What Is an SEO Analyst? (With Skills, Duties and Salary)

Many businesses use search engine optimisation (SEO) to improve their online presence. An SEO analyst helps them find the right SEO strategy for their business by analysing website performance and other relevant data. Understanding the skills and responsibilities of an SEO analyst can help you decide if want to pursue this career path. In this article, we describe what an SEO analyst is, how to become one and what skills and qualifications you need to excel in this career.

What is an SEO analyst?

An SEO analyst is a professional who uses their analytical skills and many tools to analyse data from various sources. They find ideas for improving a website's ranking and implement those with the help of various tools. Their primary responsibility is to drive organic traffic to the client's website through their SEO efforts.

What is SEO?

Search engine optimisation is the process of improving both the quality and quantity of traffic to a website through organic search results. The main goal of SEO is to generate organic traffic. This means that SEO helps to increase the number of people finding a website through their own manual search over the internet rather than through paid advertising.

SEO analysts understand what the audience is searching for and how to satisfy those needs by their analytical and SEO skills. They optimise websites for search engines by researching, analysing and planning different strategies.

Responsibilities of an SEO analyst

Following are the responsibilities of an SEO analyst:

• researching keywords and implementing these effectively in content

• analysing the content structure and optimising it with the proper keywords

• applying both on-page and off-page SEO and performing website search engine optimisation audits

• generating different types of backlinks for the content

• driving traffic to a website using effective SEO techniques and analysing the quality of the traffic

• using guest posting and outreach emails to help grow an online audience

• handling multiple search engine optimisation tools

• extracting and analysing necessary data from different sources in reports and charts

Related job roles

An SEO analyst can pursue several related job roles. Here is a list of those roles, along with their average salary and primary duties.

1. SEO executive

National average salary: ₹15,424 per month

Primary duties: An SEO executive is someone who arranges, executes and oversees SEO techniques. They oversee all major activities, such as content strategy planning, web marketing, and analytics. Backlinking and generating keyword strategies are two of their primary duties.

2. SEO specialist

National average salary: ₹17,450 per month

Primary duties: SEO specialists analyse, review, and execute search engine marketing strategies and campaigns. They conduct competitive analysis and content optimisation to improve website ranking on search engines. SEO specialists often collaborate with other professionals, like web designers and content writers to make sure their strategies are used effectively.

3. SEO Manager

National average salary: ₹28,539 per month

Primary duties: SEO managers organise and run campaigns to make their company's name organically appear as the top results when relevant searches are made in the search engine. They also promote their company by increasing its presence in different online directories. SEO manager coordinates activities, such as content, design, pay-per-click and social media marketing.

Related: What Is a Social Media Manager? Skills and Qualifications

How to become an SEO analyst

If you want to become an SEO analyst, consider following the steps listed below:

1. Learn how search engines work

Start by knowing about different search engines and how they work. Learn how audiences and search engines interact and get familiar with different types of content. Consider learning how to analyse SEO data using popular industry tools and analytics programs.

2. Earn relevant certificates

There is no universally accepted course to become an SEO analyst. You can start preparing and get a few basic relevant certificates soon after you have completed your 10th. Candidates who want to become SEO analysts can take admission in various certificate courses and can also try a diploma in search engine optimisation or digital marketing. Here are a few examples of certificate courses in SEO:

• Search engine optimisation fundamentals

• SEO training course

• Associate Certified Analytics Professional (aCAP)

3. Earn a bachelor's degree

Earn a bachelor's degree to learn important skills that can help you become an SEO expert. Completing a bachelor's degree may take about four years and may include internship opportunities in a related field. Here are a few examples of courses you can pursue to become SEO analysts:

• Diploma in SEO and Digital Marketing

• PG Diploma in Digital Marketing

• SEO and Digital Marketing Fundamentals

• Diploma in Digital and Internet Marketing.

3. Build a portfolio

Create an online portfolio to display the SEO skills that you have gained. Your portfolio may include written accounts, videos, screenshots, links or any other information to best display the work you have done. Building a website for your portfolio can also allow you to test SEO best practices and account for changes in a controlled setting.

4. Create a website

Practise creating your own website to try techniques you learn through research. Become familiar with popular content management systems (CMS) that are used to make websites and understand how their tools and backend development integrate with search engines. Practising things like HTML and tagging on your website and testing different techniques to see how changes affect the search engine results pages (SERPs) can be helpful.

5. Work for someone

You can also start freelancing when you feel you have gained enough knowledge. Working with different clients can give you experience and boost your confidence. Enhance your SEO skills based on client feedback. Working for someone as an SEO professional can be helpful in expanding your skills and knowledge.

6. Join an internship

After completing your studies and gaining enough knowledge about SEO, you can join an internship to practise your skills and secure yourself a better salary package in the future. Joining an internship can give you the professional experience of working in a company. Some companies offer training courses to help you complete the certification requirements.

Skills for an SEO analyst

These are the skills you need to become a search engine optimisation analyst:

• Expertise in basic HTML and CSS: SEO analysts understand the basics of HTML and CMS. The functional knowledge of HTML and coding help them create good content.

• Knowledge of search engine algorithms: SEO analysts always keep up with Google algorithm updates. This helps them track and measure their SEO activities.

• Knowledge of SEO tools: SEO analysts know how a CMS platform like WordPress works so that they can implement important codes on the website.

• Content writing skills: These professionals can benefit from knowing how to write good content following SEO best practices.

• Analytical skills: An SEO analyst knows how to analyse data thoroughly to optimise a website and produce effective results.

• Problem-solving skills: SEO analysts often analyse the fall or rise in the organic traffic of a website, average time spent on a page, bounce rate and acquisition sources and types.

• Expertise in Google site mapping: SEO analysts often have knowledge of site mapping and hierarchy. This helps them index posts or pages of a website on search engines.

Related: Interpersonal Skills: Definitions and Examples

Is SEO analyst a good job?

SEO is a good career option for those who have skills and knowledge in digital marketing and related areas. Due to growth in digital awareness and online competition, the demand for SEO professionals is also constantly growing. SEO has emerged as one of the best professions in the IT industry. Many companies know the importance of search engines in order to compete in their niches. They are mainly investing in online marketing and approaching SEO analysts to increase their web traffic. SEO analysts and other related job roles possess tremendous potential for growth.

How does SEO work?

SEO works by bringing answers to a user's questions typed into the search field of Google or any other search engine. Whenever the user enters their questions in the search field of a search engine, they get multiple search results within seconds. Search engine optimisation follows the query and retrieves results in the form of several relevant URLs. The whole process of SEO involves finding and showing results for queries made by users. The major steps involved are ranking a website, indexing website URLs and crawling by the search engines.

What is the average salary of an SEO analyst?

The average salary of an SEO analyst is ₹2,32,705 per year. This salary may depend on the different sectors and skills, and experience of a candidate. The more skilled you are, the higher is your salary.

Salary figures reflect data listed on Indeed Salaries at time of writing. Salaries may vary depending on the hiring organisation and a candidate's experience, academic background and location.

Please note that none of the companies mentioned in this article are affiliated with Indeed.