The document discusses how search marketing training and certification has changed over time. In the past, search marketing was something geeks learned through trial and error since it wasn't taught in universities. There were no degrees or standardized certifications. However, starting in the mid-2000s, the landscape changed dramatically. Many new training courses and certification programs in internet marketing and search engine optimization emerged due to industry demand and a shortage of skilled professionals. Now there are a variety of training options and certifications available, and graduates are in high demand for search marketing jobs.

1. Search Marketing Training and Certification

2. At the early days of search was SEO and pay per click
advertising something for geeks who learned the stuff
by experimenting with it and learned from their
successes and failures while simply doing it. How to rank
in search engines and how to write a compelling Ad
within three short lines and research keywords is not
exactly the things that are taught at the universities.
There were no bachelors or masters' degree in search
marketing or something like that.

3. Hireling somebody with experience and proven
knowledge about search to do your in-house search
marketing was impossible. You had to take a person's
word for it and watch if the results eventually reflect
what he had promised and what you expected during
the job interview.

4. "Growing" staff in-house from an inexperienced rookie
to a valuable asset was often the best option. The
former graduates and newbie's became experienced
marketers with the time and made it hard for companies
to be able to keep them. They learned quickly what their
work and experience was worth. Those People did often
quit their job at the company where they learned the
business to work for a specialized search-marketing firm
or to start their own business.

5. Independent training and certification did not exist.

6. Changing Landscape

7. The landscape regarding education and certification
changed dramatically since the middle of 2006. Before
2006 did virtually no or only a few training curriculums
to internet marketing, especially to the fast growing
subject of search engine marketing and optimization
exist, at least none, which resulted in an industry wide
accepted form of certification that could be used by the
students who successfully completed the training to use
with confidence for a job application.

8. Combined industry efforts and the shortage of skilled
internet marketing professionals created a boom in new
services, which offer new training courses and seminars
including certification to various internet-marketing
subjects. Not all certifications are accepted or
acknowledged across the industry, but most of them
offer at least a similar level of education, which makes
3rd party certifications almost in all cases just as good as
an "official" one.

9. Broad Selection of Services

10. The offers vary in price, amount of transferred
knowledge and distribution method. Self-learning
courses in printed and electronic format online are as
available as hands on training classes in real classrooms
with real teachers and interaction with other students.
In addition, the combination of virtual training online
combined with interaction with real teachers and other
students is in some cases an option.

11. Companies can now send their employees who might
have a major in marketing and advertising or computer
engineering to a paid training and know when they
come back and passed the exam and got their
certification that they do know at least the basics of the
job they are supposed to do.

12. Graduates Are in High Demand

13. The demand for graduates from the new available
colleges, training programs and online classes is high and
successful alumni in subjects like SEM/PPC or SEO can
often choose from more than one job offer available to
them. Classes are usually very affordable ranging
between a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.

14. Finding Job Openings

15. If you are looking for a job in the search marketing
industry, or if you are a personnel manager and looking
for SEM professionals to hire, you might want to have a
look at the niche job search site JobsInSearch.com,
which specializes in search engine optimization (SEO)
and marketing jobs and careers. There are also the large
and generic career opportunities portals and sites where
you can look for job openings in search engine
optimization, pay-per-click and internet marketing in
general.

16. Conclusion

17. Times are certainly changing and the realm of the one-geek
shows is slowly ending. The industry matures at
last.

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