What is an SEO manager and what is their professional profile?

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In the world of digital marketing, job profiles are evolving very quickly, as the very activity of digital marketing entails this. These changes can be based on the type of tasks that SEO professionals perform, but also due to their training profile or approach, or simply due to trends or degrees from spaces such as LinkedIn.

In any case, in this post we will try to define what professional profile most SEOs have (I think that is the definition that we ourselves, in the field, give ourselves naturally), and in the end we will refine the nomenclature.

What kind of tasks does an SEO do?
We will define it based on the natural evolution of web positioning work processes, which must always follow a logical scheme and be cyclical:

Initial analysis phase : this is where an audit of the client's website (if they have one) and its environment (sector, competition) should be carried out. In parallel or afterwards, a keyword study and a profile of the person to whom the website is directed (the buyer persona ) should be carried out.
Strategy definition : with all the information above, and also analysing the client's colombia whatsapp data characteristics, an SEO strategy to follow is proposed and discussed. Here, key aspects are defined such as the geographical area to be positioned, languages, keywords, etc. And a series of actions are proposed to achieve this. By understanding the client's context, a strategy should be proposed that fits with their objectives, but that is also realistic.

Management and monitoring : all the planned actions are executed, which may affect different actors (client, SEO team, programmers, designers, layout designers, service and tool providers, etc.). This implies that an SEO manager should not execute all the tasks, but should define them, plan them, schedule them, coordinate the actors, and once implemented, verify their correct execution. In parallel, monitoring tools and routines must be established, in order to measure the achievements achieved with the actions. Here, web analytics tools must be configured (Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager...), communication tools with Google (Google Search Console, Google Merchant Center, Google My Business...), tracking and monitoring tools (SEMRush, Ahrefs...) and finally tools and routines to create periodic report templates (here we recommend Google Data Studio).

Analysis : you should periodically monitor both the evolution of planned tasks over time (we recommend planning 6 months of tasks from the start) and their impact on what you have decided to measure (impressions, positions on Google, visits, conversions, transactions...).
Improvement proposals : the analyses carried out, together with the inputs we receive from the client, as well as external elements such as changes in the algorithm, our sector or buyer persona, should lead us to propose new actions to take. In this way, we can return to point 2, adjusting the strategy, and move on to point 3 to implement new actions. And the wheel continues, in a process of constant review and improvement.
As you can see, the work we do to position a website covers many aspects, is long-term, and requires the collaboration and synergies of a lot of actors.

Given all this, it is clear that the SEO Manager profile must be quite versatile, and is clearly different from an SEO Consultant (who would remain in phases 1 and 2, analysis and strategy proposals), or from an SEO specialist, who would be a person highly trained in one of the tasks or areas that affect SEO, normally technical SEO.

Therefore, in our opinion, the SEO manager profile should include:

Analytical skills : You must be a person capable of researching online markets, consulting and processing a lot of information, and distilling it.
Strategic orientation : this is not about an SEO specialist who should focus excessively on broken links or the loading speed of a page, but rather a person who is clear about the objectives of the project and prioritizes them. The focus should always be on what we want to achieve and not on what we must do.
Customer relations : preferably, this person should be empathetic in order to understand the client and put themselves in their shoes, and at the same time have the skills to deal with them. It is highly recommended that this person has the ability to relate, speak in public, and be convincing in defending their arguments.
Deep technical knowledge : an SEO manager cannot limit himself to having superficial knowledge of web positioning, but must know in detail the algorithms that affect SEO and how. He cannot be a simple salesman or client manager without deep technical knowledge, or the project will have a short life.
Always up to date : the rules that govern SEO change every day. So these professionals must be restless people, eager to learn, train, try things out or make mistakes. If you took an SEO course two years ago and you haven't updated or put anything into practice, it's as if you hadn't done it.
Considering the type of tasks that correspond to an SEO Manager, what type of professional profile can best fit this position? One option would be for a technical profile, who has specialized in SEO tasks for years, to make a leap forward, being able to deal with clients, manage projects and provide strategic vision. This is a very good option, but sometimes technical profiles, due to their nature, are not very prone to making these transitions.

The other alternative is for a person with a basic profile oriented towards marketing in general, business administration and customer management, to acquire the SEO knowledge necessary to plan and manage these projects. This seems more possible than the previous one, and although he or she may not be able to understand some of the more technical aspects that affect SEO, he or she should be able to identify the needs and plan them.

The right salary for an SEO Manager
The salary received in this field will depend on various factors: the size and sector of the company, the workplace where the job is sought, the academic profile and professional background of this person, the level of responsibility and decision-making capacity that will be given to them, and the importance given to SEO in the company as a whole. Yes, it is clear that it is a profile that requires a lot of training, experience and a significant level of responsibility.

If in all of this they far surpass profiles such as SEO technician, specialist or even SEO consultant, their salary should be around the high end of the company's salary scale, starting at €27-28,000 per year, and corrected for all of the factors previously mentioned, and overall the value that this person brings to the company.

Finding a job as an SEO Manager
The most common way to become an SEO Manager for an agency or company is usually to start as a junior SEO or SEO specialist, and over time gain experience and credentials. Depending on the nomenclature and structure, you could end up as a Senior SEO. However, there are also job opportunities as an SEO manager on portals such as Jooble , to which you can apply, provided that you have the desired profile and background.