Few Questions: Entering the SEM space

[avonalliv]

Hi, I am new to the group, so please bear with me:

I am looking to switch careers and enter into the search space. Given the fact that I despise my current profession and am still young at 24, I figured this was the perfect time for me to get into something that interests me this much.

-Is there any advice that you SEM/SEO professionals can give to me in terms of getting in to the space?
-Any areas of search I should stay clear of?
-Where do you see the search space headed over the next few years?
-Do you anticipate the search bubble bursting? I have been tied to the interactive marketing space for the past few years and have seen Email Marketing plateau, among others.

Any help would definitely be appreciated. I am located in New York, if that helps narrow answers. Thanks!

[FDJA]

Originally Posted by avonalliv

Hi, I am new to the group, so please bear with me:

I am looking to switch careers and enter into the search space. Given the fact that I despise my current profession and am still young at 24, I figured this was the perfect time for me to get into something that interests me this much.

-Is there any advice that you SEM/SEO professionals can give to me in terms of getting in to the space?
-Any areas of search I should stay clear of?
-Where do you see the search space headed over the next few years?
-Do you anticipate the search bubble bursting? I have been tied to the interactive marketing space for the past few years and have seen Email Marketing plateau, among others.

Any help would definitely be appreciated. I am located in New York, if that helps narrow answers. Thanks!

Nope... All the jobs are full up Just kidding

Steer clear of insanely popular key phrases and vertical markets until you get your feet wet. i.e.; anything with cars, doctors, lawyers, real estate etc.

Search bubble is changing into more of a search engine friendly web design market as opposed to SEO i.e.; it's often easier to simply build a new site from scratch instead of tuning up an old site.

Hmmm... Interactive marketing space and email marketing huh? Don't know what the first one is, but the email marketing is risky business for sure. Professional stunt "Don't try this at home" - The sad thing is that there's so much spam, every ISP and hosting company is cracking down. Even an honest newsletter blast to real opt-in subscribers can result in having your email service shut-off or your web site taken offline at the minimum. Fines and Jail time at the extreme. I've heard most who do it spend their lives behind proxies, etc.

[avonalliv]

Thanks for the reply. To provide some more clarity:

I have been an executive recruiter in the Interactive Marketing space and have focused, primarily, on recruiting for search and email marketing organizations. So, needless to say, I am very tied to the industry.

Any other thoughts?

[avonalliv]

*bump* any more takers?

[atlanta404]

SEO for natural/organic listings can get pretty frustrating since Google appears to change its algorithm frequently & without logic... It takes a lot of patience and the realization that Google is going to do what it wants when it wants...

[shor]

Aside from the SEO freelancing and/or consultating side, I would say that this is a very opportune time to enter the in-house SEO/SEM market. As you mentioned you have interactive marketing experience, it should not be too arduous a task to migrate your skills into the SEO/SEM space.

From what I hear, there should be a plenty of entry level SEO/SEM jobs for in-housers in the NYC area. Try the usual keywords at the big job search and vertical job search engines - "SEO" "SEM" "search strategist", "search engineer", "online marketing", "search engine marketing" etc. Most of the entry level jobs at in-house corporations will provide on-the-job training and only require an basic holistic understanding of the industry.

[dave321]

Find a company you like to work for. If the company has been around for a while then it is a good sign. If the company was set up by someone kicked out of their old SEO company then that's not a good sign.

Originally Posted by atlanta404

SEO for natural/organic listings can get pretty frustrating since Google appears to change its algorithm frequently & without logic... It takes a lot of patience and the realization that Google is going to do what it wants when it wants...

One of the things I am finding out is that more and more companies are viewing SEO as a "commodity" item. I.E people offer to "optimize your site for $150.00". Of course, this doesnt mean that the site will STAY that way, as GOOGLE and others change their algorithims all the time But what it DOES mean is that when you present a hefty bill for your services to any company they will believe you to be overcharging them.

[shor]

Originally Posted by dave321

Find a company you like to work for. If the company has been around for a while then it is a good sign. If the company was set up by someone kicked out of their old SEO company then that's not a good sign.

I would hope that this is true for ALL companies that we are apply for, not just a SEO firm

-Where do you see the search space headed over the next few years?
-Do you anticipate the search bubble bursting? I have been tied to the interactive marketing space for the past few years and have seen Email Marketing plateau, among others.

Staying ahead of the curve is part and parcel of all jobs, regardless of industry. Keep reading and keep learning (I believe Ammon Johns, one of the SEOs at the forefront of our industry, stated that he still does +4 hours of research a day). I personally believe that within a few years search will move away from text indexing database search engines. However, information retrieval fundamentals will still more applicable than ever, even essential to a future SEO's skillset.

So not only should you learn how to write great <title> or develop link strategies but through IR, understand WHY/HOW such mark-up and tactics work.

[vipjun]

I don't know if there is such a thing as entry level SEO.
Usually the entry lvl jobs related to SEO functions don't neccessarily enable you to get the full SEO concept.
you would probably be dedicated to doing 1 SEO function example.

content writer
link manager

In entry level PPC category you will probably be building out
keywords / titles/ descriptions all day long

[vipjun]

Being an Executive recruiter I would say you can fit better in a
Sales / Account management type position within an Internet Marketing firm
which still requires you to have a broad understanding of SEO and SEM.