SEO Specialist
Resume Example

There are millions of websites, blogs, and e-commerce stores all around the world. So, there are a huge amount of different job opportunities available in the SEO field right now such as in-house SEO positions, marketing agency SEO roles, and freelance SEO opportunities. Simply, their job is to optimize the web content and rank them higher in SERPs for specific keywords in different search engines such as Google, Bing, etc.

There is a high demand for search engine optimizers as companies now want to increase their online visibility, website traffic and sales. If you are also looking for a job in the SEO field, you have to convince the relevant employers that you have the necessary skills, qualifications and experience to do that job successfully. Indeed, for that you must have an outstanding SEO resume that can sell yourself.

If you understand the job role correctly and if you aim to write the right SEO Specialist resume, you can easily land an SEO job. In this resume guide we will teach you how to create a resume aimed at your future dream job. If you follow this guide correctly and build your resume/cv accordingly, you will be able to put the full stop to your tiring job search challenge.

What is an SEO resume?

A resume is a summarized document that contains the experience, achievements, educational qualifications, skills and other information of someone’s professional career. If a person creates such a resume with the intention of gaining an SEO position, it can be called an SEO resume.

Jobs and careers that require an SEO resume:

• SEO specialist
• SEO analyst
• Junior SEO specialist
• Senior SEO specialist
• SEO consultant
• SEO Strategist
• Search engine marketer
• SEO content writer
• SEO manager
• Link builders

In general, each of the above positions are different in the SEO field. But most of the things are very similar. So, you can use a common resume format when applying for above positions except for slight differences. At the end of this article, we will teach you how to make your resume perfect according to the job you are applying for. First of all, it is vital to know how to write a common SEO resume for all these positions. So, let’s dive into the step-by-step resume guide!

How to write a resume for an SEO Specialist job

As with other resumes, here also the basic elements such as contact information, resume summary, work experience, educational qualifications, skills sections should be included in your SEO resume. Additionally, you can use other sections such as certificates, awards, hobbies and interests to make your resume stand out.

The most suitable format for your resume is the reverse-chronological format. Accordingly, you should list your latest work experience first and then list your previous experiences in order. Follow the same procedure when entering your educational qualifications. This allows the hiring manager to see your career progression in a better way.

Follow the tips below to create an excellent SEO resume for yourself.

01. Provide your contact details in resume header

Your resume header is the first thing a recruiter sees within your resume. If you can make it eye-catching, you could have more job-winning chances. Let’s see how to do that.

Here you need to insert your full name (first and last), job title, your location, professional email address, and a telephone number to contact you. This information should be accurate as they will be used by the hiring manager to contact you.

As the resume job title, you can specify the job title mentioned in the job advertisement. However, you can add a more impressive feel to it if you can include your related certification or MA qualification.

For example, it is better to specify your job title as “HubSpot Certified SEO Specialist” rather than just saying as an “SEO Specialist.”

02. Write a brief and straightforward SEO resume summary

You have only 6-seconds to catch the attention of the recruiters or hiring managers. The best way to do that is describing your top skills and experience in a nutshell.

For that, many SEO job candidates used to write a resume objective instead of a resume summary. It’s not a problem if you are new to the field or changing careers. But if you are an experienced SEO professional, be sure to write a summary instead of an objective statement.

When reading the resume summary, the recruiter must feel that you are an expert in the SEO subject. You need to write your major achievements that you have made in your career in this resume summary. It’s more impressive if you can use numbers to prove your success. You can use 3-5 sentences for this.

Resume Summary Example

HubSpot Certified SEO Specialist with 5+ years of experience in optimizing 10 websites for different search engines including Google and Bing. Achieved first page rankings in the SERP for 5 highly competitive keywords that have 50K search volume per month. Proficient in creating evergreen content, blogging, and performing keyword research. Highly skilled in Google Analytics, Web Master Tool, and other SEO tools.

But if you do not have that much relevant experience, you should write an objective statement that highlights your related skills and educational qualifications. Explain how you can use your existing skills and experience for the goodness of the specific company/organization. Especially describe your passion for the search engine optimization field.

Sample SEO resume objective

Internet savvy marketing graduate with project management and advanced research skills. Looking forward to contributing as much as possible to the SEO process of the company with my outstanding written communication and data visualization skills.

03. Elaborate your previous experience as an SEO specialist

Identifying the purpose of a resume work experience is very important. That is to convince the hiring manager that you are the right person for the position. If you’re able to do that, you’ll definitely own that job opportunity.

For this you must first have a good understanding of what the relevant employer requires. To do this, you need to read the job advertisement carefully and get a proper understanding of the job role.

To make your resume a winning document you should list experience in building and optimizing websites to maximize the organic search traffic. It’s always wise to include facts and figures of your achievements to prove your worth.

When describing your experience, try to mention some websites that perform well in Google. That information will be worth having in your resumes to get more interview opportunities.

Here’s a great example work experience section for you to get inspired:

04. Highlight your education

Hiring managers generally consider it a requirement for an SEO Specialist applicant to have a related degree in English, Marketing, or Information Technology.

In fact, having experience in the SEO field is more important than your educational background. If you have a theoretical knowledge of SEO, that will also be a great advantage for you to mention it here as well.

For example, as an SEO specialist applicant your understanding of Google algorithm updates such as Hummingbird, Panda, Penguin, Rank Brain is very important because you have to work with search engines.

If you have a degree in digital marketing or SEO related education obtained via any course, be sure to mention them in your resume education section.

Here’s an education section example for an SEO professional resume.

05. List relevant skills to emphasize your SEO knowledge

Hiring managers are expected to see if you are equipped with the relevant SEO skills. Because they believe that skilled applicants will be able to work well under a minimum of supervision.

Therefore, it is very important to showcase your abilities on your resume that will help you to do the job successfully.

You need to read the job description well to know the best resume skills required for the job.

Depending on the position you are applying for, the skills to be included in your SEO resume may vary slightly. But often in the SEO industry, job seekers are required to have Analytical, Research, Writing skills.

But as this is a growing industry and becoming more technical, it is also important to have some technical SEO background and familiarity too.

So, below are some of the skills you need to have as an SEO Specialist / SEO Executive. Including these into your resume will give you more job opportunities.

SEO Skills

• Content gap analysis
• Competitor analysis
• Search Engine Optimization
• Web content development
• Keyword research
• Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
• HTML / CSS / JavaScript
• On-page SEO / Off-site SEO
• E-A-T expertise
• Image optimization
• Link building / Backlink Audit
• Funnel marketing
• SEO Content Strategy
• Structured Data
• Core web vitals
• Technical SEO
• Mobile SEO
• Data analysis
• Content management systems (CMS)
• A/B testing

Other SEO tools

• Google Analytics
• Google Search Console
• Ubersuggest
• SEMrush
• Moz
• Ahrefs
• Keyword Planner
• Google Ads
• Adobe Photoshop
• MailChimp
• Screaming Frog
• WordPress
• Google Trends
• Yoast

Soft skills for SEO resume

• Brainstorming
• Communication
• Problem solving
• Strategic thinking
• Analytical skills
• Research skills
• Creativity
• Writing
• Teamwork

It’s always good to have a mixture of these soft skills and technical SEO skills in your resume to make it more comprehensive and compelling.

These skills are great keywords for your resume. But here you have to use one of the best practices that you follow in SEO. That is, do not over-optimize your resume using keywords. Use those SEO keywords naturally in your resume as much as possible. There is no rule to insert all the skills in the job advertisement and the keywords in your resume.

06. Mention relevant SEO certifications on your resume

Although SEO certifications are not essential to becoming an SEO specialist, it is very easy to showcase your subject knowledge by being certified. Some job postings even mention that if you have completed each related specification, it will definitely be an added advantage.

Try to obtain the following certifications as much as possible before applying to an SEO opening. Then you can easily get job opportunities.

Top certifications for an SEO Specialist resume

• Fundamentals of Digital Marketing Certification (Google Digital Garage)
• HubSpot Content Marketing Certification
• HubSpot Inbound Marketing Certification
• SEO Essentials Certificate (MOZ)
• ClickMinded SEO Certification
• SEO courses by SEMrush

07. Write a cover letter to convince hiring managers that you’re the best

A cover letter is a great way to communicate with your future employer before the interview. There you need to explain how you can be the perfect pick for the role they’re hiring for.

Try to include some of the challenges you’ve faced that the specific company faces and describe how you overcame them as an SEO expert. Also, briefly explain why you need an SEO job and why you are excited about it.

Also, in another paragraph you can describe how your core values align with theirs. Share any achievements from similar roles and make sure to quantify them. These little things can make the employer crazy about yourself and boost your job-winning opportunities.

If you don’t know how to write a cover letter properly, you better read our cover letter writing guide first.

Pro Tip: Maintain an up-to-date SEO blog

Most people don’t pay much attention to this. But this is one of the best ways to impress your prospective employers. There are several benefits you can gain by writing and maintaining your own SEO blog.

• You will be up-to-date in the subject.
• Can get to know the latest changes and updates for search engine algorithms.
• A blog can help you appear more trustworthy to your prospective employers.
• You will get a practical opportunity to maintain a website.
• Can easily recall important SEO tips over and over again via your own articles.
• A blog can build your reputation in the SEO field, personality, and the brand too.

If you also have an SEO blog or you are thinking of starting an SEO blog, do it right now. Then you can add that link on your resume header so that you will be able to get job invitation traffic to your resume more than ever.

We hope you will get the job you wanted in no time after carefully following the above resume guide and the tips. Good luck on your job hunt!