A study released this week reveals that the number of inbound marketing jobs is expected to decrease for the first time in four years. This data comes from a report by Conductor, who conducted the study.
Are salaries for SEO jobs and specialists also hitting a tipping point? Between 2012 and 2015, these salaries soared. Should we be concerned that they’re currently dropping in 2016? Esther Chung of Conductor doesn’t seem to think so:
“… the decline in inbound marketing jobs and salaries actually means that SEO is on the rise. Instead of existing as a siloed function, SEO is expanding into a common skill universally featured among different roles.”
Breaking down her statement — the reason for fewer SEO-specific positions is that businesses are integrating SEO skills into broader roles within the company.
Nevertheless, it is important not to overlook the data indicating that some cities are experiencing especially sharp declines in both jobs and salaries.
Looking at the top 20 cities in the US, there is a 7% overall decline in SEO jobs when comparing year-over-year data. Job salaries took a hit as well; the average salary decline was 6%, with the SEO Coordinator role seeing the sharpest decline at 19%.
“All job roles saw a salary decline except the Account Manager role, which saw a slight salary increase of 1%,” says Chung.
This might sound alarming for those who work in the SEO industry, but it might not be as bad as it sounds. There’s no sign of a decrease in demand for SEO-related skills. In fact, according to Chung, the opposite is true.
Instead of having one person or one department solely responsible for SEO, Chung suggests that SEO skills are becoming so integral to a company that they’re needed across various departments.
Rather than being confined to a single marketer on a team, SEO is now a required skill for a diverse set of professionals across organizations.
“SEO is leveraged by executives to understand drops and gains in revenue… SEO now touches many more roles as a foundational part of how companies function and grow.”
Rand Fishkin of Moz supports Chung’s analysis, agreeing that SEO is transitioning from a job title to a general requirement for various roles within an organization.
As for salaries, Fishkin believes this is because SEO is becoming a more essential skill; consequently, more entry-level positions within companies now list SEO as a job requirement. Therefore, the average SEO salary will naturally decline.
As with any job skill, different experience levels come into play. An entry-level position requiring SEO skills would obviously offer a lower salary than a senior-level SEO account manager, for example. Fishkin emphasizes the importance of understanding the numbers but also maintaining perspective on the industry’s broader trends.
In case you’re worried that your skills and experience in SEO are less in demand, it’s worth noting that SEO ranks #4 on LinkedIn’s list of skills that get people hired, the highest it has ever been.
For more information about marketing jobs and salaries across the industry, see Conductor’s complete 2016 Marketing Jobs and Salary Guide.
