SEO Skills can be learned by anybody, and I don’t think a special degree is required.
What type of SEO Skills would an SEO consultant in Hong Kong (or anywhere else for that matter) require in order to compete in today’s competitive market?
Is it a good idea for SEOs to limit themselves to simply SEO, ignoring other aspects of marketing? In other words, should the new sort of SEO be both a jack-of-all-trades and a master of all trades?
As a result, today’s SEO should be an integrated digital marketer skilled in on-page SEO as well as other complementary strategies.
When it comes to the SEO profession, there are five talents that are very essential for anybody contemplating a career in the field. For each of these five talents, we’ll take a look at why they’re critical.
There are, however, a number of personal qualities and abilities that are highly sought after in the SEO industry, especially by individuals seeking their first entry-level position.
When it comes to learning how to deliver SEO services to clients in Hong Kong (or your employer) you’d be best to adhere to some of the below, recommended skillsets.
Before I jump into the 8 suggested SEO Skills you need today, remember that you can also learn from my Hong Kong SEO-specific resource here.
SEO Copywriting Skills
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If I only had a very small team of people to work with on SEO, I’d want one of them to be a copywriter.
The ability to communicate well in writing and having a natural way with words are both very valuable talents. Even if you’ve never done any SEO before, I think SEO copywriting will come effortlessly to you if you write effectively.
Online material that both search engines, as well as human readers like, is known as SEO copywriting. Search engines love this kind of stuff (SERPs).
Additionally, your website visitors will find your material to be helpful and entertaining, boosting the likelihood that your content accomplishes its aims.
However, I believe that copywriters can provide more than simply writing. I’ve noticed that outstanding authors are generally better at keyword research and knowing how their target audience uses search engines. Copywriters, in my opinion, just have a better grasp of keyword research.
Because content is what engages consumers and is a wonderful method to funnel traffic into your marketing funnel, it’s critical that you have this expertise as an SEO. The two major duties of content marketing are content generation and content dissemination.
An SEO must be knowledgeable about both aspects of content marketing strategy, particularly content generation. You may encounter scenarios in which your firm is ecstatic to develop content, ranging from odd content production ideas to ideas that reek of keyword stuffing (which is a big “no-no” in SEO).
It’s your role as an SEO to serve as a gatekeeper and promote content ideas that will benefit both search engines and people. Keyword research, identifying content gaps, and sharing your material are all talents that will come in helpful.
Here’s a good resource to learn SEO Copywriting.
Learn Coding And/Or WordPress (CMS’s)
If you can put together a quick site on something like WordPress or CraftCMS, it demonstrates a basic understanding of websites and website structure, as well as a natural ability to learn, and I often find that the technical side of SEO comes a little more quickly to those who have some site-building experience.
There are a plethora of tools available to master the fundamentals of coding.
I’d encourage readers to take a look at Carrd or learn some basics of Bootstrap.
Some of the best SEOs I ever met were first and foremost programmers; i.e. they just understood the code and ability to rank and index keywords.
Technical SEO (“Tech SEO”)
Those who believe that search engine optimization (SEO) is just about keyword research and planting keywords all over the shop – then think again!
A website’s search engine optimization (SEO) efforts are focused on improving both the page and server level in order to increase its chances of being identified by search engines, which ultimately leads to more traffic and sales.
On-page optimization (such as title tags, alt tags, and H1/H2 content optimization) might be useful, but it’s more important to grasp the technical aspects of SEO, such as coding. Having a solid understanding of technical SEO is a massive win.
Technical SEO is a complex field that includes everything from sitemaps to server response codes to rewrites.
A well-rounded SEO expert is one who has a firm grasp on both page-level optimization and server-level optimization.
Be Persistent!
I believe that determination and perseverance are quite crucial in SEO. Yes, perseverance is an evident characteristic for positions such as outreach. But, beyond that, I believe that tenacity helps individuals persevere in competitive environments or when things that you thought my work don’t.
Persistence and tenacity are important qualities to look for in entry-level SEOs. And, in fact, many of those I’ve interviewed have pursued (some more than once) their application if I’ve been delayed.
Desire to Learn
I’ve worked in SEO for 17 years and still feel like a newbie on certain aspects of SEO. To learn more about my journey, please visit my personal site that outlines my progress in becoming a Hong Kong SEO Consultant.
The second you believe you’ve mastered everything, you begin to slip behind. SEO moves and develops quickly, and a large part of it is about testing, testing, and testing again. Those that are continuously inquisitive outperform others.
Think about how often the algorithms change – exactly, that’s how much you have to adapt and learn.
I’d recommend that you get involved with Reddit to learn more about SEO.
Social Media Marketing
Is there a day when you don’t hear anything about social media? Not in today’s networked society.
Remember that SEOs in Hong Kong – and worldwide – are in the business of sending signals to Google.
Sending social media signals to websites via social media are positives.
Not only should social media abilities be confined to maintaining accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, but they should also include the ability to drive traffic from social media sites. Among the traffic-generating exercises that may assist you in developing into a well-rounded SEO are developing fan acquisition techniques, focusing on Twitter follower growth, and optimizing YouTube videos.
Solid Link Building Skills
With the advent of social media platforms in recent years, the options to create linkages have multiplied dramatically.
We now have classic (legal) methods of link building, such as old-fashioned directories, association sites, reliable high PR sites, and so on. These connections are also known as permanent links since they have a longer “shelf life” than transitory links obtained via social media outlets (e.g., content syndication, blogs, Twitter, bookmarking).
The flip side of the coin is internal link optimization, which should be done not just on your own sites but also on social media platforms such as your Facebook page. With so much material produced by your internal social media team, internal link optimization may be the low-hanging fruit you want.
SEOs must be proficient in both external link development and internal link optimization
A Business Head
In the end, SEO is all about getting a return on your investment, regardless of how much time and money you put into it. A grasp of business is essential. An awareness of how businesses generate money, the distinction between revenues and profit, and margin help consumers keep an eye on whether or not SEO is bringing in money.
Summary
The SEO business has progressed – as has the range of SEO Services. There is a greater emphasis on outcomes and return on investment.
It’s a given that you know a lot about web analytics and metrics. However, the abilities described above are a must-have for every SEO or would-be SEO.
Now it’s your turn: what more abilities would you add to the list?