Google is seeking an SEO manager who will work with a number of cross-functional teams to improve its stand in search rankings, according to a posting on its Careers page.
The job listing for "program manager" for search engine optimization outlines the person's responsibilities and also the programming experience and credentials that job hopefuls should have before applying.
"As a Program Manager for Technical SEO, you will work with cross-functional teams across Marketing, Sales, Product Development, Engineering and more to help drive organic traffic and business growth. You will take part in website development and optimization, help shape blog and social strategy, improve website code hygiene and define web architecture for international websites," the listing stated.
While the job post may sound unusual—since it comes from a company that is deemed the dominant player in search—Google is aware that it can possibly lose its relevance over time.
The search engine currently enjoys a 67 percent market share in North America, with Bing and Yahoo trailing far behind at 20 percent and 13 percent respectively. In Europe and China, the company has a market share of more than 90 percent.
Google wants to maintain, or perhaps even enhance, its high rankings across regions since it faces increasing competition from other companies. One example is Duck Duck Go, a relatively small search engine increasing in popularity because of the way it prioritizes visitors' privacy and collects less data.
To qualify, candidates should have a degree in Computer Science or Engineering or have a similar practical experience. SEO experience should at least be for two years, while experience in website development and various applications such as XML, HTML5 and SQL should be for four years.
Notable experiences in various fields are outlined. Certain analytical and problem-solving skills may also work to one's advantage in this post.
The successful candidate will be tasked to help Google and its services gain more prominence on rival sites and on its own search results pages.
According to Yousaf Sekander, head of the SEO department at digital marketing company Rocket Mill, Google's job posting only shows how the company is changing its priorities.
"Google is keen to aggressively push into the cloud computing market that Amazon is finding success in," said Sekander. "Clearly, Google wants to be more visible in the search results both for itself and other popular search engines in this lucrative sector."
Photo: Kristina Alexanderson | Flickr
