SEO Manager Job Description Templates
Free SEO manager job description templates: standard, small business, startup, e-commerce or agency, and senior. Download 5 variations as one DOCX.
SEO Manager Job Description Templates
5 free templates by context. Download as DOCX or copy-paste.
The SEO manager job description is harder to write than it looks, because the role scales enormously by company size. A startup SEO manager doing every keyword and fix by hand, an e-commerce manager optimizing thousands of product pages, and a head of SEO leading a team of specialists share the title but do very different work. Most templates online assume a company that already has a marketing team and a roster of specialists to manage, which is unrealistic for the small and growing companies actually writing their first SEO posting.
At FirstHR, we build templates for small companies hiring as they grow, including the businesses making their first marketing hire. The five templates below cover the role by context: standard, small-business first marketing hire, startup, e-commerce or agency, and senior or head of SEO. Each names the FLSA status to confirm and the real scope at that stage. Fill in the brackets and post, and the guide to writing a job description covers the fundamentals.
What Does an SEO Manager Do?
An SEO manager owns an organization's organic search strategy and execution: strategy and roadmap, keyword research, technical SEO, on-page and content optimization, link-building, and reporting on traffic and conversions. In federal occupational data, the hands-on role maps most closely to search marketing strategists (SOC 13-1161.01), who employ search marketing tactics and analyze web metrics to improve search visibility.
For the employer writing the posting, the key point is that the work depends heavily on company size. A startup or small-business SEO manager does the work themselves; an e-commerce manager optimizes a large catalog; an agency manager runs client accounts; a head of SEO leads a team. The five templates on this page split by context so the document matches the actual role rather than a generic, team-assuming definition.
SEO Manager Duties and Responsibilities
SEO manager duties center on strategy, technical and on-page work, content and off-page work, and analytics and reporting. The context shifts the emphasis, hands-on execution at a startup, account management at an agency, but these four categories hold across nearly every SEO manager role. These are the duties grouped the way the templates use them.
A strong posting grounds these in your specifics: the website and platform, whether the role executes or leads, the company stage, and who the manager reports to. SEO candidates read postings for the concrete scope and whether they will be hands-on or managing, before applying. For a structured way to scope any role before posting, the guide to defining job responsibilities walks through the process.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template by your company size and stage, and by whether the role does the work or leads it. The core SEO responsibilities run through all five, but the scope, the seniority, and the environment differ enough that the matched version always reads more credibly. Use this guide to choose.
5 Free SEO Manager Job Description Templates
Download all five as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each follows the same structure: company overview, position summary, key responsibilities, qualifications, the FLSA classification field, pay, and how to apply, with an EEO statement. Fill in the brackets and post.
Template 1: Standard SEO Manager (W-2)
The universal W-2 version for a company with a marketing team. Owns strategy and execution across technical, on-page, content, and off-page SEO. Start here for most hires.
Template 2: Small Business / First Marketing Hire
For a growing company making its first marketing hire: a broad, hands-on role that does the SEO work as well as plans it, and touches adjacent marketing. The honest small-team version.
Template 3: Startup SEO Manager
For a startup making organic a core growth channel: high ownership, fast iteration, scalable processes, and a builder who ships. Equity often part of the offer.
Template 4: E-commerce / Agency SEO Manager
For an e-commerce brand (product and category SEO at scale) or an agency (SEO delivery across multiple client accounts). Ties SEO to revenue or client KPIs.
Template 5: Senior SEO Manager / Head of SEO
For a senior hire who leads the SEO function: owns strategy, manages specialists and partners, and is the senior voice for organic search to leadership.
Do You Need an In-House SEO Manager?
Before you write the posting, decide whether a full-time in-house SEO manager is the right move at all, since for many small companies it is not, yet. This is the question no boilerplate template asks, and getting it right saves a costly mis-hire.
If you decide you do need the in-house hire, use the small-business or startup template, which frames the role honestly as hands-on. If you are not there yet, a broader marketing or digital marketing role, or outside help, may serve you better for now.
SEO Manager Requirements and Skills
Most SEO manager roles weigh hands-on experience and measurable results over formal credentials. List what is truly required separately from what is preferred so you do not screen out capable, results-driven candidates.
| Type | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Experience | 3-5+ years of hands-on SEO, scaled to the level |
| Skills | Technical, on-page, content, and off-page SEO; analytics |
| Tools | Analytics, Search Console, and an SEO platform |
| Results | A track record of measurable organic growth |
Education is often a bachelor's in marketing or a related field, though a strong portfolio of organic growth frequently matters more, and basic HTML, CSS, and web-development literacy help. Keep the language neutral and inclusive, since the EEOC prohibits job advertisements that show a preference based on protected characteristics. For a fuller framework, the SHRM guide to writing a job description covers the standard sections.
FLSA: Is an SEO Manager Exempt or Non-Exempt?
An SEO manager is usually exempt from overtime, but it depends on the actual duties, not the title, and the small-business case has a real trap. Most SEO managers qualify under the administrative exemption, but a junior person given the title without genuine decision-making authority may not.
For the underlying rules, the exempt vs non-exempt guide and the Fair Labor Standards Act guide explain the tests. Classify by actual duties, mark it on the posting, and keep every requirement job-related. This is general information, not legal advice; confirm with an employment attorney, since state overtime rules can be stricter than federal.
How to Write an SEO Manager Job Description
A strong SEO manager posting takes about 20 minutes once you settle the in-house question, the context, the responsibilities, and the pay. Here is the process the templates are built around. If this is among your first hires, the guide to hiring your first employee covers the steps around the posting itself.
SEO Manager Pay
SEO manager pay varies widely by company size, location, and seniority. There is no dedicated federal wage figure for the title, since it maps to broader marketing occupations, but those give a useful anchor.
Actual SEO manager pay typically sits between those anchors and depends heavily on stage, with startups and small businesses often paying toward the lower end and large companies, agencies, and high-cost metros toward the higher end. National compensation surveys can help you set a range for your specific market and level.
| Context | Relative pay | Common structure |
|---|---|---|
| Small business / first hire | Lower to mid | Salary |
| Startup | Mid | Salary plus equity |
| E-commerce / agency | Mid | Salary, sometimes bonus |
| Senior / head of SEO | Higher | Salary plus bonus |
For setting pay, use the federal anchors as a reference, adjust for the stage, scope, and your local market, set an honest range, and state it in the posting, since a growing number of states require a range.
Hiring an SEO Manager at a Small Company
A large company hires SEO through a marketing team and a standard process. A smaller, growing business makes the decision directly, and the first question is whether to hire in-house at all. Here is how to think it through and do it well.
After You Hire: Onboarding and Setup
The job description is step one, and an SEO manager hire gets productive fastest with a clean start. Send the offer with the pay and the FLSA classification stated, collect the signed offer, complete Form I-9 within the first days along with the rest of the new hire paperwork, and gather tax forms.
Then comes access and role onboarding, which is what gets an SEO manager driving results quickly: the website and CMS, analytics and Search Console, the SEO platform, and any brand and content assets. Decide where brand, content, and SEO documentation lives, set up a structured first 30, 60, and 90 days, and store the signed onboarding documents in one place. Once your offer is ready, the offer letter template handles the core terms with the FLSA classification, the onboarding checklist template anchors the first days, and for a marketing hire specifically, the marketing onboarding template covers the tech-stack access and brand handoff.
FirstHR fits this directly: built-in e-signature for the offer and any agreements, task workflows for access and account setup, document management for brand and marketing assets, training assignments for any required onboarding, an HRIS with an org chart to place the role, and a self-service portal. FirstHR does not run payroll or administer benefits, so connect your payroll and benefits providers for those functions. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does an SEO manager do?
An SEO manager owns an organization's organic search strategy and execution. The core work is consistent: developing the SEO strategy and roadmap, running keyword research, leading technical SEO audits and fixes, optimizing on-page content and landing pages, managing off-page and link-building, and reporting on traffic, rankings, and conversions tied to business goals. The role coordinates with content, development, and paid-search teams and tracks algorithm updates. How much the person executes versus delegates depends on company size. At a small company or startup, the SEO manager does the hands-on work themselves; at an enterprise, they manage a team of specialists. Because the role scales so much by company size, a job description should describe the real scope, which is why the templates on this page split by context: standard, small business, startup, e-commerce or agency, and senior.
What are the duties and responsibilities of an SEO manager?
SEO manager duties fall into four areas. Strategy: developing and owning the SEO roadmap, mapping keywords to search intent, and adapting to algorithm updates. Technical and on-page: running site audits, fixing site health and indexing, optimizing content and metadata, and improving site speed and structure. Content and off-page: briefing and optimizing content and landing pages, planning link-building, and coordinating with content and development teams. Analytics and reporting: tracking traffic, rankings, and conversions, reporting results tied to business goals, and running experiments. The emphasis shifts by setting, hands-on execution at a startup, account management at an agency, product and category SEO for e-commerce, team leadership at the senior level, but these four categories hold across nearly every SEO manager role. The templates on this page group these duties so you can adapt them to your specific role.
What is the difference between an SEO manager and an SEO specialist?
It is mostly a question of scope and seniority. An SEO specialist is an execution-focused role: doing keyword research, on-page optimization, technical fixes, and reporting, usually within a defined area and often under direction. An SEO manager is broader and more senior: owning the overall strategy, setting priorities, often coordinating content, development, and external partners, and being accountable for organic results. In a larger team the progression runs specialist, then manager, then head of SEO. For hiring, the practical difference is ownership: a specialist executes the work, a manager owns the strategy and outcomes. At a small company the same person often does both. If the role you need is execution-focused rather than strategic, the specialist template is the better fit; this page links to it.
Is an SEO manager exempt or non-exempt under the FLSA?
An SEO manager is usually exempt from overtime, but it depends on the actual duties, not the title. The administrative exemption typically applies, since the work is directly related to marketing and general business operations and involves the exercise of discretion and independent judgment on matters of significance, with a salary of at least $684 per week. If the SEO manager also manages two or more full-time employees and has real input on hiring, the executive exemption can apply instead. The nuance at a small company is important: if the person you call an SEO manager is really a junior executor following instructions without genuine discretion, the exempt classification can be risky, because job titles do not determine exempt status, the actual duties and salary do. Classify by real duties, mark it on the posting, and confirm with an employment attorney, since state overtime rules can be stricter than federal. This is general information, not legal advice.
What qualifications and skills does an SEO manager need?
Most SEO manager roles weigh hands-on SEO experience and measurable results over formal credentials. A typical role wants three to five or more years of SEO experience, strong skills across technical, on-page, content, and off-page SEO, proficiency with analytics and SEO tools, and solid analytical and reporting ability. A bachelor's in marketing or a related field is common but not always required, and a track record of organic growth often matters more than a degree. Useful additional skills include basic HTML, CSS, and a working grasp of web development, content strategy, and coordination with paid search. Senior roles add people and budget management. When writing the job description, separate what is genuinely required, the experience and core SEO skills, from what is preferred, so you do not screen out capable candidates who lack a specific tool or credential.
How much does an SEO manager make?
SEO manager pay varies widely by company size, location, and how senior the role is. There is no dedicated federal wage figure for SEO managers specifically, since the role maps to broader categories. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, market research analysts and marketing specialists, the closest occupation for hands-on SEO roles, had a median annual wage of $76,950 in May 2024, while marketing managers, which covers more senior, team-leading marketing roles, had a median of $161,030. National compensation surveys place typical SEO manager pay in a range from roughly the low to high five figures and into six figures for senior roles, with startups and small businesses often paying toward the lower end and large companies and high-cost metros toward the higher end. Because pay is one of the first things candidates screen on, post a real range; the templates leave it as a field.
Should a small business hire an in-house SEO manager?
Often not yet, and that honesty is worth building into the decision. A dedicated full-time SEO manager pays off only when there is enough steady SEO work to justify the role and the budget covers a salary plus tools and content. Many small businesses do not have that volume, and a freelancer, an agency, or a marketing generalist who does SEO among other duties is the better and cheaper fit. The signal that an in-house hire makes sense is usually that organic is a genuine growth channel, there is ongoing technical and content work, and you want someone owning it daily rather than billed hourly. Companies that most often hire a dedicated SEO manager are digital agencies, e-commerce brands, and funded startups, rather than the typical local service business. If you do hire in-house, the small-business template on this page frames the role as the hands-on, do-it-yourself hire it really is at your size.
What happens after I hire an SEO manager?
Once the candidate accepts, the hire moves into onboarding, and for an early marketing hire, a fast and professional start matters. Send the offer with the pay and the FLSA classification stated, collect the signed offer, complete Form I-9 within the first days, and gather tax forms. Then comes access and role onboarding, which is the part that gets an SEO manager productive quickly: the website and CMS, analytics and Search Console, the SEO platform, and any brand and content assets they need. Give them a structured first 30, 60, and 90 days rather than a pile of logins and a vague mandate. FirstHR fits this directly: built-in e-signature for the offer and any agreements, task workflows for access and account setup, document management for brand and marketing assets, training assignments for any required onboarding, an HRIS with an org chart, and a self-service portal. FirstHR does not run payroll or administer benefits, so connect your payroll and benefits providers for those. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.