Selection of the right major at university is one of the most important decisions you will make that shapes your career direction. With so many fields to choose from, can communications lead an appropriate charge for crowded sectors like SEO marketing ants?
The short answer is not only can communications make good sense as a springboard into SEO marketing careers, but the requisite skills also come quite easily. So how does it translate into necessary skills, and what should one be doing in this field to maximise one’s opportunities? This blog examines the benefits of a communications degree and how it relates to SEO marketing. By the end, you’ll know if this is what you should go for.
What is a Communications Degree?
A communications degree instructs students in the art of effective messaging across many different platforms. It focuses on crafting vivid narratives; reaching out to diverse populations and analysis that puts communication in its social or business context.
Areas you will study include:
- Public relations; strategic communication
- Media writing; narrative reporting
- Interpersonal and intercultural communication
- Digital communication (including social media)
- Research methods
Why it matters in marketing:
Marketing communication is about shaping opinions and triggering action–whether launching a social media competition or optimizing a web site for search engines: clear, persuasive expression is a given.
What is SEO Marketing?
Search engine optimization (SEO) marketing is about increasing a website’s visibility to search engines like Google. The aim is to attract organic traffic by ranking higher in search results for relevant keywords. SEO is a dynamic field mushing together elements of knowledge or skill as well as pure creativity and data analysis.
Key components of SEO marketing:
- Keyword research: What it is that people in your target group are actually looking for.
- Content Re-creation: Writing valuable content that fits with the intent of the audience.
- On-Page Optimization: Tweaking elements on your website, such as headers or meta descriptions for better rankings.
- Link Building: Getting backlinks to your domain from established websites.
- User Experience (UX): Making the website easy to use.
Communications Is a Great Major for SEO Marketing
Now that we understand Communications and SEO marketing, let’s explore how these two disciplines naturally fit together.
Content Writing and Creation Skills
Writing is at the heart of SEO. In terms of content blogs, your website copy or attractively-written meta descriptions will all be crucial for grabbing attention — that’s the basis of your sound text strategy. Story-telling is among the precepts Communications teaches to jog without jogging. A fine piece using pertinent keywords (like “SEO marketing”) should fare well and draw many natural searches.
Understanding Audience Behavior
SEO marketing isn’t just for the search engines, but also for the people. While finding content that targets their intent is critical in good SEO, you also need to know what your audience values and wants. A communications degree gives one the basic knowledge tools of analysis and segmentation in understanding different audiences. For example, classes in intercultural communications or the psychology of marketing may enhance your ability to appeal to different people. Aligning content with their values and hobbies can mean a better retention rate conversion ratio.
Visual Example:
When you were marketing a fitness keeping app, you might know that what urges millennials to exercise and care for themselves is feeling shame. Equality language like “In 2021 America” would be a death sentence.
Digital Communication Expertise
SEO marketing is digital. Lots of comma programs now emphasize digital media with students not only learning how to master but also hard sell on Twitter and how, under China’s internet censorship rules where everything has to be done in-house by one agency that will police it as well — perhaps China now actually has its own sphere of the global internet with just such an atmosphere! From viral campaigns to using analytics for performance insights, these skills are easily transferable into SEO. By training in communications you gain a solid grounding for navigating the postgraduate world of information. This may range from understanding platforms like WordPress and tools like Google Analytics to sharpening your kinesthetic sense (ie how hard does work feel?), not to mention an eye on political correctness so that others can not unjustly accuse us of being sexist or vulgar in any way–for example by calling something ‘shitty’, which means stupid or morally bad.
Example:
If charged with improving the website ranking of an ‘eco-friendly beauty products’ company, you’ll be able to merge together social insights on media usage with content strategies for SEO.
Collaboration and Teamwork
SEO marketing is not a one-man show. It requires the collaboration of content writers, graphic designers, web developers, data analysts, and so on. Communications programs generally have coursework which underscores teamwork; everyone aims to fill out one another’s spotty areas – this prepares you to play an important role in a team-oriented job.
You’ll learn conflict resolution, group dynamics, and project management skills that streamline the collaborative process. Finely tuned to the particular needs of your own team–after all, being able adeptly read its moods is paramount when working in fast-paced digital marketing environments.
Example:
For instance, while your web developer is working to optimize site speed, the SEO marketer might be dealing with the team’s copywriters improving low-performing pages.
Research and Analytical Abilities
In order to be successful at SEO, one must be able to analyze data accurately and stay updated on the latest industry trends. Communications majors learn how to carry out research, evaluate data themselves, and estimate the impact of campaigns.
The ability to know what works and what doesn’t is fundamental in SEO marketing. You’ll be able to test different strategies, such as examining your analytics statistics to see if your content ranks for particular keywords like “SEO marketing strategies”.
Example:
By studying bounce rates or engagement data, you can adjust the direction of your tactics so as to produce more user-friendly content.
How to Make the Most of Your Communications Degree in SEO Marketing
Below are some ways you can turn your degree as well as your own personality into money.
- Gain practical experience:
Intern with companies offering SEO or marketing roles.
Get on a program in connection with the management of your own blog with some SEO push. Learn how to spin a news post or nike commercial around an experiment-article about giant glass frogs. - Develop your technical skills:
Become familiar with software like Google Analytics, SEMrush, and Ahrefs.
Practice using CMS platforms such as WordPress or Squarespace at least once so that you’re ready when it comes time for your own website design project.
Hunt for some HTML referrals! Find a service person who will provide you with the names of companies using similar code to what you want for your own site. - Stay current on SEO trends:
SEO is constantly changing. Subscribe to industry blogs such as Moz, Neil Patel’s personal Social Doufus Journal. - Recruit a portfolio:
Create a display area that shows off how effective you’ve been at SEO, including blog posts, on-page improvements to old sites and campaigns. It impresses some hiring managers.
Careers in SEO Marketing for Communications Majors
With a communications degree and the right skill set, these SEO-related roles are waiting for you:
- Content Strategist: Plan and oversee content marketing strategies.
- SEO Specialist: Get out on the Internet and optimize websites to improve their search rankings.
- Social Media Manager: Draw closer to the direction of campaigns aligning SEO goals with content needs via online media promotion.
- Analytics Manager: Shift gears to use data underpinning marketing strategies at a finer level.
- Digital Marketing Manager: Flexibility Working in a career that requires an amalgamation of such elements as SEO, SEM, and content marketing.
Turn What You Like Doing into Profit
Is communications a good major for SEO marketing? Absolutely. With its emphasis on writing, taking into account what kinds of people make up an audience and how to communicate with them effectively through digital means, communications provides a strong foundation for success in SEO marketing. You can get an education that includes practical experience and also get some complementary technical skills. Don’t just talk about it – get out there and do it, and you will give yourself an exciting career.
Would you like to break into SEO? In your study of digital tools to begin today you’ll soon see what potential it holds.
