As it is with every other profession, there are certain skills that one needs in order to perform your best or be rated among the best. Regardless of which background you have be it in programming, marketing, journalism or any other, you’ll require certain skills in order to be a successful SEO professional. Here are a few skills that a hiring manager would be on the lookout for.
A Critical Thinker
Having an analytical mind would probably be the best quality that an SEO professional should have. They should be able to analyse situations and give a logical solution to how an issue can be resolved. The ability to look at a problem from multiple angles then use logic and data in the decision that you make is a perfect example of a critical thinker.
Good Communication Skills
The ability to write and speak well cannot be underrated when it comes to being a valuable SEO professional. Speaking should include being able to convince a client or an office team to make a certain decision. The SEO should be able to do their own keyword researches and write original content from the information gathered. This not only requires confidence but also the ability to turn thoughts and ideas into concepts that ordinary people can understand and make decisions based on them.
Appropriate Programming and Technical SEO Skills
There are a lot of chances that you’ll be required to do as an SEO because you’ll find yourself making recommendations on rendering, page speed, loading, server redirects microdata and basic HTML tagging. This becomes easier when you are in communication with a developer to offer insights not just demands. Understanding the implications of the changes that the SEO asks for from the developer and knowing the origin of the mistakes that happen when coding can help a lot in overcoming them. Some basic programming knowledge can help in dealing with simple things like lazy loading.
Basic Excel Skills
Just pulling data is not enough for a professional SEO skill. Sometimes there will be need to manipulate it a bit so as to get the insights you require. It’s important to have at least the basic excel knowledge which can help you solve simple problems. Whether all you can do is to turn something into an XML sight map, to measure the logarithm changes, repositioning curves to make a customized CTR or just bucketing words from the search console, learning how to use excel is in itself invaluable.
Good Social Skills
Having good social skills can really boost your SEO skill as well. This requires being able to relate well with people by hanging out with them and telling them what is important especially to do with SEO theories and tactics.
Motivated and Adoptable
To be a great SEO professional you need to have an inner drive which demands that you keep learning. You have to stay updated on the new search engine standards or how a machine functions. There will always be something new to learn while working with SEO skills. Being well versed with what is happening will give you an edge over other professionals anytime.
A Sense of Humor
SEO industry is one that have a lot of ups and downs which sometimes can be very stressful. Being in a position to make someone smile alongside marketing is a great quality . You realize that a sense of humor goes a long way in making people happy and work becomes more productive and enjoyable.
Humility
SEO industry creates no room for arrogance and ego. Being a SEO professional doesn’t mean knowing everything. It is a learning process as it keeps on constantly changing. The chances of being left behind is higher if one isn’t keeping up with goggle algorithm that keeps on changing. This industry requires a specialist that able to own mistakes if any, accept to learn and move on without ignorance.
Competitive nature
SEO is a big industry and very competitive. Wining consistently while playing with the rules of the game is what a SEO professionals needs. This requires passion and ongoing desire to learn.
Goal oriented SEO skills
A SEO professional needs to be goal oriented so as to achieve the set goals and objectives. The force needed to move forward and zeal to work hard should be the core drivers to someone that want to meet the targets.
Conclusion
A SEO professional can access whatever they need directly from search engines. What the SEO tools basically do is to make the information easier to read and be more accessible thus easier to find. Knowing how to use these tools in the best way is what will make you an expert in this field. It is an industry that requires critical minds that understand how best to analyze websites, make concrete decisions and flexible to leave failing strategies while embracing the new one. Success of any SEO professional lies in ability to easily explain the SEO process and managing the client’s expectation.
