The Journey of a Junior in SEO: Where to Start Earning

Ranking on search engines is the bread and butter of millions of specialists worldwide. If you wish to have a bite of this meal, it’s crucial to understand that SEO is a multidimensional field, encompassing many tasks beyond polishing keyword-focused content for a higher position. 

As a junior, you have much to learn, and certain jobs are much more suitable for someone with your expertise. So, let’s explore positions that best suit SEO beginners and provide much-needed experience. 

The learning aspect

Before you can even think of applying for internships or more concrete positions, take time to build your knowledge. An internship can only work if you know the basics and beyond, but experience is your main area of interest (and weakness). To build your experience and portfolio, don’t be shy to launch your own websites and build their SEO from scratch.

Even a money-earning app like JumpTask can be a part of your SEO-learning journey. After all, this get-paid-to platform offers the chance to earn money by testing and using various search engines. Such experience will also prove valuable for understanding how different search engines work and how the level of result personalization varies significantly.

Internships and SEO agencies

Internships can provide unique and exciting lessons and help establish valuable contacts. SEO agencies also cater to multiple clients simultaneously, meaning you can gain knowledge on pursuing SEO for an e-commerce dropshipping store or a more focused, single-product website. 

Each client will have their own problems that you get to witness, together with their resolution. Of course, you should aim for a paid internship, but if it is possible to get financial support from other sources, apply for non-paid internships, too. 

Contact agencies directly 

If you want a fully paid position after learning, don’t rely on job listings on LinkedIn or similar job-hunting websites. You can be more direct by sending your resume to various SEO agencies without a clear job offer. While they might not reply or inform you that there are no open positions at the time, HR specialists typically save such resumes for later, when they do have a position. 

Outreach specialists

These specialists usually start off as junior members of the SEO team. Their main responsibilities include judging other websites’ suitability for partnerships. So, juniors learn more about the essential metrics and generally guest posting relationships. These specialists also have the most communication and contact with external people. So, you should feel comfortable negotiating and reacting calmly to details or other unexpected changes.

SEO content specialists 

If you have writing experience, adding SEO knowledge can be a valuable asset. Then, you can apply for junior writing positions, typically assisting senior/mid-level writers in their tasks. Over time, you’ll learn more about SEO-friendly approaches and structures for landing in the best search engine positions. 

Freelancing SEO services

Another option for gaining experience and earning money is freelancing SEO services. Since you’re a junior, keep prices lower to attract clients who have no tight deadlines. After all, developing SEO content plans or conducting keyword research can take much longer for less skilled specialists. Hence, ensure that clients are aware of your current expertise and have no issue with assisting with your growth. In turn, they pay less for SEO services, which are much more expensive from senior or mid-level professionals. 

What about SEO tools? 

One of the obstacles for independent SEO specialists is the price of SEO tools. After all, Semrush and Ahrefs are not the most affordable tools, with only limited free features. However, they are quite essential in providing trusted SEO services. Thus, you can explore the free SEO platforms, with tools ike Google Search Console showing great potential. Yet, the chances are that you will still need to pay for at least one SEO service.

Final thoughts 

Being a junior in any field is a stressful time. Besides getting the most insignificant tasks, you are also left to listen and learn rather than having your opinion matter in a professional setting. Yet your only option is to survive this period and slowly build your expertise to pass the entry-level threshold and move towards a mid-level position. 

Salary also significantly depends on your seniority level, so ensure that once you get hired for an SEO position, the company has clear step-by-step guidelines/expactions for boosting your career.