5 Keys to Starting Your Search Engine Marketing Career

Search engine marketing is becoming one of the most popular and interesting careers available. Business owners are finding it necessary to scrimp and save every penny due to the current economic downturn, making search engine marketing one of the most economical ways to generate traffic and sales. And while many business owners are interested in doing search engine marketing themselves, many will find hiring a search engine marketing expert a worthwhile investment given the amount of business that they expect to see in return. So if you’ve been toying with the idea of starting a search engine marketing career, stick to these fives steps:

1. Read. Before you do anything else, educate yourself. The internet is full of valuable information on search engine marketing. Start with industry blogs, website, and forums, which is where you’ll find both great information and successful search engine marketers from whom you can glean much. There are also plenty of books available on pay-per-click marketing, link development, and search engine optimization, but they can’t promise the up-to-date information that you can find on the internet.

2. Listen and Watch. Once you’ve read everything you can get your hands on about search engine marketing, start looking for podcasts, webinars, and videos produced by top companies in the industry. But don’t just stop at these resources. Also look for local events where you can network with others in your area. You may not learn a lot that you didn’t already know, but you’ll definitely make valuable contacts. Attend national events if you really feel like there is valuable information that you can get from them.

3. Get Certified. It isn’t enough simply to know about search engine marketing. You would also be wise to pursue SEM certification. There are many industry certifications available, and each one adds value to your work in a different way. If you want to go in-house and work for a large agency, you should seriously consider formal training. In addition to looking to national organizations for certification, also check out your local community college or four-year university.

4. Meet everyone you can. Networking is one of the greatest keys to search engine marketing success. Social networking sites are a great way to do this, and there are even social networking sites that cater directly to search engine marketing. But the most valuable contacts are those you make face-to-face at local or national events. If you’re looking for a way to connect with local search engine marketing professionals, but there are no scheduled events in your area, conduct an informational interview. You might also consider contacting local marketing trade associations to increase your contact base as well.

5. Apply. You can read, listen, watch, and network all you want, but you’re never going to figure out what you’re made of until you actually put your skills and contacts to work for you. The best way to start out is by creating your own website. If you don’t feel comfortable doing that, get someone in your family or circle of friends to help you out with it in exchange for your services. Once you’ve created your website, contact local companies and offer your services to them for a small fee. Then they’ll be able to recommend you to other potential employers. Continue to expand your portfolio any way you can.

The more quickly and closely you follow these steps, the more quickly and successfully your search engine marketing career will get off the ground. If you’re still unsure about how to get your career going, contact a local SEO expert or internet marketing professional and pick his or her brain about the next steps. You’ll be glad you did!

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5 Keys to Starting Your Search Engine Marketing Career

5 Keys to Starting Your Search Engine Marketing Career