I like being in the background with my work, just doing my tasks and being left alone. I don’t have to talk to clients and can be a bit flexible with project-based tasks where I’m mostly on my own. However, I have over 7 years of professional SEO strategist experience and wonder if I’m selling myself short by not seeking senior or management roles.
For those in senior and management positions, do you think it’s a lot more responsibility and stress?
Work like this is generally unimportant. If you want to do unimportant work, you’re not going to get paid very much. Those are the trade-offs.
No way, that would be like a 20x pay cut and more work for me.
properganda said:
No way, that would be like a 20x pay cut and more work for me.
I know I would get paid more, and feel like junk roles roll downhill. So I’ve wondered if I would actually work less if I were higher up? I’ve been in a lot of client meetings and have no idea how to respond to certain client questions, whereas the senior or manager just has a skill for responding to anything. It’s not an SEO knowledge gap; it’s more like a gift of gab and adapting to weird client questions that don’t seem to be SEO related. Anyway, I feel like this holds me back the most.
@Jordan
I definitely don’t have the gift of gab, but I also would never work in an agency, lol. I work in-house full time and only consult with companies that know me already. At either job, I’m not there to make friends; I just tell it like it is, and they can find their way out if they get tired of hearing it.
The company is going to push you to deliver more anyway. You can negotiate your job profile while being hired, but it should come with growth stagnation, meaning less pay unless you move to top-notch marketing companies.
Of course there are! Our brains are wired differently. Some people can learn the extra skill sets while others acquire them more naturally. The split between those who are technical doers and managers seems to repeat in percentages in the human population that are roughly consistent.
In many industries, especially IT and software, people prefer to stay technical. It’s the same in transit and transportation. A pilot is technical, while an airline executive is not. A train driver or engine mechanic is technical, while an executive is not. Executives tend to be a much smaller percentage of organizations and populations in general.
@Apollo
I like the examples. I often feel like I’m selling myself short because I have the know-how but not the drive to take on senior roles. But as your example points out, this is pretty normal.
Are you in-house or at an agency? I would recommend finding an SEO manager role that allows you to strategize and also implement those strategies. Try and find an agency where there are dedicated account managers or execs as well. I had a previous role as an SEO Account Manager, owning multiple accounts, but my primary role was communication and strategizing. I had a similar feel to you, where I could pass down actual work to a specialist. But I much prefer doing the actual work rather than being in a client-facing role. Now I’m at a smaller local agency where all communication flows through the AEs, and I strategize and implement changes, write content, etc. for clients, and I’m much happier.
@Content
Agency. That’s good advice. Somewhere that I can be the senior, but then have AEs do most of the client-facing communication.
Jordan said:
@Content
Agency. That’s good advice. Somewhere that I can be the senior, but then have AEs do most of the client-facing communication.
Yup! With 7 years of experience, I think you’d be qualified for plenty of more senior or manager roles. But non-client facing is a must for me from now on. There will always be times you need to pop in and give thoughts on things, but being a full AE was always the most stressful part of my day.
It’s a common situation in SEO and many other fields where people feel more comfortable with the hands-on, task-focused side of the work rather than the increased responsibilities that come with senior or management roles.
Moving into senior or management positions can mean more responsibility and stress, primarily from needing to interact more frequently with clients, manage a team, and take accountability for strategy direction and outcomes. The pressure often increases with the added responsibilities, such as managing client expectations, handling escalations, and ensuring the team meets KPIs. For many who enjoy the strategic, analytical, and often independent nature of SEO work, this shift can feel like a departure from what they enjoy most.
However, if you’re interested in growth but prefer an independent, hands-on role, you might explore senior strategist or “lead” roles that don’t necessarily include people management.
Many agencies or companies now have paths where high-level strategists can thrive as subject matter experts (SMEs), consulting on advanced projects or guiding junior team members informally without direct management responsibilities.
Another option is contracting or freelance SEO work, which can provide the autonomy you enjoy, plus the freedom to choose the projects and clients that align with your working style. With your experience, you’d be able to command a strong rate without needing to take on the interpersonal demands of a managerial role.
Ultimately, it depends on whether you value growth in terms of title and responsibility or if you’re content deepening your expertise as a strategist without taking on the additional weight of client and team management.