8 SEO Skills Every Digital Marketer Needs to Know

Search engine optimisation (SEO) remains one of the most valuable skills in the digital marketing industry. While paid advertising and social media can generate immediate visibility, SEO helps businesses build a sustainable source of organic traffic by improving their presence in the search engine results pages (SERPs). 

However, SEO is no longer simply about adding keywords to a website page. Search engines have become increasingly sophisticated, and successful optimisation requires a combination of technical knowledge, content strategy, data analysis and an understanding of user behaviour. As such, here are eight skills that every digital marketer should know:

1. Keyword research

Keyword research is one of the foundations of any successful SEO strategy. Digital marketers need to understand what their target audience is searching for, and how those searches relate to their products, services or content. Effective keyword research involves more than identifying high-volume search terms. 

Marketers should also consider search intent, keyword difficulty, competition, search volume, long-tail keyword opportunities, commercial versus informational queries and seasonal and emerging search trends. 

Understanding the intention behind a search is particularly important. For example, someone who searches for “best digital marketing agency” is likely closer to enquiring. The ability to identify and target the right keywords helps marketers to create content that attracts relevant traffic rather than simply chasing large search volumes. 

2. Understanding search intent

Search intent refers to the reason behind a user’s search query. In general, searches can be categorised as informational, navigational, commercial and transactional. A digital marketer must be able to recognise which type of content is most likely to satisfy a particular search. If someone is looking for information, an in-depth guide may perform well. 

If they’re comparing products, a comparison page or buying guide may be more appropriate. Ignoring search intent can result in content that’s well written and keyword optimised but still fails to rank or convert. The best SEO strategies focus on giving users the information or solution they’re actually looking for. 

3. On-page SEO

On-page SEO involves optimising individual website pages to help both users and search engines understand their content. Important on-page SEO elements will include things like page titles, meta descriptions, heading structures, keyword placement, internal links, image alt text, URL structure and content readability. 

Digital marketers should know how to optimise these elements naturally. Overusing keywords can make content difficult to read and may even reduce its overall usefulness. Instead, the goal should be to create clear, relevant and well-structured pages that answer the user’s query. Good on-page SEO combines optimisation with a positive user experience (UX).

4. Content strategy & creation

Content is a major part of SEO. However, publishing huge quantities of content isn’t always the best way forward. Digital marketers need to understand how to develop a content strategy that’s based on audience needs, search demand and business goals. 

This includes identifying content opportunities, planning topic clusters, updating existing pages and creating content for different stages of the customer journey overall. For instance, an effective strategy might include things like:

• Educational blog posts to attract new audiences
• Product comparison pages for potential customers
• Buying guides for users that are close to making a decision
• FAQs that answer common questions
• Evergreen content that continues to attract traffic over the course of time

Strong SEO content should be useful, accurate, engaging and easy to navigate. The ability to combine SEO knowledge with excellent writing is therefore an important skill for any digital marketer, which is why it’s one of the SEO skills that every digital marketer needs to know. 

5. Technical SEO

Digital marketers don’t necessarily need to become website developers. However, understanding the basics of technical SEO can make a significant difference. Technical SEO includes areas like:

• Website crawlability
• Indexing
• Site architecture
• XML sitemaps
• Robots.txt files
• Duplicate content
• Canonical tags
• Redirects
• Broken links
• Page speed

A basic understanding of these concepts helps marketers identify issues that may prevent content from performing well in the search engine results pages (SERPs). For instance, creating excellent content will have limited value if the search engine can’t crawl or index the page properly. Digital marketers should, therefore, be able to communicate effectively with developers and understand the technical factors that can affect organic performance ultimately. 

6. Link building

Links remain an important part of building a website’s authority and visibility. However, successful link building isn’t simply about collecting as many backlinks as possible. Digital marketers should focus on earning relevant, high-quality links from trustworthy and authoritative sources. This can involve the following things: 

• Creating valuable resources
• Producing original research
• Conducting digital PR campaigns
• Building relationships with publishers
• Reclaiming broken or unlinked brand mentions
• Promoting useful content to relevant audiences

The strongest link-building strategies are closely connected to high-quality content and genuine brand awareness. Understanding how to create content that people naturally want to reference is an increasingly valuable skill. 

7. SEO analytics 

SEO generates a large amount of data. However, collecting information is only useful if marketers know how to interpret it. So, you should be comfortable analysing metrics like organic traffic, keyword rankings, click-through rates (CTRs), impressions, engagement, conversions, bounce rates, exit behaviours, and revenue generated through organic search. 

More importantly, they should be able to turn this information into meaningful actions. For example, a page with deep impressions but a low click-through rate may need a more compelling title or description. 

A page receiving significant traffic but few conversions may require improvements to its messaging, calls to action (CTAs) or user experience (UX). The ability to identify patterns and make data-driven decisions is essential for improving SEO performance over the course of time. 

8. Competitor analysis

Understanding competitors can reveal valuable SEO opportunities. It’s imperative to understand business competitors in order to stay ahead of the game, and also to gather ideas and inspiration for your own marketing and operations. 

As a marketer, this sort of analysis is your bread and butter, especially if you’re doing the marketing for an industry you’re unfamiliar with. A skilled marketer should be able to analyse competing websites and will be able to identify the following:

• Keywords competitors are targeting
• Content gaps
• Popular topics
• Backlink opportunities
• Content forms that perform well
• Strengths in competing strategies
• Weaknesses in competing strategies

Competitor analysis shouldn’t be about copying what other brands are doing. Instead, it should help marketers understand the competitive landscape and identify opportunities to create something more useful, comprehensive or distinctive. By regularly reviewing competitors, marketers can adapt their strategies and stay aware of changes within their industry. 

Kumo is pleased to provide a wide range of digital marketing services, including content creation, SEO, PPC, website design and more. You can rest assured that our team of dedicated experts can set you apart from your competitors with excellent content creation and copywriting services. If you’d like further information about how we can help you today, get in touch with a member of our friendly, specialist team – we’re always happy to hear from you.