SEO-Salaries-Worldwide-How-SEOs-are-Bid-Over-the-World
2008-05-23 14:03:28
I had come across studying a very interesting post on seomoz.org,
which i am going to copy paste here at my blog for my valued
readers... The purpose of doing such a head ache is only to
educate SEOs in Karachi who bid themselves around 10,000 to
50,000 Rs. SEO's salary or contract is basically based only
on SEO's demand. SEOs are earning huge money around the world
(unfortunately not yet in Karachi, Pakistan). Even in India,
SEO is one of the highly paid job. SEOs talk about going abroad
to make the best of their career.
So, the guys living in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Faisalabad,
Hyderabad, Pakistan can have a good chance making their career
bright especially in USA, Dubai, Singapore, UK Etc. So here
it is, do read it and don't be wondered :) This article has
been copied from www.seomoz.org from Rand Fishkin: "
This is going to be a tough and contentious issue and one
that isn't easy for me to write about. Along with the obvious
internal conflicts of interest in disclosing salary numbers,
there's bound to be a lot of companies and individuals who
will come away feeling that my numbers are wrong (or that
their employers are cheating them). That said, it's a topic
that needs to be addressed and if my experience can help (and
inspire others to open up with their own data), then the accomplishment
is well worthwhile. What I'll do is simply list the job titles
that are common to the SEO world, the salaries I'm familiar
with and the effects of geography, experience and demand on
the numbers. All salaries are per annum. In-House SEOs Some
of these are bound to be rough approximations, as there isn't
industry standardization. Hopefully, the descriptions of duties
will help identify who in your organization might fit these
roles.
• VP/Director of Search Marketing $100,000
- $350,000+ This individual is ultimately responsible for
setting direction and strategies for large companies with
earnings from $25MM-$1Bil+. Since this position can create
or lose incredible amounts of wealth for a firm, the salaries
will often reflect executive-level compensation (just ask
Joe Morin, who turned an offer on the high edge of my range).
• Director/Manager of Organic Search
$75,000 - $150,000 This person is responsible for managing
a team of SEO personnel in-house and reports to the senior
marketing or SEO VP/Director.
• SEO Guru $75,000 - $200,000 The
"guru" is typically running an SEO team (or possibly
operating as an independent) for a small-mid-size firm earning
$5-$50MM. They have final authority and responsibility for
all of the SEO activities at a company, and for many of those
firms who rely on the Internet as a primary sales channel,
their decision are make or break propositions.
• Campaign Manager $55,00 - $100,000
The campaign manager would report to a director, but manages
a team focused on specific campaigns for a site, keyword set,
content area, etc. The compensation could go into six figures
primarily due to bonuses, which are often given to campaign
mangers who can churn out consistently excellent results.
• SEO Specialist (Links, Content and/or
KW Research) $40,000 - $80,000 An SEO specialist is the true
"worker" of the search team - optimizing page content,
researching keywords, building links, adding content, etc.
The range is very wide due to experience and opportunity -
an SEO-newbie just starting out won't have the same independence,
reliability and skill as someone who's played in the space
for several years and knows the engines.
SEO Agency Employees I have a slightly better
grasp on these, but again, individual companies are bound
to fluctuate.
• SEO Director $50,000 - $100,000 The
SEO director leads up the SEO team (sometimes several teams),
providing strategy, overseeing processes, providing training
and occassionally getting their hands down and dirty in the
SERPs. If SEOmoz were bigger, someone like Rebecca would be
my director, watching over the bulk of the work for clients.
• Search Marketing Consultant $60,000
- $200,000 A search consultant is a rare breed - these folks
work for an SEO agency, but are basically consultants in their
own rights. They have the skills, talent and sometimes, reputation
to manage a campaign or client independently without outside
guidance (they may even be more knowledgable than anyone else
on the team). Some marketing agencies have brought folks like
this into their fold and its a position I've been offered
many times. For those who remember, a good real life example
might be when Todd Malicoat (Stuntdubl) worked with Jim Boykin's
group (WeBuildPages), though I'm certainly not suggesting
that Jim or Todd is smarter/better than the other.
• Link Builder $35,000 - $100,000
The link builder is, in many ways, a mythical being. At the
early stages, they follow direction and strategy from a manager
or CEO, but later on, if they grow in power and ability, their
value can become so high that its tough to retain them (hence
the massive salary range). A true link ninja is so invaluable
as to virtually name their price - the return on investment
makes it worthwhile.
• Content Writer $35,000 - $75,000
A great content writer is a critical part of an SEO firm,
particularly with the focus on linkbaiting campaigns. Writers,
like link builders, can grow in value over time, but since
it requires a much less specialized knowledge, there is far
more supply in the marketplae (hence the lower salary ceiling).
• SEO Researcher $30,000 - $60,000
Researchers pursue data for content writers, keywords for
campaigns and may even contribute to link building and/or
content building efforts. Web research is a somewhat easier
skill to acquire, though certainly the best of these folks
(someone like Gary Price might fit that bill) will be found
in higher positions in the industry.
• Client Relations Coordinator $35,000
- $75,000 Often inaccurately dubbed "project managers,"
a client services coordinator is responsible for maintaining
an SEO project's tasks, keeping in communication with clients
and keeping the team and mangers informed of progress. Andy
Beal described this position to me as someone who serves as
the "consultant" for a specific project and though
their levels of knowledge may not be at expert, they can refer
back to the team or their higher-ups for direction in how
to answer questions or handle issues.
Factors that can Create Wide Disparity The following items
have the ability to push the ranges above considerably higher
or lower.
• Reputation In the insular world of SEO, made smaller
by blogs, forums & industry events, reputation often preceeds
you. Your experiences with a firm, with clients, at conferences,
and on the web can create high demand. As an example, I think
many folks have recognized the blogging genius that is Lisa
Barone of Bruce Clay. If she were to seek work in the SEO
field, her compensation would be considerably higher than
an entry level content writer. The same goes for someone like
Cameron Olthius of acsSEO (the only company more difficult
to properly capitalize than SEOmoz), who I suspect would fetch
a considerable sum thanks to his abilities to design, market
and linkbait.
• Geography The salaries above represent what I'd expect
to find in Seattle, WA or another similar cost-of-living city.
In New York, London, San Francisco, Los Angeles or Tokyo,
the salaries should be a good deal higher, while in Tulsa,
OK, State College, PA or Ames, IA, it might be somewhat lower.
• Experience A new recuit, with no SEO experience should
expect to be looking at the lowest ranges of salaries. However,
in SEO, experience ramps up quickly. Just two years of involvement
will give a considerable leg up and the potential to be in
the middle of the pack (if you've been successful). Likewise,
those folks who have 4 or more years of experience with high-level
results to show can comfortably start near the top of the
ranges in the right geography. In SEO, salaries ramp up quickly
primarily due to the ability of experienced SEOs to make considerable
sums working independently as consultants, freelancers or
working on their own sites/projects.
• Supply/Demand The dot-com collapse was certainly
not a one-time event, and Web2.0 shows plenty of bubble-like
signs. Even in the interim, there have been small fluctuations
(mostly seasonal) that has made SEO more/less in demand by
both agencies and firms.
Where does SEOmoz fit into these equations? It might surprise
a lot of folks to learn that we're in the lower end of my
ranges. While we've got a terrific team, we've hired folks
who are completely fresh to the field, relying on great people
who we think can learn SEO, rather than experienced folks
who might not fit well with the organization. We've also been
constrained by budget, as, up until this summer, SEOmoz was
still digging out of red (that followed us from the crash
years). I, myself take home less than several of my staff
and am looking forward to when I can increase the salaries
to be at the levels I'd want for the team. With regards to
the salary data, I'd like to solicit your thoughts as well
- do you believe these numbers to be high, low, or close to
what your experiences have been? p.s. At the end of 2006,
I'll be sharing our financial statements on the site (with
some specifics removed), and you'll be able to see for yourself
how we've gone from 3 employees to 9 in just under 12 months.
Numbers like "total earnings" and "total expenses"
will be there, too. Enjoy!
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