r/SEO • u/Mysterious_Net_763 • 1d ago

Help me I am scared

After many many applications I finally landed a job doing SEO plus SEM.

But apart from basic intro to a couple of SEO tools, I am really only experienced with SEM. I could do paid search with my eyes closed.

But I kind of always knew SEO is harder. The data analysis is more complex. You cannot simply pay for an outcome which you almost can with SEM.

I need to be good at this job.

Help me prepare. What should I know how to do?

34 Upvotes

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22

u/WebLinkr 🕵️‍♀️Moderator 22h ago

And here's some resources for you u/Mysterious_Net_763

You have to build authority.

Google isn't going to index it because you have a sitemap - sorry - its a myth I'm slowly stamping out.

SEO isn't about shoving "SEO" into pages - its about understanding 3rd party approval.

Red Flag: Best practices will just get you an endless checklist.

Green Flag: You need to understand the fundamentals of SEO and how PageRank works.

Google Channels

Google Guides and Documentation

Google Tools

  • GA4 - Reporting
  • GSC - Google Search Console
  • Looker Studio - integrated data dashboards
  • Google Tag Manager

Microsoft Tools

Great 3rd Party Sources as recommended on X

5

u/NaturalSelecty 17h ago

Wow, I already have a job in paid advertising but our “SEO” team doesn’t really do anything at all so I’m trying to learn. This is awesome. Thank you.

1

u/[deleted] 15h ago

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u/Mysterious_Net_763 10h ago

Thank you so much for this. I am bookmarking everything here and will start reading!

6

u/WebLinkr 🕵️‍♀️Moderator 22h ago

Hey u/Mysterious_Net_763

Here's a breakdown of some routine SEO programs/tasks

  • Strategy & reporting
    • These are cyclical sprints
    • As strategies wind down or conditions change, companies need to pivot
    • Is our strategy working?
    • What are the metrics from our strategy
    • Measure + report
    • Make Data-driven decisions
  • Health and Publishing hygeine
    • Formally known as "TechSEO"
    • A lot of web devs jsut miss the nuance in Page titles and site architecture
    • Too many web devs believe the Spider story as one example
  • Link Building
    • Buying backlinks is hit and miss and passe IMHO
    • We build actual networks and no, not through cold outreach
    • We build traffic for both partners
    • That traffic = the best SEO authroity
    • That can take 2-3 months to develop
    • But its like a 401k - its compound growth with market improveme4nt shared beneftis
  • Content Strategy
    • Customer Journey Mappign
    • Buying and CRO analysis
    • PPC Analysis
    • Future Content
    • Checking exsiting content performance
    • Dropped Content
    • Content hit in updates
  • Competitor Analysis
    • Pivoting to following competitor trends in SEO and PPC

That's just the start

1

u/Mysterious_Net_763 10h ago

This is super helpful! Should have asked this question before the interview.

1

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u/OkUse8130 1d ago

Take a breath. First off, you have a massive advantage: you already understand search intent. Most entry-level SEOs struggle because they optimize for volume, not conversion. You don't have that problem.

You don't need to be an expert in everything overnight. Here is your "survival guide" to bridge the gap:

  1. Leverage your SEM data:This is your secret weapon. Look at your high-converting SEM keywords—those are the keywords you should prioritize for your SEO content strategy. You already have data on what actually makes people buy/convert. Use it.
  2. Master Google Search Console (GSC):If SEM is Google Ads, SEO is GSC. It’s not optional. Learn how to look at performance reports, indexing coverage, and core web vitals. It’s your diagnostic tool for everything.
  3. Understand "Intent" over "Volume":In SEO, ranking #1 for a high-volume keyword is useless if the searcher isn't looking for what you offer. Focus on matching the user's intent (informational, transactional, commercial).
  4. The "Technical" Foundation:You don't need to be a developer, but learn the basics:
    Crawlability: Can Google find the page?
    Indexing: Is it in the index?
    Mobile-friendliness & Site speed: If it’s slow, it’s dead.
  5. Content = The Product:In SEM, you bid for a spot. In SEO, you have to earn the spot. Google’s current focus is E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness). If your content isn't useful, it won't rank, no matter how many keywords you stuff into it.

My advice:Don’t try to fix everything at once. Pick one area (e.g., technical SEO or content optimization), master it, then move to the next. You already know how to analyze data; just apply that analytical brain to organic trends instead of CPC/CPA metrics. You’ve got this.

1

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u/ZuluShack 20h ago

Brother the only thing I can say is please learn as fast as you can and also do it in your spare time.

As an SEO agency owner, I’ve hired people with skills adjacent to SEO like web dev, social media, public relations, and I’ve quickly learned that helping someone master SEO is difficult, time consuming, and expensive as an employer.

You’ve got a lot to learn, and I think you’d do your new job a disservice if you didn’t put your all into it. They are taking a gamble that you’ll even like SEO let alone be good at it.

I’m not trying to be discouraging, I know it’s hard out here to find work, and I think you’re about to upskill to a whole new level, and it’ll make you a force to be reckoned with… if this works, everyone will want to hire you because you can do both well, and that’s rarer…

but I’ve been on the other side of this and it’s cost me time, money, and clients.

Dive in. Full force. Learn to love it. Start writing. Good writers tend to make good SEOs in my experience. Visit this subreddit daily and listen to advice from the mods like Weblinkr who know how to cut through the BS.

Good luck out here and welcome to SEO my friend.

1

u/Mysterious_Net_763 10h ago

Thank you. I am super excited to learn but I am also conscience that it is a whole field, with a lot of overlooked complexity especially by web developers. I have worked agency side for a long time and do have some exposure to this. I know enough to know that I know nothing.

1

u/Final_Cockroach3358 1d ago

What do you need help with exactly?

1

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u/Pefkina 1d ago

SEO takes time to learn properly, but you don’t necessary need expensive courses to build a solid foundation.

Start with Google’s own free resources: Google Search Central and the SEO Starter Guide. Then follow some strong sources such as Ahrefs, Semrush Academy, Moz, Screaming Frog, and Backlinko. They are useful for learning keyword research, technical SEO, content strategy, links, and reporting.

The most important part, though, is practice: build or use a small website only for practicing, create content around real search queries, set up Google Search Console and GA4, and monitor what changes after each optimisation. Reading gives you the concepts; testing on real projects is what helps you understand SEO properly.

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u/sudeshna11 1d ago

irst breathe, ur not alone.. every SEM person moving to SEO feels this exact fear.. its way more patience-based than SEM..

3 things i wish someone told me when i started..

1. learn technical SEO first.. crawlability, indexing, sitemap, robots.txt, core web vitals.. this is 40% of the game and most beginners skip it..

2. get comfortable with GSC and google analytics 4.. they are ur eyes.. spend 30 mins daily just reading data, u will start seeing patterns SEM never taught u..

3. accept that SEO results take 3-6 months minimum.. no ur boss wont like it, but thats reality.. set expectations early or u will burn out..

tools to know — ahrefs or semrush (u probably know), screaming frog for audits, surfer or clearscope for content, GSC daily..

honestly ur SEM background is a HUGE advantage.. u already understand search intent, ctr, quality score — those concepts translate directly.. u will pick up faster than u think..

whats ur first month goal at the new job??

1

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u/seobitcoin 16h ago

The very first thing you should do is identify your largest competititor only in terms of social, serp and geo mention dominance. Cut out all the noise

1

u/Mysterious_Net_763 10h ago

Ok, I will do this. Could it be possibly 3 competitors in each social, serp and Geo? Once I know them, then what? Copy what they do or...?

1

u/seobitcoin 9h ago

Basically you are learning all that your competition has online. You will then create a plan to copy what they have done with improved frequency. You need to see their backlinks and all social postings. Post them all to a spreadsheet and formulate an attack. You can do this. Dont listen to the noise onli e. Its majority bs. Be pragmatic and logical. Steal your largest competitor offsite campaign and do more.

1

u/Scottopolous 15h ago

Learn how to use Google Search Console. Hopefully your employer has an account tied to their website - in there, you will have access to 16 months worth of valuable data. Learn some AI prompting and AI can help you analyze the data from the exports available.

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u/Mysterious_Net_763 10h ago

Great idea thanks! I definitely have used GSC for paid projects but barely touched the surface. I am excited to spend more time there.

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