Key Takeaways for you
| – There are many factors that determine your SEO Salary in India such as Your experience, your designation, Geographic location, Company Size, Knowledge, performance, and qualifications. – Ensure you have enough data during your salary negotiation such as the market price of the role and your profit projections using the A.R.E.P framework taught in the SCK program. |
Are you venturing into the SEO job market and wondering what it offers?
I understand you would doubt about having a future in the SEO career. It is probably not the mainstream profession you grew up hearing about.
But with the emergence of digitization of the world and
Whether you want to make it a side hustle, part-time freelancing, full-time freelancing, or a full-time job, you may want to know what the market looks like.
Let me give you the necessary data to decide for yourself.
Read on to know about the what and why of SEO, SEO job profiles, salaries, and more.
What is SEO?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation, and at first glance, it makes you feel like you are trying to optimize the search engine itself or you are optimizing for the search engine.
Both are incorrect, and that’s probably the root of many of the misconceptions around SEO.
Allow me to explain.
You see, whenever you need specific information, you head to Google and type in your query, and Google promptly comes back with a page full of results.
Usually, you will notice that there are about ten results on the page but have you ever wondered on what basis these results appear the way they do? I am sure you have noticed that there is a hierarchy of results starting from 1 to 10.
And that’s what SEO is all about trying to get your website to the top of the results.
“Search Engine Optimisation is the process of optimizing your website for relevance and increasing its authority & credibility by solving user queries with an intention to rank higher in the search results.”
And here, I would like to bring your attention to the most crucial part of the definition: “solving user queries”.
Every time your users head to Google with their problems and hit in their query, it’s your job to provide them with solutions to their problems in the form of content.
But a lot of people out there focus on the “optimizing your website” part more than the “solving user queries” part.
In fact, I emphasize so much on the “solving user queries” part that I would like to rename SEO to UXO or User Experience Optimisation because that’s precisely what you are trying to do: enhancing the experience of your users by solving their problems and making their lives better.
Read my article What the Duck is SEO and how does it work? to understand what is seo on a deeper level.
Why SEO?
Because, why not!
SEO is your train to be found online and be visible to users.
- The digital marketing sector is the rage now and people are on its bandwagon of it. And that is also where you should be if you want to try something new!
- Whether you want to do it as a side hustle or part-time or full-time, it is the best freelancing option as you can work from anywhere. Freelancing is freedom!
- As the demand is on the rise and supply hardly meets it, there is good pay in it too.
- You can be a solopreneur and start your business with minimal investment. It is a great first step to entrepreneurship.
- It is a skill that can be learned and does not need a degree as a qualification.
- It is a thrilling job while you make it work and self-satisfying after you see the results.
When the opportunities are plenty, why not make the most of them?
I know that your next question would be whether it is all worth the while and what you would be able to make, money-wise! The SEO salary would, of course, depend on various factors.
Factors that govern your SEO pay-scale
Your experience:
This is a no-brainer. For every field you step in, people look at your experience. If you have experience in the field, you can quote the price and negotiate the numbers.
But you know what is even better?
You don’t need a job to get experience in SEO. You just need to set up a project website and apply what you learn. This adds two qualities to your resume:
- It shows you are self-motivated as you learned and applied SEO on your own without being told to.
- Your website is your skill set. You can show your abilities through what you have implemented in your project website.
That being said, it is up to you to prove yourself. You would be hired with a probationary period of three to six months, during which you can demonstrate your skills or the potential to learn quickly and execute.
Your designation:
Different industries have differently defined designation and hierarchy systems. Your salary would depend on where you are positioned in this top-down flow chart.
Your geographical location:
Each city or place has its own market price for SEO as with other things. Metropolitan cities like Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, and others offer higher pay scales as opposed to smaller towns.
The size of the company:
The size also refers to the revenue of the company. Larger companies like MNCs would no doubt be willing to invest more money to stay on top of the SEO game. You can also see in terms of how a company is consistently working towards growing that would enable your growth too. But you will also need to have great experience and results to show if you want to get a job in a large company.
Your knowledge and performance:
Your knowledge of the role you are about to play and your past performance is a referral point that determines your salary. So focus on building a portfolio according to the positions you are applying to. You also need to build a habit of quantifying your efforts and results from the beginning. It reflects better on your resume and gives clarity about your work to any recruiter reading it.
Your qualification:
There is a reason I left it to the last. Though not entirely a key factor, this may be a deal-breaker for some. A lot of companies equate qualifications to abilities and you better be sufficient, if not overly equipped with the required qualifications.
The different Job Roles and SEO Salary in India
Let me give you a general idea on what are the various roles you can play with your SEO skills and how much these roles make. The roles usually depend on the type of company you would
SEO Trainee:
As the name speaks for itself, this is the bottom-most position in the hierarchical pyramid and hence the least paid. The role is of a beginner where you get to learn and work on on-page optimization, use of tools, analyzing data on Google analytics, link building, and other skill development tasks.
The average salary of an SEO trainee could start from a minimum of Rs.96,000 – 1,44,000 p.a.
Source: SEO Salaries in India
SEO Executive/Trainer
Next up on the ladder is the executive or trainee. Technically, also at the bottom rung if not for the SEO trainee. An executive trains the trainee apart from carrying out SEO campaigns, On-page and Off-page SEO, and code optimization.
An SEO executive’s salary ranges from Rs.1L-2L p.a. minimum.
SEO Analyst
The analyst analyses the trends, researches trending keywords, and implements them. He works on writing quality content using high-volume keywords and optimizing it on the website. The role also includes supervising the performance of the SEO executives and keeping their efficiency in check.
This role earns a minimum range of Rs.2L-2.5L p.a. as a fresher.
SEO Strategist/Specialist
The name is self-explanatory again. A strategist lays down strategies to enhance the SEO of the company’s website by making use of the techniques and tools to bring about the desired results. The strategies are verified by the analysts and implemented by the executives.
The income of a strategist may vary from Rs.2.5L-4L for a beginner.
SEO Technician:
The SEO technician studies and makes a comparative study of the company’s website against that of the competitors. They pitch to other bloggers to create backlinks apart from optimizing and promoting content for marketing.
The SEO technician’s salary may range from 2.4L to 5L.
SEO Manager
The Manager holds one of the top positions in the SEO hierarchy and with power comes great responsibility. They track the daily reports and results of social media campaigns, Google campaigns, and other SEO campaigns and review them. He supervises the sub-ordinates to run successful Ad campaigns, suggests changes to strategies, and develops a content marketing strategy to keep up with the SEO goals.
The salary of a manager may range from Rs.5L-7L p.a.
SEO Director
An SEO Director sits at the top of the SEO hierarchical pyramid. He is basically the head of the department and his task is to lay down the foundation for the campaigns to be carried out. He sets goals and targets and ensures that they are achieved. He assesses performance and looks after the overall functioning of all the other roles.
A director can make anywhere from Rs.7L-18L p.a.
SEO Consultant:
An SEO consultant is an independent body or an agency either individually or as a team providing SEO consultation to companies, brands, and businesses. They are not regular employees of any companies and work on a contract basis.
The role requires extensive knowledge and expertise in the field of SEO and staying up-to-date with all the SEO aids and tools to generate traffic to websites.
They are advisors to their clients and plan and execute the functions of the various roles mentioned above.
The consultants have their own way of charging clients based on the various projects they undertake and may earn Rs.2L – 3.5L p.a.
These were the different roles in the SEO sector that may generally find. The pay and roles would vary according to different companies and also the strength of the companies.
Conclusion
These are just the average pay scales while you could actually make less or way more than these numbers. While you may earn Rs.1-2.5 LPA as a fresher, over the years you can have a generous scale-up. It is up to you to upskill yourself and stay updated in the industry.
I hope I have given you a fair idea about the SEO job market. What position are you looking for? Let me know in the comments.
