When a small business owner hears that a large company has "an SEO team", the picture is often vague: a few people, some screens full of charts, something mysterious happening to the website. The truth is that the work is concrete, and the US government writes it down.
O*NET, the occupation database of the US Department of Labor, has an entry for Search Marketing Strategists (code 13-1161.01). It describes them as people who "employ search marketing tactics to increase visibility and engagement with content, products, or services". The same entry lists 36 separate tasks for this one job. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in its Occupational Outlook Handbook, describes the people who work around that strategist: the web developer, the writer, the analyst, the marketing manager.
So let us do something simple. Let us take those official task lists and arrange them into one working week, the way a big company might run it. The order of the days is our own arrangement; every task comes from the official lists. Then, task by task, we ask the question that matters for you: does a small business need this?
Who sits on a big company's search team?
Search work touches the code of the website, the words on it, the numbers behind it and the budget above it, so in a large company several jobs share it. O*NET's own task list sends the strategist to developers, to design staff, to other marketing staff and to marketing executives. Here are the roles those tasks point to, with the median annual wage BLS reports for each occupation in the United States.
| Role on the team | Official occupation | Median annual wage (May 2025) | |---|---|---| | Search marketing strategist | Market research analysts and marketing specialists (O*NET 13-1161.01) | $78,760 | | Web developer | Web developers | $92,650 | | Page and screen designer | Web and digital interface designers | $104,000 | | Writer | Writers and authors | $76,910 | | Analyst | Market research analysts | $78,760 | | Team lead | Marketing managers | $166,790 |
One note on the first row. BLS publishes the wage for the whole parent occupation, market research analysts and marketing specialists, so the strategist shares the $78,760 figure with every other marketing specialist. The paid software comes on top of the wages, naturally, and we list its prices in what a big marketing team pays for its tools.
Reading this table, a small business owner understands at once why such a team was never an option. For you, the useful part is the list of tasks, because a task can be done in more than one way.
What happens on Monday: the numbers from last week
The week of a search team begins with reporting. The first task O*NET lists for the search marketing strategist is to "manage tracking and reporting of search-related activities and provide analyses to marketing executives." Another is to "identify appropriate Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and report key metrics from digital campaigns". Key performance indicators are the few numbers the company has agreed to watch, such as visits from Google or contact forms sent.
The analyst sits next to the strategist on Monday. BLS says market research analysts "measure the effectiveness of marketing programs and strategies" and "prepare reports and present results to clients and management." In a big company, the report goes up to the marketing manager, who uses it to decide where the next month's budget goes.
Does a small business need this? Yes, in a smaller form. You need to know, once a month, how many people found you on Google and what they typed to find you. Google gives this for free in Search Console, and Google "strongly" encourages every site owner to use it, because its data comes "directly from Google Search itself." A short look each month does the job of the Monday meeting, and we explain how in checking results yourself.
What happens on Tuesday and Wednesday: pages, code and words
The middle of the week is for building. The strategist has two tasks here. One is to "optimize digital assets, such as text, graphics, or multimedia assets", which means making each page, picture and video easy for search engines to read. The other is to "coordinate with developers to optimize Web site architecture, server configuration, or page construction for search engine consumption". In plain words, the strategist works with the developers on how the site is built, so that Google can read every page.
The developers then do the work. BLS lists what web developers typically do: they "write code for the website", they "create and test applications, interfaces, and navigation menus", and, interesting for our purpose, they "monitor website traffic".
Meanwhile the writer prepares the next pages. BLS says writers "conduct research to get factual information and authentic detail" and "present drafts to editors and clients for feedback." The strategist gives them topics through another O*NET task: to "combine secondary data sources with keyword research to more accurately profile and satisfy user intent". Said simply, the strategist finds out what customers type into Google and what they hope to find when they do.
Does a small business need this? The site must load fast, work on a phone and be readable by Google, yes. That is work for the start, followed by a check from time to time, so it needs no developer every Tuesday. The pages also need words that answer what customers ask. A plumber needs one clear page for each service he offers and each area he serves, written in the words his customers use.
What happens on Thursday: links, listings and other channels
Thursday is for the world outside the website. One O*NET task is to "communicate and collaborate with merchants, Webmasters, bloggers, or online editors to strategically place hyperlinks": the team contacts other websites so that they mention the company and link to it. Another is to "purchase or negotiate placement of listings in local search engines, directories, or digital mapping technologies", which means getting the company listed on maps and in directories. Other tasks ask the strategist to "execute or manage social media campaigns to inform search marketing tactics" and to run paid ads, affiliate programs and email promotions.
Does a small business need this? The local part, without doubt. For a business that serves one town, the listing on Google Maps and Search is the place where customers see its hours, its phone number and its reviews. Creating a Google Business Profile is free, and Google says so on its own page. Links matter too, in a local form: the business association in your town, the suppliers you work with, the local newspaper that once wrote about you. The paid campaigns across many channels can wait until the basics work.
What happens on Friday: tests and new ideas
Friday belongs to experiments. O*NET asks the strategist to "improve search-related activities through ongoing analysis, experimentation, or optimization tests, using A/B or multivariate methods." An A/B test shows two versions of a page to different visitors and keeps the version that brings more calls or sales. The strategist must also "evaluate new emerging media or technologies" and follow "government regulations and emerging Web technology".
Does a small business need this? Tests compare two versions of a page with real visitors, so a site with few visitors waits a long time before a test can say anything. Following new technology is another matter, because AI answers from ChatGPT and Google's AI Overviews concern every business. Here Google gives a calm message: it says there are "no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, nor other special optimizations necessary." The ordinary basics of search still apply.
A big team also knows how slow results can be. Google's SEO Starter Guide says some changes "might take effect in a few hours, others could take several months", and suggests waiting a few weeks before judging whether a change helped. This is why a big team plans in months even though it meets every week.
Which of these tasks does a small business need?
Here is the whole week in one table. The tasks come from O*NET and BLS; the last two columns are our judgment for a business with one location and a small team.
| Task (from O*NET or BLS) | Day | Does a small business need it? | What it looks like at small-business size | |---|---|---|---| | Tracking and reporting search results | Monday | Yes | A monthly look at Search Console | | Measuring whether the marketing works | Monday | Yes | Counting calls, forms and bookings that came from the site | | Making text, pictures and video readable by search engines | Tuesday | Yes | Clear titles, descriptions and picture labels on every page | | Working with developers on how the site is built | Tuesday | Yes, at the start, then checks | A fast site that works on phones and that Google can read | | Keyword research and user intent | Wednesday | Yes | A list of the questions customers ask | | Writing and editing new pages | Wednesday | Yes, in small numbers | One page for each service and each area served | | Contacting other sites for links | Thursday | In a local form | Local associations, suppliers and local press | | Listings on maps and in directories | Thursday | Yes | A complete Google Business Profile | | Social media, paid ads, affiliates, email | Thursday | Later | When the basics above are in place | | A/B and multivariate tests | Friday | Rarely | When the site has a steady flow of visitors | | Following new technology and rules | Friday | Yes | Reading Google's own guidance when it changes |
Which tasks can a small business leave to the national brands?
Some tasks on the O*NET list exist because a big company is big. The strategist is asked to "conduct financial modeling for online marketing programs or Web site revenue forecasting", and to coordinate with "merchandising, operations, or inventory control staff to ensure product catalogs are current, accurate, and organized". These make sense for a company with large product catalogs and budgets split across many channels. A bakery with one shop has neither, and it can skip them.
What remains is the core of the week: a site that Google can read, pages that answer customers, a complete map listing, a few honest local links and a monthly look at the numbers. Google itself writes, in its page for owners who wonder whether to hire help: "If you run a small local business, you can probably do much of the work yourself." Our guide to doing it yourself shows where an owner can start and when it is time to get help.
How can a small business get the same work done without the team?
In the end there are three roads. You can do the core tasks yourself, with Google's free tools and its starter guide. You can hire a person or an agency for them. Or you can use a service that does the tasks for you. Our page on what big companies pay for puts the team and its tools side by side, line by line.
Licheo is that third road. It offers the website, search and AI work that big companies pay whole teams for, done for your small business. A team of specialist AI agents builds the website, makes it findable on Google and in AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini, shapes the pages so visitors become customers, and continues the work every month. You learn no tools and manage no dashboard, and nothing goes live until you approve it. Some things stay with you, naturally: reviews come from real customers, relationships with the local press come from people, and the expertise in the pages is yours. We explain the idea behind this in how big-company marketing became possible for small businesses.
If you want to see where your own site stands today, the free Get Found Check reads your homepage, your domain records and your security certificate, and returns a grade in under 60 seconds.
Sources
- Search Marketing Strategists 13-1161.01, O*NET OnLine (U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration), wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, accessed 27 September 2026.
- Web Developers and Digital Designers, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Last modified 27 August 2026, accessed 27 September 2026.
- Advertising, Promotions, and Marketing Managers, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Last modified 27 August 2026, accessed 27 September 2026.
- Market Research Analysts, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Last modified 27 August 2026, accessed 27 September 2026.
- Writers and Authors, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Last modified 27 August 2026, accessed 27 September 2026.
- Google Search's guidance on using third-party SEO tools, services, and advice, Google Search Central, Last updated 5 June 2026, accessed 27 September 2026.
- Do you need an SEO?, Google Search Central, Last updated 5 June 2026, accessed 27 September 2026.
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Starter Guide, Google Search Central, Last updated 10 December 2025, accessed 27 September 2026.
- AI features and your website, Google Search Central, Last updated 10 December 2025, accessed 27 September 2026.
- Google Business Profile, Google, accessed 27 September 2026.