Scope of SEO as Career in India: For the SEO by the SEO

Note: I wrote this post in August 2013 on my blog My Life My Ways. Today on 10th September 2017, while doing the content rationalization, I decided to update this post with latest information. Hope this post helps you in making the right career decision.

But why should you go ahead and read this post? You have all the rights to ask this question. What are my credentials that assure you that I am the right person to take SEO career advise from?

So here you go:

I am passionately working in SEO for more than 8 years. I started as SEO Executive in a 5 seater company and saw many ups and downs in professional life. In fact when I started career in SEO, people in India weren’t aware of SEO as profession. Let alone considering SEO as a recognized career option.

One relative to me (It was in 2009):

So you finally got the job.. what’s your designation?

Me: SEO

Relative: Senior Executive Officer? Not bad!

Me: No, Search Engine Otimizer!

Relative: Ehh, what’s that… 

And that’s how it started. 

In the beginning I worked with digital marketing agencies that used to take outsourced projects from First World countries. And in 2011, e-commerce wave hit the Indian market.

I got hired as the founding team member in SEO Team at Jabong.com. I worked there for almost three and a half years. This is when my career started taking a shape. I got an in-depth understanding of how search works, what are the areas to work in SEO etc.

Later I moved to IGP.com and then Heads Up For Tails. In between I offered SEO consultation to Indian and UAE clients.

I believe my experience in SEO may give you some insights on the scope of Search Engine Optimization as career.

Before I write further, some pointers on why you should not join SEO? 

You should definitely not join SEO if:

• You are not willing to stay hungry. Because things change overnight here.
• You don’t like challenges & experiment. In short you like to have a work-life balance by doing work only 9 AM – 5 PM.
• If you want to join only because it’s a hot career option these days

I keep on receiving many questions from youngsters and so here I am collating those all and am trying to answer with best of my knowledge:

Is SEO a recognized career option?

I think after Digital India campaign wave, no further validation is required.

And B-Schools like XLRI, MDI and even IIMs are offering courses in Digital Marketing which makes it a legitimate professional sector.

Which companies offer jobs in SEO?

There are digital marketing agencies and also Internet companies (mostly startups) where SEO can be a big revenue generation channel. These companies offer jobs SEO.

But huge and established MNCs usually offer Digital Marketing jobs that involve understanding of more than one Online channel.

Digital Marketing Institutes are offering courses and certifications in SEO? Should I do a SEO / Digital Marketing course?

No. Please don’t waste money on these courses.

In most of the institutes the courses are designed in a very schoolish manner and they hire average industry SEOs to deliver lectures. Because industry experts are expensive.

Also if they say, they offer hands-on experience, you will land up paying for doing a job for them. Trust me.

One more thing, from my personal experience of hiring in last 5 years, I have never hired someone on the basis of such certifications.

Since you say No to joining Digital Marketing Courses, how do I learn SEO? I am a fresher.

Do internship at a start up, a good start up in the niche of your interest. Choose lifestyle, sports, technology, mobile, apps or any niche of your choice.

Go all out to find a startup of your choice, work only for coffee and goodies or even low stipends if needed (much better than joining institutes and paying hefty fees).

Try Internshala.com to find out a gig of your choice.

Skill set that help you get into SEO field easily

• Understanding of HTML
• Proficiency in MS Office
• Good Communication & Written English
• Social media & Internet Freak
• Basic understanding of how search works
• Good analytical skills

I am working as SEO for a few months now… When is the right time to switch my company?

There is no right time but right reasons to switch job.

Read my article ‘How frequent job switches helped me fastrack my career’

Note: In 5 years of hiring people, I personally have never rejected anyone only because he did job hopping frequently. 

How do I grow my career in SEO?

The craziest thing about SEO is it is always changing. Google makes two changes on an average in its Algorithms daily.

While the process of SEO seems easy, the thought process behind strategizing SEO, Content, Technicalities are a bit complex. So here are few things that I do all the time to remain updated and keep growing.

• Stay updated. Read SEO blogs.
• Follow leading Online Marketers & SEOs on Twitter. Sometimes 160 characters by them make you learn the most.
• Join SEO Forums. Ask questions and your confusions. (He who asks a question may be a fool for five minutes; he who asks no questions stays a fool forever.)
• One important thing: Always focus on “task ROI (Return on Investment)”. During the initial days of SEO job, you may be assigned submission tasks. Always try to find out why am I doing this task? How this task will help in SEO?
• Get involved: Read blogs, leave meaningful comments, ask queries. Increase your visibility online by building your own blog and sharing your day to day learning in SEO or in life. I created My Life My Ways in the initial days of my job (running this blog for more than 7 years now). At that time I was extremely bad in articulating a few sentences, let alone writing a 1000 words article. But my objective was to understand CMS (Content management System) and gradually I started articulating better.
• Own at least one domain and experiment a lot with it. There are chances that you don’t get access to Google Webmaster Tools and Google Analytics for your client’s websites. But this can’t stop you from learning the basics of these tools. Implement these tools on your own blog or website. Monitor and learn.
• Always remember, SEO is a marketing channel. So try to align the business goals of a website with your SEO strategy.
• To move up the ladder, develop softer aspects in life.. leadership skills, management skills, communication skills to name a few!
• If your background is marketing and advertising… Pay attention to technical know-how. Learn HTML, read a lot related to IT issues on websites, SEO-Friendly Website Structure etc.
• If your background is engineering… Pay attention to align the SEO goals with business goals of the website, read more about business metrics, and analytics etc.

SEO Salaries in India

It only grows with the skillset. Keep polishing yourself and sky is the limit. I don’t want to define salary brackets, designations according to experience. Because I have given and been given the best offers without looking at the previous salaries/experiences. Believe in yourself.

How did I start as SEO?

Engineers and MBA Professionals were having a gala time working in MNCs till recession hit the market in 2009. The same year when I passed out as Engineer!

Though I got one on campus placement and offer letter but never received a joining letter. While I was at home after completing Engineering, disappointed with no idea of ‘What Next’, I got a call from a small web company in my hometown. They wanted to hire me as a SEO Executive.

Instead of hunting for job in IT, I decided to accept what destiny threw at me. This was the most adhoc decision in life and it proved to be the best career decision later. I realized I wasn’t made for a monotonous coding job. Besides being in SEO now has given me an early mover advantage too.

Here are few industry veterans sharing their SEO career experiences:

Chetan Saxena (Business Head-Internet Marketing at Ishir Digital)

“During initial years, SEO Industry was perceived as a safe and easy career choice to be associated with; while not possessing a special degree or skill set. With little knowledge of HTML & average study of the subject, a simple graduate could pass off as a successful SEO.

Come 2012 & 2013 and there were Hiroshima and Nagasaki like massive blow outs from Google on so-far-easy-sailing-happy-go-lucky-SEO-world. The nerve- racking updates from Search Engine gave exciting yet challenging opportunities to the ones who believed in intelligent work and natural growth of the websites. The recent trend suggests that the professionals/Tech graduates/MBAs have started to show serious interest in this area. With convergence of social platforms into the mix, the game has become more interesting and non-monotonic.

Currently SEO/SEM has not only emerged as one of the preferred career choices but also have made inroads as a part of curriculum in some MBA colleges.

With that said, SEO is a rapidly changing game and keeping in with its pace, tomorrow there will be survival of the fittest.”

Rakesh Bijewar (Head of Search-ONS Interactive Solutions Pvt. Ltd)

“SEO is now a well-recognized career. As an agency, when we hire a fresher, the skillset we look for include computer literacy, basic knowledge of HTML and search engines. Besides pleasant personality with good communication skills on voice, email and chat is an additional advantage.

When we hire an experienced SEO, we look for his analytical ability, his technical knowledge of SEO Process, project management skills as well as communication for client servicing.

Google has almost killed traditional SEO techniques. So it’s very important to keep yourself updated. For advancement in career, the knowledge ofAnalytics, SEM, SMO along with SEO is crucial.

Pankaj Chauhan (Associate Director – Organic Search, Autoportal.com)

“India is witnessing a fast adoption of internet for marketing. Companies are now relying on Internet Advertising & Marketing Tactics to get business. As per a report from IAMAI, spends on digital media have steadily increased from just over 1% of total Indian advertising spend in the year 2005 to nearly 7% in 2012.

In India, not many people are doing well when it comes to Digital Marketing as a career. There is a huge potential for new professionals to establish themselves as Indian Internet Marketing Specialists.”   

Final Words

I hope this article made a few points clear about SEO as career in India in 2017. But if you more questions, please feel free to ask in comments. I will try to answer. You may also write to me on LinkedIn.