Search Engine Optimization (SEO) professionals and newbies must continually improve themselves to stay relevant in the ever-changing optimization sphere. To go about this, some established and experienced SEO Sydney professionals suggest attending conferences and meetups to garner theoretical knowledge and expand your understanding of the industry. But what if you want the hands-on practice to improve yourself instead? How do you measure your progress on the practice site you are working with?
The ability to push a webpage up the ranks is not all that an SEO specialist does. An in-depth understanding of the market space, the ability to make strategic decisions, and communicate effectively, are some of the in-demand skills expected from you.
To help you out on your journey to becoming a well-rounded expert, we have created this list of skills for you. Dive in!
Ability to Audit Websites
The balance in SEO is when you can tell the difference between what you know, and what you don’t. Working on a website can be so absorbing that you may not notice what others are doing and how they are handling things. A look at other people’s projects can make all the difference.
However, being aware of the projects of others is not a skill. The actual skill is in auditing their projects. This means looking at how copies have been written and how the site was configured for SEO. By assessing their work, you’ll uncover exciting ways of performing tasks and boost your SEO knowledge.
Be aware that when objectively auditing a website for SEO configurations, the techniques used for a successful website may not be the best available. Instead, use your newly-gained knowledge and curiosity to propel you to research further.
Ability to Learn Through Interviews
Interviews can be scary for applicants, especially if the company is established and successful. You’ll be required to prove your theoretical and hands-on knowledge of how to get the job done. And in the heat of the moment when questions are flying through the room, the SEO areas you are not so confident about will dawn on you. While many people will suck up and go into their shell, you should learn from the questions asked in interviews.
Conversely, if you are the interviewer, then use these discussions to learn a thing or two about SEO from the applicant’s perspective. Take a moment to delve into each answer and the reason an applicant gives to your questions. You can gain a lot from them if you keep an open mind.
Writing Guides
At some point in your career, enthusiasts will reach out to you on how to start SEO or use a particular tool. And if you do not have the time to answer every request, a well-written guide can be an alternative. The exciting thing here is that writing a guide reveals the SEO aspects you aren’t really informed about.
You can publish them online and request for feedback. These feedbacks will make your research, even more than when you initially wrote the guide. You’ll definitely learn effective ways of getting the job done this way.
Knowledge on How to Use Reddit
Reddit needs no introduction to any that knows a thing or two about digital marketing. Apart from its use for entertainment, Reddit is also a powerful educational tool. The platform has so many communities, where you can learn almost anything. If you have a burning question, then you’ll definitely find Reddit useful.
However, take everything you read with a pinch of salt. Anyone can comment and talk about ‘facts.’ Hence, use the number of corrections and down-votes to weed out bad advice.
Like in every community, Reddit is not all about what you can receive. You must be willing to share your knowledge as well, which will help you build your SEO skills in the long run.
Related Subject Knowledge
SEO is not a self-sustained subject. Far from it! It draws knowledge from subjects like political science, psychology, maths, data science, and many others. Your ability to understand concepts from these specialties and how they are used in SEO will definitely help you cover more knowledge grounds.
For example, learning about databases and information retrieval from data analysis helps one to understand how search engines read, serve, and store content.
So many technicalities involved in generating organic traffic to websites are rooted in other subjects, so learn them to boost your SEO knowledge
Ability to Investigate Tools
The SEO toolbox is expanding sporadically, with new tools being discovered every day. We know it sounds odd, but digging through these tools for features you do not use is an excellent way to boost your knowledge of SEO.
There are so many reports that you have probably not opened or used before. These reports indeed contain data that are worth looking into.
The new features of a tool are another place where you can get exciting data, knowledge, and ways of handling tasks. They are probably worth the try for their providers to spend so much time in developing them. Reading the press releases that come with the new features will expose you to skills you should explore.
Reading Business Books
According to Joel House Toowoomba, the ultimate goal of SEO is to help a business generate organic traffic. Hence, it is essential to understand the ins and outs of business and what motivates management teams and clients.
The common mistake people make is to focus so much on the technical side, without developing critical thinking or strategic planning skills. Therefore, visit your local store, library, or Amazon, to get the trending business books. Just make sure you get one that is relevant to the industry or sector you intend to apply SEO too.
In Conclusion
SEO is diverse, with many approaches and skills to learn. It is easy to get complacent and keep on doing the same thing, but that will do you no good. Whether you are a newbie or an experienced practitioner, there’s always more you can learn.
To avoid stagnation and be more productive at work, try out some of the skills we have included in this article. Don’t get left behind!
