What is SEM and What Does an SEM Specialist Do?

If you are fascinated by the workings of the search engine that decide which pages show up first in the search results and which pages get pushed down, the job of a Search Engine Marketing (SEM) specialist is the right one for you.

                           

In fact, as more and more businesses are moving online and competing for the larger share of user attention and website traffic, they are on the hunt for SEM specialists that can be a value addition to their digital marketing team.

Before diving into an overview of the roles and responsibilities for this job title, let us first understand the meaning and purpose of SEM.

What is Search Engine Marketing?

SEM is nothing but the practice of increasing the visbility of your website or brands on search engines such as Google, Bing, Yahoo and so on. SEM encompasses different methods including organic ones such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and paid ones such as Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising. 

Who is an SEM specialist?

An SEM specialist is a person who puts their knowledge of how search engines pull up results to work on behalf of their organization. Their aim is to ensure that when the organization's target audience searches for specific keywords or queries, their website or relevant web page/blog will rank as high as possible. The higher the page ranks, the more probable it is for the user to click on it, get engaged and progress towards conversion.

The overall daily responsibilities of an SEM specialist include -

• Research and keep up-to-date on the latest trends and search engine algorithm updates to make sure your strategy is on the right track

•Target and test new keywords that are relevant to your niche and target audience

• Work on the website's overall SEO strategy including keywords, analyzing content, technical SEO and making changes whenever required

• Set up and manage PPC campaigns

•  Analyze website performance through online analysis tools for different statistics such as website traffic, traffic source, etc., and modifying strategy based on the metrics

Education and skills required to become an SEM specialist

While the requirements will depend upon the organization you are applying to, here is an overview of the common skills and educational requirements for the job -

• A bachelor's degree

• One or more years of relevant experience

•  Good communication skills

• Basic understanding of SEO and PPC

•  Basic knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript

•  Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

TSL Consulting Pvt Ltd is an integrated marketing company based in India. We offer customized outbound marketing, inbound marketing, digital marketing and data profiling services to a wide spectrum of small and mid-sized organizations.