The document discusses a study of over 3000 SEO job listings from major sites in several countries. It found that the most in-demand skills for SEO specialists are knowledge of Google tools like Google Analytics and Search Console. Other top skills include HTML/CSS expertise, technical SEO skills, on-page SEO experience, and keyword research abilities. The study also examined dynamics in required skills over time and popularity of various SEO tools. Common Google search queries about SEO focused on definitions, skills, and how to perform SEO tasks.

1. Top Required
Skills for SEO
Specialists
Worldwide Research

2. Table of Contents
SEO Jobs Worldwide Research ...........................................................
The Research Geography ...................................................................
Most Required Skills .........................................................................
Top-10 Skills Required in the SEO Industry, 2019......................................
Most Desirable SEO Skills in 2019 .......................................................
SEO Skills Dynamics ........................................................................
SEO Tools .....................................................................................
SEO Tools Dynamics .......................................................................
SEO Search Queries, 2019 ................................................................
Search Query Topics, 2019 ...............................................................
Key Takeaways ..............................................................................
Expert Comments...........................................................................
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
12
13
14
15

3. SEO Jobs
Worldwide Research
In 2019 SEMrush Academy analyzed around
3000 SEO vacancies on Monster and Indeed,
two large job search sites.
We analyzed job offers in the UK, Canada,
the USA, Australia and India to find out which
skills employers want to see in their ideal
candidates.
We reviewed job vacancies for SEO Managers
and SEO Specialists.
3

4. The Research Geography
Canada
400 job offers
reviewed
350 Indeed
50 Monster
USA
650 job offers
reviewed
400 Indeed
250 Monster
UK
450 job offers
reviewed
300 Indeed
150 Monster
India
1,500 job offers
reviewed
on Indeed
Australia
50 job offers
reviewed
on Indeed
Number of job offers reviewed worldwide
4

5. Most Required Skills
Link building
JavaScript
Technical SEO
SEMrush
On page SEO
Moz
Keyword
research
Local SEO
19%
10%
30%
8%
28%
8%
24%
8%
The above data represents the employer's requirements mentioned in the job offers and can differ for each particular
job offer. The percentage shows the number of mentions of a particular skill in the total number of SEO job offers.
HTML + CSS
39%
41%
Google tools
(GA & GSC)
5

6. Top-10 Skills Required
in the SEO Industry, 2019
USA India Canada
1 Google tools (GA + GSC) 87% HTML + CSS 14% Google tools (GA + GSC) 79%
2 HTML + CSS 85% On page SEO 13% HTML + CSS 58%
3 Technical SEO 57% Google tools (GA + GSC) 12% Keyword research 58%
4 On page SEO 52% Link building 11% Technical SEO 34%
5 Keyword research 48% Keyword research 11% Link building 32%
6 Link building 36% Technical SEO 6% Ranking factors 18%
7 Local SEO 24% Ranking factors 3% Mobile SEO 18%
8 JavaScript 22% JavaScript 2% Local SEO 18%
9 Mobile SEO 15% Mobile SEO 2% JavaScript 13%
10 A/B 11% Local SEO 1% A/B 13%
Australia UK
1 Google tools (GA + GSC) 61% Google tools (GA + GSC) 74%
2 Technical SEO 54% Technical SEO 73%
3 HTML + CSS 52% HTML + CSS 61%
4 On page SEO 43% On page SEO 47%
5 Keyword research 40% Keyword research 32%
6 Link building 25% Link building 25%
7 JavaScript 18% JavaScript 20%
8 Mobile SEO 7% Mobile SEO 14%
9 Ranking factors 6% Local SEO 9%
10 Local SEO 6% Backlink management 6%
The percentage shows
the number of mentions
of a particular skill in the total
number of SEO job offers.
6

7. Most Desirable
SEO Skills in 2019
Being a great SEO specialist requires a wide range
of skills. All the mentioned skills are important for
an efficient SEO manager, but it is especially crucial
to be familiar with technical aspects, search engine
algorithms, on page SEO and definitely to be able
to work with tools that provide better performance
of SEO activities.
Analytical skills and knowledge of Google tools like
GA and GSC make an SEO specialist powerful and
help him to keep a finger on the pulse of the most
recent SEO trends.
Search engine algorithms are constantly changing
so it is important to be aware of the technical
aspects of SEO to be able to fix the issues and
achieve perfect visibility of a website. Among these
requirements knowledge of HTML and CSS are
almost obligatory, so do not overlook them.
Among other important technical SEO skills are H1
and meta tags, status codes, XML sitemaps, robots.
txt, and solving crawl issues, which help keep you
ahead of the competition and show great results
during your everyday SEO routine.
7

8. SEO Skills Dynamics
There have been certain changes in employers` requirements for the ideal
SEO candidate.
In 2019 comparing to 2018, the percentage of SEO job offers where keyword
research and on page SEO are required has increased. Technical SEO skills are
still important, but in 2019 there are more requirements for knowledge of the
HTML and CSS elements of technical SEO, so the total share of technical SEO,
HTML and CSS mentions rose to 69% of analyzed jobs.
Technical SEO is a crucial skill for a good SEO specialist, so visit
the SEMrush Academy to take a free technical SEO course
The percentage shows the number of mentions of a particular skill in the total number of SEO job offers.
7%
6%
11%
24%
28%
26%
42%
42%
69%
49%
21%
8%
Technical SEO
Google tools
On page SEO
Keyword research
Mobile SEO
Local SEO
2018 2019
Enroll for free
8

9. SEO Tools
There are many SEO tools on the market that provide easier and more effective
implementation of SEO strategies.
Here are the top 5 most in-demand tools that employers want the ideal candi-
dates to be familiar with. Although depending on the country the ranking of the
tools differs slightly, the top 3 tools on the worldwide English-speaking market
are: SEMrush, Moz and Ahrefs.
USA India Canada UK Australia Total
20% 1% 3% 17% 9% 9%
21% 2% 13% 11% 9% 8%
11% 1% 3% 14% 12% 6%
4% 0% 3% 17% 7% 4%
11% 0% 3% 4% 1% 3%
The percentage shows the number of mentions of a particular skill in the total number of SEO job offers.
9

10. SEO Tools Dynamics
India
In India, the strongest growth was in SEMrush requirements, although
in numbers it is just 1%.
2017 2019
2017 2019
It is interesting to see the dynamics in the required SEO tools.
USA
In the US the percentage of SEO jobs where knowledge of MOZ or SEMrush
is beneficial rose to 21% and 20%, respectively. Other tools also showed an
increase.
The percentage shows the number of mentions of a particular skill in the total number of SEO job offers.
0% 0%
10

11. The percentage shows the number of mentions of a particular skill in the total number of SEO job offers.
Canada
In Canada, a significant growth in Moz popularity was detected.
UK
The SEO jobs market in the UK has demonstrated the growth of the demand
for usage of Majestic, SEMrush and Ahrefs tools.
Australia
In Australia, almost all of the tools in 2019 are much more in demand
than 2 years ago.
2017 2019
2017 2019
2017 2019
0%
13%
6%
17%17%
14%
5%
9%
6%6% 7%
1%
5%
12%
9%9%
11

12. SEO Search Queries, 2019
We decided to explore what people would like to know about SEO using
SEMrush and to identify areas that lack information.
The results show that most questions refer to SEO definitions
and to the ways of doing SEO. So, people wonder what SEO is and how to do
it. Such questions as “How to improve SEO?” and “What is SEO marketing?”
are also in the top-10 list as well.
Keyword Search Volume *
What is SEO 31,500
What does SEO stand for 4,090
What is SEO and how it works 2,890
What is SEO marketing 2,030
How to do SEO 1,541
How to SEO 1,540
What does SEO mean 1,260
How does SEO work 940
How SEO works 861
How to improve SEO 850
* Sum of average monthly search volumes for US, UK, AU, CA, IN
12

13. Search Query Topics, 2019
We have also divided the most popular Google queries about SEO
into several topics.
According to the results, most queries are dedicated to definitions of SEO and
different areas of SEO. Searches for certain SEO skills rank second. The third
most popular group refers to the SEO process, where users wonder how to do
SEO to get better results. Then come educational queries and questions about
jobs and employment. Users want to know how to learn SEO on their own.
Users are also concerned about the prices of SEO and SEO tools.
Topic Search volume *
Definitions of SEO 53,070
SEO skills 19,020
How to do SEO 9,350
SEO education 9,300
SEO jobs 3,190
Prices of SEO 1,600
SEO tools 1,490
* Sum of average monthly search volumes for US, UK, AU, CA, IN
13

14. Key Takeaways
The most important skill for an SEO candidate
in 2019 is the knowledge of Google tools (Google
Analytics and Google Search Console). Around 42%
of the job offers mention these skills as compulsory.
Then, candidates should be familiar with HTML
and CSS (mentioned in around 40% of SEO
vacancies).
It is appreciated if a candidate has a high level
of technical SEO knowledge (31%).
A good SEO specialist has a broad outlook
and should be familiar with on page SEO specifics
(28%) and be good at keyword strategy (24%).
Employers give more attention to special tools that
can facilitate working on SEO strategies. SEMrush,
Moz and Ahrefs are the most popular ones.
Most Google queries are about definitions
of SEO, particular SEO skills and the process
of doing SEO.
14

15. Expert Comments
The skills I consider to be most important as an SEO specialist are very much
centered around technical abilities. We're talking technical SEO primarily, including
some coding of HTML, CSS and Javascript. At a minimum along with proficiency
in a number of essential SEO tools for analysis and troubleshooting using GA
and GSC, and using a quality SEO suite such as SEMrush or Majestic. Continuous
learning is important, and then it's through gaining real-life SEO experience
that these skills really become a career-building asset.
Peter Mead
WordPress SEO Consultant
at Peter Mead iT
15

16. It's not surprising to see that analytical skills are the most requested in the industry.
As an in-house SEO, most of the time you’ll face senior stakeholders that struggle
to make sense of digital. They’ll need robust reporting and a little hand holding
to get things done. In our experience, agencies tend to be used for search
strategy, sounding boards or to do heavy lifting in specialised areas, such
as link building and digital PR. So it makes sense that the most sought-after
skills are technically led.
When interviewing candidates, we recommend putting them through a technical
test and a stress test. That way, we can see what their thinking and comprehension
is like when they encounter a problem that has multiple outcomes. We often find
that the fact that someone knows how to work a crawler or run reporting in GA
doesn't necessarily mean they have the deductive skills to make sense of the
data and turn it into actionable insights for their wider team.
Ross Tavendale
Managing Director
at Type A Media
16

17. SEMrush Academy gives marketers all over the world free access
to digital marketing knowledge and helps SEMrush clients and partners
become confident users and enjoy the SEMrush experience.
SMM
Fundamentals
Course with
Neal Schaffer
SEO
Fundamentals
Course with
Greg Gifford
Technical
SEO
Course with
Bastian Grimm
PPC
Fundamentals
Course with
Joel Bondorowsky
Study at SEMrush Academy
Courses and Exams
Explore Topics and Skills
150K
Students
20K
Certified Users
10
Courses
3
Languages
16
Exams
SEO Advertising Social
Media
Content
Marketing
SEMrush
Tools
Explore Academy
17

18. SEMrush
SEO Toolkit Course
Learn how to boost
SEO with SEMrush
tools and get tips from
practicing SEO experts
SEO
Fundamentals
Exam
Assess your mastery
of the essentials
of SEO and earn
your certificate
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Toolkit Exam
Test your knowledge
of SEMrush tools used
in SEO and get certified
Technical SEO
Course featuring
Bastian Grimm
Gain a deeper
understanding
of technical SEO
Technical SEO
Exam
Put your technical
SEO knowledge
to the test
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Fundamentals
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