Search Optimization Manager (SEO, GEO & AI Search)

Lightburn is a digital agency in Milwaukee, WI. We build and grow web experiences for B2B and manufacturing clients, and we're adding someone to own the search side of that work.

Search is changing fast. The way people find things (and the way brands need to show up) looks meaningfully different from the way it did two years ago, and it'll look different again in two more. We're looking for someone who finds that genuinely interesting.

The Role

You'll own SEO and emerging search strategy across a portfolio of client accounts, from initial audit through roadmap, execution, and reporting. That means competitive research, on-page and technical optimization, content strategy, and increasingly, thinking about how clients show up in AI-driven search experiences.

You'll work closely with our digital marketing leadership, but you'll have real autonomy to dig into the work, run experiments, and help shape how we think about this discipline as an agency. The right person will be equally comfortable developing a strategy and getting into the weeds to execute it.

What You'll Own

Strategy & Research

• Keyword research, competitive analysis, and search intent studies that inform client strategy
• SEO roadmaps built in collaboration with digital marketing leadership
• Content optimization recommendations — from high-level direction to detailed targeting
• A point of view on generative search: how clients build entity authority, earn LLM citations, and stay visible as zero-click trends accelerate

Execution & Optimization

• On-page and technical SEO implementation across client sites
• Partnering with developers on technical priorities — schema, structured data, site health
• Experiments designed to test hypotheses and move the needle on search performance

Reporting & Insights

• Clear reporting on search performance, trends, and outcomes using modern reporting tools
• A role in defining how we measure SEO success as the discipline evolves
• Clear, actionable recommendations that clients and internal teams can act on
  

What We're Looking For

You've been doing serious SEO work for at least four years. Agency experience is a plus, but what matters more is that you've worked across multiple clients or contexts and know how to navigate different industries and priorities.

You're equally strong on the content side (developing briefs, identifying gaps, translating search intent into strategy) and technically fluent enough to work through site structure, crawlability, and structured data alongside developers.

More than any specific credential, we're looking for someone who has a genuine perspective on where search is headed and can articulate it.

A Few Things We're Curious About

When you apply, we'd love a short note that addresses one of these:

• How do you think about measuring search visibility when clicks are no longer the whole story?
• What does a strong SEO engagement look like from your perspective — start to finish?
• How is AI changing the way you approach optimization, and what are you still figuring out?

There's no right answer. We're just interested in how you think.

Benefits

Competitive salary and benefits including generous vacation, flexible schedule, medical and dental insurance, 401(k), and more.