There are multiple ways to become an SEO consultant, with no single path to get you there. Many who work in this role today had traditional marketing roles before focusing specifically on SEO, but that’s not the only option.

There’s generally no specific background experience for becoming an SEO consultant, with many transitioning into the career from various fields, not only marketing but information technology and business. If you look at job postings for search optimization jobs on LinkedIn and other similar sites, you’ll see many don’t even have requirements for a college degree. Of course, a bachelor’s degree (or higher) in marketing, business, IT, or a related field can help, but the essential requirement is to have SEO skills that are up to date and to be able to demonstrate them as well.

The answer to “How to become an SEO consultant?” isn’t as straightforward as you can see, but these steps are some of the best to help you achieve that goal regardless of your education and background.

Understand the Basics of SEO

Much of what you need to know about SEO can be found online, including the fundamentals of search engine results. There are typically millions of relevant results, and search engines like Google use an algorithm that ranks them based on hundreds of different factors, many of which no one knows or how they’re weighted, but some are well-known. You’ll want to do plenty of research to find out as much as possible by talking to other experts and learning more about why it’s so important, such as in an article by HowStuffWorks.

The main areas to master include keyword research, link building, on-page SEO, and technical SEO. Of course, given the complexities of SEO, an SEO-focused approach like a digital marketing Bootcamp can be a great way to grasp the fundamentals and learn about the tools SEO consultants use in a more structured environment that will provide the most up-to-date instruction. OYou’llneed to know tow searching translates into results, site crawlers, page indexing, and meta descriptions, among others. 

Use SEO Tools

As mentioned, SEO consultants and SEO experts of all types use tools for conducting keywords research and development content, such as Google Analytics and Ahrefs. They’re vital for exploring relevant keywords, ranking factors, and backlinks. They can be used to analyze competitors’ content and SEO too. There are tools for nearly every aspect, like Google PageSpeed Insights for checking page loading times and Moz for auditing audience targeting.

Practice SEO

No matter how many books you read about how to play chess, you’re never going to master it without actually playing. The same is true for SEO – you must get your hands dirty by building your website and practicing SEO. Please choose a topic you’re passionate about, buy a domain and hosting, build a primary site and create content, putting your knowledge so far to work by optimizing it. Build some links and make sure it’s technically sound. You might start an SEO blog and share your experiences with that. Over time, you’ll probably find that sharing your knowledge also helps you learn more about SEO while helping others.

Learn SEO From Others

While you practice, follow the experts for inspiration and to learn how SEO can be applied on a scale. Spend time analyzing their SEO practices – those who’ve been there and have the expertise and confidence to experiment and try new things that can help you discover the latest and most excellent way to tackle it.