{"id":8266,"date":"2023-02-21T13:03:41","date_gmt":"2023-02-21T13:03:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/21\/how-to-write-an-effective-seo-job-description\/"},"modified":"2023-02-21T13:03:41","modified_gmt":"2023-02-21T13:03:41","slug":"how-to-write-an-effective-seo-job-description","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/21\/how-to-write-an-effective-seo-job-description\/","title":{"rendered":"How to write an effective SEO job description"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Do you know what makes an SEO eager to apply for an open position and what makes them click \u201cback\u201d quicker than a guest posting request email?<\/p>\n<p>I do. I\u2019ve been reviewing thousands of job descriptions for open SEO positions for almost a year now. Some were bad, many were OK but few were great.<\/p>\n<p>Today, we take the first step in addressing all the above. No more excuses for subpar job descriptions. You\u2019ll learn how to match great candidates with great companies.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_81 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/21\/how-to-write-an-effective-seo-job-description\/#5_of_the_biggest_mistakes_SEO_job_descriptions_contain\" >5 of the biggest mistakes SEO job descriptions contain<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/21\/how-to-write-an-effective-seo-job-description\/#1_Lack_of_salary_transparency\" >1. Lack of salary transparency<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/21\/how-to-write-an-effective-seo-job-description\/#2_Lack_of_remote_working_flexibility\" >2. Lack of remote working flexibility<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/21\/how-to-write-an-effective-seo-job-description\/#3_Off-putting_terminology\" >3. Off-putting terminology<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/21\/how-to-write-an-effective-seo-job-description\/#4_Educational_requirements\" >4. Educational requirements<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/21\/how-to-write-an-effective-seo-job-description\/#4_Multi-channel_skillset_requirement_vs_nice-to-have\" >4. Multi-channel skillset requirement (vs. nice-to-have)<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/21\/how-to-write-an-effective-seo-job-description\/#Reviewing_a_world-class_SEO_job_description\" >Reviewing a world-class SEO job description<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/21\/how-to-write-an-effective-seo-job-description\/#What_makes_this_job_description_special\" >What makes this job description special?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/21\/how-to-write-an-effective-seo-job-description\/#Lets_help_everyone_win\" >Let&#8217;s help everyone win<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_of_the_biggest_mistakes_SEO_job_descriptions_contain\"><\/span>5 of the biggest mistakes SEO job descriptions contain<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Do you know why people view your description and choose not to apply? You might be surprised at what turns potential applications off before talking to them.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Below are a few items that SEO professionals dislike about job descriptions based on my Linkedin and Twitter polls that received more than 500<strong> <\/strong>responses.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Lack_of_salary_transparency\"><\/span>1. Lack of salary transparency<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>We get it, not every company can pay the top of the market. However, not posting a salary range and hoping you can get applicants in your interview process with promises of \u201cwe have a family culture\u201d and \u201cwe have beer on tap\u201d isn\u2019t going to work anymore.<\/p>\n<p>Pay transparency has upsides beyond compliance. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/business\/talent\/blog\/talent-acquisition\/why-you-should-include-salary-ranges-in-job-posts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Up to 91%<\/a> of job seekers said that including salary ranges in a job post affect their decision to apply, according to a recent LinkedIn survey.<\/p>\n<p>Share your salary range regardless what it is. If you know your not competitive than you can further leverage the rest of the description to explain why applicants should still consider you.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>While we all have to pay our bills, many applicants are interested in the total compensation package including benefits.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Word of advice<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Putting a salary range that is extremely vague may end up being worse than putting no salary range at all. <\/p>\n<p>Your first impression with your applicants shouldn\u2019t be simply meeting legal requirements (if required in your state).<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Lack_of_remote_working_flexibility\"><\/span>2. Lack of remote working flexibility<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>SEOs spend most of their day behind a computer screen. <\/p>\n<p>If there was any benefit to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was realizing that in most instances, a remote work culture can be just as effective as in-office working. This is especially true for SEO roles.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Word of advice<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/four-day-workweek-387446\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Flexible working arrangements<\/a> are quickly becoming an expectation and I\u2019ve talked to many SEOs who would even take a lower salary for this benefit. <\/p>\n<p>If you cannot offer a remote working arrangement, consider how you make up for this in other areas of compensation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Off-putting_terminology\"><\/span>3. Off-putting terminology<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Are you even an SEO if you aren\u2019t called an \u201cexpert,\u201d \u201cguru,\u201d \u201cninja,\u201d \u201cpro\u201d or \u201crockstar\u201d?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Please, let\u2019s <strong>stop<\/strong> using these.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There are so many ways to articulate the required skillsets for all roles <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/seo-career-path-388834\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ranging from entry-level position all the way of to VP of SEO<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Word of advice<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Are you aware that terminology such as this can be considered <a href=\"https:\/\/www.massbio.org\/news\/recent-news\/ninja-unicorn-rockstar-okay-on-a-beer-can-not-in-a-job-posting\/#:~:text=Are%20you%20looking%20to%20hire%20a%20%E2%80%9CNinja%2C%E2%80%9D%20or%20an%20experienced%20candidate%3F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">gendered language<\/a>? <\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Educational_requirements\"><\/span>4. Educational requirements<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>No higher education institution offers a dedicated degree in search engine optimization.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Setting the expectation that your future SEO needs both an undergraduate and graduate degree will severely limit your pool of applicants. <\/p>\n<p>Those who do meet all your higher educational requirements are likely to demand top compensation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Word of advice<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Reconsider your education requirements in favor of real-life and proven SEO experience.<strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Focus on testing your applicants\u2019 SEO knowledge similar to how you would any other technical role.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Multi-channel_skillset_requirement_vs_nice-to-have\"><\/span>4. Multi-channel skillset requirement (vs. nice-to-have)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>You\u2019ve removed the requirement for having a masters degree in astrophysics for your open SEO role, that\u2019s a great step forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Now, we need to address that your SEO job position requires individuals to not only be efficient in search engine optimization but <strong>also<\/strong> equally experienced in paid advertising, affiliate marketing, email marketing, social media, and at least a bronze medal in ice skating from the last Winters Olympics.<\/p>\n<p>Does having multi-channel marketing experience provide you some benefits when it comes to the organic search channel? Sure!\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But these are skills that should be sussed out during the interview process and help differentiate a good from great candidate.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Word of advice<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Mentioning that additional consideration will be given to candidates with multi-channel marketing experience will likely increase your applicants. <\/p>\n<p>Making it a requirement will only reduce the number of applicants that may otherwise be fully qualified for the role.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<div class=\"nl-inline-form border py-2 px-1 my-2\">\n<div class=\"row align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-3 col-xl-4 pe-md-0 pb-2 pb-lg-0\">\n<p class=\"inline-form-text text-center mb-0\">Get the daily newsletter search marketers rely on.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-7 col-xl-6  pe-lg-0\">\n<div class=\"form-nl-inline\">\n<div class=\"row g-0\">\n<div class=\"form-group col-12 col-lg-8 mb-0\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-4 col-xl-4 mb-0\">\n<div class=\"d-none\">\n<p>Processing\u2026Please wait.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"btn btn-dark inlineButton w-100 rounded-0 font-weight-bold\">SUBSCRIBE<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-2 col-xl-2 ps-1\">\n<p class=\"text-center mb-0\"><a class=\"nl-terms\" href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/termsofuse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">See terms.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Reviewing_a_world-class_SEO_job_description\"><\/span>Reviewing a world-class SEO job description<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In the thousands of SEO job descriptions we&#8217;ve reviewed, one job description from the Upgrow team continues to stand out to me.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ve kept the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seojobs.com\/job\/senior-seo-manager-upgrow\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">job listing live<\/a> (despite no longer needing to be filled) simply so I can share with people looking for a great example.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<p>First and foremost, let&#8217;s check to see if this job description passes the &#8220;cringe test&#8221; (everything we outlined above to avoid):<\/p>\n<p> Base salary transparency.<br \/> Remote working opportunity.<br \/> Clear experience and education expectations.<br \/> Prioritizes SEO channel, but upside for T-shape marketers.<br \/> Minus one point for use of &#8220;wizard warrior.&#8221; (We&#8217;re not all perfect!)<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_makes_this_job_description_special\"><\/span>What makes this job description special?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>There are several components within this job description that go beyond that of a standard job listing. <\/p>\n<p>You&#8217;ll see why adding just a few of these extras can make a difference in making your SEO description stand out from the competition.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Team hierarchy<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Wouldn&#8217;t it be great to understand exactly where a &#8220;Sr. Manager&#8221; position at this company sits within its hierarchy?\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This job listing not only explains what&#8217;s expected of this role but how it works within the ~five different roles within the company.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Is this role a good fit for me?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Imagine if you could avoid multiple rounds of interviews to find out a component of the job simply isn&#8217;t a good fit?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This job description outlines qualities of individuals who find working at this company awesome and some that may make this not the right fit.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A transparent hiring process<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you are like most people, you&#8217;ve been through hiring processes that are a single interview and an offer\/no offer. On the flip side you may have gone through 4-5+ interviews to receive an offer\/no offer.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This job listing goes the extra mile in outlining the complete hiring process starting with the online application all the way through to the job offer\/onboarding process.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Lets_help_everyone_win\"><\/span>Let&#8217;s help everyone win<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Job descriptions aren&#8217;t easy to write but neither is finding a new job.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Taking the time to articulate what the position requires but is transparent with expectations and company goals, that it will only make it easier to hire.<\/p>\n<p><em>Look at Search Engine Land&#8217;s weekly post on &#8220;<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/latest-jobs-in-search-marketing-378959\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>The latest jobs in search marketing<\/em><\/a><em>&#8221; for more examples of search marketing job listings or if you want to submit your own.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/write-effective-seo-job-description-393355\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">How to write an effective SEO job description<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Search Engine Land<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do you know what makes an SEO eager to apply for an open position and what makes them click \u201cback\u201d quicker than a guest posting request email? I do. I\u2019ve been reviewing thousands of job descriptions for open SEO positions for almost a year now. Some were bad, many were OK but few were great. Today, we take the first step in addressing all the above. No more excuses for subpar job descriptions. You\u2019ll learn how to match great candidates with great companies. 5 of the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"h5ap_radio_sources":[],"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8266","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-best-seo-blogs"],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":false,"author_link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/author\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8266","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8266"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8266\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8266"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8266"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8266"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}