Image for SEO Job Description: What to Look for in an SEO Expert Most SEO experts will specialize in several of the areas mentioned below: In-depth keyword research Studying traffic and analytics Split-testing similar pages Building natural backlinks Analyzing the client’s competitors Maximizing local search exposure Developing strong calls to action Working with writers and designers Programming in HTML, PHP, etc. Creating effective ranking strategies Researching the latest SEO practices Since hundreds of aspects can affect a website’s overall desirability to search engines, an SEO expert also has to be well-versed in numerous evaluation tools like Google Analytics and Moz’s Open Site Explorer in order to create a thorough action plan. Likewise, they also have to continually research the latest search engine updates of core ranking algorithms.