What is the salary of an SEO specialist?

Is it better to have client contact than to be located in Götaland in the SEO industry? What does a team leader in SEM earn? We’ve received data from our industry survey of professionals working with search marketing.

We’ve collected responses from the latest industry survey and are excited to share the results. In total, we received 54 responses—which, of course, isn’t a fully statistically valid sample. I’m also convinced there’s a bias toward more senior professionals rather than juniors in the data. A good example of this is that a full 46% hold managerial positions. This likely stems from the channels we used to reach search marketers, and also from the fact that more senior professionals in SEO and SEM tend to be more active in the spaces where we conducted the survey.

The survey was distributed through all the channels available to us—our blog, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. We also ran a small Facebook ad campaign targeting people in the industry. Only one response per person was accepted.

Here’s what the results show

To begin with, we haven’t separated the data for SEM and SEO. At this stage, we don’t have enough data to justify that split. The line between the two is often blurred, as many work with both, and we reached significantly more SEO professionals than SEM. As a result, a separate group for SEM would be too small to be meaningful. However, we may revisit this in the future.

Average Salaries in Search Marketing

The average monthly salary across our entire survey came in at 38,944 SEK (before tax). Perhaps the most interesting finding is that years in the industry seem to matter more than whether or not someone holds a leadership position. Svealand also stands out with significantly higher salaries. (We attempted to separate Stockholm from the rest of Svealand, but such a large share of the respondents from Svealand were based in Stockholm that we couldn’t create two distinct groups.)

Salary breakdown:

• <5 years in the industry: 32,670 SEK/month (gross)
• 5+ years in the industry: 45,469 SEK/month (gross)
• Götaland: 37,750 SEK/month (gross)
• Svealand: 42,238 SEK/month (gross)
• Norrland: 35,878 SEK/month (gross)
• Managerial role: 42,806 SEK/month (gross)
• Non-managerial: 36,015 SEK/month (gross)
• Client-facing roles: 39,675 SEK/month (gross)
• Non-client-facing roles: 37,483 SEK/month (gross)

How likely are people to stay at their jobs?

One data point we found particularly interesting was how many are open to new opportunities—and how many actually receive them. According to our survey responses, demand for talent in the search marketing industry is incredibly high. In fact, 80% of all respondents have received a job offer within the past year.

There are significant differences in how eager people are to switch jobs. In Norrland, there’s little interest in changing roles, while in Svealand and among those with fewer years in the industry, the desire to move on is much higher. Overall, it appears that the more senior someone is, the less inclined they are to change jobs (though we’re not making any claims about causation here).

Who has considered switching jobs:

• <5 years in the industry: 59%
• 5+ years in the industry: 19%
• Götaland: 26%
• Svealand: 63%
• Norrland: 9%
• Managerial role: 25%
• Non-managerial role: 50%
• Client-facing roles: 35%
• Non-client-facing roles: 45%

How many have received job offers within SEO or SEM?

This, in my opinion, is something every employer and manager in the industry should take seriously:
80% of all respondents in the survey have received a job offer within the past year.

The highest activity is in Svealand, and the lowest in Norrland, but otherwise, the numbers are consistent across the board. Recruitment attempts are happening constantly in the search marketing industry.

Industry Overview – 2017

The survey isn’t large enough to draw definitive conclusions. However, its results align well with the insights I’ve gathered from deeper conversations with professionals in the field, and they also match my own perspective as an agency leader in the industry.

One thing is clear: there’s intense recruitment activity in the search marketing industry, which isn’t surprising. The sector continues to grow steadily, and there simply aren’t enough skilled professionals to meet demand. It’s also evident that an employee with five or more years of experience is significantly more valuable than someone newer to the field.

Specialized expertise commands a premium, which might explain why more senior professionals appear more satisfied with their current roles. Only 19% of respondents with 5+ years of experience are considering a job change, compared to 59% of those with less than five years in the industry.

There are also notable geographic differences. Stockholm stands out with both higher job mobility and higher salaries.

Help us improve the data

We’re continuing to collect responses so we can present a more comprehensive survey next year. If you found the data in this article useful or interesting, we encourage you to participate in the survey as well.

You can find it here.