SEO Account Manager in Manchester

PHD UK is looking for an SEO Account Manager to join a growing team and manage some of the agency’s best-known and most complex accounts. This is an exciting and challenging role for someone ready to step up and take ownership of top-tier SEO and organic accounts, evolving from traditional search optimisation into future-facing organic growth, including GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation), AI-driven discovery and multi-format search visibility.

Our team is constantly evolving to stay ahead of search engine innovation, AI disruption, and changing user behaviour. We are looking for someone eager to continuously develop their skills and actively shape the future of organic performance.

With the support of the wider team, you will be responsible for the day-to-day running of client accounts, working closely with an SEO Account Director. This will include auditing, reporting, strategy execution and innovation testing, as well as close collaboration with wider teams.

You will be in daily contact with clients, proactively identifying opportunities to grow organic market share, SERP visibility, AI search presence and brand authority, while developing future-ready organic strategies that reflect changes in how users discover and consume information.

Role Overview

Plan and manage multiple high-profile client accounts, focusing on SEO, GEO and wider organic performance.

• Ensure full-channel integration with PPC, Paid Social, Digital PR and Content teams.
• Own organic strategy spanning:
• Technical SEO
• Content & on-site optimisation
• Authority building & Digital PR
• SERP feature optimisation (video, images, shopping, news, PAA, etc.)
• GEO / AI search optimisation (LLM visibility, entity optimisation, cited sources)
• Translate client objectives into cohesive, innovative and test-led organic strategies.
• Prepare, lead and confidently present in client meetings, QBRs and strategy sessions.
• Report on performance using commercial, meaningful metrics, tying SEO impact to business outcomes.
• Manage junior team members and specialist resources to ensure accurate, timely and high-quality delivery.

Key Responsibilities / Accountabilities

• Own the flow of communication with clients: meetings, presentations, reporting and day-to-day queries.
• Build trusted senior relationships and act as a strategic organic partner.
• Proactively identify growth opportunities aligned to business, brand and audience needs.
• Ensure Account Director and senior stakeholders remain fully informed on performance and opportunities.

Strategy & Innovation

• Develop and activate best-practice, future-facing SEO strategies supported by the SEO Director.
• Embed GEO principles, including:
• Optimising content and entities for AI-generated answers (e.g. Google AI Overviews, Copilot, ChatGPT, Gemini).
• Improving brand and content citation likelihood in LLM responses.
• Structuring content for retrieval-augmented generation (RAG).
• Explore new organic surfaces and formats including video, AI-driven experiences and emerging SERP layouts.
• Lead testing and experimentation, documenting learnings to evidence account evolution.

Execution & Performance

• Oversee regular:
• Technical SEO audits (core web vitals, crawlability, indexation, JS rendering, international SEO).
• Content optimisation and editorial planning.
• Performance reporting and insight generation.
• Ensure strategies align with E-E-A-T, accessibility, privacy and brand compliance standards.
• Use data and insight to shape roadmaps, forecasts and prioritisation.

Internal Collaboration & Growth

• Work with the Head of SEO on commercial forecasting and P&L updates.
• Support new business pitches, audits and organic thought leadership.
• Line manage and develop SEO Executives and content collaborators.
• Share best practice, innovation and learnings across the wider agency.

Likely Candidate Profile

• Strong, well-rounded SEO experience (agency or in-house), with a client-facing background.
• Technically confident with experience improving performance across complex websites.
• Demonstrable understanding of modern search behaviour, including AI-assisted discovery.
• Working knowledge of GEO / AI search optimisation and interest in emerging search ecosystems.
• Comfortable working across SEO, Content, Digital PR, CRO and Paid Media.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• Advanced user of Excel, PowerPoint and Word for insight-led storytelling.
• Proven record of exceptional client experience, strategic thinking and campaign delivery.
• Passionate about digital marketing and excited by a fast-evolving search landscape.

Competencies & Personal Attributes

• Strategic, creative and naturally curious; actively seeks innovation.
• Confident communicator who can present to senior clients and internal leadership.
• Strong relationship builder with commercial awareness.
• Proactive problem-solver with a “find a better way” mindset.
• Results-orientated with excellent planning and organisational skills.
• Collaborative team player who supports and develops others.
• Clear, concise and compelling written and verbal communication skills.