Seeking SEO / PPC / SEM Projects for Jobs Board

If you're a regular reader of Ask Kalena, you're probably already aware that we have a Jobs Board on Search Engine College. Membership to the site is free and there is no charge for advertising positions vacant. What you may not be aware of is that we recently added a special forum dedicated to short-term and freelance search engine marketing projects.

As well as the ability to advertise full-time positions vacant, employers and agencies can now post any short-term projects (including both paid and volunteer) that they are seeking help with. Search Engine College students are encouraged to use this feature of the Jobs Board to volunteer their services for projects as a way to test and hone the skills acquired during their training. The Jobs Board is also open to the public, so it's a great way to find high quality, inexpensive freelance staff for your projects.

If you've got a SEO, PPC or SEM project that you need help with, please create a free account on our Jobs Board and post your project. We'll make sure it gets in front of as many eyeballs as possible.

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Search Industry Job of the Week: Coordinator Search Marketing

Job Title: Coordinator Search Marketing

Job Reference #: MD00000467
Position Type: full time
Name of employer: Macys.com
Location: San Francisco, California
Date Posted: 23 October 2007

Position description:

Organization Overview:

Macys.com is a division of Macy’s Inc. dedicated to creating an exciting e-commerce experience for our customers. With added conveniences, such as allowing merchandise exchanges and returns at all Macy’s department stores nationwide, macys.com is the leading department store presence on the Internet. As we continue to extend our selling floors into cyberspace, we attribute our successes to our uniquely talented and passionate people.

Overview of Position:

The Coordinator will serve as the secondary point of contact for matters related to paid search marketing on Google, Yahoo!, MSN, and other search engines for the macys.com search programs. Coordinator’s primary responsibilities include:

• Campaign Management & Optimization – Keywords
• Development and management of keywords. – Creatives
• Writing, editing and management of search copy. – URLs
• Assigning landing page URLs to each keyword and/or ad group. – Executional Bids
• Setting bids tied to budgeting for campaigns. • Coremetrics Search Marketing Tool – Tagging & Tracking
• Using Coremetrics to append MMC parameters to keywords submitted to search engines. – Reporting
• Using Coremetrics to pull various reports weekly, monthly, and ad hoc.
• Analyzing results and making recommendations, if necessary.
• Promotional Sales Calendar Management – Gathering monthly promotional calendars.

Skills Summary:

The ideal candidate must:

• Possess strong quantitative and qualitative analysis skills, and the ability to react upon them.
• Be tech-savvy and have the ability to learn new concepts and software applications quickly.
• Have strong attention to detail.
• Have strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Possess proven Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint skills. Proficiency in File Maker and MS Access a plus.
• Confidently handle multiple projects simultaneously and under deadlines.
• Have a passion for retail and an ability to keep on top of the latest trends a plus.

Experience:

Previous experience in paid search engine marketing preferred. BA/BS from a 4 year program. Degree in business or marketing-related major preferred but not required.

Macy’s is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to a diverse and inclusive work environment.

Salary range: low to mid 40s
Closing date: Unknown
More info from: [macysdirectjobs.wfrecruiter.com]
Contact: Send resumes to Alina Baugh: alina.baugh[at]macys.com

To view more search industry job vacancies or post a position vacant visit: Search Engine College Jobs Board.

Need more than advice? Take a Search Engine Marketing course online

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Q and A: As a freelance SEM, how should I structure my fees?

Dear Kalena...

I've been running PPC campaigns and advising my employer's clients on SEO for a while and last month I finally decided to go freelance.

Something you may be able to help me with is how I should structure my standard charges for new clients? The fees charged by agencies vary enormously so it would be good to get your opinion on what constitutes a 'realistic' pricing structure for a freelancer. What works best for you?

Some SEM's charge a CPA but while this may at first seem attractive to some clients, I'm not convinced it's always as transparent as they are led to believe. Is an hourly rate better? Should I charge differently for SEO? Sorry for so many questions, but I'd really appreciate your advice.

Thanks
Giles

Kalena's Answer:

Hi Giles

It's really difficult to advise on fees because SEM and SEO consultants all work differently. The way you structure your fees should reflect both your working style and the projects you take on. I used to quote every client on a project-by-project basis, which required me to conduct a full analysis of each site up-front, for no fee (as this was technically pre-sales activity).

I soon learned that this was not cost-effective for me. I now charge an hourly rate and quote projects based on the estimated hours each will take. But some clients may not like an hourly rate. When it comes to freelancing, here are my tips:

1) Don't provide a fixed quote for any project, always provide an estimate in case the work takes longer than you expect.

2) Don't undercharge for your work. Quote a rate that you're worth or you will resent the project and the client. If you lose a project to undercutting by a competitor, let it go! It's not worth compromising the value of your expertise.

3) Unless you have full access to the client's site metrics, a solid understanding of and respect for their product and access to their current and future online sales figures, avoid any cost-per-acquisition or commission-based deals.

4) An hourly rate is often more cost-effective for you and easier for your clients to understand.

5) Try to quote in hours, not in dollars. This makes it easier to divide larger projects into smaller jobs and helps the client understand how valuable your time is.

6) Keep strict timesheets when working on a project to ensure you don't undercharge. A fantastic online tool for keeping timesheets and invoicing clients based on project hours is Freshbooks.

7) A monthly retainer for clients can often work well, with the ability for clients to top up hours as needed.

8) Allow clients to buy your hours in bulk for a discount e.g. 10 percent discount for a block of 10 or more hours.

9) Always ask for a percentage of the costs up front e.g. five retainer hours towards the project.

10) If a client is asking for exclusivity in their industry or market, don't be afraid to charge extra for the privilege. After all, it may mean you have to turn down future work.

Need more than advice? Take a Search Engine Marketing course online

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Q and A: How do I start a SEO business?

Dear Kalena...

I want to ask how do I start a SEO business? I've got some knowledge and background as I'm going through some training about SEO and would like to know more about it. Do you have any advice? I'm currently in Indonesia and I'm Chinese.

Proson

Kalena's Answer:

Dear Proson

Assuming you already have good SEO skills and experience, you shouldn't have any problem setting up on your own. Start off by becoming a freelancer, bidding for projects and doing SEO jobs wherever you can find them. Read my posts about SEO /SEM jobs for more information on setting out on your own. I also recommend reading my article 11 Reasons Why You Should Consider a Job in Search Engine Marketing.

If you think you need more SEO training, you might want to consider taking one of the Search Engine Optimization training courses we offer at Search Engine College. Our Advanced SEO course even has a bonus chapter on starting your own SEO business.

If you'd like to consider alternative training options, my article SEM Industry Training: What are the Options? should point you in the right direction.


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SEM jobs have an average salary of $77,000

According to US Salary Comparisons at Indeed.com, the average USD salary currently being offered to US based SEM professionals is $77,000. This is $28,000 above the average salaries being posted for regular marketing roles.

Interestingly, the salary ranges vary widely depending on whether anagrams are used e.g. SEM vs Search Engine Marketing and SEO vs Search Engine Optimization. Here's the breakdown:

Average Salary of Job Postings With Specific Keywords:

• Search Engine Marketing - $51,000
• Search Engine Optimization - $52,000
• Pay Per Click - $40,000
• SEM - $77,000
• SEO - $55,000
• PPC - $58,000
• Marketing - $49,000

I guess this proves that the search industry has matured to the point where employers are now familiar enough with the jargon to use it more often in their positions vacant ads.

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Number of SEO and PPC jobs has increased by 200 percent

According to this graph on Indeed.com, the number of SEO and PPC related jobs advertised has increased by 200 percent since January 2007. That's right 200 percent.

Indeed.com searches thousands of job sites and the trends graph linked above shows an increase in the number of jobs posted on those sites since 2005 using the search terms SEO and PPC. The massive spike since January this year tells the story. Demand for people with search engine marketing skills is massive!

So there are no more excuses. If you want to get trained up quickly and take advantage of the huge demand and tasty paychecks currently being offered to those with the skills, you should consider taking SEO, SEM or PPC Certification from Search Engine College.

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Q and A: Is it possible to work from home as an SEO and PPC consultant?

Dear Kalena...

I have got 2+ years experience as an SEO and PPC consultant. I'm also good at copywriting. Now due to some personal problems I have left my job. I have worked for US & UK based clients from my company in India. Would it be possible that I can get such type of job by working from my home? Please advise.

Thanks
Sarvar

Kalena's Answer:

Dear Sarvar

Yes, absolutely! With the type of demand out there for someone with your skills, you should have no problem getting freelance work.

A lot of people assume you need venture capital or a bank loan to start your own business, but it's just not true. I began doing freelance web design and SEO in my spare time and was able to create my own company after a short period of time. If you're interested in how I got started in this biz, you can read about it here.

These days, things are a lot easier for the freelance SEO/PPC/SEM expert. You can register at Elance and pitch for small (or large!) projects and you can search the hundreds of jobs available in the search industry at niche sites such as Jobs in Search and Search Engine College's job board. You should also hang out on various webmaster forums where people are often seeking help with projects. Become a regular poster, network with others in the search industry and you'll not only learn a lot and contribute to a valuable community, but you'll start to benefit in terms of client leads and referrals.

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Q and A: When will I start making decent money in SEO?

Dear Kalena...

I just started working for a SEO in the UK as an Organic Search Analyst starting at £15k. I did my degree in computing information systems plus some study in marketing for two years. My point is, how soon should I be making decent money in this? £19k for instance? As far as I can tell, a lot of my colleagues are not happy with their pay either and have been there a year or more with promises of a bright future. We are all getting a bit down. Is this usual for this type of industry and is it usual for people doing the same work to be on unequal pay? For instance a male/female pay difference?

Luna

Kalena's Answer:

Dear Luna

How long is a piece of string? In my experience, the salaries for SEO/SEM staff vary widely in the same town, let alone in the same country. Salaries for SEO and SEM experts in the U.S. are quite high, because of the demand for their services and the huge growth of the local search industry.

As for the employment conditions (especially male vs female) where you are, it sounds like the issues might be restricted to the organization you work for. You might want to get together with some of your fellow staff (safety in numbers and all that) and have a chat to your boss about future prospects and fair salary levels. If you all have good SEO skills that are hard to find in your area, there's no reason why you can't ask for better renumeration.

If you want some ammunition to take into your meeting, show your boss these posts about SEM salaries, especially SEM Salaries: What Can You Expect? Also have a read of this article: 11 Reasons Why You Should Consider a Job in Search Engine Marketing. It quotes a representative from one of the world's leading HR companies saying that SEO is considered a cutting edge career with a shortage of trained staff in the field.

Good luck!

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Q and A: How much should I charge to manage an AdWords campaign?

Dear Kalena...

I operate an ad agency in Seattle, mostly working with small business and specializing in media planning for print, outdoor, TV, and radio campaigns. I've recently decided to become certified in Google Adwords and offer an additional service to my clients, managing a SEM campaign. I'm wondering a competitive rate to charge my clients on a monthly basis for a SEM campaign. Can you tell me what rates you have commonly seen charged to small busineeses for this service?

Thanks,
J

Kalena's Answer:

Dear J

Unfortunately, this is another of those "how long is a piece of string?" issues. SEM fees vary widely between agencies and there really is no recommended range I can give you. It depends on so many factors, including:

• whether keyword research is required
  
• number of keywords targeted
• number of AdGroups created
  
• number of ads created
• size of client
• size of client's budget (these are two different things!)
  
• what type of ad creatives are used (text, image, video)
  
• whether landing pages are included
  
• how competitive the industry is for the client's product/service
• how often the campaign will require tweaking and who will do it
  
• whether new keywords will be added regularly
• whether the click charges will be billed to you or your client (think credit card interest)
  
• whether detailed reports and analysis are required
• what the client's daily and monthly budgets are
• what geographic targets the client wants to reach
  
• how long the campaign will run
  

See what I mean? You'll need to have many of these factors sorted out before you can quote, so no two PPC campaigns are generally costed at the same amount. My best advice is to quote an hourly rate and estimate the number of hours the campaign will take to create and manage for each client well in advance.

Whatever you do, don't underquote. PPC campaigns require a much larger time commitment than you may realize.

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Flight Centre Seeking Search Engine Marketing Specialist

I have just got off the phone with FlightCentre and they are urgently seeking candidates for an SEO / SEM position they have available in Brisbane, Australia.

I would encourage any Australian-based Search Engine College graduates or students to apply. Flight Centre are interested in hearing from anyone with SEO skills, regardless of your skill level, so view the position description and if you think you have what it takes, follow the instructions to apply or email them for more information.

You must be willing to relocate to Brisbane Australia for this position.

Good Luck!

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Q and A: How do I start a career as a Search Engine Marketer?

Dear Kalena...

Hi, I am interested in starting a career as a Search Engine Marketer but honestly do not know where to begin. I currently have an online store hosted with ecrater.com, but I am looking to supplement that income. I am looking for a suggestion as to how to start the new endeavor. Any help would be appreciated.

Carolyn

Kalena's Answer:

Dear Carolyn

I can only assume you are writing to me after reading my article 11 Reasons Why You Should Consider a Job in Search Engine Marketing? Apart from the tips contained in the article, I have the following suggestions:

• Scan the Search Engine College Employment Forum and these SEO/SEM job sites to see what employers are looking for in an employee and try to match your skills to the demand.
  
  
• Consider taking an industry-recognized formal certification course in SEO/SEM such as the Certification Pathways we offer at Search Engine College.
  
  
• Join Elance.com to freelance your services and bid on projects you are interested in to supplement your income.
  
  
• Practice your skills on as many guinea pig sites as possible.
  
  
• Join a few busy webmaster forums and observe and participate in discussions regarding the search industry. This really helps keep you up to date with methodologies used by the experts and the problems faced by general webmasters. I recommend cre8asite forums and high rankings.
  
  
• Read everything you can get your hands on relating to search engine marketing. This includes blogs, sites, newsfeeds, magazines, articles and newsletters.
  
  
• Create a business plan, even if you are setting up a part time freelancing business. It helps you get organized and focus on where you want to be in 5 years.
  

Good Luck!

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Rand Fishkin's SEO Salary Story

Continuing the theme this week about jobs in search engine marketing, the very hunky Rand Fishkin has been Tubed over at Salary Stories.

The video interview sees Rand reminisce about how he got started in SEO, what the average SEO/SEM employee can expect to earn and who he knows that earns up to USD 400K per year from the biz. If my article earlier this week didn't convince you to become a Search Engine Marketer, then perhaps this interview will.

On a side note - I've only ever seen Rand in photos before and seeing an animated Rand is quite disarming. Now I understand SEO FanGirl's obsession. That smile is every dentist's fantasy! If I ever see him in the flesh, I may need sunglasses. Thanks Rand for putting the sexy back into SEO. [note to self - suggest husband buys yellow joggers]

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11 Reasons Why You Should Consider a Job in Search Engine Marketing

Are you currently seeking employment? Looking for a new profession? Considering a career change? Then a job in the field of Search Engine Marketing should be at the top of your list. Here are 10 reasons why:

1) The Search Industry is HOT

The first dot-com bubble may have burst 6 years ago, but the current bubble is getting bigger and stronger every day. One of the main reasons for the current dot-com boom is the skyrocketing growth of the search engine industry. No longer the territory of geekdom, search has exploded into the mainstream over the past few years and businesses are falling over themselves to get seen by online searchers. And they'll pay big bucks to search engines for the privilege.

Have you noticed that Google shares recently hit USD 500 EACH? It's not a coincidence. Search giants like Google, Yahoo and AOL can't fail to make money because everybody wants a bit of the search action. There's no denying, search is HOT, HOT, HOT.

2) It's Considered one of Four Jobs on the Cutting Edge

According to a recent article on MSN Careers, the position of Search Engine Optimizer is considered one of four jobs on the cutting edge right now. Who gave it this title? A representative from the world's largest specialized recruitment firm - Robert Half International Inc.

Search Engine Optimization is considered a sub-set of Search Engine Marketing. If you're unsure what a Search Engine Optimizer (SEO) does, below is a definition provided by MSN Careers:

"Search engine optimizers (SEOs) increase a firm's Web site traffic by improving its search-engine page rankings. This is an especially important task in today's Internet-driven world, where many customers first learn of an organization and its products or services through the Web. Because of a shortage of experts in this relatively new area, many top SEOs receive multiple job offers. SEOs typically supplement their knowledge of how various search engines operate and determine page rankings with strong marketing skills, as well as the ability to communicate effectively and program using HTML."

Wikipedia also defines Search Engine Optimizers here.

3) The Pay is Fantastic

A job in the search industry can be unbelievably lucrative. As noted recently by Jennifer Laycock of Search Engine Guide, "There are quite literally more jobs than there are skilled marketers and salaries can skyrocket to almost embarrassing levels."

Have you seen the type of salaries that search engine marketing and search engine optimization consultants are currently commanding in the US? Clearly, the search industry is making some people rich. Here are some typical salaries in USD:

Entry level SEO/SEM position = $30-45K

Three to five years experience / online account managers = $50-75K

Five + years / organic SEO specialists = $75-90K

Senior management level = $70-120K

SEM Director = $95-150K

VP Level = $100-315K

Additional Salary links:

http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3591061

http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/showthread.php?t=10543

4) You Don't Need a College Degree

Because the search industry is relatively young, there are only a handful of online courses and certifications offered in the field of Search Engine Marketing (Search Engine College being one training provider).

Most search engine marketing practitioners are self-taught, learning the trade by experimenting with their own sites, researching trends, attending conferences and participating in discussion forums and so employers don't generally require SEO / SEM certification or a tertiary qualification as a pre-requisite for a position in the industry.

However, candidates who hold a marketing degree or specific industry certification in Search Engine Marketing may well have an edge over their fellow applicants when it comes to interview selection.

Continue reading article...

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Q and A: Why has Yahoo been so successful?

Dear Kalena...

Why do you think Yahoo! has been so successful, despite the dot-com bubbleburst?

Jackson

Kalena's Answer:

Dear Jackson

Have you been living in a cave? In The Southern Alps of New Zealand? Listening to CNN?

The first dot-com bubble may have burst 6 years ago, but the current bubble is getting bigger and stronger every day. Where were you when the search industry exploded into the mainstream? Did you even notice that Google shares have hit $500 EACH? Have you seen the skyrocketing search engine marketing salaries?

Even riding the coat-tails of Google and with MSN sniffing their shoes, Yahoo can't fail to make money because everybody wants a bit of the search action. Yahoo! has been successful due to one key factor: Search is HOT, HOT, HOT. Now if we could just get Paris Hilton to say as much.

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Q and A: What sort of Search Engine Marketing Salary Should I Ask For?

Dear Kalena...

I came across your site and wanted some advice for my search engine marketing career. I started doing search engine marketing in late 2004. I took a position last year as a search engine marketing coordinator and I currently make around 30K a year with bonuses. I have decided that I want to move forward with my career at in an agency environment. I am currently interviewing with two of the top interactive marketing companies in the US and would like your advice on how much I should ask for a salary?

Thank you so much!

Alan

Kalena's Answer:

Dear Alan

I think this blog post will help you: Search Engine Marketing Salaries: What Can You Expect?

Thanks again for your question and good luck with the job hunt!

---------------------------

[If you found this post helpful, you might benefit from downloading our free Search Engine Optimization lesson]

Q and A: Why is Google indexing fewer pages on our site?

Dear Kalena...

Thanks for all your great advice. My question is this:

We have had www.livingwithanxiety.com for several years now. We just
recently did a major update and finally, after years, we changed our
meta tags, titles, and so on. We have been submitting an xml sitemap
to google now for about three months. We topped out at about 42 pages
being indexed, but today, we looked and have only 9. What happened? Is
it because of the changes? Traffic literally has halved. Hmm...

Thanks again for all you do!

Sincerely,
Nashell

Kalena's Answer:

Dear Nashell

I've checked and Google has currently indexed 25 pages on your site.

If you were ranking for particular keywords before your site update, the changes you made may have negatively impacted that. If you are certain your new page content, META and Title tags have been optimized well for target keywords, it is more likely that you have been caught up in the Google aging delay or Sandbox effect for re-designed sites.

You should continue to update and submit your XML sitemap whenever you add new content, build more incoming links and wait for Google to let you out of rankings limbo. Be patient!

---------------------------

[If you found this post helpful, you might benefit from downloading our free Search Engine Optimization lesson]

Search Engine Marketing Salaries - What Can You Expect?

There's been a slew of blog posts and articles over the past week regarding the type of salaries that search engine marketing and search engine optimization consultants are currently commanding in the U.S. Clearly, the search industry is making some people rich.

Here are some typical salaries in USD:

Entry level SEO/SEM position = $30-45K
Three to five years experience / online account managers = $50-75K
Five + years / organic SEO specialists = $75-90K
Senior management level = $70-120K
SEM Director = $95-150K
VP Level = $100-200K (although there have been reports of offers ranging from $250-315K at this level)

I just wish this list had been available when I was trying to justify my search engine optimization salary increase back in 2000! More discussion on SEO/SEM salaries here:

- SEM Salaries
- SEM Salaries - What People Are Paying
- Search Marketing Salaries - What You Should Be Paid

Perhaps this is incentive enough to take a course in search engine marketing.

Jobs in the Search Engine Industry

Are you looking for a job in the search industry? Then be sure to check out our job postings in the SEC Lounge. You must be a Lounge member to view our employment forum, but membership is free.

We've currently got over 20 job vacancies currently listed and we're always looking for more. Some of the vacancies listed include:

- search engine optimization guru
- search engine marketing associate
- search engine marketing specialist
- Internet marketing sales
- SEO engineer
- search engine optimization analyst
- keyword taxonomy specialist
- director of search engine optimization
- keyword operations manager

If your company has any positions vacant in the fields of search engine optimization or search engine marketing and you would like us to list them in the Lounge, free of charge, please email me the following details:

1) Position title
2) Job Reference # (if applicable)
3) Name of employer (if publicly advertised)
4) Location of position
5) Date Posted
6) Position description with as much detail as possible
7) Approximate salary range (if available)
8) Closing date for applications
9) Link to more information (if available)
10) Contact email/URL for applications

Or see this thread for further instructions (Lounge members only).

See you in the Lounge!