How to become a SEO specialist

There are many internet marketing resources out there that give out tips and pointers about increasing your website's rankings and traffic, getting back links, optimizing a PPC campaign, etc. Just do a Google search for "SEO" or "How to get my website ranked in Google" and you will get millions of results. Unfortunately, when you try a search for "How to become an SEO specialist?" you only get websites that offer help in finding a specialist or job postings. There are no resources for those who are wondering how to actually become an SEO engineer. Here are some pointers that I think will be helpful in actually becoming a professional Search Engine Optimization (SEO) specialist.

No matter if you want to be a freelance SEO or work for an agency, you will need to first prove (to a prospective client or employer) that you have some knowledge of the Internet Marketing field and show some results in getting websites ranked in Google and other search engines, so lets get started:

1. Learn the Basics of SEO

This step should be relatively easy. There are many sources out there that will explain what exactly SEO is and what activities are involved. If you prefer books, you can look up some kind of SEO book, like "SEO 101" or some such, but as I said, all this information is available online. Feel free to read up about the subject on my blog, the SEO and Web Design Guide. To learn the search engine optimization essentials, make sure to read on my article entitled: "Improve Google rankings of your website."

Start a SEO Website

Whether to a prospective client or an employer, you will have to prove that you have some knowledge and experience in the field and what better way to do that if not starting an SEO themed website? Don't create the website ad hoc - go through the actual Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) of the website. Start with the planning phase and have the whole concept ready before you start the design and coding parts. I'm a firm believer that to work in internet marketing you should manage at least one website from grounds up - from design and content writing to SEO and PPC.

Get Ranked

Use your newly acquired knowledge to optimize your website - remember to write lots of quality content and get some good inbound links - submit a press release or two. Do your keyword research and decide what phrases to target. Don't shoot for the stars right at first, pick something that you can achieve relatively quickly just to show some results for your efforts. Target your geographical area. Good keyword examples would be "New York SEO Service", "Detroit SEO Consultant" or "Florida SEO Freelancer" for instance - Chicago SEO in my case.

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