SEO Manager: Definition, Job Descriptions, and Skills

Search engine use has become increasingly popular in recent years. As a result, many companies are competing for high search engine rankings, making SEO managers play an important role in the company's digital marketing success.

A manager's main task in SEO is optimizing the company's website to achieve a high ranking on the search engine results pages.

A website that ranks high in search engines will help the company increase its visibility, website traffic, brand awareness, and sales.

Read the following article to learn more about what is SEO manager and what skills they need to have!

What Is SEO Manager?

An SEO Manager is a specialist who is responsible for the management and oversight of a company's SEO strategy.

A manager specializing in SEO is crucial for a company, especially for improving search engine rankings, increasing website traffic, and boosting sales.

This role usually has an educational background in technology and has in-depth knowledge of search engine optimization practices.

SEO Manager Job Descriptions

SEO manager job descriptions include analyzing data, supervising SEO activities, and evaluating the company's search engine optimization efforts.

More specifically, here are the detailed tasks of a manager specialized in SEO:

1. Develop an SEO Strategy 

A manager's primary task is to develop an SEO strategy tailored to the company's goals and vision.

A manager specialized in SEO will conduct market research, competitor analysis, and opportunity research to achieve top research engine rankings.

The SEO strategy typically includes keyword research, on-page and off-page SEO Optimization, and setting KPIs to measure the success of SEO practices.

2. Supervise SEO Implementation 

The next part of the SEO manager job description is supervising. A manager is responsible for supervising and effectively collaborating with SEO team members. They provide guidance, motivate, and facilitate the team's workflow to achieve the set goals. 

Additionally, they will be responsible for coordinating with various other departments that intersect with the SEO strategy, such as marketing, design, and web development. 

3. Conduct Analysis and Evaluation 

Another job description of a manager specializing in SEO is conducting analysis and evaluation. Typically, they perform an in-depth analysis of the ongoing SEO strategy, such as analyzing website traffic, conversion rates, keyword rankings, user experience, and more.

From this analysis data, they compile routine reports that provide insights into the effectiveness of the SEO strategy and make improvements based on this data.

4. Keep Up to Date with Industry Trends

An SEO manager must constantly keep up with the latest developments in the SEO industry. This is vital as changes in search engine algorithms and current trends can significantly impact a website's rankings.

By keeping updated with these changes, they can make timely adjustments to their strategies and keep the website competitive. 

5. Manage Budgeting 

Lastly, the SEO manager job description includes managing the budget related to the SEO strategy. They need to carefully plan and allocate the budget for running digital campaigns and purchasing necessary resources for search engine optimization efforts.

Hard Skills an SEO Manager Must Have 

Implementing SEO involves a series of complex stages and encompasses many aspects. This means that to execute an effective SEO strategy, several hard skills are required, such as:

1. Mastering SEO Tools 

A manager specializing in SEO's primary and most important skill is mastering SEO tools. This skill includes understanding and using tools such as Google Analytics to analyze website traffic, Google Search Console to monitor search performance, Sequence Stat to review the ranking of each targeted keyword, and many other supporting SEO tools.

By mastering these tools, a manager of an SEO team can design data-driven strategies, optimize content, and increase website visibility. 

2. Analyzing Website Performance 

Another must-have for a manager specializing in SEO is the ability to analyze website performance.

In general, a website's performance can be analyzed by looking at key metrics such as traffic, bounce rate, and conversions.

The results will then be presented in informative reports that will be useful in website optimization and ranking improvement. 

3. Understanding Basic Coding

Although a manager specializing in SEO doesn't need to know programming in its entirety, understanding the basics is still important. If technical issues arise, they can identify them and collaborate with a developer to resolve them. 

4. Conducting Research

The research skills of a manager specializing in SEO include the ability to carry out keyword research, competitor analysis, and an understanding of market trends. All of this is done to facilitate an effective SEO strategy formulation. 

5. Creating Content

SEO practices are closely related to content creation. Typically, content creation is done by content writers. However, a manager specialized in SEO must also have a deep understanding of creating SEO-friendly content to ease coordination.

Soft Skills an SEO Manager Must Have 

In addition to technical skills, an SEO manager must also have various soft skills in order to work effectively and efficiently. Here are some important soft skills for this role:

1. Leadership 

The primary ability that a manager must have is leadership. As a manager, this soft skill is essential for organizing, supervising, and evaluating the SEO practices within the company professionally.

2. Project Management 

Project management is the skill of organizing and coordinating all team members involved in the SEO project. With this ability, a manager can effectively manage SEO projects.

3. Communication 

Being communicative is a skill that everyone in the company, including a manager specialized in SEO, must have. With good communication skills, coordination between fields related to SEO practices will be easier and more effective.

4. Adaptability 

Next, adaptability is also an important skill for a manager in the ever-evolving digital world. To make improvements, a manager specialized in SEO must remain adaptable to changing trends and search engine algorithms.

5. Creativity 

Lastly, the ability to think creatively can be a key asset for a manager in generating ideas. A manager specializing in SEO must be able to think creatively and formulate content types and intents that can attract the target audience's attention and increase website traffic.

SEO Manager Background

Relevant education in marketing, information technology, or communications is typically required to become a search engine optimization manager.

These areas of study usually include knowledge of digital marketing strategies, data analysis, keyword research, and SEO tools.

In addition, hands-on experience such as internships or independent projects can also strengthen the skills and understanding needed to succeed in this role.

Conclusion

The role of an SEO manager is crucial in supporting a company's digital marketing success, particularly in increasing online visibility, website traffic, brand awareness, and sales in the ever-evolving digital era.

However, collaborating with an SEO service provider is a beneficial solution for companies that still lack human resources and have budget constraints for hiring a manager specializing in SEO.

If you are looking for a partner that helps you improve your website's ranking, with the experienced SEO Services by cmlabs, we can help you! Let's enhance your website's visibility, traffic, and ranking with professional SEO strategies from cmlabs.

What are you waiting for? Contact our marketing team now and discuss your business's SEO needs!