Business and Financial Operations · Holland code ECI

Search Marketing Strategists

Employ search marketing tactics to increase visibility and engagement with content, products, or services in Internet-enabled devices or interfaces. Examine search query behaviors on general or specialty search engines or other Internet-based content. Analyze research, data, or technology to understand user intent and measure outcomes for ongoing optimization.

Also called: Digital Media Planner, Online Marketing Consultant, Paid Search Strategist, SEO Strategist (Search Engine Optimization Strategist), Digital Marketing Strategist, Internet Marketing Specialist, Marketing Consultant, Paid Search Consultant.

O*NET 13-1161.01

At a glance

US median annual pay: $78,760; Middle half earn $58,350 to $108,310. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 48% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 4 of 5; Considerable preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: +7% · Much faster than average; 941,700 jobs in 2024, projected 1,004,700. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Market research analysts".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Manage tracking and reporting of search-related activities and provide analyses to marketing executives.
Optimize digital assets, such as text, graphics, or multimedia assets, for search engine optimization (SEO) or for display and usability on internet-connected devices.
Collect and analyze Web metrics, such as visits, time on site, page views per visit, transaction volume and revenue, traffic mix, click-through rates, conversion rates, cost per acquisition, or cost per click.
Participate in the development or implementation of online marketing strategy.
Optimize Web site exposure by analyzing search engine patterns to direct online placement of keywords or other content.
Coordinate with developers to optimize Web site architecture, server configuration, or page construction for search engine consumption and optimal visibility.
Assist in setting up or optimizing analytics tools for tracking visitors' behaviors.
Identify appropriate Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and report key metrics from digital campaigns.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension3.9 / 5
Active Listening3.8 / 5
Critical Thinking3.8 / 5
Active Learning3.8 / 5
Speaking3.6 / 5
Writing3.5 / 5

Knowledge areas

Sales and Marketing4.6 / 5
Computers and Electronics4.3 / 5
English Language4.3 / 5
Communications and Media3.9 / 5
Mathematics3.5 / 5
Customer and Personal Service3.0 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic0
Investigative46
Artistic37
Social29
Enterprising76
Conventional61

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

online marketer · DE Online-Marketingspezialist/Online-Marketingspezialistin · FR agent de commercialisation en ligne
market research analyst · DE Marktforschungsanalyst/Marktforschungsanalystin · FR chargé d’études de marché/chargée d’études de marché
network marketer · DE Netzwerk-Marketingexperte/Netzwerk-Marketingexpertin · FR agent de commercialisation en réseau
advertising specialist · DE Werbespezialist/Werbespezialistin · FR spécialiste en publicité
online community manager · DE Online Community Manager/Online Community Managerin · FR responsable de la communauté en ligne
search engine optimisation expert · DE Experte für Suchmaschinenoptimierung/Expertin für Suchmaschinenoptimierung · FR spécialiste de l’optimisation des moteurs de recherche

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Marketing and commercial managers (2432)140,600 employed
Advertising and marketing associate professionals (3554)211,800 employed
Advertising accounts managers and creative directors (2494)55,700 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +1.43. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (13-1161).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test