Leigh McKenzie

CEO

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States11 yrs 2 mos experience

Most Likely To SwitchHighly Stable

Key Highlights

Generated over $80M in revenue through SEO strategy.
Increased organic traffic by 200% and revenue by 440%.
Established a local business directory attracting 5.1M users.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a MarTech expert specializing in SEO and digital marketing strategies.

Contact

Skills

Core Skills

Search Engine Optimization (seo)Content Strategy

Other Skills

Software as a Service (SaaS)E-CommerceTechnical SEOConversion OptimizationDTCKeyword ResearchLink BuildingCRO ManagementProject ManagementAdvertisingBusiness ManagementBusiness StrategySEO AuditsWeb DesignGoogle Analytics

About

👋 Hi, I’m Leigh. I help brands grow visibility, trust, and revenue across Google, ChatGPT, and every modern search surface. My focus is on evolving how marketers understand and win visibility in the AI-powered search era — from traditional SEO to AI Search. 🧠 What I Work On • Turning audience research into site architecture, campaigns, and revenue growth • Defining frameworks for AI-driven visibility (LLM Seeding, Seen & Trusted Framework) • Aligning content, product, and marketing teams around unified visibility goals 🏆 Highlighted Projects • Travel SEO: Led Sandals Resorts' SEO strategy, generating over $80M in revenue through optimized content, links, and technical improvements. • DTC Ecommerce: Developed a comprehensive SEO plan, increasing organic traffic by 200% and revenue by 440%, by optimizing both top and bottom-of-funnel content. • Directory SEO: Established a successful local business directory from scratch, attracting 5.1M users and 6.2M sessions, and generating significant monthly profits. • International SEO: Spearheaded a growth strategy for a German automotive brand, achieving top US keyword rankings and an 54% organic traffic increase. Interested in collaborating? Let’s chat!

Experience

11 yrs 2 mos

Total Experience

2 yrs 4 mos

Average Tenure

3 yrs 3 mos

Current Experience

Semrush

3 roles

Director of Online Visibility @ Semrush

Promoted

Sep 2025 – Present · 7 mos

Program Manager, Owned Media

Promoted

Aug 2024 – Sep 2025 · 1 yr 1 mo

Growth Manager, Owned Media

Sep 2023 – Aug 2024 · 11 mos

Backlinko

Head of Growth

Sep 2023 – Present · 2 yrs 7 mos · Philadelphia, PA

Traffic think tank

Community Advocate

Jan 2023 – Present · 3 yrs 3 mos

From the future

6 roles

VP of Digital Strategy

Promoted

Jan 2020 – Sep 2022 · 2 yrs 8 mos · Philadelphia, PA

Directed client strategy within six sub-departments along with twelve direct reports for SEO, content, link building, analytics, design, and development to meet set objectives. Facilitated cross-department collaboration amongst team members and the development of key strategy deliverable processes.
Achieved desired goals by supervising a high-performance team on monthly planning and standardization of deliverables to ensure the continuation and enhancement of services.
Balanced concurrent priorities in forging valuable client relationships across various industries and integrating ambitious strategies to enhance traffic channels and capture continuous revenue growth.

Content StrategySoftware as a Service (SaaS)Search Engine Optimization (SEO)E-CommerceTechnical SEOConversion Optimization+1

Director of SEO

Promoted

Jan 2019 – Dec 2019 · 11 mos · Philadelphia, PA

Ensured smooth workflow by overseeing client strategy across two sub-departments with eight direct reports in SEO, content, and link building. Utilized information from first-party and third-party data sources to generate keyword research reports, conduct competitor analysis, formulate link-building strategies, develop content marketing plans, and perform landing page optimization.
Coordinated with client teams to implement growth-focused SEO objectives via technical SEO, site architecture, content strategy, and link building.
Restructured client scopes of work to streamline high value activities in SEO improvements, content production, and link acquisition to improve client results and retention.

Content StrategySearch Engine Optimization (SEO)Technical SEO

Senior SEO Strategist

Promoted

Jan 2018 – Dec 2018 · 11 mos · Philadelphia, PA

Oversaw end-to-end activities associated with the SEO process by conducting audits, keyword research, and content strategy. Identified opportunities by conducting keyword research to optimize website content and improve organic search visibility.
Standardized several SEO deliverables including keyword research, technical SEO audits to train new employees.
Monitored and tracked client website traffic and performance using Google Analytics and Search Console.

Content StrategyKeyword ResearchSearch Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO Strategist

Promoted

Jan 2017 – Dec 2017 · 11 mos · Philadelphia, PA

SEO Specialist

May 2016 – Dec 2016 · 7 mos · Philadelphia, PA

SEO Apprentice

Jun 2015 – Apr 2016 · 10 mos · Philadelphia, PA

Muhlenhaupt + company, llc

Marketing Intern

Jun 2015 – Aug 2015 · 2 mos · Conshohocken, PA

Developed WordPress themes and template files using HTML, CSS, PHP and Bootstrap for client projects.
Performed weekly activities to improve websites for search engine optimization.
Conducted quality assurance tests on all projects.

Fox management consulting, temple university

Program Assistant

Aug 2014 – Dec 2014 · 4 mos · Greater Philadelphia Area

Developed a Salesforce database to manage ongoing projects and over 500 contacts.
Introduced software that improved workflow by linking Outlook and LinkedIn to the database.
Produced custom reports for clients, contacts, and projects.

Hue fusion food market

Marketing Manager

Aug 2014 – Dec 2014 · 4 mos · Greater Philadelphia Area

Developed a new website that reached 905 unique visitors over 3 months (158% increase)
Generated at least 344 digital leads, including phone number and map view clicks.
Increased Facebook ‘likes’ by 72.38% and Twitter followers by 933%

Praline bakery & bistro

Marketing Manager

Apr 2012 – Jan 2013 · 9 mos · Bethesda, Maryland

Designed and developed a new WordPress website, increasing web traffic by 15% per month over a six month period.
Researched marketing opportunities and developed a comprehensive online advertising campaign, utilizing Google and Facebook ad networks.
Procured graphic design services for the company’s print materials.