You can choose from several degree options to prepare you for a career as an SEO specialist. Specializing in marketing, IT, or communications will equip you with the skills needed for a career in this field. The speed at which the SEO industry is changing is so fast that the importance of a formalized course is questionable. While education on web development, marketing, and information technology can be an important foundation, most information on SEO methodology will be acquired online.
Many SEO positions will offer on-the-job training, but will still require some type of post-secondary education. An outstanding work history can replace any educational requirements for some positions. While formalized education in SEO-related fields is not a necessity, the need for continuing education is absolute. Search engine optimization is a rapidly evolving field and requires SEO professionals to constantly reevaluate and update search engine skill sets and criteria.
SEO is an ever-changing interaction between major search engines and SEO professionals trying to increase the online profiles of the customers they represent. As Google, Yahoo, Bing and others modify their search algorithms to provide a more objective hierarchy of websites, SEO specialists are reshaping customers' digital profiles to improve their search rankings. This back-and-forth requires constant training and a new attunement with the subtleties of each new search engine modification. Rather than getting the right formal degree, it's more important to acquire the skills and experience needed in search engine optimization, either on your own or through online courses.
There's no common SEO degree or curriculum, which can seem daunting if you're trying to learn how to get started in SEO. People interested in working as SEO specialists should have a degree in marketing, computer science or any other field related to information technology, although this is not necessary. A degree in IT ensures that you can customize content to receive a high ranking on the search engine results page (SERP).
