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Search Marketing Strategists

Search Marketing Strategists: Job Description

Employ search marketing tactics to increase visibility and engagement with content, products, or services in Internet-enabled devices or interfaces. Examine search query behaviors on general or specialty search engines or other Internet-based content. Analyze research, data, or technology to understand user intent and measure outcomes for ongoing optimization.

What Do Search Marketing Strategists Do?

Typical responsibilities of search marketing strategists include:

  • Manage tracking and reporting of search-related activities and provide analyses to marketing executives.
  • Optimize digital assets, such as text, graphics, or multimedia assets, for search engine optimization (SEO) or for display and usability on internet-connected devices.
  • Collect and analyze Web metrics, such as visits, time on site, page views per visit, transaction volume and revenue, traffic mix, click-through rates, conversion rates, cost per acquisition, or cost per click.
  • Participate in the development or implementation of online marketing strategy.
  • Optimize Web site exposure by analyzing search engine patterns to direct online placement of keywords or other content.
  • Coordinate with developers to optimize Web site architecture, server configuration, or page construction for search engine consumption and optimal visibility.
  • Assist in setting up or optimizing analytics tools for tracking visitors' behaviors.
  • Identify appropriate Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and report key metrics from digital campaigns.

Key Skills and Knowledge

Top search marketing strategists combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Most Important Skills

These are the skills that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Complex Problem Solving  3.9 / 5
0
5
Reading Comprehension  3.9 / 5
0
5
Judgment and Decision Making  3.8 / 5
0
5
Active Listening  3.8 / 5
0
5
Critical Thinking  3.8 / 5
0
5
Active Learning  3.8 / 5
0
5

Top Knowledge Areas

Sales and Marketing  4.6 / 5
0
5
Computers and Electronics  4.3 / 5
0
5
English Language  4.3 / 5
0
5
Communications and Media  3.9 / 5
0
5
Mathematics  3.5 / 5
0
5
Customer and Personal Service  3.0 / 5
0
5

Other Search Marketing Strategists Job Titles

This career also goes by job titles like:

  • Customer Experience Strategist
  • Digital Marketer
  • Digital Marketing Strategist
  • Digital Media Planner
  • Digital Strategist
  • E-commerce Strategist
  • Electronic Commerce Specialist (E-Commerce Specialist)
  • Experience Planning Strategist

How Many Search Marketing Strategists Are There?

There are about 184,628 search marketing strategists working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +8.2% over the projection horizon.

Forecasted number of jobs for Search Marketing Strategists

Salary for Search Marketing Strategists

Statistic Value
Annual median $85,177
Hourly median $40.95
10th percentile $50,149
25th percentile $67,663
75th percentile $102,690
90th percentile $120,204

Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.

Salary ranges for Search Marketing Strategists

Search Marketing Strategists Salary by State

State Annual median salary
Delaware $98,650
Washington $94,300
Massachusetts $93,430
California $92,770
New York $91,840
New Jersey $85,190
District of Columbia $83,340
Oregon $82,600
Minnesota $81,460
Colorado $80,670
Virginia $79,840
Rhode Island $77,630
Florida $77,490
North Carolina $77,360
Georgia $75,490
Connecticut $75,320
Vermont $74,340
Maryland $73,560
Illinois $72,840
Maine $72,690
Michigan $68,120
Ohio $67,850
New Hampshire $67,590
Iowa $67,300
Montana $66,840
Arizona $66,750
South Carolina $66,110
Hawaii $65,870
Pennsylvania $65,190
Wisconsin $65,000
Utah $64,900
Texas $64,900
Arkansas $64,830
Tennessee $64,720
Missouri $64,280
Indiana $63,380
Alaska $62,960
Nevada $62,590
Kansas $62,230
North Dakota $62,230
South Dakota $61,720
New Mexico $60,200
Kentucky $59,420
Oklahoma $59,330
Idaho $59,010
Mississippi $57,520
Louisiana $57,300
Wyoming $57,040
Nebraska $55,630
Alabama $55,390
West Virginia $50,290
Virgin Islands $50,130
Guam $43,940
Puerto Rico $38,410

Where Search Marketing Strategists Earn the Most

Earnings for search marketing strategists vary by region. These regions lead on median pay:

Region Median annual wage Share of U.S. jobs Location quotient
Far Western US $90,779 17.8% 1.10
New England $86,429 6.7% 1.55
Middle Atlantic $83,639 17.3% 1.19
Rocky Mountains $74,066 5.7% 1.59
Southeast $72,929 21.7% 0.93
Plains States $70,643 7.1% 1.13
Great Lakes $68,473 13.2% 0.94
Southwest $64,689 10.3% 0.83

Where the Jobs Cluster

Metro area State Median annual wage Employment
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA CA $139,140 12,240
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA CA $124,840 23,560
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA WA $102,390 19,720
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ NY $97,360 75,190
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH MA $95,930 30,540
Bloomington, IL IL $92,570 560
Boulder, CO CO $92,570 2,840
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC NC $92,110 2,760

Top Industries Employing Search Marketing Strategists

The largest employers of search marketing strategists are found across these industries:

Industry Employment Median annual wage
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 237,340 $78,030
Information 82,830 $100,300
Finance and Insurance 82,040 $84,990
Management of Companies and Enterprises 72,390 $98,300
Wholesale Trade 65,680 $77,870
Manufacturing 51,460 $81,590
Health Care and Social Assistance 46,590 $62,230
Retail Trade 43,000 $53,990
Search Marketing Strategists sectors

Search Marketing Strategists work in the following industries:

Search Marketing Strategists industries

Tech Stack

  • Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Photoshop (hot technology)
  • Web platform development software: AJAX (hot technology)
  • Web platform development software: Cascading style sheets CSS (hot technology)
  • Data base management system software: Elasticsearch (hot technology)
  • Web page creation and editing software: Facebook (hot technology)
  • Data mining software: Google Analytics (hot technology)
  • Sales and marketing software: HubSpot software (hot technology)
  • Web platform development software: Hypertext markup language HTML (hot technology)
  • Web platform development software: JavaScript (hot technology)
  • Sales and marketing software: Marketo Marketing Automation (hot technology)
  • Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
  • Web platform development software: Microsoft ASP.NET (hot technology)

The Day-to-Day Environment

The work environment for search marketing strategists reflects the following characteristics:

  • E-Mail
  • Spend Time Sitting
  • Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
  • Freedom to Make Decisions
  • Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals

How to Become Search Marketing Strategists

Entry-level search marketing strategists positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. The role falls in Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.

Other Careers to Consider

Similar Occupations

Degree Programs

Future search marketing strategists commonly pursue programs in:

12 programs across 2 majors

Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences

2 programs across 2 majors

Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies

1 programs across 1 majors

Social Sciences

1 programs across 1 majors

About the Data

This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:

  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
  • BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
  • O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.

SOC code: 13-1161.01 (Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists).

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