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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PPC Proves Sweet for Some

Picture this: rival manufacturers of gourmet chocolates in two different US States both set up Google AdWords accounts. The California-based manufacturer blows $3,000 with only 3 sales, the Vermont company makes $30,000 in annual sales via PPC.

Why did one succeed and the other fail so spectacularly? Simple: the Vermont firm had a staff member vigilently monitoring, testing and tweaking their campaign over a long period. He researched thousands of long-tail keywords, added logical negative keywords and continuously reworks the wording of their ads to improve ROI.

Just goes to prove that PPC is not a set-and-forget undertaking. This is something we try to drill into our PPC 101 students.

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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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And the winner is...

A hearty congratulations goes out to Ben Wills, winner of Marketing Pilgrim's SEM Scholarship with his article entry The Five Pillars of Social Media Marketing.

As part of his prize, Ben receives both Starter and Advanced courses in Pay Per Click Advertising from us here at Search Engine College. Happy studying Ben!