How do you know what you actually need — an SEO specialist, a paid search expert, or someone who can own your content strategy? The lines keep blurring, and job specs often mix everything together.

You’re not alone. A lot of employers still ask for “digital experience” and end up with candidates who don’t quite fit. Marketing has moved on. SEO, SEM, and content are now deep, technical roles that each drive results in different ways.

This guide breaks it down. What each specialist really does. What to look for in interviews. And how to avoid the hiring traps that slow your growth. If you’re building out a marketing team or hiring your first digital specialist, this will help you get it right.

Who Does What in SEO, SEM and Content?

Before hiring for specialised marketing roles, you need to understand what each one does and delivers. Here’s a breakdown to help shape your brief:

SEO Specialist

The global market for SEO will reach $143.9 Billion by 2030. To invest in SEO talent, you need:

Focus: Driving long-term organic traffic through technical and on-page optimisation.

• Core tasks: Technical audits, site structure optimisation, internal linking, keyword mapping
• Key tools: GA4, Google Search Console, SEMrush, Ahrefs
• Outputs: Improved search rankings, site speed, and crawlability

SEM Specialist

The global Search Engine Marketing (SEM) services market is estimated at ~$150 billion in 2025, and is projected to grow with a CAGR of ~15% through to 2033. To get people to help you maximise success in this growing market you need:

Focus: Managing and optimising paid search campaigns to maximise ROI.

• Core tasks: Campaign setup, bid strategy, A/B testing, audience segmentation
• Key tools: Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, Google Analytics, Optmyzr
• Outputs: Conversions, CPA reduction, increased ROAS

Content Marketer

The global content marketing market size was valued at USD 413.2 billion in 2022, and is projected to reach USD 2 trillion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 16.9% from 2023 to 2032. To attract content marketers that can deliver value in a competitive market you need:

Focus: Creating and managing engaging content aligned with SEO and brand goals.

• Core tasks: Content planning, keyword alignment, tone-of-voice consistency, CMS management
• Key tools: WordPress, HubSpot, Surfer SEO, Grammarly
• Outputs: Engagement, brand visibility, inbound traffic

Common Hiring Mistakes to Avoid

Even experienced hiring managers can write vague or overloaded job specs. Here are the most common mistakes we see even the most well-intentioned leaders make in their marketing recruitment efforts:

1. Combining Roles That Should Stay Separate

Don’t ask one person to own your SEO, paid search, and content marketing. These require distinct skill sets and mindsets. Overloading a role is a fast route to burnout or underperformance.

2. Prioritising Titles Over Deliverables

Job titles vary wildly across companies. Instead of chasing a "Content Manager" or "SEM Lead," focus your brief on outcomes: Are you trying to grow organic traffic, reduce CPA, or increase content engagement?

3. Misjudging Experience Level

Expecting 5+ years of results from a mid-level salary band won’t get you far. If you're not sure what the market rate is for SEO or SEM talent, speak to a creative recruitment agency like Sphere who can advise.

4. Listing Tools Without Context

It's common to list every analytics or CMS tool under the sun. Instead, clarify which tools are essential versus "nice to have." For example, GA4 is now standard, but advanced SEM tools like Optmyzr may not be required for every role.

Avoiding these pitfalls helps you attract the right creative talent and streamlines your hiring process.

What to Prioritise When Hiring for SEO, SEM, or Content

Getting your priorities right from the outset is what separates average marketing hires from ones that can transform a marketing team. With such competition in digital marketing jobs, a clear hiring focus can make all the difference.

1. Start With Outcomes, Not Job Titles

Instead of saying "we need a Content Manager," ask what success looks like in three, six, and twelve months. Are you aiming to rank for new keywords, reduce bounce rate, or double conversion from paid search? These goals should shape the role.

2. Focus on Tools That Signal Depth, Not Just Familiarity

Anyone can list "Google Ads" or "WordPress" on their CV. But what tools do they live in day-toxf-day? Look for comfort with deeper platforms like GA4, SEMrush, or A/B testing tools for SEM roles. This is especially important when partnering with a creative recruitment agency to screen talent effectively.

3. Ask for Demonstrated Results

Look for candidates who can talk about traffic growth, improved CTRs, bounce rate reduction or lead volumes. Getting the specifics helps you find the difference between a keyword-heavy CV and someone that understand metrics and impact.

4. Understand Strategic vs. Executional Fit

Do you need someone to own the strategy, or to execute a defined plan? In marketing recruitment, this distinction is often blurred. Clarifying this early avoids hiring someone over or under-qualified.

Having clear priorities helps you brief more effectively, interview more confidently, and attract the best creative team candidates who align with your goals.

How to Write the Right Job Spec for Each Role

Your job spec should be your north star throughout the hiring process. When done right, it helps you define what you’re looking for and attracts the right candidates. But in seo recruitment, content marketing, and SEM hiring, too many specs still feel like their copy-pasted or just a long wish list.

Here’s how to build a brief that gets results:

SEO Role

• Be specific: Outline deliverables like technical audits, backlink strategies, and on-page optimisation
• Use keywords: Include "site speed," "indexation," "schema markup"
• Tools to mention: GA4, SEMrush, Screaming Frog

SEM Role

• Focus on ROI: Talk about campaign ownership, bid strategy, A/B testing
• Mention metrics: CPA, ROAS, CTR, conversion volume
• Tools to include: Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, Optmyzr

Content Role

• Clarify scope: Content writing, strategy, and SEO alignment aren’t interchangeable
• Tone and purpose: Will they own brand tone? Manage freelance writers? Plan content calendars?
• Platform familiarity: WordPress, HubSpot, Contentful, Surfer SEO

Across All Roles

• Avoid vague phrases like "must be a team player"
• Prioritise measurable outcomes over buzzwords
• Indicate team structure: who they report to, whether it's an IC or leadership role

At Sphere, we build marketing job specs day in, day out. We help hiring managers define clear, achievable briefs that reflect business needs and marketing goals. If you're unsure where to start or want expert input on your brief, just get in touch.

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How Sphere Supports Better Marketing Recruitment

Whether you're scaling your marketing team or searching for specialist support in seo recruitment, SEM, or content marketing, our role is to help you get it right first time.

Here’s how we make that happen:

1. We Help You Shape the Brief

We’ve seen hundreds of job specs and know what works. Our team will challenge and refine your brief to ensure it attracts the right candidates, not just the available ones.

2. We Deliver Pre-Screened, Specialist Talent

Every candidate we put forward is assessed against your specific goals. Whether it's GA4 expertise, SEM campaign ownership, or content planning we focus on depth, not keyword-matching.

3. We Speed Up Your Hiring Cycle

By narrowing the brief and pre-vetting candidates, we reduce wasted time and increase your chances of a successful hire.

4. We Stay Plugged into the Market

We know what top talent expects in terms of salary, tech stack, flexibility, and team structure. That insight keeps you competitive.

If you’re hiring in marketing, performance, or content, or just don’t know where to start, speak to the team at Sphere.

Talk to our marketing recruitment specialists

Useful Resources for Hiring Managers

If you're hiring for SEO, SEM, or content roles, it's worth getting under the hood of what good really looks like. A better understanding of each discipline means better job specs, better interview questions, and ultimately better hires. We’ve pulled together a few reliable resources to help you sharpen your approach:

SEO: Know What to Expect from an Expert

Even if you’re not hands-on with SEO, knowing the fundamentals helps you spot true specialists.

• Google’s SEO Starter Guide covers everything from site structure to sitemaps and page speed.
• Search Engine Land’s E-E-A-T Guide explains how Google measures expertise, authority, and trustworthiness.

SEM: Understand Paid Search Success Signals

Hiring for SEM? Brush up on campaign basics and what top candidates should be able to demonstrate.

• HubSpot’s Google Ads Guide is a clear explainer on how campaigns are structured and optimised.
• Google Ads Best Practices 2025 is a good place for all the best up-to-date strategies and tools.

Content: Benchmark Strategy, Structure and Quality

Not all content is created equal. These links help you evaluate depth, structure, and user-first focus.

• Google: Creating Helpful Content will help you defines what makes content genuinely useful.
• Content Design London: Content Style Guide is a brilliant reference for tone, structure and clarity.

Get Your Next Marketing Hire Right from the Start

When hiring for SEO, SEM, and content roles, the clearer your brief, the better your outcomes. Get it right and you’ll see faster shortlists and longer-lasting hires.

At Sphere, we combine deep market insight with a network of pre-screened, performance-led candidates to take the friction out of marketing recruitment. Whether you need help shaping your job spec, benchmarking salaries, or understanding what good looks like, we’re here to help.

Don’t risk mismatched hires or wasted time. Let’s get your next creative team hire right from the start.

Explore current digital marketing jobs or speak to a consultant.