Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for SEO Project Manager
💰 $75,000 - $115,000
🎯 Role Definition
As an SEO Project Manager, you will be the central hub for all SEO-related activities. Your mission is to translate high-level organic growth strategies into actionable project plans, timelines, and deliverables. You will be responsible for the end-to-end management of SEO projects, including technical audits, content optimization campaigns, and link-building initiatives. Success in this role means flawlessly coordinating with content creators, web developers, designers, and other marketing stakeholders to ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and to the highest quality standard, ultimately leading to significant improvements in organic traffic, keyword rankings, and conversions.
📈 Career Progression
Typical Career Path
Entry Point From:
- SEO Specialist / Analyst
- Digital Marketing Project Coordinator
- Content Strategist
Advancement To:
- Senior SEO Manager
- Director of SEO
- Head of Organic Growth
Lateral Moves:
- Content Marketing Manager
- Product Manager, SEO
- Marketing Analytics Manager
Core Responsibilities
Primary Functions
- Develop, manage, and execute comprehensive SEO project roadmaps, from initial planning and scoping to final implementation and performance analysis.
- Act as the primary point of contact for all SEO projects, orchestrating communication and collaboration between internal teams (content, development, design) and external stakeholders.
- Define project scope, goals, deliverables, and resource requirements, ensuring clear alignment with broader business objectives and marketing strategies.
- Conduct in-depth keyword research, competitive analysis, and market analysis to identify strategic opportunities for organic growth and inform project priorities.
- Oversee and manage comprehensive technical SEO audits, identifying issues related to crawling, indexing, site architecture, and page speed, and translating findings into actionable developer tickets.
- Plan and manage the execution of on-page and off-page optimization strategies, including content optimization, internal linking, and strategic link-building campaigns.
- Utilize project management software (e.g., Jira, Asana, Monday.com) to create detailed project schedules, track progress against milestones, and manage team workloads effectively.
- Monitor, analyze, and report on key SEO performance indicators (KPIs) such as organic traffic, keyword rankings, click-through rates, and conversions using tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console.
- Lead regular project status meetings, providing clear and concise updates to stakeholders on progress, potential risks, and performance outcomes.
- Manage project budgets and resource allocation, ensuring projects are delivered efficiently and provide a strong return on investment.
- Develop and maintain a rigorous quality assurance process to ensure all SEO deliverables meet best-practice standards before deployment.
- Proactively identify project risks, dependencies, and roadblocks, and develop effective mitigation and contingency plans to keep projects on track.
- Facilitate A/B testing and other SEO-focused experiments to validate hypotheses and drive continuous improvement in organic performance.
- Create and present detailed performance reports and executive summaries that clearly communicate the impact and ROI of SEO initiatives to senior leadership.
- Coordinate with the content team to ensure the content calendar is aligned with SEO priorities and that all new content is fully optimized for search.
- Collaborate with the web development team to prioritize and implement technical SEO fixes and enhancements in a timely manner.
- Guide international SEO strategies, managing projects related to hreflang implementation, multi-language keyword research, and country-specific optimization.
Secondary Functions
- Stay at the forefront of the SEO industry, continuously monitoring search engine algorithm updates, industry trends, and emerging best practices to inform strategy.
- Provide SEO training, documentation, and guidance to internal teams (e.g., content writers, developers) to foster an SEO-first culture.
- Support the Paid Search team by sharing keyword insights and collaborating on integrated search strategies to maximize overall search engine visibility.
- Manage relationships and project workflows with external SEO agencies, freelancers, or tool vendors as required.
- Contribute to the continuous improvement of internal SEO processes, methodologies, and project management workflows.
Required Skills & Competencies
Hard Skills (Technical)
- Proficiency with industry-standard SEO tools (e.g., SEMrush, Ahrefs, Moz Pro, Screaming Frog).
- Advanced knowledge of Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and Google Tag Manager.
- Strong experience with project management software (e.g., Jira, Asana, Trello, Monday.com).
- In-depth understanding of technical SEO principles (e.g., crawlability, indexation, site architecture, schema markup, site speed).
- Demonstrable ability to perform comprehensive keyword research and competitive analysis.
- Experience with data visualization tools (e.g., Looker Studio, Tableau) for reporting.
- Familiarity with common Content Management Systems (CMS) like WordPress, Shopify, or AEM.
Soft Skills
- Exceptional project management, organizational, and time-management skills.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
- Strong leadership and team collaboration abilities, capable of motivating and guiding cross-functional teams.
- Strategic and analytical thinking with a data-driven approach to problem-solving.
- High level of attention to detail and a commitment to delivering high-quality work.
- Client relationship management and negotiation skills.
Education & Experience
Educational Background
Minimum Education:
- Bachelor's Degree
Preferred Education:
- Master’s Degree or relevant certifications (e.g., PMP, Google Analytics IQ)
Relevant Fields of Study:
- Marketing
- Business Administration
- Communications
- Computer Science
Experience Requirements
Typical Experience Range:
- 4-6 years of hands-on experience in SEO and/or digital project management.
Preferred:
- Proven track record of managing large-scale, complex SEO projects from start to finish, preferably in an agency or enterprise-level environment. Experience with e-commerce or SaaS SEO is a significant plus.