automaticable

One of the hardest questions I get asked is “What do you do?” Of course I could just say “SEO” and leave it at that, but for the vast majority of people, that will leave them more confused than before they asked the question. There are a number of different levels of explanation I go through, each one a test to see how much the questioner really wants to know and how much they will understand.

Level One: Internet Marketing

I generally respond to questions about my job with something along the lines of “I’m in internet marketing and advertising,” and see what happens from there. Often people will already have a glazed look over their eyes, not knowing what internet marketing and advertising even means. If they are familiar with the subject though, often the next question will be “Oh so you do banner ads and popups?” Ughhhh, no I am not that annoying guy that creates banners that let you know that YOU ARE VISITOR NUMBER 1,000,000 CLICK HERE TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE!

Level Two: Search Engine Marketing

If internet marketing brought on the glazed eyes, moving on to the next level, search engine marketing (or SEM), makes most people look like a deer in the headlights. To most people, search engines are neutral territory. They think there are nothing but natural, worthy results in Google. So when I bring up that my job lies mostly in marketing to search engines people wonder what I could possibly do all day. At this point I explain to them that (gasp!) a number of search results on Google are actually paid advertisements, but my work is to take the unpaid search results and make them even better.

Level Three: Search Engine Optimization

If I get here it is usually a miracle, but I love explaining my job in detail to people. This will be the first time I use the term “Search Engine Optimization” or my real title, Organic Search Specialist. I try to explain in as few words as possible how my job is to make sure the websites for our clients are ranking in the search engines for everything related to their businesses. I go on to talk about how my job is a mixture of art and science. It is an art because the search engines never reveal what they actually look for on web pages, so we never really know what is going to help. The science is in making sure the websites are technically sound, follow web best practices, and adhere to the SEO basics. Generally if someone gets this far they have proven that they are seriously interested in my job, so I talk about my day to day tasks and overarching principles for as long as they will let me. Sometimes I go on for a little too long, but I don’t see that as a flaw.

What I Lack: An Elevator Pitch

I know there are plenty of obscure jobs out there, but I’m not sure many of them need to vet people who ask about their jobs for their aptitude in the field before answering. I’m also pretty sure that there is an easier way to explain exactly what I do in less than 60 seconds, IE and elevator pitch. So, fellow SEOs, what is your elevator pitch? Can you use it on anyone and reasonably expect them to understand what you do for a living, or does this still lead to blank stares and/or playing a game of 20 questions? Leave your suggestions in the comments, as I would love to learn how other folks in the field explain their job to people who simply want to know “What do you do?”

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