Getting Started in Paid Search and SEO: Building Your Career

Mar 17, 2022 | Career Advice, Featured, Job Seekers, Marketing Trends

Last week we introduced PPC and SEO (if you didn’t get the chance, click here to read last week’s post). We discussed each career and their individual job outlooks. As digital marketing continues to develop and change, individuals with paid search and SEO skills are desperately sought after in the job market. This week we thought we would dive into some important skills and tools you’ll need to thrive as a PPC and SEO professional.

Experience

Individuals who specialize in paid search, PPC (pay-per-click) marketing and SEO marketing usually have a bachelor’s degree in marketing, business or information systems. This is certainly not a requirement, given you have ample experience and/or certifications. Paid search specialists are familiar with SEO and PPC advertising. They build extensive knowledge about different browser platforms and their unique advertising systems. Acquiring good experience in paid search or SEO marketing, either from a former internship or previous position, will help get your foot in the door.

Building familiarity and experience utilizing certain tools will set your resume apart from other candidates. Whether you’re looking to break into SEO and paid search for the first time or looking to brush up on your skills, we have you covered. To gain a better understanding of SEO and paid ads, we spoke to Digital Marketing Specialist, Daley Herzberg at Futurety. Daley has worked within the digital marketing space for about 5 years and holds extensive experience in working with SEO and PPC campaigns. When asked about important skills for SEO candidates, Daley responded, “SEMRush for SEO is my favorite tool as it provides countless insights for you to improve your SEO.” He also advises digital marketers to gain familiarity with platforms like Moz Pro.

In addition to SEMRush and Moz Pro, Indeed notes that roles requiring PPC and SEO strategies typically utilize the following tools:

  • Google Search Console
  • Google Webmaster Tools
  • SEMrush SEO toolkit
  • Moz Pro
  • Majestic SEO Tools
  • SEO Spider
  • Ahrefs
  • Google Adwords keyword planner
  • Google Optimize
  • SEOQuake
  • Live Keyword Analysis

Obtaining valuable experience using the tools listed above will make your resume stand out from the crowd. Maybe in your previous job, you worked with some or all these tools. Highlighting those experiences in combination with some certifications, will quickly make your resume stand out for great paid search and SEO opportunities.

Tools and Resources

There are plenty of tools and resources available for those who want to get into paid search and SEO or those looking to become a more competitive candidate. Daley recommends aspiring PPC professionals to dive into, “specific platforms like Google Ads, Facebook Ads Manager, LinkedIn Campaign Manager, etc. to play around and get comfortable with PPC programs.” In addition, both paid search specialists and SEO specialists can obtain certifications in Bing Ads and Google Analytics. Let’s dive into a few of these certifications to get you started in your new career.

Google Ads

Google Ads  is a hub of advertising capabilities that allows marketers to perform a variety of digital marketing tasks. The browser is partnered with other companies like YouTube, allowing you to seamlessly advertise on different platforms. You can become certified in Google Ads by taking Google’s very own courses, which include Google Ads Search, Display, Video, Shopping, Apps and Measurement certifications. And best of all, they’re FREE!

Understanding the different components of paid search advertising on Google is a crucial skill to have in the workforce today. Google is the number one search engine used by people around the world, in fact, according to techjury, there were more than 6.9 billion Google searches a day in 2020. Many companies utilize Google Ads to target their desired audience and gain exposure. 

Bing Ads

Bing Ads, now known as Microsoft Advertising, displays campaigns throughout the Microsoft Search Network, including many search engines like Yahoo and AOL. AdEspresso notes that, “people still make over 12 million searches with Bing monthly.” Although Google is the most popular search engine, Microsoft Advertising reaches many platforms that Google alone cannot.  If you’re looking to become a better PPC or SEO candidate, it is worth your time to become certified in Bing Ads.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a tool that measures various KPI’s relating to websites and digital marketing. Paid search specialists and SEO specialists should be well versed in Google Analytics and how to interpret large amounts of data. You should be able to analyze information and gather what is working well and what is not working well. The data should then direct all your PPC and SEO efforts. Google Analytics offers a free certification course to teach individuals how to utilize Google’s software.

Daley shared that his, “favorite tool overall is Google Analytics, as everything marketing can be shown and put into data points to track progress.” He also told us that, “being able to show client successes and visualize goals and progress is one of the best parts of the job.” 

If you are looking to paid search and SEO as your next career move, consider some of the resources we listed in this article. All of the certifications are free resources that make you more competitive in the job market.

What do you think? Are you interested in pursuing a new career in paid search or SEO? We would love to hear your thoughts! Reach out via our contact form if you would like to discuss your thoughts or challenges further.