SEO Careers

While most of the top-paying careers are in the healthcare,new media has created another top paying field in technology: search engine optimization (SEO) strategist. There are 1.75 people actively seeking an SEO strategist position for every available position. Individuals who specialize in SEO help large companies direct traffic to their websites by incorporating specific keywords to rank the page up on the search engine’s results page. In general, the average salary for this occupation is around $70,000 per year.

In-House SEO Strategists

The highest paid SEO strategist, a vice-president or director, receives anywhere from $100,000 to more than $350,000 per year. This person handles strategies for companies who make more than $1 billion annually. The salary reflects the importance of the position, as these individuals can make or break an account for a large firm.

The director or manager of organic search can expect to see between $75,000 and $150,000 per year. This individual manages the in-house SEO employees and reports to the vice president.

An SEO lead or “guru” typically either oversees a team of SEO workers or works as an independent employee for firms earning less than $50 million annually and can make between $50,000 and $100,000 per year. They are fully responsible for their employees’ output and, depending on the size of the company, may report to a director or president.

A campaign manager’s salary is similar to a guru, with an estimated range of $55,000 to $100,000. The salary can exceed this, however, if bonuses are awarded throughout the individual’s career for consistently achieving desired results. The campaign manager reports to the director of the SEO company, but still manages his own team of SEO employees that work to create particular strategies for a specific website, area of content and keyword set.

The employee that works behind the scenes, the SEO specialist, spends his time developing links, writing and optimizing website content and researching keywords. They specialist will also add content and update it as needed, depending on the keyword density required and how successful the page attracts visitors. The estimated salary is between $45,000 and $85,000.

One recent development in SEO careers has been the advent of info-graphics design, design, a field that requires marketing, content and artistic skills. Info graphic artists are in high demand and can therefore expect to earn more than typical graphic design salaries.

Employees of SEO Agencies

An SEO director leads one or more teams and oversees the entire process, trains his employees and makes sure that everything is running smoothly. For his efforts, he can expect to see anywhere between $70,000 and $120,000.

Search marketing consultants, although rare, can work for an SEO company. They earn between $60,000 up to $200,000 and have the skills to manage workers without help from outside sources.

Moving down the scale, a link builder is solely responsible for making sure that the links on the site are accurate and drawing visitors to other sites. While these individuals may work behind the scenes and follow instructions solely from their managers, they can grow and become more valuable than some of the higher-paid workers.

Content writers are imperative, especially those who know how to handle link bait campaigns. They are similar to link builders but do not have as much specialized knowledge. For this reason, there are more content writers available for hire, which also results in a lower salary. Content writers can earn between $35,000 and $75,000 per year.

Finally, companies need an individual to research the keywords and find data for the content writers to use on their pages. These SEO researchers may help write websites or build links and the position only pays between $30,000 and $60,000 annually because almost anyone can learn how to research effectively.

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