AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 13-1161.01

Will AI replace Search Marketing Strategists?

Search Marketing Strategists: AI can already handle 7 of 36 tasks; the work mostly needs a frontier-tier model.

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Every task, scored

The 36 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Search Marketing Strategists, from most to least exposed. 7 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.

Task AI exposure Evidence Model tier Importance
Develop transactional Web applications, using Web programming software and knowledge of programming languages, such as hypertext markup language (HTML) and extensible markup language (XML). 94 Observed Frontier 3.1
Implement online customer service processes to ensure positive and consistent user experiences. 88 Observed Frontier 3.4
Identify, evaluate, or procure hardware or software for implementing online marketing campaigns. 65 Estimated Standard 3.4
Keep abreast of government regulations and emerging Web technology to ensure regulatory compliance by reviewing current literature, talking with colleagues, participating in educational programs, attending meetings or workshops, or participating in professional organizations or conferences. 65 Estimated Standard 3.3
Conduct market research analysis to identify search query trends, real-time search and news media activity, popular social media topics, electronic commerce trends, market opportunities, or competitor performance. 65 Observed Standard 3.6
Identify and develop commercial or technical specifications, such as usability, pricing, checkout, or data security, to promote transactional internet-enabled commerce functionality. 65 Observed Frontier 3.0
Prepare electronic commerce designs or prototypes, such as storyboards, mock-ups, or other content, using graphics design software. 65 Observed Frontier 2.9
Participate in the development or implementation of online marketing strategy. 50 Estimated Frontier 4.5
Coordinate with developers to optimize Web site architecture, server configuration, or page construction for search engine consumption and optimal visibility. 50 Estimated Frontier 4.3
Collaborate with Web, multimedia, or art design staffs to create multimedia Web sites or other internet content that conforms to brand and company visual format. 50 Estimated Standard 3.4
Coordinate sales or other promotional strategies with merchandising, operations, or inventory control staff to ensure product catalogs are current, accurate, and organized for best findability against user intent. 50 Estimated Frontier 3.1
Define product requirements, based on market research analysis, in collaboration with user interface design and engineering staff. 50 Estimated Standard 2.9
Assist in the development of online transaction or security policies. 50 Estimated Frontier 2.8
Identify methods for interfacing Web application technologies with enterprise resource planning or other system software. 50 Estimated Frontier 2.3
Manage tracking and reporting of search-related activities and provide analyses to marketing executives. 45 Estimated Standard 4.5
Assist in setting up or optimizing analytics tools for tracking visitors' behaviors. 45 Estimated Frontier 4.2
Identify appropriate Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and report key metrics from digital campaigns. 45 Estimated Standard 4.2
Create content strategies for digital media. 45 Estimated Frontier 4.1
Combine secondary data sources with keyword research to more accurately profile and satisfy user intent. 45 Estimated Frontier 4.1
Collaborate with other marketing staff to integrate and complement marketing strategies across multiple sales channels. 45 Estimated Standard 3.9
Optimize shopping cart experience or Web site conversion rates against Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). 45 Estimated Frontier 3.9
Improve search-related activities through ongoing analysis, experimentation, or optimization tests, using A/B or multivariate methods. 45 Estimated Frontier 3.8
Conduct online marketing initiatives, such as paid ad placement, affiliate programs, sponsorship programs, email promotions, or viral marketing campaigns on social media Web sites. 45 Estimated Frontier 3.7
Propose online or multiple-sales-channel campaigns to marketing executives. 45 Estimated Standard 3.5
Communicate and collaborate with merchants, Webmasters, bloggers, or online editors to strategically place hyperlinks. 45 Estimated Frontier 3.5
Execute or manage social media campaigns to inform search marketing tactics. 45 Estimated Frontier 3.0
Conduct financial modeling for online marketing programs or Web site revenue forecasting. 45 Estimated Frontier 3.0
Execute or manage banner, video, or other non-text link ad campaigns. 45 Estimated Frontier 2.9
Assist in the evaluation or negotiation of contracts with vendors or online partners. 45 Estimated Frontier 2.9
Execute and manage communications with digital journalists or bloggers. 45 Estimated Frontier 2.8
Resolve product availability problems in collaboration with customer service staff. 45 Estimated Standard 2.7
Collect and analyze Web metrics, such as visits, time on site, page views per visit, transaction volume and revenue, traffic mix, click-through rates, conversion rates, cost per acquisition, or cost per click. 40 Observed Standard 4.5
Optimize digital assets, such as text, graphics, or multimedia assets, for search engine optimization (SEO) or for display and usability on internet-connected devices. 40 Observed Standard 4.5
Optimize Web site exposure by analyzing search engine patterns to direct online placement of keywords or other content. 40 Observed Standard 4.3
Evaluate new emerging media or technologies and make recommendations for their application within Internet marketing or search marketing campaigns. 40 Observed Efficient 3.5
Purchase or negotiate placement of listings in local search engines, directories, or digital mapping technologies. 35 Estimated Standard 3.2

Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 9 of 36 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 27 of 36. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.

The model tier this role needs

A frontier-tier model or lower covers 100% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 100% of the work is something AI can address at some tier.

Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.

Wages, employment and outlook

US employment
899,580
Median annual wage
$78,760
Middle half of earners
$58,350 to $108,310
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
+6.7%

Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034. BLS publishes these figures by SOC code, so O*NET occupations that share a SOC code show the same figures.

Adjacent roles

The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.

Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.

Questions about Search Marketing Strategists and AI

Will AI replace Search Marketing Strategists?

AI already handles 7 of the 36 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 50 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +6.7% from 2024 to 2034.

What is the AI exposure of Search Marketing Strategists?

50 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 9 of the 36 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 27 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.

Which Search Marketing Strategists tasks can AI already do?

The tasks with the highest exposure are: Develop transactional Web applications, using Web programming software and knowledge of programming languages, such as hypertext markup language (HTML) and extensible markup language (XML); Implement online customer service processes to ensure positive and consistent user experiences; Identify, evaluate, or procure hardware or software for implementing online marketing campaigns. They are three of the 7 tasks that reach 60 or more.

What AI model tier does this role need?

A frontier-tier model or lower covers 100% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.

How many people work as Search Marketing Strategists, and what do they earn?

899,580 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $78,760 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +6.7% from 2024 to 2034.

How to cite

Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.

JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Search Marketing Strategists. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/search-marketing-strategists

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A founder replies within one business day.