Introducing our Head of SEO: Paul Friend

We sit down with our Head of SEO to discuss the history, highlights and challenges of his career so far.

Paul Friend, our Head of SEO, joined The SEO Works back in 2017 as a Senior Account Manager. He worked his way up and in 2020 was promoted to Head of SEO.

We sat down with Paul to deep dive into the most rewarding aspects of his role, and the more challenging parts. Here’s what he had to say…

Please introduce yourself…

Hi, I’m Paul and I’m Head of SEO at The SEO Works. In September, I will have been here for 8 years! 

I’ve actually been in the industry for 20 years. I started as a PR account handler all the way back in 2005, but since 2017 have been working my way up to where I am today at The SEO Works – now managing a team of more than 40 SEOs!

Tell us about a proud moment in your career

Being given the opportunity to lead the SEO team here, and most importantly, being able to contribute to the rapid expansion and development of the department over the last four years is something I am extremely proud of.

If I’ve played a small part in helping an account manager or campaign succeed, then that’s the ultimate validation of what we’re trying to achieve here.

What is the biggest industry challenge in 2025?

The biggest challenge will be responding to the rapidly developing AI landscape. We must be able to see through the sales patter and hype to find those use-cases that actually benefit clients’ SEO campaigns and provide value to their audiences.

I think the fast pace and ever-changing nature of SEO is ultimately what keeps the sector interesting. Because of this, the industry today is fairly unrecognisable from the one I started in around 16-17 years ago.

Techniques, technologies and ranking factors come and go, but if you put the user at the heart of everything you do, you can insulate yourself against any industry volatility.

How does your team set itself apart?

Our shared values and a shared vision sets my team apart from our competition. We’ve always tried to encourage our more experienced colleagues to ‘pay it back’ – make time to give newer members of the team the benefit of your knowledge and experience.

We also really try to listen; to what our team needs, to what our clients’ need, to what’s happening in the wider industry – that way, we can continue to develop and deliver a service that’s best.

Can you tell us what makes your job rewarding?

The most fulfilling aspect of the role is definitely seeing the individual team members develop their knowledge and hone their expertise in SEO.

We’ve had many colleagues join us as Account Executives who then progress all the way to Senior Account Managers or Team Leaders, and I think we’ve done a great job as a company in creating an environment where that kind of progression can happen.

Please tell us an exciting development in SEO

One of the areas I’m really interested in is the connection between your overall digital brand ‘strength’ and your organic search performance. I doubt Google will ever explicitly say there’s a direct link between the two, but there does seem to be mounting anecdotal evidence to suggest that’s the case.

So there we have it, Paul looking back (and forward) into the world of SEO and his life at The SEO Works.

If you wish to work with Paul and his fab team, please get in touch. We assist with a number of clients across the UK and Internationlly with their SEO to bosst organic ranking and encourage site traffic. Click here to enquire today!