Reality SEO - Search Engine Commentary

Over the past couple of years I've been building up an SEO Jobs Search Resource here which includes multiple search engine optimization training and salary articles from top SEO's - plus a couple stories from my own experiences in seeking a senior level corporate SEO position after 8 years running my own company. Information can be hard to come by, just like qualified SEO candidates.

Today John Alexander of Online Web Training made another great article available about preparing for an SEO career, and I've reproduced that below. Thanks John!

12 Tips to help build the foundation for a new SEO career

by John Alexander

TIP 1. Set your focus on your clients success.

Stop focusing on sales and start focusing on your client's success! Do all that you can do to make them successful. Pour all of your talents into making their projects work. So many folks I talk to can never stop thinking about
where they will make their next sale, instead of working on delivering results to the clients they ALREADY have. In so doing, you establish "lifetime" residuals.

Make your client successful and they will literally become part of YOUR sales team.

TIP 2. A difference in your performance is a difference in your profits.

If you are NOT up to speed, you better catch up fast. Truely a difference in your performance is a difference in your profits! If you are not up to speed on solid SEO marketing techniques and methods, start learning now. Take a course or study at a live workshop but however you do it, get your SEO career skills up to speed so you can genuinely help get your customers results. If you can show them a strategy that really puts dollars in their pocket, they'll put dollars in YOUR pocket!

TIP 3. Have confidence in your own strategies and explore profit sharing.

How's your batting average with profit sharing? Don't be afraid to explore this one! If your skills are medium to above average, why not share in the profits yourself? I am referring to offering someone a vertical deal. This would be a deal where you own part of the company in return for making it successful with your SEO skills. Don't brush this off. There are some exceptional deals to be had if you start thinking laterally.

TIP 4. Don't forget community and charitable work.

When's the last time you helped promote a charitable work at NO cost. Build a site and promote it for the literacy council or the Easter Seals Society or your local Rotary Group or your Chamber of Commerce.

Don't forget that this work can OFTEN open unusual and even surprising doors. Help make others successful and you will NOT fail. Many important leaders within your local community will be serving on these committees right next to you!
This is a great way to network and meet new people and help the cause too.

TIP 5. Work on Relationship building and position yourself for success to come.

Watch the latest SEO trends and position yourself to quickly take advantage. The study and practice of SEO has been extraordinary. A few years ago, I never dreamed that my study of optimization would lead to the Internet lifestyle. As a result of our work, we enjoy wonderful repeat business and client loyalty.

If you have not been enjoying good profits, a rewarding lifestyle and being appreciated by your clients, then you need to consider a plan of action.

Tip 6. Set your course of action and get started.

Consider taking a live hands-on SEO workshop which can kick-start your professional SEO career in just a few days of hands-on training. Or if you cannot travel, consider taking an Online SEO Training Course.

Tip 7. Choose which voices you choose to listen to carefully.

You MUST be able to "deliver" and make a difference. Do whatever it takes to get your SEO skills and lateral thinking skills up to speed. In business there are many voices offering free advice. You need to choose carefully who you will listen to.

Tip 8. Run a balanced business.

Are you charging for what your services are worth? There are some folks who charge steeply and don't even know how to get the results. For goodness sakes, if you're good at what you do, make sure you are charging well for your services. You DESERVE fair reward if you're helping other business owners to prosper.
(Some folks are afraid to charge for their work)

Note: The ones that charge steeply but DON'T deliver may make a few dollars initially, but they won't enjoy the customer loyalty, the referral business, and the repeat business that you do, and they won't have a "customer for life" like you will.

Tip 9. Don't forget to recognize and be thankful for the progress you've made.

Yes, this is extremely important. How else can you truly measure your progress unless you benchmark along the way. Be sure to benchmark your victories but even more important, celebrate your CLIENTS' VICTORIES too! After all, you helped bring them about.

Tip 10. Give something back to your community (with gladness).

Look for opportunities to help others who genuinely need help and avoid those who are only after your talents to exploit them. (Trust me, when your SEO talents and success stories increase, you'll have strangers coming out of the woodwork to take you to dinner and wine you and dine you and pick your brain). Proceed with wisdom.

Tip 11. You must be willing to change and take action!

Performing the way you perform now has delivered a certain result. Maybe you're happy with that result. If you're happy with this result, carry on exactly the same way and you should get very similar results. However, if you are NOT happy with your results now, then you must change the way you do things.

Some people go all their life complaining that they would like a better career
or a better position in life and yet they continue taking the same actions and
getting the same results year after year.

Think of it like this...

Same action = same result
Different action = new results

Tip 12. Surround yourself with the high quality people!

Without a doubt, your SEO interests and abilities will make way for many new working relationships. Be sure to carefully choose the people you want to work with. Look for those with whom you can share synergies and be very observant of the skills and abilities within the others that surround you. No single person can operate as effectively as a group of people that work as a team. Learn to choose the right people to work with and recognize the latent strengths and talents that will sometimes be present but initially hidden within the group. Build to your ultimate potential by choosing wisely, encouraging one another and recognizing the talent in one another.

Is a career in SEO right for you?

Are you ready to take your SEO career to the next step?

We would be delighted to meet with you personally and teach you exactly how
search engines work. The beauty of learning new SEO skills, is that it puts you
back into the position of having the power to choose and make your own choices.

Check out upcoming workshop dates here if you are interested in building an SEO career.

About John Alexander
John Alexander is Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with partner Robin Nobles as well as online search engine marketing courses through Online Web Training. John is author of an e-book called Wordtracker Magic.

The SEO Job Search Engine here is based on Google Custom Search and the SEO Job Search Widget from SimplyHired shows only SEO jobs in an RSS feed.

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