Search Marketing Specialist [Certified]

Certified Search Marketing Specialist

During this search marketing specialist SEO course, I learned that SEO is continually evolving and how to best optimise websites for improved visibility in the search engines which will result in more traffic (assuming you’re targeting the correct search intent) and more leads or sales. As Google refines its search engine algorithms updates like Panda (site quality) and Penguin (link quality) change the rules of SEO.

Being a search marketing specialist means you are skilled at getting a website ranked in the search engines.  Getting ranked (and staying ranked) means your website needs to meet a ‘quality standard’ and needs to get links from other websites that are both relevant and meet the required ‘quality standards’ themselves.  A search marketing specialist will be able to advise on a search strategy that will both improve the quality of the website and help it to acquire more backlinks.

In addition to developing a search marketing strategy, a search marketing specialist will be able to implement the changes necessary for improved visibility in the search engine results page.

During this Search Marketing Course, I refined my knowledge on how to develop a comprehensive organic traffic strategy that will stand the test of time.

Search Marketing Course Content

In this introductory lesson, I learned more about how search marketing has evolved, the three big players in search marketing and how Intent Based Search Optimisation (IBSO) is the new normal in the search marketing field.

• The State of Search
• The 3 Players
• Discoverability and Availability
• What Are Search Queries?
• Search Marketing Goals
• Introduction To Earned Media and Link Building
• Introduction To UXO and RXO
• Intent-Based Search Optimisation (ISBO)

Intent, Context and Assets:

Every search query begins with intent and context. In this section, I learned how to determine that intent and provide the assets that satisfy that intent.

• How We Use Search Engines
• The Tyranny of Physical Space
• The Long Tail of Search
• Intent-Based Keyword Research
• Finding Intent And Context
• Building Customer Avatars
• Intent-Based Avatars
• Keyword Research Tools
• Keyword Modifiers
• Intent-Based Keyword Research
• Choosing Assets

Channels, Optimisation And Ascension:

Search has become much larger than Google and Bing. In this section, I learned about optimising for traffic on less competitive platforms like YouTube, Pinterest and Amazon.

• Channels, Optimisation And Ascension: The Big Picture
• Choosing The Right Channel
• Ascension As Optimisation
• Channel Optimisation: Web Page
• Channel Optimisation: Blog
• Channel Optimisation: Amazon Product Page
• Channel Optimisation: YouTube
• Channel Optimisation: Pinterest
• Channel Optimisation: iTunes
• Channel Optimisation: Review Sites

Experience Optimisation:

If you want traffic from Google and Bing you’ll need to optimise the experience of your user and the experience of the search robot. In this sectio, I went through the process of conducting a 23-Point Search Marketing SEO Audit

• About Content Management Systems
• Domain Audit: Site Command
• Domain Audit: Google Webmaster Tools
• Domain Audit: Google Analytics
• Domain Audit: Sitemap
• Domain Audit: robots.txt
• Domain Audit: Backlinks
• Domain Audit: 404 Page
• Domain Audit: Internal Site Search
• Domain Audit: Navigation
• Domain Audit: Accessibility
• Domain Audit: Mobile
• Domain Audit: Value
• Page Audit: Layout & Design
• Page Audit: Mobile
• Page Audit: Keyword Targeted
• Page Audit: Keyword Cannibalization
• Page Audit: Cross-Linking and Siloing
• Page Audit: Share-ability
• Page Audit: Duplicate Content
• Page Audit: Stranded Page
• Page Audit: Redirects
• Page Audit: robots.txt and Meta robots
• Page Audit: Page Load Speed

Earned Media and Link Building:

When another site links back to your website it is effectively a ‘vote of confidence’ and Google rewards your website by passing on some of that reputation to your website,
this is often referred to as ‘Google Link Juice’.  The more ‘juice’ your website gets from other quality sites in your niche the more authority your site earns and this usually results in higher rankings.

• • Paid and Owned Media
  • Link Building Today
  • Earning Links: Cross-Linking
  • Earning Links: Competitive Research
  • Earning Links: Content that is Generous
  • Earning Links: Build Link Bait

• Earning Links: Create Primary Research
• Earning Links: Getting Out More
• Earning Links: Newsjacking

You can find more information about the Search Marketing Specialist course and other Digital Marketer online marketing certifications here