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What tasks does an SEO specialist perform: from audit to analytics

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SEO has long ceased to be a set of “magical” actions to boost a website in search results. Today, SEO is a comprehensive job that requires strategic thinking, analytical skills, and technical expertise. In any niche, there are competitors, and the specialist’s goal is to build a promotion system that surpasses rivals, increases traffic, and secures a top position. To understand how diverse the role is, it is necessary to consider the key tasks of an SEO specialist.

What Does an SEO Specialist Do?

The optimizer’s activities cover a wide range of actions, from analyzing the current state of the site to implementing a long-term strategy. An SEO specialist’s arsenal includes web analytics tools, position monitoring services, and query collection systems.

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All work is aimed at improving positions in search results, enhancing behavioral metrics, and achieving stable organic traffic. Below are the key blocks that form the foundation of SEO promotion:

  • on-page optimization — meta tags setup, speed optimization, fixing technical errors;
  • off-page optimization — link and platform analysis, publication placement;
  • semantic core — selection of key phrases, clustering, distribution across pages;
  • site structure — logical page branching, category creation, interlinking;
  • behavioral factors — time calculation, bounce rate reduction, click-through rate increase.

Activities are structured sequentially, taking into account the project’s current state, business goals, and niche specifics. The focus is on content accessibility, usefulness, and navigation convenience.

What Are the Daily Tasks of an SEO Specialist?

The optimizer’s functionality may vary depending on the format: agency, freelance, or in-house. However, the basic set of actions remains unchanged.

Work is carried out simultaneously in several directions, requiring high concentration, understanding of search engine logic, and the ability to adapt to new conditions. The list of tasks is presented below:

  • site audit — checking the technical state, finding duplicate pages, fixing broken links;
  • site optimization — adjusting titles, fixing indexation errors, adding alt descriptions;
  • link building — placing links on thematic resources, creating a link profile;
  • increasing link mass — external sources, anchor list control, toxicity reduction;
  • backlinks — donor analysis, quality control, identifying spam and rejecting harmful URLs.

Simultaneously, work is carried out on development strategy: trend analysis, tracking innovations in search engine algorithms, adjusting promotion approaches. All actions are aimed at stable position growth and maintaining achieved results in the long term.

Tactical and Strategic Approach

A professional SEO specialist does not operate solely based on a checklist. Effectiveness is achieved through flexibility in tool selection, the ability to identify growth points, and build long-term scenarios. For this purpose, a promotion strategy is developed, including resource development stages, a plan, and key metrics.

When working with regional websites, local promotion plays an important role, focusing on address relevance, registration in maps, and optimization of contact details. This approach enhances visibility in a limited area.

One of the key tasks is analyzing competitors in search results. Comparing site structure, content volumes, link profiles, and technical parameters helps tailor promotion considering the actual situation. Competitive audit helps identify weaknesses and find new growth points. All these requirements are also part of the tasks performed by an SEO specialist.

SEO Specialist’s Toolkit

An SEO specialist’s toolbox includes analytics systems: Google Analytics, Yandex.Metrica, Piwik PRO. They allow tracking user behavior, evaluating traffic sources, depth of views, page loading speed, and content popularity. Data is used to assess behavioral factors and identify site issues.

For technical audits, tools like Screaming Frog SEO Spider, Netpeak Spider, Sitebulb, and cloud service crawlers such as JetOctopus are actively used. They analyze the site’s structure, detect broken links, markup errors, duplicates, violations, and redirects. These tools are indispensable for site optimization after initial analysis and during regular checks.

Semantic core collection is done using services like Serpstat, SE Ranking, Ahrefs, Key Collector, Rush Analytics. These platforms help select keywords, assess their frequency, seasonality, and competitiveness. Based on the data obtained, a logical site structure is formed, and a promotion strategy is developed.

For off-page optimization and link profile evaluation, Ahrefs, Majestic, Linkbox, and OpenLinkProfiler are used. These solutions provide a complete picture of backlinks, track link mass growth dynamics, identify harmful donors, and build link building plans. Such tools are especially important when working in competitive niches.

Thus, the optimizer’s toolkit covers technical audit, analytics, semantics, content, links, and visualization. The depth of using each tool depends on project goals, competitor levels, and niche specifics. Proper application of services allows for a systematic approach to search optimization and achieving predictable results.

Conclusion

The combination of tasks that an SEO specialist solves within a project shows how multifaceted the profession is. The process includes both technical aspects and marketing analysis, strategy development, and interaction with external platforms. The main goal is to improve site metrics, increase organic traffic, and achieve sustainable results in search results.

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Among the key directions are on-page optimization, semantic core development, logical site structure formation, increasing backlinks, and enhancing behavioral factors. A professional approach requires constant updating of knowledge, working with tools, and understanding changes in search algorithms.

SEO specialists are in demand in agencies, marketing departments, e-commerce, media, and other fields where a stable flow of audience is required. Considering the scale of tasks, format flexibility, and growth opportunities, the profession offers a wide range of career opportunities.

Related posts

The world of business has long gone beyond physical storefronts. In 2025, the search for goods and services starts not with a visit to a store, but with a query to search engines. Competition online is tougher than offline. Thousands of services compete for a place in the search results, but only those who use SEO promotion correctly emerge victorious.

Why do some companies consistently attract customers from Google and Yandex, while others remain obscure? The secret lies in website SEO optimization — a comprehensive approach to promotion that allows not just to exist online, but to dominate it.

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Let’s explore how SEO promotion works, what methods professionals use, how it benefits businesses, and how to avoid common mistakes.

Breaking Down SEO to Its Components

A search engine is a complex system that analyzes keywords, content, user behavior, and trust in the resource. Search engine algorithms evaluate dozens of factors to determine which resource deserves to appear on the first page. How do Google and Yandex decide which site to show first?

The ranking principle is based on three key blocks:

  • internal optimization — user-friendliness, speed, usefulness;
  • external optimization — authority among other queries;
  • content — relevance to the queries.

Each factor is analyzed using complex search engine algorithms that are constantly updated. In 2023, Google released the Helpful Content Update, which lowered the rankings of resources with irrelevant content. SEO is no longer about “keyword stuffing” but about real value.

Internal SEO

You can’t build a skyscraper on a rotten foundation. Without internal optimization, a web resource cannot reach the top, even if it has thousands of backlinks. Internal SEO optimization of a site includes:

  1. Structure — logical navigation, clear sections, user-friendliness.
  2. Loading speed — 53% of users leave a page if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load.
  3. Adaptability — 70% of search traffic comes from mobile devices. If a resource is not adapted, its ranking drops.
  4. Optimization of headings, meta tags, images — correct H1-H3, descriptions, image compression without loss of quality.
  5. Semantic core — selection of keywords that match the audience’s queries.

Example: an online store selling household appliances that, instead of the standard “buy a refrigerator,” uses a semantic core covering low-frequency queries: “quiet refrigerator for a studio,” “energy-saving refrigerator 2024.”

External SEO

Search engines analyze not only the content of pages but also their reputation online. External optimization plays a key role in building the authority of a resource. The more quality mentions a platform receives on other sites, the higher its positions in search results.

When major thematic portals, media, or popular blogs refer to a source, its ranking in search engines increases. However, it’s not just about quantity but also quality. If links come from dubious sources, it can harm the resource’s reputation.

A common mistake website owners make is buying links. Google strongly combats artificial link building, imposing penalties on resources that use such methods. To avoid problems, it’s important to focus on natural traffic and build the reputation of pages through honest means.

Types of SEO: From Local to International

Not all businesses are the same, and SEO types vary depending on the goals:

  • local — for small businesses targeting a specific city (e.g., dentistry in Moscow);
  • national — optimization for the entire country (online store for household appliances);
  • international — working with different languages, domains, and geography (major brands);
  • for e-commerce — separate strategies for online stores (product cards, filters, clusters).

Successful website optimization always starts with niche analysis and choosing the optimal direction.

Advantages and Disadvantages of SEO — Panacea or Headache?

What is SEO promotion? When a web page reaches the top of search results, people find it themselves, trust it, and make purchases. By investing time and resources in SEO optimization once, you can consistently receive orders and inquiries.

But there is a downside. SEO is not an instant process. To achieve good positions, a resource must meet search engine requirements, which are subject to regular changes.

How to Launch Business SEO Promotion

For SEO to work, it’s important to follow a clear plan. First, gather a semantic core — a list of key queries that users use to search for products or services. Based on this, the content structure is built to best meet the audience’s needs.

The next step is technical SEO optimization of the site. This includes working on loading speed, fixing errors, adapting for mobile devices, and setting up indexing.

Next comes the stage of working with content. Simply stuffing keywords onto a page is not enough — texts must be informative and genuinely helpful to users.

Then comes external optimization — increasing traffic flow and improving reputation. The more authoritative resources refer to a source, the higher its trust in the eyes of Google and Yandex.

The final stage is strategy analysis and optimization. SEO is not a one-time action but continuous work. It’s important to regularly monitor the positions of the web resource, study traffic, adjust content based on search algorithm updates, and constantly improve efficiency.

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Conclusion: How SEO Promotion Works

Ignoring SEO means losing customers. In a world where 93% of users start their purchase from a search engine, a business cannot survive without SEO. That’s why every business needs SEO.

Companies that use it correctly receive 3-5 times more leads and can outperform competitors without investing millions in advertising. Consequently, they are interested in good SEO specialists who will constantly help in promotion. You can become such a professional too — by studying relevant materials and practicing.

A website can be perfect — fast, beautiful, filled with expert content. But until it is linked to by others, in the eyes of search engines, it is nothing more than a novice. This is where the link builder comes in, the one who knows how to turn an unknown page into an authoritative source. Who is a link builder? A specialist in building trust on the internet — a person who helps a website grow in search results through external URL addresses. And in 2025, their work becomes even more crucial.

Who is a link builder and why are they key in SEO?

An external optimization manager is responsible for building a link profile — placing external links on thematic, high-quality websites. But this is not a random process: it requires analysis, strategy, and constant interaction with platforms, editors, and webmasters. In 2025, their work directly impacts search engine optimization, visibility, and organic traffic for a website.

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What does a link builder do: daily tasks and processes

Understanding who a link builder is is easiest by imagining the internet as a giant web. The work of a link specialist is not just sending emails requesting links. Every day, they analyze competitors, study the link profile, search for new resources, assess their quality and thematic relevance. Special attention is paid to the types of URL addresses — anchor, non-anchor, nofollow, dofollow — and their placement in a natural context.

They also maintain tables, work with SEO services, compile reports, and monitor changes in ranking algorithms.

What are the relevant link acquisition methods in 2025?

If in the past everything was solved by buying URL addresses on dubious forums, today the approach has become much more refined. A modern link profile analyst acts flexibly: they can offer a guest post, publish a column on a media platform, arrange content exchanges, insert hyperlinks through press releases or special projects.

Link acquisition methods have become creative and essentially marketing-oriented. Many links come thanks to thoughtful content, mentions in rankings, interviews, and professional comments.

How to become a link builder without experience or a related education?

Good news: to enter the profession, you don’t need an IT diploma. It’s enough to have an interest in SEO, perseverance, and the ability to analyze. Those wondering how to become a link builder start by studying the principles of search engine optimization and the metrics used to assess the quality of a website and its hyperlinks.

Then comes practice. You can practice on your own website, offer your services to small businesses, participate in internships, or assist SEO specialists. To understand who a link builder is, it’s important to learn how to identify quality platforms, maintain reporting, and develop systematic thinking — all of which are fundamental to the profession.

What skills will help in the profession and career growth?

The path of an external SEO promotion expert does not end with the first placement. To become a truly sought-after specialist, you need to develop flexibility, strategic thinking, confident use of tools, report management skills, without which it’s impossible to track the effectiveness of your work.

Communication skills help in finding partners, negotiating, and building long-term relationships with editors. Analytics is needed to distinguish valuable URL addresses from trash. Knowledge of tools like Ahrefs, Serpstat, Netpeak Checker makes your work efficient, and proficiency in Excel or Google Sheets is a prerequisite for a systematic approach.

And, of course, it’s important to be aware of Google’s algorithms and follow trends — link building today requires regular updating of approaches and deep adaptation to changing search engine rules.

How much does a link builder earn in 2025?

A link builder’s salary depends on many factors: experience, task complexity, work format, and the client’s country. Novice freelancers can expect to earn 30,000–60,000 rubles per month. More experienced specialists, especially those working with the Western market, earn 2–3 times more.

If a link specialist works in a team and manages projects independently, their income can exceed 150,000–200,000 rubles. Advancement to a team lead or senior SEO specialist is also possible. Career growth directly depends on who a link builder is in essence — not just an executor, but an analyst, strategist, and negotiator. The better the results and the broader the thinking, the faster the specialist develops.

Profession Advantages: Why study link building in 2025?

To understand whether it’s worth developing in the niche, it’s enough to look at its key advantages:

  • format flexibility: most external optimization managers work remotely;
  • high demand in the internet marketing and SEO market;
  • easy entry — you can start without a technical education;
  • quick results — progress is visible within a month or two;
  • the opportunity to work with clients worldwide.

These characteristics make the profession attractive to those seeking remote work related to analytics, systematic thinking, and soft skills.

Where to find work for a link builder: useful platforms and channels

If you are a beginner and want to understand who a link builder is and how to start, the path is simpler than it seems. You just need to know where to find your first tasks:

  • Telegram chats with SEO orders;
  • freelance exchanges: Kwork, FL.ru, Upwork, Freelancer;
  • job postings on hh.ru, vc.ru, Habr Career;
  • closed communities on website promotion and digital marketing;
  • specialized agencies that hire assistants without experience.

The first order may be small, but even it will pave the way for those looking to establish a stable income online, build a portfolio, receive reviews, and start attracting regular clients.

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Conclusion

If you are interested in who a link builder is, know that they are not just someone placing links, but a specialist on whom a website’s online reputation, search positions, and organic traffic depend. Their work combines elements of analytics, marketing, negotiations, and strategy.

How to become a link building specialist? Gradually, but consistently: from theory to practice, from trial placements to systematic work with clients. In 2025, external optimization remains an integral part of search promotion, and those who delve deep into link profile development have the opportunity to build a career, earn remotely, and grow in the digital environment.