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The differences between paid search specialists and specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a paid search specialist and a specialist. Additionally, a paid search specialist has an average salary of $62,694, which is higher than the $58,013 average annual salary of a specialist.
The top three skills for a paid search specialist include paid search, digital marketing and google adwords. The most important skills for a specialist are patients, customer service, and work ethic.
| Paid Search Specialist | Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $62,694 | $58,013 |
| Hourly rate | $30.14 | $27.89 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 2,011 | 358,433 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Paid search specialists or PPC specialists mainly manage internet pay-per-click advertising campaigns. The specialists conduct research, decide on purchases, analyze results, and alter the course for optimization. They oversee the strategy, implementation, SEO, design, and analysis of advertising campaigns' performance. Their responsibilities include the determination of trends of insights and trends for maximum return of investment in the paid search campaigns. Knowledge in internet marketing, marketing strategy, and SEO is necessary for this job.
Specialists are employees who are responsible for specific tasks or activities in the department they are assigned to. The actions or tasks they work on are related to their educational background or work experiences. They are usually highly skilled in specializations related to the work they are assigned to. Specialists are also highly trained on the competencies that are required of their specialty. As such, they are focused on the skills and competencies that are needed to enhance their experience in their specific field further.
Paid search specialists and specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Paid Search Specialist | Specialist | |
| Average salary | $62,694 | $58,013 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $94,000 | Between $32,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | ChannelAdvisor | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a paid search specialist and a specialist in terms of educational background:
| Paid Search Specialist | Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between paid search specialists' and specialists' demographics:
| Paid Search Specialist | Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.9% Female, 69.1% | Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |