In our annual State Of SEO report<\/a>, we answer your most pressing questions with helpful data directly from our audience.<\/p>\n Download the report<\/a> to read our full findings on:<\/p>\n Over a quarter of survey participants had two or fewer years of experience in the SEO industry. The responses also indicate that the demand for SEO professionals is high.<\/p>\n In regions like the U.S., Canada, and Australia, SEO pros in the first four years of their career have opportunities to advance into high-salary brackets.<\/p>\n Approximately 31% of those with less than two years of experience and 34% of those with two to four years of experience reported earning between $75,000 and $90,000.<\/p>\n Download the full State Of SEO report<\/a> and take a deeper dive into the latest SEO salary data. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n There was a drawdown in average salary numbers from last year, likely due to the number of newcomers and the growth of SEO in regions where the currency is significantly different from the U.S. dollar.<\/p>\n While many predict further industry growth, many cited acquiring talent as a significant concern next year.<\/p>\n We also can\u2019t ignore the looming shadows of a recession and policies from the U.S. Federal Reserve aimed at cooling the U.S. job market. Next year may prove challenging for SEO professionals and new job seekers.<\/p>\n The top activities that participants spent their time doing this year were:<\/p>\n This is likely in response to Google updates prioritizing website speed, security, and stability.<\/p>\n The Page Experience update came to desktop in February 2022. Page experience has been top of mind for many SEO pros since Core Web Vitals in 2020, and implementation was finalized this year.<\/p>\n Businesses could also be refocusing on technical basics after the huge growth of digital channels over the last couple of years.<\/p>\n This could also explain the focus on strategy and research. Marketers have needed to experiment and move quickly to keep up. This year, SEO professionals seemed to take a more reflective and technical approach.<\/p>\n Download the full State Of SEO report<\/a> and take a deeper dive into the latest industry trends. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n SEO takes a long time. There are also so many metrics to measure that it can be difficult to ensure that campaign goals and performance tracking match up.<\/p>\n When you dig into the data in the report<\/a>, you\u2019ll see that the services SEO professionals were asked to provide are somewhat different from the metrics they\u2019re using to track performance.<\/p>\n In addition, a surprising number of participants, 29%, were ambivalent \u2013 neither satisfied nor dissatisfied \u2013 with their SEO results over the last year.<\/p>\n The last couple of years have been challenging, to make a severe understatement.<\/p>\n It makes sense that businesses and SEO pros are struggling to examine their results; many industries have changed a lot in a short period of time.<\/p>\n Especially with changes coming on the horizon, it\u2019s vital to set SEO campaigns up for success by choosing the metrics that you track carefully.<\/p>\n 2022 was a big year, bringing both expected and unexpected changes.<\/p>\n SEO and SEM professionals grapple with platform updates that will change how they gather and report data as well as how they run campaigns.<\/p>\n Many SEO professionals expect AI and machine learning to cause big changes and present big challenges next year.<\/p>\n Performance Max, GA4, and the phasing out of third-party cookies are some of the changes to pay attention to.<\/p>\n Ad platforms and search engines are looking to AI and machine learning to improve their services and functionality.<\/p>\n Performance Max is a fantastic example of the direction that many SEO pros see.<\/p>\n Ad campaign managers will lose many of the customization options they\u2019re used to in favor of letting algorithms make tweaks based on performance data.<\/p>\n And, of course, there are the ever-improving Google algorithms. As new patents and updates are added to Google and other search engines, SEO pros will need to be fast to react and roll with the punches.<\/p>\n Ready to learn more about SEO salaries, budgets, and performance?<\/strong><\/p>\n In our full report, you\u2019ll see insights alongside the data, as well as commentary from experts on our team.<\/p>\n Download the State Of SEO main report<\/a> and reference it while you\u2019re building your strategy for next year.<\/p>\n\n
New SEO Professionals Entering The Industry<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\n<\/p>\nTechnical SEO Was The Highest Priority This Year<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\n<\/p>\nProving ROI & Tracking Results Continue To Prove Challenging<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\n<\/p>\nAI & Machine Learning Expected To Make Big Impacts Next Year<\/h2>\n
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