Top SEM Careers [Updated 2022]

More often than not, a customer's first impression of your company begins with an online search. Prospects go straight to Google when they need a product or service, and rely on the search engine to help them answer their questions. At that moment, if your company isn't outranking your competitors, you could lose out on an opportunity to make a sale or convert a prospect into a paying customer. That's why top SEM careers are in high demand, and continue to grow in popularity. Businesses want to be able to outrank their competitors and get their brand noticed by prospects and search engines. The best way to do this is with a buttoned-up digital marketing strategy and an SEM expert on their marketing team. Studies show that 95% of search traffic goes to the first page of search results. If a brand is lucky enough to get on that first page, that business can benefit immensely. The right SEM specialist can help make that happen, making high-quality SEM experts valuable in today's digitized world.

What is SEM?

SEM stands for Search Engine Marketing, used by businesses to improve brand visibility across key search engines. SEM roles are currently in high demand, as the world around us continues to go digital and the internet plays a vital role in a company's success. You could have a great product offering and exceptional customer service, but if your brand isn't ranking on search engines, you may never have any organic traffic filtering back to your website. After all, 90% of all web pages receive zero organic traffic. With a team member focusing solely on improving your search engine ranking and creating content that yields results, your brand's online presence will flourish.

What are the top SEM jobs?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, careers in advertising, promotions and marketing will grow by 10% between 2020 and 2030. Careers in SEM are on the rise and gaining popularity. As more and more businesses find value in improving their online presence, we only expect careers like this to continue to grow. We put together a list of the top SEM jobs on the market, so you can find one that fits your skill set and sparks your interest. Here are our top choices for the year:

SEM specialist

Average salary: $75,864 An SEM specialist is responsible for all the PPC and search engine campaigns a business is running. Their overall goal is to strategize new ways to help increase web traffic and revenue by developing a competitive online presence. On a daily basis, an SEM specialist will collect and analyze data, research new trends, examine insights and track traffic across digital touchpoints. SEM specialists typically depend on the following skills:

• Data reporting;
• Keyword research;
• Campaign optimization;
• Ad content writing;
• Budget management.

In addition, many SEM specialists must be familiar with a range of common software tools, to maximize to track the performance of each live paid search campaign.

Content specialist

Average Salary: $52,371 Content specialists focus on expertly crafting content for paid search, social media and web content. Their SEM responsibilities include optimizing current web pages to improve search results, building backlinks and searching for new keyword opportunities. The content they create is purposeful and works to address an audience combing search results for useful information. Content specialists are also responsible for developing content strategies to improve a company's ranking on search engines, increase website traffic and enhance lower shopper funnel performance. As a content specialist, you might use the following skills:

• Content writing;
• Keyword research
• Spelling, grammar and tone;
• Interpersonal communication;
• Content strategy.

You might also have some responsibility for content dissemination as a content specialist, to ensure that the content you create reaches the right audiences online - even outside of search results.

PPC analyst

Average Salary: $64,315 PPC analysts focus on the performance of pay-per-click campaigns and look for ways to optimize ongoing campaigns, improve ROI and stay on track with KPIs. They focus heavily on the paid side of search engine marketing. As a PPC specialist, it's your goal to find new and innovative ways to increase the rate of clicks for customers and find new ways to engage audiences with paid advertising. You'll work hands-on with advertising search engines and analytics for Google, Bing, Yahoo and other online data aggregation funnels. You might need the following skills as a PPC specialist:

• Analytics and data reporting;
• Keyword research;
• Ad content writing;
• Paid campaign optimization;
• Campaign strategy.

You'll likely also need a working understanding of the search engine marketplace - how search engines place ads, how cost-per-click systems work, how to audit paid search account performance, etc.

Digital marketing manager

Average Salary: $75,965 This career choice touches several different digital marketing channels, and allows you to utilize SEM skills to improve marketing efforts across the board. On a daily basis, a marketing campaign manager works on email, PPC, SEM, social media and other methods to interface with customers online. A professional in this role focuses on the customer lifecycle and looks for ways to improve the performance of marketing campaigns to enhance the customer experience. You'll plan, execute and oversee assets associated with different marketing campaigns. These campaigns are all-encompassing and often touch on paid advertising, content, social media, web design and other SEM responsibilities. Digital marketing managers typically depend on the following skills:

• Inter-department communication;
• Digital team leadership;
• SEO optimization and revision;
• Social media strategy;
• Email marketing strategy;
• Data analysis.

Perhaps most importantly, a great digital marketing manager is an effective communicator. They understand how to motivate team members, and communicate effectively with internal and external sources. You'll also need to know how to write effective messaging across a variety of different platforms.

How do I learn search engine management?

Search engine marketing can be an exciting and rewarding career. Every day will bring new opportunities to think strategically about the content you create and how it relates to search engines and your audience. Whether you're new to marketing or you're looking to find a specialty within marketing you enjoy, we're here to help. The best way to develop the SEM skills you need is to embark on our 18-week Digital Marketing Bootcamp. Our digital marketing course teaches core SEM skills and shows you exactly how to apply those strategies to achieve real growth in the workplace. Connect with our Solutions team today, to take steps toward the life-changing SEM specialist career you deserve.