How to hire a director of search engine optimization

How to hire a director of search engine optimization, step by step

Here's a step-by-step director of search engine optimization hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a director of search engine optimization job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new director of search engine optimization
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your director of search engine optimization job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a director of search engine optimization for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

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   Hiring the perfect director of search engine optimization also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of directors of search engine optimization.

   Type of Director Of Search Engine Optimization	Description	Hourly rate
   Director Of Search Engine Optimization	Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers plan programs to generate interest in products or services. They work with art directors, sales agents, and financial staff members.	$35-70
   Web Manager	Web Managers are responsible for managing websites for organizations. Their duties include managing website upgrades, testing for website performance, implement a strategy to increase web traffic and subscribers, troubleshooting website issues, and responding to security breaches... Show more	$25-60
   Media Manager	Media managers oversee the department that works on the different communication needs of the company. They execute the communications strategies of the company... Show more	$31-67

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Digital Marketing
   • B Testing
   • Search Engine Optimization
   • Google Analytics
   • Organic Search
   • Keyword Research
   • Content Strategy
   • Paid Search
   • A/B
   • HTML
   • WordPress
   • CSS
   • Client Websites
   • On-Page

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead re-platform of ecommerce properties to Magento and redesign efforts including mobile optimization through a responsive site.
   • Propose and institute the migration of clients from hand code html websites to WordPress.
   • Redesign existing sites in both Joomla & Wordpress content management systems.
   • Focus on driving maximum brand appropriate advertising coverage while producing target minimum ROI levels and fully optimize campaigns.
   • Develop effective lead/opportunity acquisition strategy across multiple search engines globally, including testing protocols while generating positive ROI's.
   • Lead re-platform of ecommerce properties to Magento and redesign efforts including mobile optimization through a responsive site.

   More director of search engine optimization duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your director of search engine optimization job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A director of search engine optimization can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, directors of search engine optimization' average salary in hawaii is 52% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level directors of search engine optimization 50% less than senior-level directors of search engine optimization.
   • Certifications. A director of search engine optimization with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a director of search engine optimization's salary.

   Average director of search engine optimization salary

   $103,538yearly

   $49.78 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level director of search engine optimization salary

   $73,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average director of search engine optimization salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$130,372	$63
   2	New York	$128,516	$62
   3	Massachusetts	$118,483	$57
   4	District of Columbia	$118,232	$57
   5	Washington	$116,927	$56
   6	Connecticut	$114,476	$55
   7	Oregon	$107,221	$52
   8	Texas	$106,812	$51
   9	North Carolina	$103,601	$50
   10	Michigan	$99,612	$48
   11	Virginia	$98,428	$47
   12	Georgia	$94,597	$45
   13	Ohio	$94,192	$45
   14	Arizona	$93,123	$45
   15	Utah	$87,752	$42
   16	Illinois	$86,342	$42
   17	Florida	$84,899	$41
   18	Colorado	$77,606	$37

   Average director of search engine optimization salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	PayPal	$145,977	$70.18	27
   2	The Walt Disney Company	$125,595	$60.38	23
   3	Macy's	$125,156	$60.17	5
   4	Condé Nast	$120,580	$57.97	8
   5	Wpp Us Holdings Inc	$118,671	$57.05	23
   6	Neiman Marcus Group	$114,684	$55.14
   7	Expedia Group	$114,233	$54.92	13
   8	Digitas	$101,980	$49.03
   9	The Motley Fool	$98,390	$47.30
   10	Horizon Media	$98,017	$47.12	17
   11	GroupM	$96,308	$46.30
   12	The Hillman Group	$95,984	$46.15
   13	fuboTV	$93,026	$44.72	2
   14	CoStar Group	$92,178	$44.32	3
   15	Harvard University	$90,829	$43.67
   16	Overstock.com	$85,924	$41.31
   17	The Shade Store	$84,604	$40.67
   18	SpectrumScience	$79,633	$38.29
   19	Robert Half	$79,008	$37.98	21
   20	Internet Brands	$78,748	$37.86	4

4. Writing a director of search engine optimization job description

   A director of search engine optimization job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a director of search engine optimization job description:

   Director of search engine optimization job description example

   About the Performance COE:
   
   The Publicis Media Performance Center of Excellence is our team of cutting-edge performance marketers who create and drive performance marketing excellence across Publicis Media agencies. Our mission is to enable our agencies to operate as efficiently as possible while bringing industry leading performance marketing solutions to our clients. We enable our agencies through standardization of processes and best practices, leveraging our tools and solutions and delivering performance marketing training and education.
   
   What You'll Do:
   
   The Director of SEO is responsible for guiding the SEO teams in Publicis and performance content COE vision. The SEO Director is accountable for the implementation of SEO/content/CO solutions across Publicis media agencies to ensure seamless delivery of best practice and processes. Proven account management and team leadership experience is essential, along with experience in online marketing and digital media.
   
   Role Objectives:
   
   Practice Development
   
   Facilitates the development and documentation of best practices for improving operational efficiencies within the team and across Publicis
   
   Understands and explains the features and benefits of all Publicis performance products and services
   
   Support agency client leadership with performance content products and services to elevate their performance engagements
   
   Evaluates agency's client service delivery executions and support the development of each agency's performance content offering
   
   Manage globally distributed delivery hub resources when needed
   
   Supports the development of learning and development programs for performance content solutions
   
   Pushes Publicis client teams to alter approach or pilot new ways of managing SEO
   
   Excellent ability to renew client engagements and grow client investments in like or new initiatives and services
   
   Experience creating and launching new service offerings
   
   Demonstrated ability to successfully participate in new business situations and new client on-boarding
   
   Lead connectivity of our performance content talent across agencies and create a culture of comradery
   
   Team Leadership & Development
   
   Embraces and encourages a culture based on team work, collaboration, and intellectual curiosity
   
   Motivates, leads, and manages internal teams, working collaboratively to help agency performance content teams drive programs that meet our clients' performance and business objectives
   
   Drives adoption of stated account management best practices through example setting, positive reinforcement and behavioral correction
   
   Assists in interviewing, hiring, training, mentoring, developing, and evaluating team members
   
   Conducts performance reviews and career path plans for direct reports
   
   

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find directors of search engine optimization for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   To find director of search engine optimization candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as swipe files, exit five, marketinghire, american marketing association.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with director of search engine optimization candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new director of search engine optimization

   Once you've selected the best director of search engine optimization candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new director of search engine optimization first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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