This document outlines the career path and roles in SEO. It begins with the typical career routes from SEO Trainee to Vice President. It then describes the skills needed for an SEO expert, including keyword research, HTML understanding, and knowledge of algorithms and trends. The document details the roles of an SEO Trainee, Specialist, Senior Specialist, Manager, Head and concludes with the top SEO experts in the world.

1. THE SEO CAREER PATH

2. SEO CAREER ROUTES
• SEO Trainee
• Junior SEO (SEO analyst, SEO specialist, etc.)
• SEO Team Leader
• SEO Manager
• Senior manager (head of SEO, director of SEO, etc.)
• Vice president

3. SOME OF THE SKILLS YOU NEED AS AN EXPERT IN SEO
INCLUDE:
• The ability to do keyword research. The goal when finding keywords to target is to look for those
options that are lower in competition so that you have a higher likelihood of ranking, but high-volume
so that there’s enough interest in the terms to ensure people are looking for them in their searches.
• A general understanding of HTML
• Knowledge of how to incorporate keywords on a page
• Some understanding of copywriting and visual content
• Link-building knowledge
• Understanding of technical SEO and how it affects site rankings
• Knowledge of Google algorithms—you have to constantly learn and stay up-to-date with algorithm
updates, SEO trends, and best practices. These change frequently.

4. THE ROLE OF AN SEO TRAINEE
• The role of an SEO Trainee can depend on the client or company you’re working for, but some of the
tasks you may learn and then implement include:
• Basic SEO principles of on-site optimization, off-page and keyword research
• Get acquainted with tools such as Ahrefs, SEMrush and Moz
• Learn how to fix broken links
• Writing page titles and meta descriptions
• How to analyze data in Google Search Console and Google Analytics
• Inbound link building strategies

5. THE ROLE OF AN SEO SPECIALIST
• As a specialist, you would have the experience and skills necessary to create full-scale SEO campaigns
from end-to-end with the help of a senior SEO or supervisor.
• You would also be responsible for assessing your campaign results, and you would likely work with
other marketing professionals along the way.
• While an SEO trainee is largely focused on developing singular skills and learning to apply them, as a
specialist, you would need to have more strategic and holistic thinking.

6. THE ROLE OF A SENIOR SEO SPECIALIST
• There are similarities between an SEO specialist and a senior specialist,
• But the best way to think about it is that a specialist has more seniority and may take on more of a
managerial role.
• A senior specialist might also be responsible for more advanced technical tasks.

7. THE ROLE OF AN SEO MANAGER
• Some of the specific roles you might take on as an SEO manager include:
• Project management
• Data analysis
• Brand management
• People management at multiple levels
• Client meetings
• Creating and managing online communities
• Market analysis

8. THE ROLE OF AN SEO HEAD
• An SEO Head will more than likely have a bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, computer science,
information technology, or in another related field. It would take several years or more for someone to
reach the point of being an SEO Head. Typically you would need at least seven years’ experience in the
design and delivery of SEO strategy.
• They would need extensive and broad experience in all areas of SEO as well as digital marketing.
• The role of an SEO director is results-driven, which means you understand how to assess certain metrics
and make adjustments. At the same time, it’s also a creative role. You’re juggling a lot of moving parts
to make sure projects are effective and stay on budget and also are delivered in agreed-upon
timeframes.

9. CONCLUSION
• SEO is an excellent career field, and depending on the path you take there are opportunities to be
creative and innovative and move up the ladder.
• Once you achieve seniority status as perhaps the director of SEO, you’re going to be an integral part of
the organization you work for.
• You’ll be relied upon creatively and also from a leadership standpoint.

10. 11 TOP SEO EXPERTS IN THE WORLD IN 2023
(UPDATED LIST)
• Neil Patel is among top SEO consultants, he is a New York Times Bestselling author. The Wall Street
Journal calls him a top influencer on the web, Forbes says he is one of the top 10 marketers, and
Entrepreneur Magazine says he created one of the 100 most brilliant companies. He was recognized as
a top 100 entrepreneur under the age of 30 by President Obama and a top 100 entrepreneur under the
age of 35 by the United Nations.

11. MATT CUTTS
• Matt Cutts is best seo specialist, former head of Google webspam team, Matthew Cutts is an American
software engineer. Cutts is the Administrator of the United States Digital Service. He was first appointed
as acting administrator, to later be confirmed as full administrator in October 2018.

12. RAND FISHKIN
• He is among world's top SEO experts,ex-CEO of Moz, Rand Fishkin is the CEO and Co-Founder of
SEOmoz, a leader in the field of search engine optimization tools, resources and community. In 2009, he
was named among the 30 Best Young Tech Entrepreneurs Under 30 by BusinessWeek, and has been
written about it in the Seattle Times, Newsweek and the New York Times.

13. BRIAN DEAN
• Brian Dean is top SEO expert, Brian Dean has been called an "SEO genius" by Entrepreneur.com and a
"brilliant entrepreneur" by Inc Magazine. Brian's award-winning blog, Backlinko.com, has been listed by
Forbes as a top "blog to follow". He is an SEO expert and the founder of the Backlinko blog and YouTube
channel.

14. BARRY SCHWARTZ
• Barry Schwartz is a top seo experts in the world, blogger who writes about search engines and search
engine marketing. Schwartz is the founder and currently the editor of Search Engine Roundtable, an
online news site covering the search engines and search engine marketing