Business experience: SEO specialist

Marina Maskalenok, a former medical professional and now a specialist in SEO optimization, shares her experience.

- Marino, everyone has probably heard of SEO, but only experts in this field understand what it means. Tell us, what is your job?

– I am making adjustments.sitefor search engine results and usability improvements. Simply put, I make it more attractive to search engines and user-friendly.

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– How does it work?

– When you enter a word or phrase into the Google search bar and click search, a list of sites that match the query is displayed. An SEO specialist works to ensure that your site is as high as possible in the search results list, and better yet, in the top positions of the first page. That is, first of all, he does everything necessary to ensure that the site is well ranked by search engines. To do this, a structure is created, work is carried out withheadlines, keywords,metatags, The number of external links is increasing.

Secondly – ​​usability. That is, the convenience of the site for the user. Everything is important here – attractive design, logically built navigation system, correctly selected illustrations, scripts, extensions, not too intrusive advertising, page loading speed (it depends on the right choice)hosting) etc. The user should find it easy and convenient to use the site. It is important to work on the elements of recognition: color scheme, memorable logosdomain.

– What is important for an SEO specialist to know and be able to do?

– It is important to understand the principle of how search engines work. If a site meets the criteria of search engines, it rises in the ranking among other similar sites with the same set of keywords.

It is also important to be able to analyze data, understand how marketing works. Knowledge of the basics of HTML and CSS would be a plus. And I would definitely add creativity.

It is also important to understand that SEO optimization is a process that is quitelong, requires hard work, constant monitoring of results and analytics.

- How long have you been in this profession? Why did you decide to change your field of activity?

– I just started my professional career, I've only been working for 3 months. I still had about six months to study. I started thinking about changing my profession a long time ago, I liked working in medicine, but I understood that there were no development prospects for me there. And I also wanted to work remotely, I have two small daughters and I wanted to devote more time and attention to them. 

–Why did you choose this particular professional direction?

– I have long been interested in the IT field, and after learning what it isSEO- I realized that this is what I want to do. 

– Are you happy with your choice? What do you like about your profession?

- Yes, I am delighted and full of enthusiasm,  ready to do what I love not only during working hours, but also in my free time. After "tuning" the site, it is nice to see that it increases its positions in search results and is liked by visitors. The company I work for has already significantly increased its profit. 

– How did your career path begin? Where did you study?

– At first I studied a lot on my own, now there is a lot of useful information on the Internet. But in the end I realized that I needed additional . And I just wanted to discuss the nuances of practical work with a competent specialist. So I went to SEO courses. 

– How did you choose the courses to study?

– The principle of selection was quite simple. Since SEO is website optimization, I looked at the top 3 results in the search engine and chose the course whose website was the best "advanced". 

– What would you advise people who decide to start understanding how SEO optimization works? 

– In fact, it’s simple – watch a few training videos on YouTube, and then open any site and check it for compliance with the necessary criteria. This is quite enough to get acquainted with this field. And then self-study, courses, practice, and gaining experience.

– Was it difficult to find your first job? Where are you looking for clients now?

– While studying on my own, I filled out an application on a job site, went through many interviews, and was rejected at various stages of the selection process. Most likely, no one wanted to hire someone without courses and experience. I found my first serious job even before I finished my SEO courses. A little later, I found a part-time job. 

–What should an SEO specialist be like? What personal qualities would be useful?

– I think that the main thing is attentiveness and the desire to bring everything to perfection. It is important to remember that this is an area in which you need to constantly learn and improve, because technologies are developing. 

– How do you see your further professional development? What are your professional plans?

– Now I am just at the beginning of my journey. I want to improve my profession, gain practical experience in website promotion. At the moment I am taking courses in contextual advertising, because universal specialists are valued in the world. 

- What advice would you give to a beginner SEO specialist?

– I had a difficult period during my studies: my loved ones did not support my desire, did not believe in me. They thought that I would not be able to change my profession. Before that, I worked in medicine for 11 years. 

Therefore, this is my advice: believe in yourself and develop, no matter what!