Torchora
Back to Home

Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for a Search Marketing Specialist

💰 $65,000 - $90,000

MarketingDigital MarketingSearch Engine OptimizationPay-Per-Click Advertising

🎯 Role Definition

At its core, the Search Marketing Specialist is the driving force behind a company's online discoverability. This role is a unique blend of art and science, responsible for crafting, implementing, and optimizing strategies that capture audience intent across both paid (PPC/SEM) and organic (SEO) search channels. They are the masters of keywords, the analysts of performance data, and the strategists who connect a brand's solutions with the people actively searching for them, ultimately driving qualified traffic, lead generation, and revenue.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Digital Marketing Coordinator
  • Marketing Assistant with a focus on digital tasks
  • Content Writer or Junior Copywriter

Advancement To:

  • Senior Search Marketing Specialist
  • Search Marketing Manager or SEM Manager
  • Digital Marketing Manager

Lateral Moves:

  • Digital Analytics Specialist
  • Content Strategist
  • Marketing Automation Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Develop, execute, and continually optimize comprehensive pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns across multiple platforms, including Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising (Bing), and social media ad platforms.
  • Conduct in-depth keyword research and analysis to identify and capitalize on new opportunities, expand campaign reach, and improve targeting efficiency.
  • Manage and allocate significant campaign budgets, ensuring optimal pacing, efficient spend, and maximization of return on ad spend (ROAS) and cost per acquisition (CPA).
  • Perform daily account management of paid search accounts, including bid management, budget allocation, impression share analysis, and quality score optimization.
  • Craft compelling, relevant, and high-performing ad copy and collaborate with design teams on creative assets for display and discovery campaigns.
  • Implement and manage A/B testing and multivariate testing on landing pages, ad copy, and bidding strategies to continuously improve campaign performance.
  • Develop and implement comprehensive on-page and off-page SEO strategies to increase organic search rankings, drive qualified traffic, and improve domain authority.
  • Conduct technical SEO audits to identify and rectify issues such as crawl errors, indexing problems, site speed, mobile-friendliness, and schema markup.
  • Monitor, analyze, and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) for both SEO and PPC, providing actionable insights and clear, concise performance narratives to stakeholders.
  • Create and maintain detailed performance dashboards and reports using tools like Google Analytics, Looker Studio, and spreadsheet software to visualize trends and results.
  • Collaborate with content marketing and web development teams to ensure SEO best practices are integrated into content creation and website architecture.
  • Perform regular competitive analysis to monitor the landscape, benchmark performance, and identify strategic opportunities or threats in the search space.
  • Manage and optimize local search presence, including Google Business Profile listings and local citation management, to drive foot traffic and local engagement.
  • Develop and execute strategic link-building campaigns in coordination with content and PR teams to build a high-quality backlink profile.
  • Stay current with the latest search engine algorithm updates, industry trends, and emerging technologies in search marketing to ensure a competitive edge.
  • Implement and manage tracking solutions using Google Tag Manager to ensure accurate data collection for conversions, events, and user behavior.
  • Structure and segment campaigns and ad groups logically for granular control and reporting on various audience segments, device types, and geographic locations.
  • Manage audience targeting strategies, including remarketing lists, customer match, lookalike audiences, and in-market segments to reach users at different stages of the funnel.
  • Provide strategic recommendations and performance forecasts to inform future budget planning and marketing strategy development.
  • Optimize website content, meta tags, URL structures, and internal linking to align with SEO goals and improve the user experience.
  • Analyze search query reports (SQRs) to identify negative keywords and refine keyword targeting, minimizing wasted ad spend.
  • Collaborate with the broader marketing team to ensure search marketing efforts are aligned with and support integrated multi-channel campaigns.

Secondary Functions

  • Support marketing and sales teams with ad-hoc search data requests and exploratory analysis of market trends.
  • Contribute to the organization's overarching digital marketing strategy and MarTech stack evaluation.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate their goals into tangible search marketing objectives and KPIs.
  • Participate in agile marketing sprints, contributing to planning, stand-ups, and retrospectives.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Proficiency in Google Ads (Search, Display, Video, Shopping) & Microsoft Advertising platforms.
  • Advanced knowledge of Google Analytics (GA4) for tracking, reporting, and analysis.
  • Expertise with SEO tools such as SEMrush, Ahrefs, Moz, and Screaming Frog.
  • Hands-on experience with Google Search Console for monitoring site health and performance.
  • Competency in using Google Tag Manager for implementing tracking pixels and tags.
  • Strong data analysis skills using Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets (pivot tables, VLOOKUPs, formulas).
  • Experience with data visualization tools like Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio) or Tableau.
  • Familiarity with Content Management Systems (CMS) like WordPress.
  • Understanding of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript as they relate to SEO.
  • Experience with bid management tools and strategies (e.g., Smart Bidding).

Soft Skills

  • Strong analytical and problem-solving mindset with a data-driven approach.
  • Exceptional attention to detail and organizational skills.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills for reporting and collaboration.
  • Proactive and curious, with a passion for continuous learning in a fast-paced industry.
  • Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously.
  • Collaborative spirit and the ability to work effectively within cross-functional teams.
  • Strategic thinking with the ability to see the bigger picture beyond daily tasks.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's Degree or equivalent practical experience in a relevant role.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's Degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, or a quantitative field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Marketing / Digital Marketing
  • Business Administration
  • Communications
  • Economics or Statistics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2-5 years of hands-on experience in a search marketing (SEO/PPC) focused role.

Preferred:

Demonstrated track record of managing paid search budgets and/or executing SEO strategies that resulted in measurable improvements in traffic, rankings, and conversions.

Explore More Careers