Skill Profile
SEO & SEM Strategy
"The observable action of researching keywords, optimising web content for organic search ranking, and planning and managing paid search campaigns — so that a brand's website appears prominently when target audiences search for relevant terms, driving qualified traffic at measurable cost."
YOUR SKILLS
Problems This Skill Solves
- Website generating no organic traffic because pages are not indexed or ranked for relevant search terms — keyword research, on-page optimisation, and technical SEO fixes ensure content is discoverable by search engines and matched to user intent.
- Paid search budget being spent on irrelevant clicks — negative keyword lists, match type strategy, and quality score optimisation ensure ads appear only for searches likely to convert.
- Content that ranks poorly despite being well-written — technical factors (page speed, mobile optimisation, Core Web Vitals, schema markup) affect ranking independently of content quality and must be addressed alongside on-page optimisation.
- Organic and paid search strategies working against each other — an integrated SEO/SEM approach allocates paid budget to high-competition terms where organic ranking is slow, while investing in organic content for long-tail terms where paid CPC is disproportionate.
Tools Used
Roles That Use This Skill
1 total · 1 industryThis skill is concentrated in one industry.
Marketing / E-commerce / Media
"SEO is about stuffing as many keywords into your content as possible."
Keyword stuffing has been a negative ranking signal since Google's Panda update in 2011. Modern SEO requires writing content that satisfies user intent comprehensively and naturally — using related terms, answering questions, and demonstrating expertise, authority, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T). Google's systems are designed to reward content that genuinely helps users, not content optimised for search bots at the expense of readability.
Research & Outlook
AI-generated search results (Google AI Overviews, Bing Copilot) are reducing click-through rates on organic results for informational queries as users receive answers directly on the search results page. This is shifting SEO investment towards transactional and brand queries where users still click through, and towards content that AI models cite as authoritative. Zero-click search is increasing the importance of brand visibility and featured snippet optimisation alongside traditional ranking.
See This Skill In Action
Watch a professional demonstrate SEO & SEM Strategy in a real working environment — what it looks like, how it's applied, and why it matters.
Marketing / Digital
SEO & SEM Strategy
Also Known As
Growth Path
Conducts basic keyword research using a tool like Semrush or Google Keyword Planner. Writes and optimises page titles, meta descriptions, and header tags for target keywords. Sets up and monitors a simple Google Ads campaign with defined bidding and targeting.
Develops integrated SEO/SEM strategy for a multi-page website or e-commerce store. Conducts technical SEO audits and implements fixes. Builds and optimises Google Ads accounts with multiple campaigns, ad groups, and conversion tracking. Produces monthly search performance reports tracking organic traffic, rankings, and paid ROI.
Designs enterprise-level search strategy across multiple markets and languages. Leads technical SEO for complex site architectures (international, multi-brand, JavaScript-heavy). Manages six-figure paid search budgets with sophisticated bidding strategies and audience targeting. Contributes to Google algorithm update analysis and industry commentary.
How to Practise
- 1.Conduct a keyword research project for a real or hypothetical website — identify head terms, long-tail variants, and question-based queries using Semrush or Ahrefs; map them to search intent (informational, navigational, transactional) and assign them to appropriate pages.
- 2.Audit a live website using Screaming Frog and Google Search Console — identify the top technical SEO issues (missing meta descriptions, duplicate title tags, slow pages, broken links) and write a prioritised remediation plan.
- 3.Build and run a Google Ads campaign with a defined budget — set up ad groups, write ad copy testing two variants, implement conversion tracking, and report on CPC, CTR, quality score, and ROAS after two weeks.
- 4.Track your own or a client's search rankings for target keywords weekly for a month — document what changes in ranking correlate with which on-page or off-page changes made.
How to Prove
- ·Google Ads certification — the platform-specific qualification demonstrating paid search competency.
- ·Portfolio of SEO projects with measurable organic traffic growth — ranking improvements, traffic uplift, and conversion data before and after intervention.
- ·CIM (Chartered Institute of Marketing) qualification — includes digital marketing and search as core modules.
- ·Semrush or HubSpot SEO certification — widely recognised vendor certifications for SEO knowledge.