How to Become a Search Engine Marketer

Overview & Salaries

Recommended Degree:
The right degree for you depends on the industry and company you apply for. Those looking for an entry positions need a bachelors degree in marketing, business or digital marketing. There are also a number of certificate degrees offered by companies like Google for digital marketing. If you are looking to get into a competitive or advance position, then a master’s degree or an MBA along with real world experience and earning specific certification can help you stand out in the hiring process. Learn more by clicking our “Education Required” tab up top.

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Median Salary:
$59,169

Specialization Options:
Strategy, project management, analyst, public relations, paid media, social media, and search engine optimization.

(all information above provided by the Payscale’s Search Engine Marketing manager page) 

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Discover the Best Places to Become a Search Engine Marketer

New York has the highest number of employment opportunities for search engine marketing managers, offering a yearly average salary of $160,660, and currently having over 4,000 professionals occupying the field. California is second in employment, with nearly as many jobs as New York, but an annual mean wage offering of $122,740 for those employed in management positions.

While the great work is being done just about everywhere, the top digital agencies in the world are in the places where they top businesses and tech companies are located. So as you could imagine if you are in, or near, one of these top five spots you’re picking the right profession.

  • New York, NY
  • San Jose, CA
  • San Francisco, CA
  • Washington, D.C.
  • Boston, MA

Employment and Salary Information by State for Search Engine Marketers

Use our interactive map below to find out which areas of the United States are currently experiencing the greatest amount of growth and job availability for graduates looking for a career in Search Engine Marketing.

Employment and Information Data for Search Engine Marketing

Why Become a Search Engine Marketer

Search engine marketing is one of the hottest sectors of marketing today, and job seekers can continue to expect robust opportunities in the search space. Search engine marketing is the practice of improving web page rankings on search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo. This allows web pages (ie. a company’s services and prodcuts!) to have a higher profile when internet users are searching for keywords and phrases.  Search engine marketing (or search engine optimization) is a high growth industry.

And why would businesses considered this important? Well web pages that land on Google’s first page receive 96% of clicks. That’s pretty important.

Recommended Courses to Become a Search Engine Marketer

  • SEO Copywriting
  • Digital Strategies for Marketing
  • Web Analytics: Integrating Website and E-mail Data
  • Strategic Search Engine Marketing
  • Search Engine Optimization Strategy
  • Internet Marketing Strategies
  • Advanced Web Analytics
  • Pay-per-click Search Engines Strategies
  • Internet Market Research
  • Introduction to Paid Search
  • Website Design

Degree Options for Search Engine Marketing Careers

Certificate
Many certificate programs in digital marketing help already seasoned professions enhance and expand their skillets in integrated marketing with courses that focus on search engine optimizations, as well as related fields like social media marketing and mobile marketing techniques.

Associate’s Degree
Most associate degree programs offer a broad curriculum in marketing and provide search engine marketing courses to fit within the overall niche.

Bachelor’s Degree
Many companies ask for a bachelor’s degree from its applicants.  However, that isn’t always the case and demonstrated skills in some of the above mentioned techniques can gain an non-matriculated person entry into the marketing world. If you do opt for a bachelor’s degree with a focus on learning about search engine marketing, it might make it easier on you in the long-term and can provide plenty of insight into the field.

Master’s Degree
Degrees in marketing are nothing new on college campuses, but the Master’s in search engine marketing is a turning point in the space, signalling the importantance of reaching audiences across many channels –online, smartphones, tablets and more.