What is a Head of SEO? The Ultimate Recruitment Guide.

Anyone working in the organic space will tell you that search has changed more in the last two years than it did in the previous ten!

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is the practice of making your brand and content easy to discover, understand and building trust across traditional search results and AI-generated answers. It combines the skill of building technically sound, fast and crawlable websites with genuinely useful, expert-led content that matches people’s intentions (not merely keywords) and earns authority through reputation, links and credible mentions. The goal is no longer just ranking first on Google; it is becoming a reliable source that search engines and AI assistants select, cite and recommend, ultimately generating qualified traffic, enquiries and revenue.

In this guide, we'll cover what a Head of SEO and SEO Manager does, the different SEO skillsets and what separates the good from the great. We'll give you advice on the how to secure the best talent in this area with tips around interview questions and salary guidelines.

If you're hiring a senior SEO, understanding exactly what success looks like in your business is the first step.

What Kind of SEO Hire Are You Actually Looking For?

Before you start speaking to candidates, it’s imperative to be clear on what you need your Head of SEO or SEO Manager to achieve, especially as the landscape evolves DAILY at the moment.

Not every SEO is built the same.

Some are exceptional technical specialists who thrive on site architecture, crawlability and performance. Others excel at content strategy, digital PR and building authority. Some are natural leaders who can build and develop high-performing teams, while others are strongest when working directly with clients and stakeholders on the overarching strategy.

Ask yourself:

• Do you need someone hands-on or strategic?
• Will they manage people?
• Are they responsible for agency clients or an in-house brand?
• Is your biggest challenge technical SEO, content visibility or commercial growth?
• Do you want somebody to own traditional SEO, or broader organic search performance?

The best hires happen when the role matches the business need.

What Does a Head of SEO Do Today?

Here’s what some of our clients think…

“SEO has had my head in a spin over the past year - from AI Overviews and expanded ads absorbing organic clicks and visibility, to LLMs becoming a big part of the consideration cycle and trying to work out how to win there, it's been a lot. It’s been an exciting change and it's opened the eyes of senior leaders to what SEO (or GEO, AEO, LLMO, whatever you want to call it) can do.

For me the top quality in recruiting for an SEO of any level has always been curiosity - you need to be curious to think about things like how search engines work and the best content for the reader, plus to test and learn from different tactics. That fundamental quality has not changed and in fact has gotten more important. When recruiting I love to hear that applicants have been playing with workflows and testing different tactics to get clicks and sales, even if those tests have failed! An old boss of mine used to say "you either win or you learn" and that's stuck with me throughout my career.”

Sarah Harradine, SEO & AIO Lead at Awaze

"AI has changed the SEO landscape practically overnight. But from where I sit at board level, it’s not reducing our need for talented people; it’s just rewriting the job description.

It feels like the days of SEO being purely about content relevance and technical diligence are behind us. Today, I’m looking for strategic thinkers who actually understand how AI platforms find and surface information. AI can speed up the busywork, but it has zero human judgment. You still need a person to build real trust, demonstrate actual expertise, and connect with an audience.

Ironically, the most valuable skills now are the ones software can't copy: curiosity, creativity, and sharp commercial instincts. The best marketers won't be competing with AI; they’ll be using it to supercharge their own work. We aren't going to be hiring fewer SEO professionals; we’re just looking for a completely different blend of skills."

David Ingram, Chief Operating Officer, GOD TV

As the above quotes suggest, the role has evolved significantly.

Modern Heads of SEO and SEO Managers are no longer just focused on keywords and rankings. They're responsible for helping brands become visible wherever people search for information.

Typical responsibilities include:

• Building and executing SEO strategies
• Managing technical SEO projects
• Leading content and authority-building initiatives
• Improving visibility within AI-powered search experiences
• Analysing organic performance and identifying growth opportunities
• Collaborating with developers, content teams and stakeholders
• Managing agencies, suppliers or internal teams
• Setting KPIs and reporting on commercial impact
• Identifying opportunities across Google, ChatGPT, Perplexity and emerging search platforms

Ultimately, they're responsible for turning organic visibility into measurable business results.

The Skills Every Great SEO Needs

Strong Technical SEO Foundations

Technical SEO remains critical.  Candidates should understand:

• Crawlability and indexation
• Site architecture
• Core Web Vitals
• JavaScript SEO
• Structured data and schema
• Log file analysis
• Website migrations

You don't necessarily need a technical SEO specialist, but every SEO Manager should understand how technical performance impacts visibility.

Data and Analytics Skills

Modern SEO is increasingly data driven.

The best candidates can move beyond reporting and use data to influence business decisions.

Look for experience with:

• Google Analytics 4
• Google Search Console
• Looker Studio
• Ahrefs
• SEMrush
• Screaming Frog
• BigQuery (a bonus)
• SEO forecasting and modelling

A strong SEO Manager should be able to explain what the data means, not simply present it.

Content Strategy Expertise

Content remains one of the biggest drivers of organic growth.

Strong candidates should understand:

• Search intent
• Topic clustering
• Content audits
• Topical authority
• E-E-A-T principles
• Content optimisation
• Conversion-focused content strategy

The ability to connect content activity to business outcomes is increasingly important.

AI Search & GEO Knowledge

This is where many hiring managers are getting caught out.

Search is no longer just Google.

The best SEO Managers are already thinking about:

• AI Overviews (AIO)
• ChatGPT Search
• Perplexity
• Gemini
• Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO)
• Entity-based SEO
• Brand visibility within LLMs

Ask candidates how they believe AI is changing search behaviour.

If they only talk about rankings and backlinks, their thinking may already be behind the market.

Commercial Awareness

SEO doesn't exist in a vacuum.

The strongest candidates understand:

• Revenue attribution
• Customer acquisition costs
• Lead generation
• Conversion rates
• Lifetime value
• Commercial priorities

Organic traffic is useful.

Organic traffic that generates customers is what businesses actually care about.

What Separates Good SEOs From Great Ones?

They're Obsessed With Learning

Search changes constantly, and right now it's changing faster than ever. AIO, LLM-driven search, generative results - this is new territory for everyone, including us! When clients ask for candidates with years of experience in an area that didn't exist 18 months ago, it can be a frustrating brief to fill.

What you can look for is how they're staying ahead. The best SEO Managers are already testing, reading, attending webinars and forming their own views on where search is heading. Ask them what they've been experimenting with, what events they've attended and what they genuinely think about AI's impact on organic search. The best candidates won't just have an answer, they'll have an opinion.

They Can Demonstrate Real Results

Anyone can talk about rankings.

Great candidates can demonstrate:

• Traffic growth
• Lead generation improvements
• Revenue impact
• Visibility gains
• Successful migrations
• Recovery from algorithm updates

Always ask for specific examples.

They Think Beyond SEO

The strongest Heads of SEO and SEO Managers understand how SEO fits within wider marketing and business objectives.

They collaborate effectively with:

• Content teams
• Paid media teams
• Developers
• Product teams
• Data teams
• Senior leadership

This ability to influence across a business often separates senior SEO professionals from everyone else.

They Balance Strategy and Execution

Great SEOs can zoom out and define a long-term vision while still understanding what needs to happen day to day to achieve it.

That's a rare combination and often the difference between an average hire and an exceptional one.

SEO Salary Benchmarks & Career Progression

Salaries shift depending on industry, team size and platform expertise. Based on Forward Role's 2026 Marketing & Digital Salary Guide (2026 Marketing & Digital Salary Guide UK | Forward Role), here's what UK employers are actually paying for SEO talent: 

*Senior salaries at 'Head of' and 'Director' level can vary significantly depending on business size and scope and whether it’s a client side or agency side role. Get in touch directly for market-specific guidance at that level.

The typical step-up pathway runs SEO Executive / Technical SEO Executive / Outreach Executive > SEO Manager > Senior SEO Manager > Head of SEO > SEO Director - though candidates with strong platform experience, customer data strategy and retention-led growth under their belt are increasingly commanding premium salaries and skipping rungs along the way.

FAQ’s

What's the difference between technical SEO and content based SEO?

Technical SEO focuses on making sure a website is easy for search engines to crawl, understand and index by optimising things like site speed, mobile usability, site architecture, internal linking, structured data, XML sitemaps and fixing crawl errors. Content-based SEO, on the other hand, is about creating and optimising high-quality, relevant content that matches what users are searching for, using keyword research, search intent, topical authority, on-page optimisation and engaging copy to improve rankings and attract organic traffic. In simple terms, technical SEO ensures your website can be found and understood, while content SEO gives search engines compelling reasons to rank it.

Is SEO a dying art?

SEO isn't a dying art, but it is changing rapidly. Traditional tactics focused purely on keywords and backlinks are becoming less effective on their own as search engines and AI-powered search experiences prioritise helpful, authoritative content that genuinely answers users' questions. Modern SEO is increasingly about understanding audience intent, creating expert content, building trust and brand authority, delivering an excellent user experience, and ensuring strong technical foundations. In other words, SEO hasn't disappeared - it's evolved from optimising for algorithms to optimising for people, with AI and search engines rewarding businesses that do both well.

How much does a Head of SEO earn?

In the UK, Head of SEO salaries typically range from £60,000 to £100,000+ depending on industry, team size and platform expertise. SEO Directors can earn upwards of £120,000.

What does a Head of SEO do day to day?

A Head of SEO is responsible for developing and executing the organisation's organic search strategy, ensuring the business maximises visibility, traffic and revenue from search engines. Day to day, they lead technical and content SEO initiatives, analyse performance data, identify growth opportunities, oversee keyword and content strategies, collaborate with developers, content teams and marketers, manage agency or in-house SEO specialists, and keep pace with search algorithm and AI-driven search changes to maintain a competitive advantage.

How important is creative ideation and PR to SEO?

Digital PR and creative campaigns have become some of the most powerful drivers of SEO success. Rather than relying solely on technical optimisation and keywords, standout ideas that earn media coverage, social engagement and high-quality backlinks help build authority, brand awareness and trust; signals that search engines increasingly value. The best SEO strategies now combine strong technical foundations with creative, newsworthy content that people genuinely want to read, share and link to.

What questions can I ask an SEO candidate at interview?

Consider asking:

• How do you think AI Overviews will impact organic traffic over the next three years?
• What role does GEO play in your SEO strategy?
• Tell us about a technical SEO challenge you've solved.
• How do you prioritise SEO opportunities when resources are limited?
• What metrics matter most when measuring SEO success?
• Which recent Google update has had the biggest impact on your approach?
• How would you improve a website that has plateaued in organic growth?

The answers will tell you far more than a list of certifications ever could.

Who can I speak to about advice on hiring a SEO professional?

Whether you're hiring your first SEO specialist or adding an experienced SEO leader to an established team, finding the right person can make a significant impact on your long-term growth.

At Forward Role, we help businesses connect with some of the UK's leading SEO, Organic Search and Digital Marketing talent.

If you're planning an SEO hire and would like advice on salaries, market trends or building an SEO team fit for the future of search, we'd love to help. Get in touch with Charlotte Battersby today!