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The differences between sem specialists and specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a sem specialist, becoming a specialist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a sem specialist has an average salary of $61,808, which is higher than the $58,013 average annual salary of a specialist.
The top three skills for a sem specialist include digital marketing, paid search and google analytics. The most important skills for a specialist are patients, customer service, and work ethic.
| SEM Specialist | Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $61,808 | $58,013 |
| Hourly rate | $29.72 | $27.89 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 16,944 | 358,433 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 86% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 37 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
An SEM specialist is in charge of understanding search engine rankings and optimizing the company's website to bring traffic to it via both organic as well paid search engine methods. To become an SEM specialist, you need to know how to do data analysis around the web and combine all the elements of online marketing, social marketing, and marketing analytics to create a strategy for the company's website.
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.
Sem specialists and specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| SEM Specialist | Specialist | |
| Average salary | $61,808 | $58,013 |
| Salary range | Between $46,000 And $81,000 | Between $32,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Expedia Group | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Finance | - |
There are a few differences between a sem specialist and a specialist in terms of educational background:
| SEM Specialist | Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 86% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Marketing | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between sem specialists' and specialists' demographics:
| SEM Specialist | Specialist | |
| Average age | 37 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.2% Female, 36.8% | Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 14.1% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | 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 | 10% | 11% |