking
  6. Build a broad network, especially with people at companies you might want to work for
  7. Engage with posts and create content to boost your profile views

Key Characteristics of Successful SEO Leaders

JJ Stedman outlines some essential qualities for high-level SEO positions:

  1. Big-picture thinking: Understanding industry trends and anticipating changes
  2. Strategic planning: Developing long-term SEO strategies aligned with business goals
  3. Cross-functional leadership: Collaborating effectively with other departments and executives
  4. Mentorship: Developing and nurturing talent within your team
  5. Adaptability: Staying ahead of algorithm updates and industry shifts
  6. Business acumen: Understanding how SEO impacts overall business objectives
  7. Communication skills: Articulating complex SEO concepts to non-technical stakeholders

Balancing Technical Expertise with Leadership Skills

As you move into higher-level positions, it’s crucial to balance your technical SEO knowledge with strong leadership and strategic skills. This often means:

  1. Delegating tactical work to your team
  2. Focusing on high-level strategy and long-term planning
  3. Developing strong relationships with other department heads and executives
  4. Staying informed about industry trends without getting bogged down in day-to-day implementation
  5. Advocating for SEO resources and budget at the executive level

Continuing Professional Development

Even at the director or VP level, it’s essential to continue learning and growing professionally. Some ways to do this include:

  1. Attending executive-level conferences and networking events
  2. Participating in leadership development programs
  3. Seeking out mentorship from more experienced executives
  4. Staying engaged with the SEO community through speaking engagements or writing
  5. Exploring adjacent fields like digital marketing strategy, data analytics, or emerging technologies
Company Worker

General Career Advice for SEO Professionals

The Importance of Building Your Own Websites

Throughout the discussion, our panel consistently emphasized the value of creating and optimizing your own websites. This hands-on experience provides:

  1. Practical application of SEO techniques
  2. A deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities in SEO
  3. Tangible results to showcase to potential employers
  4. The ability to experiment and learn without the constraints of client or employer expectations

Agency vs. In-House Experience

Brian Wood shares his perspective on the career path for SEOs:

“If you’re just starting, it is by leaps and bounds easiest to be hired in an agency. Agencies have a ton of employees and they usually have a built-in mechanism to train you. The majority of agencies suck, but your ability to grow as an SEO is going to depend on you.”

He also notes that in-house positions often pay more and allow for more interesting SEO work, but cautions against being the sole SEO in a company.

JJ Stedman adds:

“Start at an agency. If I had to start over again, I would start right at an agency. The reason why, and what I loved about my experience, is I got exposed to so many different protocols and different types of companies. And I had to strategize and think so differently for every single one of them to make them successful.”

The Value of Diverse Experience

Gaining experience across different industries and types of websites can be incredibly valuable for your SEO career. This diverse background allows you to:

  1. Understand the unique challenges of various sectors
  2. Develop a more comprehensive skill set
  3. Adapt more quickly to new roles or clients
  4. Bring fresh perspectives to specialized positions later in your career

Continuous Learning and Adaptation

The SEO field is constantly evolving, making continuous learning essential for success. Some strategies for staying current include:

  1. Following industry thought leaders on social media
  2. Regularly reading SEO blogs and news sites
  3. Participating in webinars and online courses
  4. Experimenting with new techniques on personal projects
  5. Engaging in SEO communities and forums

Developing Critical Thinking Skills

Kevin Hancock emphasizes the importance of critical thinking in SEO:

“I want to stress the need to find people that can think critically and to be a critical thinker. It’s amazing how many people just seize up at a question like ‘How many planes do you think are in the sky at any given time in the United States?’ I don’t care what number they come up with. I just want them to back out of it. How did you get to that number? What was the logical steps you took from one to the next to the next?”

Focusing on High-Impact Activities

Brian Wood highlights the importance of prioritizing tasks that genuinely move the needle:

“One of the skills that is super important as an SEO is the ability to just do shit that matters. It is so easy to do a technical SEO audit and come up with a huge list of things that is not going to move the needle. As you move from the junior level to the manager level, I think the ability to know things you’re going to do are actually going to make a difference becomes this really crucial skill.”

How to Get in Contact with Our Experts

If you’d like to connect with our panel of experts or learn more about their work, you can find them on LinkedIn:

Feel free to reach out to them for additional advice or insights into the SEO industry. Remember to personalize your connection requests and engage thoughtfully with their content.

For more information about the Digital Revolution podcast and to access additional episodes in our SEO series, visit Fire us Marketing and check out the podcast section.

Thank you for joining us for this in-depth discussion on advancing your SEO career. We hope you found valuable insights and practical advice to help you succeed in the dynamic world of search engine optimization.

Person Holding White Ipad

Conclusion and Key Takeaways

As we wrap up this comprehensive discussion on advancing your SEO career, let’s recap some of the key points:

  1. For entry-level positions:
    • Build your own websites to gain practical experience
    • Demonstrate curiosity and a willingness to learn
    • Set realistic expectations for starting salaries and positions
  2. For moving into leadership roles:
    • Develop strong communication and project management skills
    • Document your achievements and their impact on business goals
    • Seek out leadership training or mentorship
  3. For advancing to director or VP positions:
    • Optimize your LinkedIn profile for recruiter searches
    • Focus on big-picture strategy and cross-functional leadership
    • Continue to develop your skills and industry knowledge
  4. General career advice:
    • Consider starting at an agency to gain diverse experience
    • Continuously learn and adapt to industry changes
    • Develop critical thinking skills and focus on high-impact activities

Remember, success in SEO requires a combination of technical skills, strategic thinking, and effective communication. By focusing on these areas and consistently working to improve, you can build a rewarding and successful career in the ever-evolving field of search engine optimization.

This Podcasts Audio

Written by Eli Adams

Founder & CEO of Fire Us Marketing with more than 15 years in the digital space. My aim is to teach business owners how to elevate themselves online. The HOW is more important than the WHAT these days.

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