Career In Search Engine Optimization In India

Search Engine Optimization is a very promising career and a dynamic one too. If you want to take SEO as a career then you have to make sure that you are ready to spend long hours in front of your system not only at your office but even at your home, not only for your company but for keeping yourself updated, being a SEO is not a profession but an addiction.

One thing that you need to take note of will be that people will keep on abusing search engines with low quality content & fishy methods in future too and the search engines will keep on updating their algorithms to ridicule them, so you have to make sure that you are following good resources to get updates on what’s in & out of SEO and experimenting with these strategies on your website.

 

1. SEO Intern:

If you are starting up fresh in SEO industry then generally you have to start as an SEO Intern. Although there are no key perquisites that you need to have to be an SEO intern but companies prefer people who can do bit of research online or have a proficiency in using Excel & Word but these skills can be developed within a span of 6-7 days so don’t you worry about them.

 

Key Responsibilities:

• Carrying content research for executives
• Updating Meta tags of website as per the excel provided
• Content submission
• Link submissions

Or all the low key SEO related manual work possible in an organization.

 

Experience in SEO:

Fresher

 

Monthly Compensation: (INR)

4,000– 6,000
Yes, that’s a fact most of these companies are looking for cheap labor instead of a person that they can really groom into a good resource. So they will let you learn at your own pace but will make sure that they can take out what they are putting into you.

 

My Suggestion:

Rather than applying as a direct SEO Intern to a company in India it’s always better to go for a paid training in SEO as a fresher. This will not only prepare you for a direct entry to Executive Level (and a much Better compensation) but will also save six months of your career at least.
Check the reality yourself. Below is an internship opportunity at a Top Ecommerce company in India. Since, I don’t want to directly take a dig at them I have blurred their name.

 

2. SEO Executive:

Welcome aboard, this is actually the first job role that will make you see the World of SEO. It will let you know about the real importance of ranking on 1^st page of SERP’s for a client, extended hours of rank monitoring in office after Google’s latest update and a humble beginning of addiction, both to caffeine and SEO.

 

Key Responsibilities:

• Growing organic traffic
• Keyword research & identification
• On page optimization
• Identifying link building opportunities
• Suggesting/receiving content to/from content team
• Daily keyword status monitoring & report creation

 

 Experience in SEO:

6 months- 2 years

 

Monthly Compensation: (INR)

15,000-22,000
Wages can differ up to 20% depending upon the city and level of company you are working with.
So, it’s not a bad move to start your career as an SEO executive especially when you want to start with a job at an early age. In fact i have met a lot of SEOs (Search Engine Optimizers) who carry it along with their higher studies.

 

3. SEO Specialist:

This is a Mid Level career in search engine optimization where companies will expect you to take ownership of a particular project and work with other supporting teams for project’s timely execution.

 

Key Responsibilities:

• Carrying site audits, competitor & market analysis
• Coordinating with executives to ensure proper execution on current projects
• Creating recommendation on technical SEO as well Content to clients
• Providing training to executives on new developments/tools in SEO
• Interacting with social media, content and marketing team for taking strategic decisions.

 

Experience in SEO:

2-4 Years

 

Monthly Compensation: (INR)

25,000-40,000

 

4. SEO Manager

In most of the Small & Mid Level organizations this is the top position and salary will depend on your experience,however you’ll be expected to have at least 4 years of SEO experience in relevant domains & industry and  will be responsible for meeting & retaining clients and to make sure that each department under you is meeting their weekly goals.

 

Key Responsibilities:

• Understanding client requirements for SEO
• Devising the SEO strategies and timelines for the project
• Working and assisting Head-Search Engines In clients meeting.
• Coordinating with content, social media & technology teams for clients site along with SEO specialists
• Assigning work to SEO specialists & their teams
• Reviewing reports created by SEO specialists and carrying weekly Status meeting with Management

 

Experience in SEO:

4-6 Years

 

Monthly Compensation: (INR)

45,000-80,000
By this time most of the SEOs  plan to start their own firms as that could be financially best option available to those here in India and those who still are not ready to quit there jobs proceed onto higher level

 

 5. Head-Search Marketing 

I have seen this position in only top 5% of SEO companies in India. The person working at this position is also expected to be a management graduate apart from being an experienced SEO. Businesses prefer people with at least 2-3 years of experience as a SEO Manager and someone who has close relations with 10-12 big clients.

 

Key Responsibilities

• Head of all Search Marketing Teams- Organic & Paid Search
• Managing Teams end to end for company’s/client’s presence on search engine
• Responsible for handling all the key accounts of a company
• Representing company at key conferences/ events on Search Marketing
• Working closely with company’s sales & marketing team for identifying online marketing goals and KPI’s.

 

Experience in SEO
6+ years

 

Monthly Compensation: (INR)

1 lacs – 1.5 lacs per month

 

Bonus tip: Additional Skills that will help you in exponential career growth as an SEO:

1. Good Communication Skills- Both Spoken & Written
2. Sound HTML
3. Patience
4. Ability to Research & Grasp
5. Analytical IQ & Experimentation
6. Ability to manage people ( Compulsory at Higher levels)

These skills are something that you need to develop along with your career to be a successful Search Engine Optimizer.
Hope this piece helps those who are planning to take SEO as a career.