A job or career in SEO or search engine optimisation is a career path that is constantly shifting. Increasingly companies and individuals who have great web sites are looking to get their site noticed by the big search engines and directories. Ranking for relevant keywords and phrases will ensure that a captive audience interested in your product or services will visit your site.

A Career in SEO

Search engine optimisation requires that a SEO keeps uptodate with changes in the search engine world. All too frequently methods that drive traffic one day will fail the next.

Generating Traffic

A SEO professional will build their reputation on the rankings that they achieve for clients. A good SEO will not over optimise, while this may bring short term gain it could also be at the expense of a search engine penalty further down the line. Search engines like to reward good content but prefer not to be over manipulated.

SEO Potential

A career in SEO can be extremely lucrative and not surprisingly, given the potential revenue that a top ranked term in Google or Yahoo can provide. Subsequently good SEO's are in high demand.

Understanding SEO

Employers also need to understand SEO, recognise that traffic CAN fall off without due cause or reason and that gaining search engine traffic should only be a part of a much wider marketing strategy.

Part of a Wider Team

 A good SEO professional will be able to offer this advice constructively and liase with other members of the marketing team, for example the pay per click agency in order to generate the most traffic with the least risk.

Reputable UK SEO Firms

The thing with SEO is that anyone can claim to be one, it is one of those jobs where ability is really measured in terms of what you accomplish, it really is that simple. It is no half truth to say that there are affiliates out there and even school kids who have optimisation skills that big multi national companies often lack. All the degrees in the world matters very little in the SEO world, what matters is rankings, longevity, traffic and revenue.

That said there are some firms that can really help you and using a limited company may cost more but can carry the advantage of guarantees and cast iron deliverables. Some UK SEO firms include:

BigMouth Media
The Latitudegroup

Always ask a SEO firm some basic questions, make sure you understand the difference between white hat and black hat techniques and establish what happens should a search engine remove or penalise your sites.

Enquire about short term traffic options like Pay Per Click, the industry moves at a pace so do not be afraid to ask questions.

Related - Our List of Top SEO Firms
Related - Our List of Top Pay Per Click Firms