I've been working as a SEO for the past 10 years. I found as a SEO I must be a bit of a jack of all trades. Generally when optimizing a site I like to be brought into a project from the beginning even before the designers. I like doing the keyword research then giving a priminary SEO design from which the actual web design works from. So at first my role is planner and architech then it becomes a project manager once designers and database people get involved. I usually must manage their needs with my own in order to maintain a design which is SEO friendly. After the sites are launched my role shifts again and I become an analytics and conversion specialist. I not only look for ways to drive more traffic but look at what happens to the traffic once it is in the site. Unlike the common perception that SEO's optimize sites then walk away, live sites require a lot of my time. I become a copywriter, Internet legal expert, usability analyst, link/partner builder, and developer. SEO is not a static thing so I need to be flexible in my abilities in order best serve my clients.