TL;DR
The Philippines is one of the world's deepest SEO talent pools. The top SEO managers and specialists in the Philippines in 2026 include Efryll Carmelo (technical SEO, on-page, and AEO/GEO), Jason Acidre (technical SEO and digital PR), Glen Dimaandal (agency SEO), Sean Si (agency SEO), Benj Arriola (technical SEO), and the professionals profiled below, spanning link building, local SEO, structured data, and AI search optimization.
Ask anyone who has hired offshore marketing talent: the Philippines is not an "up-and-coming" SEO market. It has been one of the world's deepest SEO talent pools for over a decade, staffing agencies and in-house teams from San Francisco to Sydney.
I've worked inside that talent pool since 2010, so I know it from the inside: who the veterans are, who is doing genuinely new work in AI search, and whose names come up when agencies need someone senior. This list is my honest map of it.
How this list was built (and a disclosure)
Selection criteria: 10+ years of experience or a distinct, verifiable specialization; documented client work; and public evidence of expertise (published work, conference talks, industry recognition, or a track record you can check). Entries are alphabetical, not ranked. Several of the professionals here were also recognized in the industry's Top 20 Filipino AI SEO and GEO Experts roundup for 2026.
Full transparency: I publish this blog, and I've included myself in the list, in the featured spot, because this is my site and I'm allowed one home-field advantage. Everything written about the other fourteen is based on their public work, and every entry links to them so you can judge for yourself. If you're on this list and want your entry updated, email me.
The Top 10 SEO Managers & Specialists
Efryll Carmelo
Technical SEO · On-Page SEO · AEO / Generative Engine OptimizationBased in Iloilo City with 15+ years in search, Efryll (that's me) specializes in the technical and on-page layer of SEO — site audits, crawlability, schema architecture, and content optimization — and in the emerging discipline of answer engine and generative engine optimization: structuring sites and content so ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews retrieve and cite them. Google Partner certified, with documented results including +80% revenue growth for a local services client and a 47% year-over-year organic traffic lift for an e-commerce brand. Works with US, Canadian, and Australian companies as a dedicated SEO manager — independently, embedded in an existing team, or leading one. Full background here.
Benj Arriola
Technical SEO · Conference SpeakerOften called the godfather of Philippine SEO, Benj Arriola is a two-time world SEO contest champion and longtime technical SEO leader who has held senior roles at US agencies, including VP of SEO positions. A fixture on the international conference circuit and a mentor figure to a generation of Filipino SEOs.
Glen Dimaandal
Agency SEO · EnterpriseFounder and CEO of SearchWorks.PH, widely regarded as one of the country's most respected search marketing agencies. Glen has been doing SEO since 2008, previously managed search programs inside Fortune 500 US companies, and is a regular speaker at industry conferences and in mainstream media.
Glenn Marc Torres
Local SEO · AI SearchRecognized in the 2026 Filipino AI SEO experts roundup for work at the convergence of local SEO and AI search — helping businesses win location-based AI queries and what the industry is starting to call the "AI Local Pack," where Gemini and AI Overviews answer near-me searches directly.
James Cee Diaz
Search Intent · AI OverviewsA search intent specialist recognized in the 2026 AI SEO roundup for mapping content to the exact questions users ask Google AI Overviews and voice assistants, aligning pages with the semantic relevance signals AI-powered search systems reward.
Jason Acidre
Technical SEO · Link Building · Digital PRCo-founder and CEO of Avaris IO, a Manila-based audience-first SEO and digital PR agency serving SaaS and fintech companies, and the author of Kaiserthesage, one of the most respected SEO blogs to ever come out of the Philippines. Fourteen-plus years working in some of the web's most competitive verticals; when international SEOs name a Filipino expert, Jason's name usually comes up first.
Jin Grey
AI SEO · Semantic OptimizationA pioneer of the Philippine AI SEO conversation, Jin Grey writes extensively on AI Overview visibility, semantic optimization, and GEO frameworks, and curates the community's most-read roundups of Filipino SEO talent.
Jovel Mark Diaz
Site Architecture · Structured DataRecognized in the 2026 AI SEO experts roundup for site architecture, performance optimization, and structured data implementation that keeps websites fully accessible to both traditional crawlers and AI-powered search systems.
Sean Si
Agency SEO · Speaker · AuthorFounder and CEO of SEO Hacker, one of the most visible homegrown SEO brands in the country. Sean built the agency from a blog into a full-service operation and remains one of the Philippine industry's most active speakers and educators.
Wilfredo Dordas Jr.
Structured Data · AI Overview SEORecognized in the 2026 AI SEO roundup as a structured data specialist — translating business information into the JSON-LD markup that powers AI Overview visibility and machine-readable entity understanding.
Why the Philippines keeps producing world-class SEOs
Three structural reasons. English is an official language, so Filipino specialists work directly with US, Australian, and UK clients without a communication layer. The talent pipeline is old: Filipinos were doing production SEO for Western agencies back in the link building era of 2010, which means today's senior specialists have lived through every Google update since Panda. And the cost structure lets international companies hire genuinely senior people — 10 to 15 years of experience — at rates that would only buy junior talent domestically.
The newest wave, and the reason this 2026 list looks different from a 2020 list, is AI search. A disproportionate number of Filipino specialists moved early on answer engine optimization and GEO, and several of the people above are defining how businesses get cited by ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity, not just ranked by Google.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why hire an SEO manager from the Philippines?
The Philippines has one of the deepest SEO talent pools in Asia: English is an official language, most senior SEO managers and specialists have a decade or more of experience serving US, Australian, and European clients directly, and rates are typically 40–70% lower than equivalent US-based talent. Many also work US business hours.
How much does it cost to hire an SEO manager in the Philippines?
As of 2026, experienced SEO managers typically charge $15–50 per hour depending on seniority and specialization. Full-time dedicated arrangements for senior SEO managers commonly range from $1,500–4,000+ per month. Agency retainers run higher. Specialists with AI search (GEO/AEO) expertise command premium rates because the skill set is scarce.
How do I choose between these SEO managers?
Match the specialty to your problem: technical and site architecture issues need a technical SEO; visibility in ChatGPT, Gemini, and AI Overviews needs an AEO/GEO practitioner; authority problems need a link building and digital PR expert; Local Pack visibility needs a local SEO specialist. Ask every candidate for documented results and references before committing.
Need technical SEO, on-page work, or AI search visibility?
That's my corner of this list. I offer a free 30-minute consultation — a direct conversation about what's holding your site back in Google and in AI answers.
Efryll Carmelo
Efryll Carmelo is a Senior SEO Manager based in Iloilo City, Philippines, with 15+ years of experience in SEO, content strategy, and AI search optimization. He's the sole author of this blog. You can connect with him on LinkedIn.