- What should your SEO specialist resume include?
- How can you create a professional summary?
- How should you describe your work experience as an SEO specialist?
- Include a fitting SEO specialist resume education and certifications section
- Which key skills are relevant for an SEO specialist resume?
- How to select the most impactful SEO specialist resume template
- Key takeaways for writing an SEO specialist resume
An SEO specialist improves website visibility by using keywords, links, and other search engine optimization (SEO) techniques. When applying for this position, you can follow similar best practices to optimize your resume. We can help you prepare a resume that will stand out to a hiring manager like the first result on a search page.
In this guide, we’ll break down how to write an SEO specialist resume with an example you can reference. We’ll go over:
What to include on your resume
Advice for describing your SEO knowledge, experience, and education
The best skills to add to your resume
How to choose the right resume layout
What should your SEO specialist resume include?
An SEO specialist resume should show a hiring manager your ability to optimize online content. It should also emphasize the results you’ve had in other marketing jobs, such as increasing organic traffic, boosting brand awareness, or driving conversions.
Similar to how an SEO specialist uses best practices to increase website visibility, you can follow resume guidelines to highlight your top skills and qualifications. Your SEO specialist resume should include:
A resume header with your contact information
A resume summary
A work experience section
An education section
A resume skills section
How can you create a professional summary?
The goal of a professional summary is to catch a hiring manager’s attention by making them realize your skills and experience align perfectly with the role. Craft your summary the same way you would write a meta description for a webpage. Aim to make it so enticing that an employer can’t help but continue reading your resume.
In two to three sentences, summarize your unique qualifications for an SEO specialist position. Emphasize your core competencies and career achievements, demonstrating how you’ve produced successful results for another marketing team or company.
Expert Tip
Make your top skills stand out
To draw attention to your top skills, consider adding a bulleted list with your areas of expertise, like we’ve done in the example. Highlight your top SEO skills, such as lead generation, pay per click advertising, and social media marketing.
Results-driven marketing professional with extensive career experience in diverse industries, enabling business development and growth through innovative marketing strategies.
Respected and creative SEO Manager with deep experience in all facets of inbound marketing, including proposing and implementing new marketing initiatives and campaigns, generating leads, and prospecting sales. Demonstrated expertise in developing successful SEO strategies and spearheading social media marketing campaigns. History of success analyzing and monitoring metrics, developing new marketing strategies to drive sales, boosting customer engagement, and establishing brand loyalty.
How should you describe your work experience as an SEO specialist?
Your work experience section should provide additional context about your skills and abilities. Focus on highlighting the outcomes and achievements you’ve had in other positions, particularly those related to website growth and improved search rankings.
Outline your work experience by listing your past jobs in reverse-chronological order. For each role, provide your job title and employment dates. Write brief paragraphs that describe your duties and concise bullet points for your accomplishments. If you’ve held other marketing jobs in the past, include some relevant responsibilities for an SEO specialist position. For example, you might mention how you created unique social media content to increase engagement.
SEO specialists need to track the results of their work, so make sure you include quantifiable metrics in this section. Use percentages, dollar amounts, and other hard data to show the outcomes of your SEO efforts.Here’s an example:
Conducted quarterly SEO audits to identify opportunities for optimization, improving conversion rates by 24% within six months.
INBOUND MARKETING & SEO MANAGER at Mohawk Industries, Calhoun, Georgia 2017 - Present
Develop and execute marketing and SEO strategies for generating leads and customers.
Build and manage inbound content, including blog posts, whitepapers, emails, and websites.
Oversee company social media channels with a focus on increasing customer engagement and building brand loyalty.
Analyze and modify marketing initiatives to drive sales.
Establish and nurture interdepartmental and inter-organizational relationships to exceed company goals.
Leveraged understanding of client’s business needs to provide impactful strategies and set appropriate KPIs, thereby improving sales and marketing performance.
Increased revenue two-fold by recommending new processes sales lead management.
INBOUND MARKETING MANAGER at Imagine LLC, Sverna Park, Maryland 2016 - 2017
Developed lead generation strategies, created inbound content, and optimized websites for lead generation.
Researched, analyzed, and altered SEO strategies to uncover new opportunities and increase conversions on client websites.
Facilitated relationships with customers, contributing significantly to the company’s total revenue.
Maintained and updated client HubSpot accounts.
Improved traffic on client sites by using SEO and lead generation strategies, leading to higher conversion rates.
Expanded Facebook fanbase in less than one year, resulting in increased customer engagement.
Cultivated relationships with bloggers, achieving first-page Google results for the company under key search terms.
Tripled e-commerce traffic to increase sales through a combination of marketing strategies.
SENIOR SEO ANALYST & ONLINE MARKETING STRATEGIST at Grafique, Roswell, Georgia 2013 - 2015
Utilized SEO strategies to rank clients on the first page of search engines for specific keywords.
Enacted social media strategies and campaigns to increase brand recognition for law firms.
Oversaw online marketing strategies for multiple clients, preparing new websites and improving visibility in Google search results.
Monitored analytics while adjusting SEO and link-building strategies for optimal SERPS rankings.
Served as chief contact for clients on strategy and new business development.
Liaised with technical team to problem solve and obtain optimal results.
Boosted company profits in the first year with new clients through strategic marketing approaches.
Propagated cutting-edge ideas for clients to grow business contacts.
Directed team of four link builders, initiating strategies for high-quality backlink profiles to increase client SERPS visibility.
Include a fitting SEO specialist resume education and certifications section
The educational requirements for an SEO specialist can vary by employer. Review the job description to make sure you provide relevant information in your education section. Include details about your academic degree and relevant SEO certifications you’ve earned.
Follow these tips for writing your education section:
Simplify the information. Provide the essential details about your education, including the name of your degree and the school where you earned it.
List your education in reverse order. If you have two or more degrees, list your highest one first. Provide your academic credentials before your certifications.
Highlight relevant certifications. Earning certifications can be a great way to keep your SEO skills and knowledge up-to-date. Include relevant certifications to show your professional commitment and set yourself apart from other candidates.
Bachelor of Science in Marketing at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina
Inbound Certification from HubSpot Academy
HubSpot Marketing Software Certification from HubSpot Academy
Which key skills are relevant for an SEO specialist resume?
For this role, you must have a broad understanding of SEO best practices and a knowledge of marketing strategies. However, you have limited space on a resume to mention your skills, so which ones do you include?
When writing your resume, put your keyword expertise to good use by reviewing the job description closely. Note the words and phrases an employer has used to describe the position. Use those same keywords to optimize your resume for an applicant tracking system (ATS). Many employers use an ATS to scan and rank candidates’ resumes based on their relevant qualifications. (You can learn more about optimizing your resume with our article on resume ATS optimization.)
Some common skills to include on an SEO specialist resume are:
SEO development and implementation
Website design
Social media marketing
Google Analytics
Email marketing
Keyword research
Campaign development
HTML
Wordpress
Raven Tools
Hubspot
Strategic Marketing Initiatives
Inbound Content Creation
Website Planning & Design
SEO Development & Implementation
Social Media Marketing
Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising
Client & Partner Relationships
How to select the most impactful SEO specialist resume template
The layout of your resume should appear clean and professional, allowing an employer to focus on your qualifications for the position. Use a standard font and bold your section headers to make the document easy to read. You can add a few creative touches, like a splash of color, if you want to differentiate yourself from other candidates. Just make sure those elements don’t take a hiring manager’s focus away from your skills and experience.
Aim to keep your resume to one page. If it’s longer, you risk losing an employer’s attention. However, if you have extensive marketing and SEO experience, you can add a second page to your resume.
Use our helpful resume builder to find a professional resume layout for an SEO specialist role. You can also browse over 100 resume examples we have available. These examples can provide additional ideas about how to format your resume.
Summary example
Results-driven marketing professional with extensive career experience in diverse industries, enabling business development and growth through innovative marketing strategies.
Respected and creative SEO Manager with deep experience in all facets of inbound marketing, including proposing and implementing new marketing initiatives and campaigns, generating leads, and prospecting sales. Demonstrated expertise in developing successful SEO strategies and spearheading social media marketing campaigns. History of success analyzing and monitoring metrics, developing new marketing strategies to drive sales, boosting customer engagement, and establishing brand loyalty.
Employment history example
INBOUND MARKETING & SEO MANAGER at Mohawk Industries, Calhoun, Georgia 2017 - Present
Develop and execute marketing and SEO strategies for generating leads and customers.
Build and manage inbound content, including blog posts, whitepapers, emails, and websites.
Oversee company social media channels with a focus on increasing customer engagement and building brand loyalty.
Analyze and modify marketing initiatives to drive sales.
Establish and nurture interdepartmental and inter-organizational relationships to exceed company goals.
Leveraged understanding of client’s business needs to provide impactful strategies and set appropriate KPIs, thereby improving sales and marketing performance.
Increased revenue two-fold by recommending new processes sales lead management.
INBOUND MARKETING MANAGER at Imagine LLC, Sverna Park, Maryland 2016 - 2017
Developed lead generation strategies, created inbound content, and optimized websites for lead generation.
Researched, analyzed, and altered SEO strategies to uncover new opportunities and increase conversions on client websites.
Facilitated relationships with customers, contributing significantly to the company’s total revenue.
Maintained and updated client HubSpot accounts.
Improved traffic on client sites by using SEO and lead generation strategies, leading to higher conversion rates.
Expanded Facebook fanbase in less than one year, resulting in increased customer engagement.
Cultivated relationships with bloggers, achieving first-page Google results for the company under key search terms.
Tripled e-commerce traffic to increase sales through a combination of marketing strategies.
SENIOR SEO ANALYST & ONLINE MARKETING STRATEGIST at Grafique, Roswell, Georgia 2013 - 2015
Utilized SEO strategies to rank clients on the first page of search engines for specific keywords.
Enacted social media strategies and campaigns to increase brand recognition for law firms.
Oversaw online marketing strategies for multiple clients, preparing new websites and improving visibility in Google search results.
Monitored analytics while adjusting SEO and link-building strategies for optimal SERPS rankings.
Served as chief contact for clients on strategy and new business development.
Liaised with technical team to problem solve and obtain optimal results.
Boosted company profits in the first year with new clients through strategic marketing approaches.
Propagated cutting-edge ideas for clients to grow business contacts.
Directed team of four link builders, initiating strategies for high-quality backlink profiles to increase client SERPS visibility.
Education example
Bachelor of Science in Marketing at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina
Inbound Certification from HubSpot Academy
HubSpot Marketing Software Certification from HubSpot Academy
Skills example
HTML
Wordpress
Raven Tools
Hubspot
Strategic Marketing Initiatives
Inbound Content Creation
Website Planning & Design
SEO Development & Implementation
Social Media Marketing
Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising
Client & Partner Relationships
Key takeaways for writing an SEO specialist resume
An SEO specialist resume should show employers your knowledge of website optimization and the results you’ve achieved in other roles.
Provide quantifiable data, such as sales, conversion rates, and traffic growth, to prove your expertise as an SEO specialist.
Review the job description and use keywords to optimize your resume for the ATS.
Keep your resume layout clean and professional to focus on your relevant qualifications.
