Website Mindstream Interactive
We're a Customer Experience agency driving business impact.
Reporting to the VP of Strategy, the Director of SEO will ensure organic search is a core consideration and focus in campaigns, website redesigns, ongoing maintenance retainers and other integrated projects that steer recommendations for digital and social content creation and experience development.
Team and Responsibilities Reporting to the VP of Strategy, the Director of SEO will ensure organic search is a core consideration and focus in campaigns, website redesigns, ongoing maintenance retainers and other integrated projects that steer recommendations for digital and social content creation and experience development.
The role is that of a hands-on leader who sets and implements SEO-focused strategies with a multi-functional team, ensuring Mindstream delivers the best possible Customer Experience for its clients and customers.
The Director of SEO is expected to be an advocate and go-to expert for a wide range of SEO-related activities, projects and initiatives spanning Technical, Content and Off-site SEO. This person must be comfortable meeting with and presenting big-picture planning to clients and new business prospects, as well as rolling up her or his sleeves to bring strategic recommendations to life in partnership with copy- and code-focused counterparts. He or she will also be the leader and core driver of Mindstream Interactive’s growing SEO team.
Responsibilities
The Director of SEO is responsible for ensuring that all sites and other relevant experience components under Mindstream’s purview are optimized to attract, engage and convert right-fit customers.
She or he will align with leadership on SEO-focused business goals, and will work daily with Strategists, Analysts, UX Architects, Copywriters and Social Content creators to realize them. The right candidate will also be capable of regularly collaborating with an extended team of Social Media Specialists, Account Service Managers and Web Developers in order to fulfill his or her duties.
Typical activities and deliverables will include:
Develop annual, quarterly and project-level SEO strategies designed to maximize performance across Technical, Content and Off-site SEO to achieve business goals
Create short- and long-term SEO recommendations for clients, based on an overarching strategy, that incorporate keyword findings, content recommendations, site structure updates as needed, and or technical enhancements
Conduct ongoing keyword research to apply a customer-first lens to marketing and merchandising strategies and product content; use these insights to support strategic and tactical recommendations across clients’ digital ecosystems
Audit client sites through a technical, content and off-site lens to ensure that they consistently adhere to SEO best practices
Define program-specific KPIs and partner with Analytics team to monitor, analyze and report out on search performance on an ongoing basis in formats and fidelities that engage a range of audiences from the front lines to the C-Suite
Maintain and manage search tools to identify site issues and collaborate with technology to resolve defects
Ensure alignment between paid search and natural search strategies
Partner with social team to support social listening efforts by way of organic search insights
Advise working teams on which content types to explore to maximize clients’ search rankings
Provide training to others in the organization on issues important to SEO
Constantly monitor and communicate changes in industry trends and search engine algorithms to the organization, including up-to-date search marketing considerations related ADA compliance as required
Estimate and support the sell-in of new SEO initiatives, in conjunction with Business Development and Account Service team members
Develop working plans for upcoming and in-motion SEO engagements (weekly/monthly resource planning, initiative prioritization, key milestones, etc.)
Assign and oversee skill level-appropriate responsibilities for SEO and supporting team members
Work with the VP, Strategy to regularly re-visit and evolve Mindstream’s organic search offering
A working knowledge of social and/or digital media strategy and storytelling through analytics would be valuable but is not required.
Qualifications
The qualified candidate will meet as many of the following preferred skillset requirements as possible, with the understanding that on-the-job training will be provided to round out the candidate’s skillset if necessary:
Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Marketing, MIS, Journalism, Computer Science or related field
7+ years of professional experience focusing on SEO (SEM experience will also be considered)
Expert-level knowledge of at least 1 core SEO area of emphasis (Technical, Content and Off-site) with strong working knowledge of best practice for remainder, and a willingness to continue to extend knowledge
Expert level knowledge of key SEO tools (SEMRush, Screaming Frog, BrightEdge, Ahrefs)
Working knowledge of SEO-supporting tools (Google Keyord Planner, Google Search Console, Google PageSpeed Insights, Optimizilla, Answer the Public, and more)
Working knowledge of Google Analytics and similar analytics platforms, and how to use insights from them to uncover meaningful insights and inform SEO recommendations
Working knowledge of eCommerce best practices
Strong knowledge of the web development process and fundamentals of digital marketing and how to integrate SEO to support them
Ability to manage multiple projects at once, including capability to balance competing priorities in fast-paced environment
Problem-solving mindset with high attention to detail
Proven ability to interact & collaborate across multiple disciplines to accomplish a common goal
Able to effectively operate and complete complex tasks with minimal oversight
Comfort with and a desire to support new business initiatives a plus
Proven experience effectively managing and mentoring team members a plus
Agency experience a plus
Proven track record of successfully presenting search data and recommendations to clients in an approachable, expert way