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What does a sem specialist do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
Quoted expert
Dr. Gail Hudson Ph.D.

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.

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Sem specialist responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real sem specialist resumes:

  • Spearhead and manage initial social media presence via Facebook.
  • Optimize websites on multiple content management systems including flat HTML, WordPress, Drupal, etc.
  • Administer website through moderating comments, updating news, sending newsletters, installing and configuring Wordpress plug-ins.
  • Conduct reporting and analysis on the PPC program performance, including identifying business drivers and opportunities for improvement.
  • Work as part of team maintaining attitude of continual improvement of visitor usability and e-commerce admin.

Sem specialist skills and personality traits

We calculated that 15% of SEM Specialists are proficient in Digital Marketing, Paid Search, and Google Analytics. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Detail oriented.

We break down the percentage of SEM Specialists that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Digital Marketing, 15%

    Create, implement, and present digital marketing plans and strategies.

  • Paid Search, 10%

    Used proprietary Geneva platform and automated bidding algorithms to manage/optimize online marketing and paid search campaigns.

  • Google Analytics, 9%

    Generate and implement Google Analytics and provide analysis.

  • Keyword Research, 8%

    Perform keyword research and create content for SEO pages and landing pages.

  • Search Engine Marketing, 8%

    Perform search engine marketing and tracking performance metrics to refine PPC bids and budgets.

  • Google Adwords, 7%

    Reviewed and optimized Google AdWords accounts for medium to large businesses.

Most sem specialists use their skills in "digital marketing," "paid search," and "google analytics" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential sem specialist responsibilities here:

Analytical skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a sem specialist to have is analytical skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "market research analysts must evaluate large amounts of data and information related to market conditions." Sem specialists often use analytical skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "analyze website traffic and effectiveness for seo, usability and user experience. "

Communication skills. Many sem specialist duties rely on communication skills. "market research analysts must be able to clearly convey information when gathering material, interpreting data, and presenting results to clients.," so a sem specialist will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways sem specialist responsibilities rely on communication skills: "produced newsletters, email campaigns, seminar and trade show event communications. "

Detail oriented. sem specialists are also known for detail oriented, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to sem specialist responsibilities, because "market research analysts must pay attention to minutiae to evaluate data." A sem specialist resume example shows how detail oriented is used in the workplace: "provided detailed weekly reports of campaign performance and recommendations for improvement to management and client. "

Most common sem specialist skills

The three companies that hire the most sem specialists are:

Compare different sem specialists

Sem specialist vs. Research internship

A research intern is responsible for assisting the research team with conducting an investigation, compiling information, and analyzing results for an organized research study. Research interns' duties also include understanding the work processes and operation procedures, sharing strategies and recommendations on research methods, reaching out to appropriate research correspondents, managing clients' inquiries and concerns, keeping important client records for reference, studying current market trends, and maintaining the eagerness to learn. A research intern must have strong attention to detail and excellent communication skills to perform on daily research tasks.

If we compare the average sem specialist annual salary with that of a research internship, we find that research interns typically earn a $22,235 lower salary than sem specialists make annually.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between sem specialists and research interns are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like analyze data, html, and data analysis.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between sem specialists and research internship. For instance, sem specialist responsibilities require skills such as "digital marketing," "paid search," "google analytics," and "keyword research." Whereas a research internship is skilled in "python," "c++," "research intern," and "java." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Research interns earn the highest salaries when working in the technology industry, with an average yearly salary of $52,879. On the other hand, sem specialists are paid more in the finance industry with an average salary of $72,671.The education levels that research interns earn slightly differ from sem specialists. In particular, research interns are 6.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a sem specialist. Additionally, they're 1.9% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Sem specialist vs. Marketing internship

Marketing interns are usually marketing students or fresh graduates who are interested in getting actual work experiences before taking on a full-time job. They usually have an interest or academic background related to marketing. They assist marketing teams in most of their daily activities, sit in their meetings, record minutes of these meetings, take note of action plans, and attend other events related to marketing. They also assist in preparing collateral and other marketing materials, join brainstorming sessions, or any other activity that will help enrich their experience.

Marketing internship positions earn lower pay than sem specialist roles. They earn a $31,548 lower salary than sem specialists per year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both sem specialists and marketing interns have skills such as "digital marketing," "google analytics," and "search engine marketing. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that sem specialist responsibilities requires skills like "paid search," "keyword research," "search campaigns," and "a/b." But a marketing internship might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "powerpoint," "facebook," "twitter," and "market research."

Marketing interns earn a lower average salary than sem specialists. But marketing interns earn the highest pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $33,333. Additionally, sem specialists earn the highest salaries in the finance with average pay of $72,671 annually.marketing interns earn similar levels of education than sem specialists in general. They're 2.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for sem specialists in the next 3-5 years?

Dr. Gail Hudson Ph.D.Dr. Gail Hudson Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Director, College of Business Internship Program, Arkansas State University

As I mentioned above, technology and social media will continue to be necessary. As marketers, students will need to be able to use the technology and have the analytics to support their decisions. This may require working outside the structure of software as well. Google Analytics, Social Media Management, Excel, and Coding are all essential skills.

Sem specialist vs. Marketing department internship

A marketing department internship is a marketing degree program requirement in most colleges. This is the work experience period where interns get to apply the knowledge they acquire in the real world. In this period, marketing interns provide administrative support to the marketing department of the company. The duties may include data entry, preparation of marketing materials, and managing the company's website. Also, interns are tasked to research and collect data, then analyze findings with an experienced marketing representative's supervision.

On average scale, marketing department interns bring in lower salaries than sem specialists. In fact, they earn a $29,819 lower salary per year.Using the responsibilities included on sem specialists and marketing department interns resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "data analysis," "youtube," and "press releases.rdquo;

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from sem specialist resumes include skills like "digital marketing," "paid search," "google analytics," and "keyword research," whereas a marketing department internship is more likely to list skills in "financial statements," "powerpoint," "r," and "market research. "

When it comes to education, marketing department interns tend to earn similar degree levels compared to sem specialists. In fact, they're 2.5% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.8% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Sem specialist vs. Sales and marketing internship

In a sales and marketing internship, one of the primary duties is to assist in marketing-related tasks under a manager's supervision. The responsibilities will vary depending on the orders or directives given. However, they will mostly revolve around conducting research and analysis, preparing reports and presentations, participating in meetings, sharing insights, identifying opportunities, and developing resource materials such as surveys and polls. There are also instances where an intern must manage social media accounts to improve brand awareness and improve client relationships.

Sales and marketing interns tend to earn a lower pay than sem specialists by an average of $19,539 per year.While both sem specialists and sales and marketing interns complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like digital marketing, google analytics, and search engine marketing, the two careers vary in some skills.

Even though a few skill sets overlap between sem specialists and sales and marketing interns, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a sem specialist might have more use for skills like "paid search," "keyword research," "marketing campaigns," and "search campaigns." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of sales and marketing interns require skills like "phone calls," "instagram," "powerpoint," and "customer satisfaction. "

In general, sales and marketing interns hold similar degree levels compared to sem specialists. Sales and marketing interns are 3.7% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of sem specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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