| The SEO industry continues to thrive and more and | | | | pay-per-click advertising, they can also find use landing |
| more SEO managers are only working with | | | | pages in organic SEO. The strong landing page |
| outsourced, overseas providers or contract labor. | | | | copywriter understands A/B testing and is able to put |
| In the two major IT recessions I have lived through, | | | | together strong sets of reports. They can also be |
| thousands of highly skilled workers were sent to the | | | | trained to become trends analysts. |
| unemployment office. In fact, rather than hire a skilled | | | | Ad Copywriter - Ad copywriters must be able to |
| unemployed IT worker, Microsoft's Bill Gates asked | | | | work beyond the pay-per-click networks and master |
| Congress to increase the number of B-1 visas so that | | | | different copy formats and A/B testing along with |
| his company could hire more foreign nationals and | | | | regional results analysis and targeted keyword |
| save money. Other companies marched in line with | | | | placements. Ad copywriters must be able to manage |
| Microsoft and did the same. | | | | local search listings and niche directory listings. |
| With a move to seek cheaper labor overseas, | | | | Meta Copywriter - It is still important to be able to |
| companies are turning to directory submissions in India, | | | | create good titles, meta descriptions and page URLs |
| copywriting in the Philippines and other writing tasks | | | | for organic search results. The meta copywriter should |
| that find their way to the cheaper market in parts of | | | | be able to do much more such as organizing a |
| Europe and Asia. | | | | copywriting team in an effort to build a massive |
| Companies that are now depending on SEO | | | | website. Here the meta copywriter would serve as |
| departments consisting of from 5 to 15 people will | | | | both a section editor and copy manager with the |
| further look to cut costs and manpower. Though many | | | | responsibility of breaking down job tasks and handing |
| SEO departments are considered a profitable link to a | | | | out assignments. A meta copywriter should be able to |
| company, CEOs and the Board of Directors they are | | | | work with all types of copywriters and does not have |
| responsible to seem to care more about the price of | | | | to be a senior copywriter. |
| their stock than the impact of laying off a few SEO | | | | Today's SEO technicians, while doubling up as meta |
| writers and how that impact will affect the writers' | | | | copywriters, must also be able to assume |
| families. | | | | responsibilities for non-copy tasks such as: |
| Today the SEO industry is flying high and there are | | | | Link Specialists - Must understand link theory not only in |
| more jobs being created than can be filled by | | | | asking other sites for links but in developing link |
| experienced SEO technicians. As specialization, which | | | | networks for both internal navigation and external link |
| has already showed signs of creeping into the industry, | | | | promotion. It is important for link specialists to have a |
| becomes even more prevalent, it will help to create | | | | good understanding of A/B testing and scalability in |
| jobs for those who want it. | | | | testing. This is a person who is able to notice and |
| I believe that the demand for the SEO service industry | | | | predict trends and would also be a perfect candidate |
| will peak around 2011 - 2013. This means that there will | | | | to become a trends analyst. This is a |
| be real SEO service bureaus which will help small | | | | research-intensive position that focuses on crawlability, |
| businesses to achieve search and social media visibility. | | | | indexing rates and all things link-related. |
| The problem comes when businesses feel the need to | | | | Optimization Analyst - A person who can perform |
| cut back. The growing trend for SEO optimization | | | | on-page optimization with their eyes closed. Must have |
| writers and technicians will eventually peak and when | | | | the ability to look at a web site and almost |
| this happens the need for SEO specialists will | | | | instantaneously list what can be improved. They should |
| disappear from the job market so it's important to take | | | | also be able to look at a link profile and determine |
| a closer look at the jobs we do and how they may be | | | | which links are helping and which ones are not. Of |
| bundled with other skills. | | | | course, they must have the ability to assess the |
| Currently the SEO industry is heading for more | | | | relative competitiveness of a query space. |
| specialization, creating niche jobs in the short term but | | | | The optimization analyst is another candidate to move |
| with costs continuing to rise, companies are looking for | | | | into a trends analyst position and perform quality |
| creative ways to manage and reduce their costs. | | | | control for the rest of the team. |
| Here are some of the newer long-term types of | | | | The SEO manager should be able to do everything an |
| specialists that are currently developing in the sub-SEO | | | | optimization analyst must do. |
| industry: | | | | I've sought to outline positions that can be developed |
| Trends Analyst - A trends analyst needs to go | | | | into independent service models. Each of these |
| beyond just looking at search trends to looking at | | | | positions can be outsourced with several of them |
| active business intelligence, current consumer | | | | having already been developed for outsourcing by |
| sentiment and gauge marketing patterns. The goal is to | | | | various firms. |
| project these new trends before they appear on the | | | | If your job is shaping you into a specialist, the best thing |
| market...the more accurate these projections are the | | | | you can do is to create opportunities for professional |
| more necessary this person will be. Companies that | | | | growth from your current position into other areas of |
| take the time and effort to train and hire these | | | | specialization. Once you've done this, you'll have all the |
| analysts will certainly see an improvement in their | | | | tools your company needs to promote you to an SEO |
| search and online marketing performance. Companies | | | | Specialist or Search Strategist. |
| such as large retailers and manufacturers along with | | | | As the industry continues to grow and develop, make |
| large agencies will benefit from recruiting and | | | | sure you're not left behind because you can't |
| developing trends analysts. | | | | specialize when it's deemed necessary but also make |
| Feature Copywriter - A feature copywriter is really an | | | | sure that your skill has not been lost to attrition |
| online journalist who is responsible for writing news and | | | | because of your improved abilities. |
| feature stories and blog articles. The stories and | | | | Written by Gabriella Sannino, also known as M-7levels, |
| articles they write are used on general purpose web | | | | and M-7. |
| sites, entertainment and news sites. But the feature | | | | I have been in the Marketing and Internet business for |
| copywriter's skills can also be handy for corporate | | | | well over 20 years. As an SEO copy writing specialist I |
| web sites where the company provides information | | | | write press releases, articles, web content, blogs, |
| like corporate histories, executive profiles, and also | | | | landing pages, reviews. Everything I write is search |
| stories about the company's functions and projects. | | | | engine optimized with comprehensive keywords. I read |
| Because this is a research-intensive position, it is best | | | | and write 5 languages fluently. If you need to contact |
| to fill it with writers who are creative, independent | | | | me feel free to contact me through or you can see |
| workers and self-motivated. | | | | more of my articles at |
| Landing Page Copywriter - Mostly used for | | | | Copyright 2008. All rights reserved. |