SEO is not just a specialisation, it is not just a job, it is a way of thinking that slowly takes over your life and mind one day at a time. While this may seem a bit drastic, like some sort of virus infecting the world, it is in fact quite the opposite. SEO is a fully logical and forward thinking approach to marketing that is reminiscent of playing chess, not looking behind, not looking at the present, not even looking one step ahead…but rather taking an educated guess as to what will be happening six or seven steps from now. Constantly changing, on an almost daily basis, SEO offers professionals a way to hone their digital marketing – as long as they are willing to put in the effort and change their way of thinking.
A mixing pot of career paths, professionals from across the board seem to be drawn into an SEO aimed position. Encompassing a range of skills, both creative and analytical, this is one of the few areas of digital marketing where your learned skill set does not define your job role, but rather your natural skill set. It seems to be that SEO specialists are those whose minds work in a certain way rather than those who have studied the right degree.
SEO, as the optimisation of content and design to focus around specific keywords, is aimed at user experience and efficiency. Keeping that in mind, an SEO professional must not only be able to think outside of the box, taking new approaches to the task, but also must be able to take the data and apply logical conclusions that will further the efforts. Whether targeting content, relying on back-links or simple adjusting design for things like mobile-first indexing, all these elements must be taken into account and put together to achieve the best possible reach, exposure and authority for your site. With refined web development and a targeted online efforts, this is a field that can stretch across a few specialties at times.
A never ending, always growing side of digital marketing, when SEO is life it changes the way you think. As a writer having moved into SEO, the jump between application and analytics is a wide one. It not only changes the way you go about your work, but shows you the seemingly insignificant systems in life that most ignore. It can sometimes be these fine details that make all the difference, both in SEO and in daily life.