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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for SEO Strategist

💰 $75,000 - $125,000

MarketingDigital MarketingSEOSearch Engine Optimization

🎯 Role Definition

As our SEO Strategist, you will be the architect of our organic search success. You are a forward-thinking expert who lives and breathes search engine algorithms, user intent, and data analysis. This role is responsible for crafting and implementing a holistic SEO roadmap that integrates keyword strategy, technical optimization, content excellence, and authority building. You will be the go-to authority for all things SEO, collaborating across marketing, content, product, and engineering teams to ensure our digital presence is not just visible, but dominant in the search landscape. Your mission is to translate complex data into actionable insights that measurably grow our audience and drive business objectives.


📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • SEO Analyst
  • Digital Marketing Specialist
  • Content Strategist / Content Marketer

Advancement To:

  • Senior SEO Manager / Head of SEO
  • Director of Digital Marketing
  • Director of Growth

Lateral Moves:

  • Content Strategy Manager
  • Digital Analytics Manager
  • Product Marketing Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Develop, own, and execute a comprehensive, long-term SEO roadmap designed to significantly increase qualified organic traffic and conversions.
  • Conduct extensive keyword research and analysis to identify high-value opportunities, understand user intent, and inform the content and product strategy.
  • Perform regular, in-depth technical SEO audits to identify and rectify issues related to crawling, indexing, site architecture, schema markup, and page speed.
  • Collaborate with engineering and product teams to implement technical SEO recommendations and ensure best practices are integrated into the development lifecycle.
  • Create and manage a data-informed content strategy, working closely with content creators to produce high-quality, SEO-optimized articles, landing pages, and other digital assets.
  • Analyze SERP landscapes and competitor strategies to uncover gaps and opportunities for our brand to gain a competitive edge.
  • Formulate and oversee sophisticated link-building and authority-building campaigns to enhance domain authority and improve search engine trust.
  • Monitor, analyze, and report on key SEO performance metrics, including rankings, organic traffic, crawlability, and conversion rates, using tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console.
  • Develop and present regular, insightful performance reports to stakeholders, translating complex data into clear narratives and actionable recommendations.
  • Optimize on-page elements across the website, including meta tags, headers, URL structures, internal linking, and content, to align with target keywords and user experience goals.
  • Lead the strategy for local and international SEO initiatives, ensuring our digital properties are optimized for geographic-specific search behaviors and languages.
  • Stay at the absolute forefront of search engine algorithm updates (e.g., Google's core updates), industry trends, and emerging SEO technologies to proactively adapt our strategy.
  • Manage and optimize the information architecture of the website to improve user navigation and search engine understanding of our content hierarchy.
  • Conduct deep-dive analysis into organic performance drops or anomalies to diagnose root causes and implement effective recovery plans.
  • Guide the optimization of non-traditional search assets, such as video (YouTube SEO), images, and other rich media, to capture traffic from diverse search verticals.
  • Partner with the UX/UI team to ensure that website design and functionality changes positively impact SEO performance and user engagement signals.
  • Define A/B testing and experimentation frameworks for SEO to validate hypotheses and systematically improve performance over time.
  • Manage the SEO budget, including allocation for tools, content creation, and external resources, ensuring a positive return on investment.
  • Act as the primary SEO educator and advocate within the organization, providing training and best-practice guidance to marketing, content, and development teams.
  • Evaluate and manage relationships with external SEO agencies, freelancers, or tool vendors to support strategic initiatives.
  • Develop a comprehensive backlink strategy focused on acquiring high-quality, relevant links from authoritative domains to bolster our site's credibility and rankings.
  • Lead efforts in programmatic SEO to scale the creation of targeted landing pages for long-tail search queries, capturing niche audience segments.

Secondary Functions

  • Provide SEO training, workshops, and best-practice documentation to content, marketing, and development teams.
  • Stay at the forefront of search engine algorithm updates, industry trends, and emerging SEO technologies to ensure strategic agility.
  • Collaborate with paid search (PPC) teams to identify keyword synergies, share data, and optimize overall search marketing effectiveness.
  • Contribute to the development, refinement, and evangelism of internal SEO tools, checklists, and processes to improve efficiency and consistency.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Advanced SEO Platforms: Mastery of industry-standard tools such as SEMrush, Ahrefs, Moz Pro, and SimilarWeb for competitive analysis, keyword research, and backlink analysis.
  • Technical SEO Tools: Deep proficiency with crawling software like Screaming Frog SEO Spider and Sitebulb for comprehensive site audits.
  • Web Analytics: Expert-level knowledge of Google Analytics (GA4) and Google Search Console (GSC) for performance measurement, reporting, and diagnostics.
  • Keyword Research: Demonstrated ability to perform sophisticated keyword research, mapping user intent to the marketing funnel.
  • Technical SEO Expertise: Strong understanding of crawling, indexing, rendering, schema markup (JSON-LD), log file analysis, site speed optimization, and XML sitemaps.
  • On-Page Optimization: Proven expertise in optimizing all on-page elements, including metadata, content structure, and internal linking strategies.
  • Link Building Strategy: Experience in designing and executing ethical and effective off-page SEO and authority-building campaigns.
  • CMS Experience: Hands-on experience working with various Content Management Systems (CMS) like WordPress, Shopify, or enterprise-level platforms.
  • Data Analysis & Visualization: Ability to manipulate and analyze large datasets in Excel or Google Sheets and visualize findings using tools like Looker Studio or Tableau.
  • Basic HTML/CSS: A functional understanding of HTML and CSS to effectively communicate technical requirements to development teams.

Soft Skills

  • Strategic Thinking: Ability to see the big picture, forecast future trends, and build long-term plans that align with business goals.
  • Analytical Mindset: A data-first approach to decision-making, with a natural curiosity to dig into metrics and uncover "the why" behind performance.
  • Communication & Presentation: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex SEO concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
  • Collaboration: A team-player attitude with a proven ability to work cross-functionally with content, product, engineering, and marketing teams.
  • Problem-Solving: Proactive and resourceful in identifying problems, diagnosing root causes, and implementing effective solutions.
  • Project Management: Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects, prioritize tasks, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
  • Adaptability: Thrives in a dynamic environment and can quickly pivot strategies in response to algorithm changes or market shifts.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in a relevant field or equivalent practical experience.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Marketing, Business, Information Systems, or a related discipline.
  • Relevant industry certifications (e.g., Google Analytics, SEMrush certifications) are a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Marketing / Digital Marketing
  • Business Analytics / Data Science
  • Communications
  • Computer Science

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 4-7+ years of dedicated, hands-on experience in search engine optimization, with a proven track record of driving significant organic traffic growth.

Preferred:

  • Experience working within a competitive B2B or B2C industry.
  • A portfolio of successful SEO projects demonstrating strategic thinking and measurable results.
  • Experience in both in-house and agency environments is highly valued.