SEO Manager Needed for Growing AI Marketing Agency — Local SEO, GBP & Backlink Authority

Important: Please do not book a call on my website. I want to review applicant profiles, experience, and results first. If I feel you may be a good fit, I will reach out directly through Upwork to schedule the next step. I own a fast-growing AI marketing agency called Willix Ai, based in California. We help local service businesses grow through local SEO, Google Business Profile optimization, AI receptionists, Google review automation, websites, and lead generation systems. In about 4 months, I’ve grown the agency to nearly 20 clients while still working a full-time job. My strength is sales, client acquisition, and building relationships with local business owners. I understand SEO, AI receptionists, Google optimization, reviews, websites, and local business marketing, but I’m now looking for an experienced SEO Manager / SEO Lead to help manage fulfillment, improve client results, and build a scalable SEO system with me. Right now, we have around 15–20 active client accounts, with the goal of growing to 30 SEO accounts quickly. I’m looking for someone who wants consistent monthly work, not just one-off projects. The starting monthly budget for this role is around $3,000/month, with the opportunity to grow as the agency grows. My goal is to build to at least 100 total clients within the next 12–24 months, so I’m looking for someone long-term who can grow into a leadership role on the SEO side. As we bring on more clients, I’m open to adding SEO assistants to help with execution tasks. I would also want the SEO Manager to help choose, train, and manage those assistants as we scale. Our Clients Are Mostly Local Service Businesses: HVAC companies Roofers Contractors Pool companies Pool tile cleaning companies Duct cleaning companies Mechanics Auto body shops Med spas Window tint shops Other high-intent local service businesses Main Responsibilities: Manage local SEO strategy across multiple client accounts Improve Google Business Profile rankings and visibility Optimize service areas, services, products, descriptions, categories, photos, and GBP content Perform keyword research for local service businesses Manage on-page SEO and off-page SEO efforts Optimize service pages, city pages, and landing pages Help create custom SEO pages using existing Lovable website templates Build and manage internal linking strategies Review and optimize blog content Conduct competitor research Perform SEO audits Track rankings, map pack movement, traffic, and organic leads Create or review monthly SEO reports Build repeatable SEO systems and SOPs Help manage future SEO assistants as we grow Backlinks / Authority Building Is Important A major part of this role is helping build real authority for our clients. I’m looking for someone who understands backlink strategy and can help with: High-quality backlink building Local backlinks Niche-relevant backlinks Citation building Directory listings Guest posting opportunities Authority-building strategies Avoiding spammy or low-quality links Tracking backlink growth Improving domain authority and local relevance over time I do not want low-quality spam backlinks. I want someone who understands how to build authority the right way for local businesses. Tools / Platforms: We use GoHighLevel / GHL as our CRM for my agency and many clients, so experience with GHL is a plus. We also use Lovable to build websites and custom SEO pages from templates. Experience with Lovable or similar AI website builders is a big plus, especially for creating service pages, city pages, and custom local SEO pages. What I’m Looking For: I’m looking for someone who is: Experienced with local SEO Strong with Google Business Profile optimization Skilled with backlink and authority-building strategies Organized enough to manage multiple accounts Strategic, but also willing to execute Reliable and consistent Honest and results-driven Good with communication Comfortable helping build systems and processes Interested in growing with the agency long-term This is not just a task-based SEO role. I’m looking for someone who can help lead SEO fulfillment as Willix Ai scales. Compensation / Opportunity: The starting budget is around $3,000/month for managing the SEO side across our current accounts, with the goal of scaling toward 30 accounts. As client volume grows, we can discuss additional support, assistants, systems, and compensation growth. I handle sales and client acquisition. I need someone who can help own SEO fulfillment and make sure clients are seeing real results. When Applying, Please Include: Examples of local SEO results you’ve produced Experience managing multiple SEO accounts Experience with Google Business Profile optimization Your backlink-building strategy Examples of backlinks or authority-building results Your process for managing local SEO campaigns Tools you use for audits, rankings, backlinks, and reports Experience with service pages, city pages, or custom SEO pages Any experience with GoHighLevel / GHL Any experience with Lovable or AI website builders How many accounts you feel comfortable managing Your availability and monthly rate I’m looking for a long-term SEO Manager who wants consistent monthly work and the opportunity to help build the SEO department of a growing agency.