Of course, the idea of learning any new craft is daunting. For many looking in from the outside, SEO can seem like some Hogwarts-level digital wizardry. However, in an ever-changing world of Google updates and advancing AI, even OG SEOs will tell you they are always learning.
But with an abundance of blogs, Youtube channels, and courses out there dedicated to sharing SEO knowledge, it can be challenging to know what SEO experience you really need to get started with a career in search.
In this article, we’ll look at which essential SEO skills and knowledge you need to develop and how to build an SEO portfolio and gain SEO experience.
This is one of the biggest mistakes new businesses make. Many do not understand the need or importance of keyword research, and this is part of the reason why studies show that 90.63% of pages on the internet get no traffic from Google.
Some different aspects of keyword research include:
- Finding seed keywords
- Considering long-tail and short-tail keywords
- Keyword analysis
- Keyword mapping
- Keyword clustering
- Using keyword research tools
Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer is a great place to start gaining experience performing keyword research. It can help you with finding long-tail keywords, keyword mapping, clustering, and more.
On-page optimization
I can’t stress enough how important gaining experience in on-page SEO is. For things like technical or off-page SEO, it’s common to have a specialist handle them. But if you want to work in the SEO field, you must have a clear understanding of what on-page is and how it works.
On-page SEO is optimizing your website’s pages to achieve higher rankings in the search engine results pages (SERPs).
On-page optimization allows you to work on aspects of a website you can control. Sometimes, even small, basic changes can make a huge difference in a website’s rankings.
When done well, on-page optimization can assist Google in understanding your content, how pages relate to one another, and how your pages connect to individual search queries.
Common on-page optimizations include:
- Writing high-quality, helpful content that includes relevant keywords.
- Using an H1 tag for your page title.
- Using cascading headings (H2–H6) throughout your content.
- Writing compelling title tags.
- Writing meta descriptions that meet search intent.
- Using SEO-friendly URLs.
- Optimizing images.
- Including internal and external links.
- Optimizing for featured snippets.
- Using structured data to get rich snippets.
Off-page optimization
Unlike on-page, off-page optimization focuses on aspects that you cannot control on your own site but can still influence your rankings on the SERPs. This mainly consists of link building and brand marketing.
When determining which queries you should rank for and where on the SERPs, Google considers external factors, such as backlinks.
Popular off-page techniques include:
- Competitor link building.
- Guest posting.
- Resource page link building.
- Digital PR techniques.
- Using quoting platforms like HARO.
- Being featured on industry-relevant podcasts.
These techniques can help influence your rankings on the SERPs by promoting topical relevance and perceived authority with search engines.
If you’re interested in learning more about off-page SEO and, in particular, link building, check out our free advanced link building course.
Technical SEO
Technical SEO is the process of making technical improvements to your website to ensure search engines can find, crawl, and index it.
Technical SEO is incredibly important. Ensuring your website is technically sound is a core foundation of SEO.
When it comes to gaining SEO experience, you wouldn’t expect to perform advanced technical tasks as a newbie. But ensuring your website can be indexed, for example, means your website can even appear on the SERPs in the first place.
So even though you may not want to be a technical specialist, it’s important to at least understand what the different aspects of technical SEO are and how they affect your website.
Some common technical SEO elements include:
- Crawling and indexing
- Website architecture
- Robots.txt
- Sitemaps
- Canonical tags
- Hreflang tags
- Core Web Vitals
- Schema markup
Learn how to use essential SEO tools
There are several essential tools that every SEO needs to get to grips with, including Google Analytics and Google Search Console. Understanding how these tools work and how to use them means you can properly evaluate your website’s SEO performance.
However, some additional tools can be added to your stack to assist you with your day-to-day SEO duties, helping you work smarter, not harder.
Many tools can significantly cut down the time needed to do specific tasks, leaving you more time to focus on the areas that need your skills and expertise. Tools can also help to set up automated tasks.
Using a tool like Ahrefs’ Site Audit means you can set up automated weekly or monthly website audits. This can be incredibly helpful in alerting you if something has gone wrong somewhere on your site and then prompt you to take an in-depth look at the issue when alerted.
Here are some examples of tools you may want to include in your stack:
- Website auditing tool
- Keyword research tool
- Content optimization tools
- Rank tracking tool
Is there a personal trainer at your gym who needs a website and can give you some PT sessions in exchange? Or maybe a local dance studio’s website needs on-page optimization and, in return, the studio is willing to give your kids some ballet lessons?
Skill exchanges are a great way to build experience and add to your portfolio. Plus, as the other party is not investing their hard-earned cash, they are more likely to give you a chance even if you have little to no proven experience.
Charity work
Similar to skill exchanges, offering your skills and services as a volunteer to different organizations allows you to build your experience and portfolio.
Websites like Devon Voluntary Action allow you to search for volunteer opportunities based on your skills.
You can also contact charity organizations that could use some SEO assistance. You can simply perform a Google search for charities in your area (or further). With Ahrefs’ SEO Toolbar, it’s easy to see the metrics for each site directly on the SERPs.
This can help you identify which websites could use some additional SEO help to narrow down a list to reach out to.
Internships
There is no better way to gain experience in SEO than actually doing the work. Internships allow you to work on real-world projects while gaining training from a team of experts in some of the biggest, industry-leading companies.
Internships are rarely paid positions. Much like a skill exchange or charity work, they let you build your skills, experience, and knowledge in return for your time.
On-the-job experience
Although working freelance or in-house is probably not an option for SEO newbies, there are some SEO agencies that take junior-level SEOs and offer on-the-job training. Unlike internships, these are paid positions, but you can expect to be at the bottom of the ladder.
This gives you first-hand experience working on multiple websites and the opportunity to learn from seasoned professionals. Many agencies also have career progression opportunities, allowing you to work your way up the ranks as your skills progress.
