The Essential Role of an SEO Specialist: Driving Organic Traffic and Conversions

In 2014, Moz conducted a study to find out that just 5.59% of people visit the second page of the search engine. 

Well, skip to a decade later, and the number dips down even further. Today, a study by Backlinko has found that only 0.44% of users get to the second page of search engines. 

If you want to get noticed, you need to be on the first page (and, preferably, one of the few top rankings). 

An SEO specialist can help you achieve this. They understand the ins and outs of how search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing work.

They also know:

  • How the search algorithm works
  • What to do to get noticed by search engines
  • How to undertake the task

You’re on the right page if you’re wondering what an SEO specialist is (and how they help improve your rankings). Dig in to learn more about what they do, how to hire them, and what you get from working with them. 

What, exactly, is an SEO specialist?

An SEO specialist is someone who understands how search engine algorithms work. They also know how to use them in your favor to improve search engine rankings.

That is, they need to grasp things like:

  • Algorithm updates
  • Keyword research
  • Technical SEO
  • Content audits
  • On-page SEO
  • Search intent
  • Link building

Their main gain? To help you optimize your online presence. 

Note: Some folks also refer to SEO specialists as SEO strategists, pros, experts, professionals, or simply SEOs.

Examples of successful SEO experts

#1: Jeremy Moser

Jeremy Moser (website picture).

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Not to be biased here, but one example of a successful SEO expert is Jeremy Moser. He’s helped out enterprise companies like CrowdStrike, Binance, Robinhood, ActiveCampaign, and many more. 

He’s also featured in Forbes (in the “30 under 30” section for the marketing and advertising niche). To top it off, he leads an SEO agency – uSERP (the site where you’re currently reading this content).

#2: Aleyda Solis

Aleyda Solis (website image)

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Aleyda Solis, the genius behind SEOFOMO and LearningSEO.io. These are two must-have resources for anyone looking to level up their SEO game.

But those are not the only things that make Aleyda an integral part of the SEO community. She’s led community-wide discussions through her speeches. Some of the most prominent include at BrightonSEO, Mozcon, SearchLove, and other conferences. 

Not to mention, just like Jermey, she’s been featured by Forbes, too.

#3: Neil Patel

Neil Patel headshot

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While most folks seem to have a love-hate relationship with Neil Patel, you can’t deny his contributions to the SEO world.

He’s especially renowned for simplifying SEO concepts for small businesses (and the general public). He also hosts free and paid resources like Answer The Public and Ubersuggest. 

What do SEO specialists do?

Over the top of the hat, here are a few key job responsibilities SEOs have to undertake:

Keeping up with search algorithm updates

Major search engines like Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, etc., keep revising their search algorithm. The goal? Provide a positive user experience. 

This also means that each time Google revises/updates its algorithm, it changes how sites rank. It also changes which factors it considers. For this same reason, SEO experts need to keep up with algorithm updates.

Conducting site-wide content audits

More often than not, when you’re trying to rank for a site, you need to consider other elements. Some examples include domain rating, 404 error pages, user intent, and content quality. That said, professionals perform SEO website audits.

SEMrush SEO audit checklist

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Managing clients (and their expectations)

SEO knowledge isn’t enough to become a successful SEO expert. You need to supplement SEO skills with industry connections and clear communication. Let’s not forget managing deadlines and expectations while collaborating with others.

For example, SEO experts often collaborate with digital marketing agencies or link-building companies to create better SEO campaigns for the client. 

Being familiar with all levels of SEO

The best SEO professionals have both the technical skills and the practical experience to back it up. They’re also familiar with on-page SEO, off-page SEO, content strategy, UX, and CRO (conversion rate optimization). 

On-page SEO vs. Off-page SEO difference

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Optimizing content with SEO best practices

All SEO experts need to leverage their theoretical knowledge and put it to work for search engine optimization. 

That’s to say, they need to optimize each piece of content (regardless of whether it’s written, visual, or audio content) with SEO best practices, such as adding relevant keywords, improving structure, integrating links, incorporating schema markup, etc., to improve its search ranking.

Having a knack for marketing

Since SEO is a big part of the content marketing strategy in any organization, it makes sense for SEO strategists to have some level of understanding of how marketing works and how specific components impact the efforts and results. 

Understanding of how SEO tools work

To conduct site audits and keyword research, experts also need to be familiar with analytics tools and SEO tools. These include Google Analytics, Google Ads, Ahrefs, Semrush, Frase, etc. 

Jeremy Moser LinkedIn post about Link Whisper

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How and where to hire SEO specialists from?

Ideally, we’d recommend you check in with your industry circle and ask for recommendations from top SEO professionals. Here are all the places where you can hire SEO specialists:

Social Media

Social media platforms like LinkedIn, Reddit, X (Twitter), etc., are all great ways to find SEO specialists. All you need to do is look up key keywords and filter out your search. 

How to filter your search on LinkedIn

Image provided by the author

Marketplaces

If social media platforms are not working out well for you then you can always rely on marketplaces like Upwork, PeoplePerHour, ProBlogger, etc., to connect with freelancers and understand their packages and pricing. 

Search Engines

Look up queries like “SEO specialists in [Location]” or “Top SEO specialists” on any search engine (Google or Bing for example). You’ll find plenty of options to choose from. 

Digital Marketing Agencies

Most digital marketing agencies offer SEO optimization as a standalone service or as part of their overall package. You can always contact these agencies to discern their offer, results, and price. 

For example, uSERP also acts as a content marketing agency and offers content optimization, keyword research, and SEO content writing as a part of its service package. 

uSERP services

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What kind of background and experience do SEO professionals need to have?

While not having it may not act as a barrier to entry, it’s ideal that SEOs have an educational background in marketing, journalism, communications, etc. 

This is because all these courses provide a foundational understanding of market research, consumer behavior, and content strategy.

That said, to crack it as an SEO professional, you will need to have:

  • Technical skills (understanding of search engines, coding languages, SEO strategy, keyword research, etc.) and
  • Soft skills (know-how of collaborating with team members from the same/different organizations and managing client expectations). 
Jeremy Moser LinkedIn page (educational experience)

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What makes the job of an SEO important?

In the current business atmosphere, knowledge is currency, content is vital, and spots on search engines are primary real estate. And just like you need a real estate agent to secure you a home in an ideal location, you need an SEO pro to ensure you the top search rankings with the help of currency (knowledge) and key (content). 

Metaphors aside, if we’re looking at real-world results, here’s what a good SEO consultant can help you achieve:

  • Advanced marketing strategies with a long-term growth plan
  • Carve a place for yourself in a crowded market
  • Build credibility and gain audience trust 
  • Increase brand awareness
  • Improve user experience
  • Boost website traffic 
  • Access more leads

How much do you need to pay an SEO strategist?

The pricing for SEO strategists will be highly variable depending on their experience, trust, and, quite possibly, location. You’ll also have to consider the industry you’re in and the complexity/scope of the project in the final pricing. 

Having said that, SalaryExpert prices the average hourly rate of SEO experts at $35. However, this data accounts for what it costs to hire an SEO expert in-house, so you’ll have to consider other factors of employee expenditure, such as health insurance, training, retirement account, office equipment, etc.

If you’re looking to hire a freelancer instead of an in-house expert, you can expect to pay them anywhere between $75-$150 an hour, according to SurferSEO. Agency pricing is a whole different ball game, and you’ll often find bundled packages from agencies that can help improve your SEO needs.  

For reference, if you wish to grow your search engine rankings with uSERP, you can expect to pay:

  • Anywhere between $3,000-$10,000 per month for SEO consultation, including content and technical audits, content strategy development, gap analysis, creation of content briefs, etc. 
  • Anywhere between $10,500-$25,000 per month for link building and full SEO strategy, including placements of links in high-authority and relevant sites, full content cluster planning, content and cannibalization audits, strategy tracking, SEO check-in calls, etc.  
  • Anywhere between $8,400-$19,550 for content writing services, including keyword research and optimization, content production, free revisions, strategy tracking, and content strategy consultation. 

How to become an SEO pro?

To become an SEO pro, you’ll need to have some foundational understanding of SEO concepts. To achieve this, Jeremy Moser recommends enrolling in expert-backed SEO courses. 

To get started, you can enroll in Jeremy’s free SEO training, where he breaks down the strategy his company, uSERP, undertook to grow Monday.com’s traffic by 1,570%. He’s also published some in-depth guides about SEO concepts that you could benefit from. 

Jeremy Moser SEO guides

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Alternatively, there are plenty of other free expert-backed SEO courses you can enroll in, such as:

  • Coursera’s Google SEO Fundamentals with Rebekah May
  • Ahrefs’ SEO Course for Beginners with Sam Oh
  • Semrush’s SEO Crash Course with Brian Dean
  • Semrush’s Local SEO Course with Greg Gifford

Jeremy also recommends supplementing these courses with other training to improve your communication skills, soft skills, understanding of technical SEO concepts, etc. 

At the same time, he suggests working with digital marketing agencies to understand how they apply SEO concepts to achieve desirable customer results. If that’s not possible, he says building your own website from scratch and using SEO best practices there ought to do the trick as well and give you hands-on experience.

The future scope of the SEO industry (and the role of SEO specialists)

Many experts suggest that the role of SEO specialists is quite likely to change in the coming years. Heck, we’re seeing changes in real-time where SEOs have had to adapt to new search engine algorithm updates, the introduction of generative AI, and the prominence of tools like Co-Pilot and AI Overviews. 

Since many users are now shifting to using social media platforms to look up queries and find brands, and since many brands are now looking to get showcased within Co-Pilot and AI Overviews results, Jeremey predicts the role of SEO specialists will have to shift with these demands in consideration. 

He also believes that while we’re seeing these oncoming shifts, the way SEO works today will not change entirely. (That’s to say, you’ll still see brands investing in the same channels for at least another few years and also benefitting from the investments they’ve made into their existing SEO strategy and content marketing activities.) 

Wrapping up 

In this piece, we uncovered the essential know-hows of SEO specialists, including their job responsibilities, fees, scope of work, etc. 

This is all technical knowledge. But, if you’d like to see how SEO specialists work in real-life to provide the best experience to their clients and help improve their clients’ bottom line, we’d highly recommend joining hands with uSERP and seeing how its 50+ SEO, content, and strategy team enables you to achieve your goal. 

It’s never too late to invest in SEO. It’s a surefire way to drive organic traffic to your website and convert visitors into retaining customers. Your comptirios aren’t waiting around. And you shouldn’t either. Hiring an SEO specialist is worth every penny.
So, if you’re ready to get started, why not book an intro call? We’ll see you on the other side 🙂

Picture of Juwaria Merchant

Juwaria Merchant

Juwaria is a freelance writer specializing in the fields of SaaS and marketing. Backed with 3+ years of experience, she helps brands build content that adds value to their business. In her free time, you can catch her reading her favorite books or studying the latest trends online.

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