Oh, there are tons of jobs out there for people who are computer savvy and just can’t get enough of life out there in cyberspace. This article is about one of them.
The topic is consulting and, more specifically, SEO (search engine optimization) consulting. The powers that be are touting consulting jobs as the hot new ticket for today’s business-minded professional. The predictions and current trends show consulting jobs expanding to every niche imaginable, with the outlook being quite positive. If that’s the case, then the market for Internet-based consulting jobs is going to grow exponentially.
SEO Consulting could be your future- and it could be an exceptionally bright future. If your interest is piqued then you might consider this area of consulting in a little more depth…
The Test…Are you SEO Consultant Material?
Are you one of those people who just can’t stop surfing the Net no matter what you have lined up on your schedule to do? Do you spend countless hours online looking up interesting trivia and reading about the latest technology and tech terminology regarding the Internet?
Do you stay up late, night after night, reading your friends’ tweets, while posting your status on Facebook, or crowdsourcing the juice on the latest episode of your favorite show that you forgot to TiVo and don’t have time to watch on Hulu?
Do you annoyingly, and repeatedly, have to check your credit card bill against the multitude of under $5 charges for various app downloads to your iPhone or BlackBerry because you’ve lost track of them all?
Did you spend the better part of your college years listening to your professor’s podcast versions of the lecture, only showing up for the midterm and final because you didn’t have the time or patience to actually attend those crowded lecture halls in ‘meatspace’ (Real Life, or “RL”)?
And finally, are you one of those people who can succinctly and confidently explain the difference between cyberspace, the Internet and the World Wide Web (no, they are not really synonymous)?
If you’ve answered yes, or wished you could have answered yes, to even one of the above questions, then keep reading…
* Are you together, organized, and a self-starter?
* Do you have great verbal and written communication skills?
* Do you enjoy “running the show”, so to speak, but you’ve always been told you’re personable and not pushy?
* Have you always wanted to make a living doing something fun and forward thinking?
* Might you be the type of person who would like to own your own business?
If you’ve answered yes to at least one question from the first group and two or more from the second group then guess what? You just might make a great SEO Consultant!
SEO Consulting Defined
There is a lot to understand about Search Engine Optimization (SEO); you will have a wealth of information to learn on the topic if you choose to emerge into this niche. In its simplest form, however, the term refers to the process of designing and creating or editing web pages and web content so that it naturally ranks higher up on a given list of web results when it is searched for by an Internet user.
It is the act of attempting, through unpaid or “natural” techniques, to improve the web presence or visibility of the desired data, relative to other like-data, through the use of Search Engines. A basic example of this is writing content that has a higher combination of words or phrases on a certain subject. A search engine will typically detect and place higher in the search results, the page that has the most of the relevant word/s or phrases in it.
This is really a niche form of marketing; some marketing companies offer SEO services, but it is complex and in-demand enough to have evolved into its own stand-alone profession in recent years.
SEO can also stand for Search Engine Optimizers, which refers to the individuals or groups/companies whom perform SEO tasks for clients.
Getting Into SEO Consulting as a Profession
If you would like to try your hand at SEO Consulting, here are a few suggestions to use as starting points.
1. Learn all that you can about the concept and techniques of SEO. Read everything you can get your hands on, take some courses, and talk to others who are already managing SEO practices. You should also learn about Internet graphics, as these are also being used to increase online visibility.
2. Find some mentors and people who are already working in this niche. Develop business relationships and learn from them. Observe and practice. Get into partnerships (in an informal sense) and network with others who are working in related Internet jobs and offer to develop pro-bono SEO documents for practice. Non-profit companies and groups like schools, etc., are great places for this opportunity. They will really appreciate your help; you can gain valuable experience and references at the same time!
3. Experiment with your own website. Try to design one that will show up at the top of major search engine results pages like Yahoo, Google, etc.
4. Join clubs and organizations related to SEO. SEMPO (Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization) is a great resource to start with.
5. Prepare a simple portfolio and samples to show potential new clients. You can start with family, friends and associates at first and proceed from there.
SEO Consulting just might be career you were always meant to have! If you really work at it, you have the potential to develop an extremely lucrative business, with growth potential limited only by the boundaries that you set for yourself!
Remember, this is a fairly recent and emerging niche market that is highly competitive and multi-faceted. The better informed you can become in the science and art of search engine optimization, the better your chances of success!
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