What Degree Do You Need to Become an SEO Specialist?

Learn what degree you need to become an expert in search engine optimization (SEO). Find out what qualifications employers look for when hiring an SEO specialist.

What Degree Do You Need to Become an SEO Specialist?

Although formal education in the field of SEO is not a must, most positions for SEO specialists require a degree in business, marketing, information technology, or communications. However, even if a degree isn't necessary, many job offers for SEO specialists require familiarity with one or more specific SEO tools. A search engine like Google is always changing the techniques they use to offer the most relevant results to users. Therefore, SEO experts need to continuously update their methods, adapt to changes made by search engines, and learn new skills to keep up with best practices. You don't need a university degree to work as an SEO specialist.

Universities do not offer independent SEO degree programs. Even so, some job offers for SEO specialists require a bachelor's degree or equivalent in business, marketing or communications. Many SEO positions will offer on-the-job training, but will still require some post-secondary education. Keeping up with recent changes in the field of SEO requires ongoing education by attending conferences and workshops, viewing informative online webinars and training videos, and reading credible blogs. People considering a career as SEO specialists may also be interested in one of the related careers described below. An SEO specialist uses several marketing practices to increase the appearance of an organization in search engine results, such as Yahoo or Google.

No one will expect you to have a title directly related to SEO simply because there is no such thing. The rise of social media and mobile platforms will only increase the need for more SEO specialists with advanced experience across multiple platforms. Because SEO is one of the newest forms of advertising, the fate of SEO specialists is tied to the marketing industry as a whole. Whether you're currently a search engine optimization professional or are working to make your way in this field, a career in SEO promises excitement and tremendous growth potential. While there are several ways to become an SEO expert, there is no single path to becoming an SEO expert. Even if you don't have paid experience working directly in SEO, your portfolio may include the results of the practical exercises you did in your SEO course. There are also tools that help automate many of the most time-consuming tasks for an SEO expert, increasing your efficiency and ensuring that you can focus on creating great content.

For this reason, and because the field of SEO is constantly evolving, a proven commitment to continuing education is another factor that employers seek. The report found that more and more companies rely on third-party SEO professionals to improve their search engine rankings. Especially if you don't have any experience working directly in SEO, these practice campaigns will form the basis of your professional portfolio - perhaps the most important aspect of your job search. However, today, SEO is taught as part of digital marketing courses and many professionals learn skills from classes and certifications before earning salaries commensurate with their level, job role and size of company they work for. The work is also flexible since some SEO specialists work for a company while others work as freelancers. Here are 7 popular positions and career paths for new and experienced professionals looking to take the next step in their career:.