Search Engine Optimization has become a must for any company that has an internet presence. It is so important that even big names such as EBay, Yahoo and MSN (two of which are search engine companies) are hiring people for SEO jobs.

If companies such as these are hiring people to do SEO for them, then you know that SEO careers are now going mainstream. It will be in the same ranks as application developer, database administrator, and network engineer.

Here are the links to their job postings.

ebay uk:
URL: http://pages.ebay.co.uk/community/aboutebay/jobs/Natural_Search_Manager.html

EBay wanted

• To increase volume and prominence of eBay UK pages on major UK search engines


• To grow traffic to eBay.co.uk from organic/algorithmic ('natural') search faster than the overall growth of the UK search market

Yahoo:
URL:
http://gs.globalsuccessor.com/fe/tpl_yahoo01.asp?newms=jj&id=30180

Yahoo UK wanted to have these areas optimized to rank high in UK search engines

• YMG (including all one-off and seasonal events)


• Marketplace (Autos, Travel)


• Music


• Mobile


• Personals


• Directory


• BT Broadband Microsite

MSN:
URL:
http://members.microsoft.com/careers/international/default.asp?lang=EN&loc=UKD&job=90295896&jobslist

Check this out. Some of the key success criteria for MSN's SEO job are:

Key success criteria

• Achieve x% of pages cached/listed within Google and Yahoo


• Achieve first page ranking in Google/Yahoo for major channel entry points and other important MSN content areas


• Beat Yahoo! on listing results in Google on major events

This means MSN would be optimizing their sites to rank in their competitor's search engines. How ironic.

SEO careers are one of fast growing segment in the IT job industry. More and more companies with internet presence are realizing the need to have an in-house or outsourced SEO staff as part of their internet team.