Director of SEO and Agentic Search

Director of SEO and Agentic Search

LawnStarter is seeking a visionary Director of SEO and Agentic Search to lead our organic discovery strategy across our brand portfolio. As the nation's leading on-demand marketplace for lawn care and outdoor services, we are expanding into all home services and aim to be the most discovered, cited, and trusted brand in our category. This executive role reports directly to the CMO and operates at the forefront of content, technical SEO, product, and the evolving landscape of AI-powered search.

About the Role

The search landscape has fundamentally changed. Rankings are no longer the primary goal; recommendation is. This role is responsible for ensuring our brands are the definitive answer when homeowners seek recommendations from AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI. You will own the vision, roadmap, and standards for how we compete in this new era of discovery.

You will lead a lean, high-leverage team, including an SEO analyst and a research/editorial group. You will have direct control over a no-code publishing platform, enabling rapid iteration and deployment of content across thousands of pages. This is a strategic, high-visibility position where you will shape company-wide priorities, partner with engineering, data, product, and executive leadership, and become the internal authority on the future of organic discovery.

Key Responsibilities

• Organic Strategy: Define and execute the vision, roadmap, and standards for organic search and AI-powered discovery across all LawnStarter brands.
• AI Search Visibility: Establish our brands as authoritative, cited sources within Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other conversational search surfaces.
• Technical SEO & Architecture: Oversee large-scale technical infrastructure, Core Web Vitals, structured data, crawl efficiency, and product architecture decisions impacting organic performance.
• Content Strategy & Production: Direct editorial efforts to create high-ranking, cite-worthy content, including data-driven studies and guides.
• Team Leadership & Hiring: Assess and build the necessary talent to execute the new strategic direction.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Collaborate closely with Engineering, Analytics, and Data teams to build the required technical and measurement foundations.
• Problem Solving: Diagnose and address significant traffic declines, develop repeatable approaches for AI Search visibility, shift from a defensive to an offensive posture, and define metrics for measuring AI Search performance.

What Makes This Role Different

• Building a New Playbook: Opportunity to innovate and create fresh strategies for technical SEO, content, structured data, and AI visibility.
• Significant Impact: Decisions compound across multiple major brands, millions of users, and substantial revenue stakes.
• AI Search Frontier: Genuine expertise in how Large Language Models (LLMs) and answer engines discover, evaluate, and cite content is critical.
• Leverage & Speed: Direct control over a no-code publishing platform and first-party data allows for rapid hypothesis testing and execution without engineering dependencies.

Requirements

• Forward-Thinking: Proven experience building for the future of search, with a deep understanding of AI search shifts and their implications.
• Holistic SEO Understanding: Recognizes that authority is built through external citations and mentions across networks, integrating earned media into core SEO strategy.
• Business Acumen: Views organic search as a revenue driver, tying initiatives to CAC, acquisition, and revenue impact.
• Data-Driven & Action-Oriented: Ability to quickly diagnose issues using data, form hypotheses, and drive action.
• Team Builder: Experience leading and elevating teams, with a comfort level in starting small and scaling talent.
• Evangelist: Skilled at communicating the vision for SEO and AI Search to diverse stakeholders and influencing cross-functional partners.
• Technically Fluent: Comfortable with technical SEO concepts (structured data, crawl budgets, Core Web Vitals) and willing to execute alongside the team.
• AI Native: Daily user of AI tools and a strong understanding of how LLMs discover and evaluate content.

What We Offer

• Base Salary: $170,000 - $190,000 USD
• Equity: Investment in the long-term success and value creation across the brand portfolio.
• Comprehensive Healthcare: Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Fully Remote: Work from anywhere within the US.
• Flexible PTO: Focus on outcomes and work-life balance.