SEO Manager Job Description Template & Complete Hiring Guide

What You'll Get From This Guide

  • Copy-ready job description templates for all contexts
  • Real examples from SEO-driven companies
  • Salary benchmarks by location and experience
  • 50+ interview questions with technical assessments
  • Complete SEO skills evaluation framework
  • Algorithm update readiness checklist

SEO Manager Role Overview

In 30 Seconds

  • What they do: Design and implement comprehensive SEO strategies to drive organic traffic and revenue
  • Who they report to: Digital Marketing Manager, VP of Marketing, or CMO
  • Key impact: Direct influence on organic visibility, traffic quality, and conversion rates
  • Typical team size: 2-5 SEO specialists (technical SEO, content, link building)

Why SEO Managers Matter in 2025

In an era of AI-powered search results and zero-click SERPs, SEO Managers are more crucial than ever. They navigate the complex landscape of E-E-A-T requirements, SGE (Search Generative Experience), and core algorithm updates while maintaining sustainable organic growth.

Today's SEO Manager isn't just optimizing for keywords—they're building topical authority, managing entity SEO, and ensuring brands remain visible across traditional search, AI answers, and voice search. With Google's increasing focus on user experience signals and helpful content, SEO Managers must balance technical excellence with genuine value creation.

Complete Job Description Templates

🏢 Choose Your Context

For E-commerce Companies

SEO Manager - [Company Name]

About the Role
We're seeking a data-driven SEO Manager to own our organic growth strategy and scale our e-commerce visibility. You'll lead technical optimizations, content strategy, and link building initiatives to drive qualified traffic and revenue through organic search.

Key Responsibilities

  • Develop and execute comprehensive SEO strategies aligned with business goals
  • Conduct technical SEO audits and implement site-wide optimizations
  • Lead keyword research and competitive analysis to identify opportunities
  • Optimize product pages, categories, and content for search visibility
  • Manage site architecture and internal linking strategies
  • Implement schema markup and structured data
  • Monitor and improve Core Web Vitals and page experience signals
  • Collaborate with development team on technical implementations
  • Track and report on organic performance metrics and ROI
  • Stay ahead of algorithm updates and industry changes

Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Computer Science, or related field
  • 5-7 years of SEO experience, 3+ years in e-commerce
  • Deep understanding of technical SEO and site architecture
  • Experience with enterprise SEO platforms (Screaming Frog, DeepCrawl)
  • Proficiency in Google Search Console, GA4, and SEO tools
  • Strong understanding of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript SEO
  • Experience with large-scale site migrations
  • Data analysis and visualization skills
  • Project management experience

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience with international SEO and hreflang
  • Knowledge of Core Web Vitals optimization
  • Familiarity with headless commerce and PWAs
  • Python or R for SEO automation
  • Experience with log file analysis

For SaaS / B2B Companies

SEO Manager - B2B SaaS

About the Role
Join our growing SaaS company as SEO Manager, where you'll drive organic lead generation and build our search presence. You'll own the entire SEO strategy from technical foundations to content optimization, directly impacting our pipeline growth.

Key Responsibilities

  • Build and execute B2B SEO strategies for lead generation
  • Optimize website architecture for crawlability and indexation
  • Develop content strategies targeting high-intent keywords
  • Implement technical SEO best practices across the platform
  • Create and maintain XML sitemaps and robots.txt
  • Manage canonical tags and pagination strategies
  • Lead link building and digital PR initiatives
  • Collaborate with product team on SEO-friendly features
  • Track organic conversions and pipeline contribution
  • Educate teams on SEO best practices

Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
  • 4-6 years of B2B SEO experience
  • Strong technical SEO knowledge
  • Experience with SaaS or technology companies
  • Proficiency in SEO tools (Ahrefs, SEMrush, Moz)
  • Understanding of conversion rate optimization
  • Experience with content management systems
  • Analytical mindset with strong Excel skills
  • Excellent communication abilities

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience with programmatic SEO
  • Knowledge of API documentation SEO
  • Understanding of developer audiences
  • GA4 and GTM certification
  • Experience with A/B testing for SEO

For Media / Publishing Companies

SEO Manager - Digital Publishing

About the Role
We're looking for an experienced SEO Manager to maximize our content visibility and grow organic traffic. You'll work with editorial teams to ensure our content ranks for competitive keywords while maintaining editorial excellence.

Key Responsibilities

  • Develop SEO strategies for news and evergreen content
  • Optimize site architecture for content discovery
  • Implement AMP and Core Web Vitals optimizations
  • Manage technical SEO for high-volume publishing
  • Create SEO guidelines for editorial teams
  • Optimize for Google News and Discover
  • Monitor and react to algorithm updates quickly
  • Implement schema markup for articles and videos
  • Analyze search trends and content gaps
  • Manage relationships with syndication partners

Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Journalism, or related
  • 5+ years of SEO experience in publishing
  • Deep understanding of content SEO
  • Experience with high-traffic websites (1M+ monthly)
  • Knowledge of news SEO best practices
  • Strong technical SEO skills
  • Experience with WordPress or similar CMS
  • Understanding of E-E-A-T principles
  • Excellent analytical abilities

Preferred Qualifications

  • Google News optimization experience
  • Video SEO knowledge
  • Experience with content syndication
  • Understanding of entity SEO
  • Multi-language SEO experience

Industry-Specific Variations

Local Business / Multi-Location

Additional Requirements:

  • Local SEO expertise and Google Business Profile management
  • Experience with location landing pages at scale
  • Knowledge of local link building strategies
  • Understanding of NAP consistency

Healthcare / YMYL Sites

Additional Requirements:

  • Understanding of E-E-A-T requirements for YMYL
  • Experience with medical content optimization
  • Knowledge of healthcare compliance
  • Expertise in building topical authority

Additional Requirements:

  • YMYL content optimization experience
  • Understanding of regulatory compliance
  • Experience with reputation management
  • Knowledge of entity SEO and knowledge panels

SEO Manager Salary Data (Updated: January 2025)

Salary Data by Country

United States

Based on our analysis of multiple sources, the average SEO Manager salary in the United States:

US National Average: $85,000 - $125,000

By Data Source (Last Updated):

  • Glassdoor US (January 2025): $139,102 based on latest data
  • Salary.com US (July 2025): $121,511
  • Indeed US (July 2025): $83,262 from job postings
  • PayScale US (June 2025): $79,290 from 462 profiles
  • Built In (2025): $80,585
  • ZipRecruiter US (July 2025): $86,206

United Kingdom

UK National Average: £35,000 - £55,000

By Data Source (Last Updated):

  • Glassdoor UK (January 2025): £45,000 based on salaries
  • Indeed UK (January 2025): £42,000 from job postings
  • Reed.co.uk (January 2025): £48,000

Salary by Experience Level (US Data)

Experience Entry Level Mid-Level Senior Level Director
Years 0-2 3-5 6-10 10+
Salary Range (USD) $54k-$70k $70k-$95k $95k-$140k $140k-$180k+
Average (USD) $60,000 $82,500 $115,000 $155,000+

Geographic Salary Variations

United States Cities

City Average Salary (USD) vs US National Average Cost of Living Index
San Francisco, CA $151,755 +45% 183
New York, NY $140,819 +35% 170
Seattle, WA $125,000 +20% 145
Austin, TX $105,000 +1% 125
US National Average $104,000 Baseline 100

Industry-Specific Salaries (US Market)

Top paying industries for SEO Managers in the US:

  1. Financial Services: $141,407
  2. Technology/Software: $121,186
  3. E-commerce/Retail: $115,000
  4. Healthcare/Pharma: $110,000
  5. Media/Publishing: $100,780

Total Compensation Breakdown (US Market)

Beyond base salary, typical US compensation includes:

  • Base Salary: $85,000-$125,000 (75-85% of total comp)
  • Annual Bonus: $5,000-$20,000 (5-15% of base)
  • Stock/Equity: $0-$30,000 (mainly in tech)
  • Benefits Value: ~$15,000-20,000
  • Total Package: $105,000-$165,000

Interview Questions

Technical SEO Assessment

  1. Question: "Walk me through how you would conduct a technical SEO audit for a site with 1 million pages."
    What to Look For: Systematic approach, prioritization, tool knowledge
    Red Flags: No mention of crawl budget, no prioritization strategy

  2. Question: "How do you approach JavaScript SEO challenges?"
    What to Look For: Understanding of rendering, debugging methods, solutions
    Follow-up: "How do you test if Google can see JS-rendered content?"

  3. Question: "Explain how you would handle a site migration."
    What to Look For: Detailed process, risk mitigation, testing approach
    Red Flags: No mention of redirects mapping, monitoring plan

Strategic Thinking

  1. Question: "How do you balance quick wins with long-term SEO strategy?"
    What to Look For: Prioritization framework, business understanding
    Follow-up: "Give an example from your experience."

  2. Question: "How do you measure SEO ROI?"
    What to Look For: Attribution understanding, revenue focus, realistic metrics
    Red Flags: Only traffic metrics, no business impact

  3. Question: "How do you approach E-E-A-T for YMYL content?"
    What to Look For: Understanding of guidelines, practical implementation
    Follow-up: "Show me an example of E-E-A-T optimization."

Algorithm & Industry Knowledge

  1. Question: "How do you stay updated with algorithm changes?"
    What to Look For: Multiple sources, testing approach, community involvement
    Red Flags: Only following Google announcements

  2. Question: "Explain your approach to the recent Helpful Content Update."
    What to Look For: Understanding of user intent, quality signals
    Follow-up: "How would you recover from an HCU hit?"

Technical Skills Test

Exercise 1: Site Audit (30 minutes)

Task: Review this website and identify top 5 SEO issues
Evaluate: Prioritization, technical knowledge, business impact understanding

Exercise 2: Keyword Strategy (20 minutes)

Task: Create a keyword strategy for [product/service]
Evaluate: Research methodology, intent matching, competition analysis

Exercise 3: Technical Problem (15 minutes)

Task: Debug why pages aren't getting indexed
Evaluate: Troubleshooting process, tool usage, systematic thinking

Behavioral Questions

  1. Question: "Tell me about a time when an algorithm update negatively impacted your site."
    What to Look For: Problem-solving, data analysis, recovery strategy
    Red Flags: Blaming Google, no action plan

  2. Question: "Describe a situation where you had to convince stakeholders to invest in SEO."
    What to Look For: Communication skills, business acumen, data use
    Follow-up: "What was the outcome?"

  3. Question: "How do you handle competing priorities from different departments?"
    What to Look For: Prioritization, diplomacy, strategic thinking
    Red Flags: Can't give specific examples

Culture Fit Questions

  1. Question: "How do you approach continuous learning in SEO?"
    What to Look For: Specific resources, testing mindset, curiosity
    Red Flags: Relying on outdated knowledge

  2. Question: "Describe your ideal collaboration with content and dev teams."
    What to Look For: Communication style, education approach, patience
    Follow-up: "How do you handle pushback on SEO recommendations?"

Where to Find SEO Manager Candidates

Job Boards Performance Analysis

Platform Best For Response Rate Cost
LinkedIn All levels 20% $$$
Indeed Volume hiring 25% $$
Built In Tech companies 30% $$
We Work Remotely Remote roles 35% $$
SEO Jobs Specialized 40% $

Professional Communities

  1. SEO Organizations

    • Search Engine Journal community
    • Moz Community
    • Local SEO meetups

  2. Online Communities

    • Reddit: r/SEO, r/TechSEO, r/bigseo
    • Slack: SEO Signals Lab, Women in Tech SEO
    • Facebook: SEO Signals Lab group

  3. Industry Events

    • BrightonSEO
    • Pubcon
    • SMX (Search Marketing Expo)
    • MozCon

Real Company Examples

See how leading companies describe this role:

E-commerce Leaders

  • Amazon SEO - Scale and automation focus
  • Wayfair - Technical SEO emphasis
  • Etsy - Marketplace optimization

Tech Companies

SEO Skills Assessment Matrix

Technical Skills Requirements

Skill Category Entry Level Mid Level Senior Level
Technical SEO Basic audits Advanced diagnostics Architecture design
On-Page SEO Title/meta optimization Semantic SEO Entity optimization
Link Building Basic outreach Strategic campaigns Digital PR
Analytics GA4 basics Custom reporting Attribution modeling
Tools Basic SEO tools Advanced features API usage/automation
Coding Basic HTML JavaScript SEO Python for SEO

Essential Tool Proficiency

  • Must Have: Google Search Console, GA4, Screaming Frog
  • Should Have: Ahrefs/SEMrush, PageSpeed Insights, GTM
  • Nice to Have: Python, BigQuery, Log analyzers

FAQ Section

SEO Manager Hiring FAQs

For Employers

For Candidates

Salary Data Sources

All salary information compiled from public sources and updated regularly:

United States Sources:

  • Glassdoor.com (US) - Last accessed: January 3, 2025
  • Salary.com - Last accessed: July 1, 2025
  • Indeed.com (US) - Last accessed: July 21, 2025
  • PayScale.com (US) - Last accessed: June 10, 2025
  • Built In - Last accessed: 2025
  • ZipRecruiter.com - Last accessed: July 23, 2025

International Sources:

  • Glassdoor.co.uk - Last accessed: January 2025
  • Indeed.co.uk - Last accessed: January 2025
  • Reed.co.uk - Last accessed: January 2025

Note: SEO Manager salaries vary significantly based on technical expertise, industry, and company reliance on organic traffic. E-commerce and SaaS companies typically offer higher compensation.

Last Updated: January 3, 2025