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.

Most important skills

Reading Comprehension
Complex Problem Solving
Active Listening
Critical Thinking
Active Learning
Judgment and Decision Making
Speaking
Writing

Key knowledge

Sales and Marketing
Computers and Electronics
English Language
Communications and Media
Mathematics
Customer and Personal Service
Administrative
Psychology

What the work involves

Keep abreast of government regulations and emerging Web technology to ensure regulatory compliance by reviewing current literature, talking with colleagues, participating in educational programs, attending meetings or workshops, or participating in professional organizations or conferences.
Identify, evaluate, or procure hardware or software for implementing online marketing campaigns.
Propose online or multiple-sales-channel campaigns to marketing executives.
Participate in the development or implementation of online marketing strategy.
Coordinate sales or other promotional strategies with merchandising, operations, or inventory control staff to ensure product catalogs are current, accurate, and organized for best findability against user intent.
Conduct market research analysis to identify search query trends, real-time search and news media activity, popular social media topics, electronic commerce trends, market opportunities, or competitor performance.
Conduct financial modeling for online marketing programs or Web site revenue forecasting.
Communicate and collaborate with merchants, Webmasters, bloggers, or online editors to strategically place hyperlinks.

Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Enterprising, Conventional, Investigative.

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education: Bachelor's Degree (47.8% of respondents)
Related experience: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (39.1%)
On-the-job training: Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months (30.4%)
Preparation level: O*NET job zone 4: Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Licensing: Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.

Check before planning

Licensing for Search Marketing Strategists is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Projection education uses SOC 13-1161 (detailed_parent); it may describe a broader group.

Limits

Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0

Work environment

How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).

Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.

Rankings compare typical U.S. occupation-level work conditions; individual jobs and employers vary. Data: O*NET 31.0 Work Context and BLS wages (May 2025).
Condition	Level	Compared with other occupations	Most common answer (O*NET survey)
Contact with others	Very low	Lower on contact with others than 93% of occupations compared	39% of surveyed respondents chose “Contact with others about half the time”
Dealing with the public	Very low	Lower on dealing with the public than 91% of occupations compared	39% of surveyed respondents chose “Not important at all”
Teamwork	Very low	Lower on teamwork than 86% of occupations compared	39% of surveyed respondents chose “Very important”
Freedom to make decisions	High	Higher on freedom to make decisions than 63% of occupations compared	48% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom”
Time pressure	Low	Lower on time pressure than 60% of occupations compared	61% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day”
Conflict situations	Very low	Lower on conflict situations than 82% of occupations compared	39% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people	Very low	Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 90% of occupations compared	48% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Consequence of error	Very low	Lower on consequence of error than 90% of occupations compared	43% of surveyed respondents chose “Fairly serious”

Work-pressure profile

Time pressure: low
Conflict situations: very low
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: very low
Consequence of error: very low

Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.

Full answer distributions