Search Engine Optimization Specialist

Role summary

We’re looking for an SEO Specialist who knows how to turn regional search behavior into measurable growth. You’ll plan and execute technical, on-page, off-page, and local SEO for websites serving audiences in Idaho and the broader Intermountain West (ID, UT, MT, WY, NV, CO). The ideal candidate blends sharp technical chops with content instincts, understands multi-location and rural search dynamics, and can communicate clearly with non-technical stakeholders.

What you’ll doStrategy & Planning

• Own the SEO roadmap: keyword strategy, competitive gap analysis, and quarterly growth plans aligned to business goals.
• Local & regional focus: tailor strategies for county/city-level intent (e.g., Boise, Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Twin Falls; Salt Lake/Ogden/Provo; Billings/Bozeman; Jackson/Cheyenne; Reno/Elko; Front Range) and rural markets with lower search volumes but high commercial intent.
• SERP landscape analysis: evaluate Map Pack, People Also Ask, Discover, and News/Top Stories opportunities; prioritize features by impact.

Technical SEO

• Site audits (Screaming Frog, Sitebulb or equivalent): crawl health, indexation, canonicalization, duplicate/thin content, internal linking.
• Core Web Vitals: diagnose LCP/CLS/INP, recommend fixes (image optimization, lazy loading, preconnect/preload, code splitting).
• Architecture: scalable URL structures for multi-location and service lines; pagination, faceted navigation, and hreflang when applicable.
• Structured data: implement JSON-LD (Organization, LocalBusiness, FAQ, HowTo, Product, Event, JobPosting, Article) and validate for rich results.
• Log & coverage analysis: use Search Console and server logs to identify crawl waste, soft 404s, robots rules, and dynamic rendering issues.

On-Page & Content

• Search-intent mapping: build pillar/topic clusters for regional services (tourism/outdoors, healthcare, government & public safety, higher-ed, agriculture, manufacturing, professional services).
• Content briefs: outline E-E-A-T-forward pages with primary/secondary terms, questions, and internal link targets.
• Optimization: craft titles/meta, headers, alt text, schema, and internal links; improve CTR via SERP-tested copy.
• Editorial QA: ensure accuracy, citations where appropriate, accessibility (WCAG), and brand voice alignment.

Local SEO

• Google Business Profile (GBP) at scale: set up, optimize, and manage single and multi-location GBPs; categories, services, photos, products, and weekly Posts.
• NAP consistency: audit/correct citations (Data Axle, Neustar/Localeze, Apple Maps, Bing, Yelp) and niche Idaho/IMW directories.
• Reviews strategy: implement ethical review generation, response playbooks, and sentiment tracking.
• Map Pack performance: track local rank grids and improve proximity/relevance/prominence levers.

Off-Page & Digital PR

• Link acquisition: build high-quality, regional links (chambers of commerce, local news, universities, tourism boards, industry associations).
• Partnerships: coordinate with community orgs and public-private alliances for thought-leadership placements and events pages.
• Risk management: maintain a clean backlink profile; disavow only when warranted.

Analytics, Testing & Reporting

• Measurement plan: define KPIs, events, and conversions in GA4/Tag Manager; set up Looker Studio dashboards.
• ROI storytelling: translate data into insights and next actions; report monthly with clear deltas (YoY, MoM).
• Experimentation: run SEO A/B tests (where feasible) and controlled content experiments; document outcomes.

What success looks like (KPIs)

• Growth in non-branded organic sessions and qualified conversions/leads (form fills, calls, bookings).
• Map Pack visibility and GBP actions (calls, direction requests, website clicks) across target cities.
• Share of voice gains for priority topics vs. regional competitors.
• Core Web Vitals pass rates and reduced index coverage errors.
• Net-new high-authority regional backlinks and improved internal link equity to money pages.
• CTR improvements on priority queries and fewer impressions without clicks.

Your background

• 2–5+ years hands-on SEO (agency or in-house); regional/multi-location experience strongly preferred.
• Proficient with GA4, Google Search Console, Tag Manager, Looker Studio, and at least one of Ahrefs/SEMrush/Moz.
• Comfortable auditing with Screaming Frog/Sitebulb, interpreting logs, and using regex/XPath when needed.
• Working knowledge of HTML/CSS/JavaScript and how dev choices affect SEO; able to brief developers effectively.
• CMS fluency: WordPress (block + classic), plus experience with Webflow/Squarespace/Shopify.
• Demonstrated Local SEO wins (multi-location rollouts, GBP management, citations at scale).
• Strong writing/editing skills for metadata, on-page copy, and briefs; familiarity with E-E-A-T.
• Bonus: experience in public sector, public safety, healthcare (HIPAA awareness), higher-ed, or critical-infrastructure adjacent fields; basic SQL or BigQuery; Maps/local rank tracking tools (e.g., Places Scout, Local Falcon).

How you work

• Outcome-oriented: you prioritize impact and ship improvements iteratively.
• Clear communicator: you can explain technical trade-offs to non-technical teams and build consensus.
• Documentation-first: you leave playbooks others can follow (checklists, SOPs, dashboards).
• Ethical SEO: strictly adheres to Google Search Essentials; no doorway pages, cloaking, or link schemes.

30/60/90-day plan

• 30 days: Full technical & content audit; keyword/topic map; GBP audit; measurement plan and dashboards live.
• 60 days: Implement top-impact technical fixes; publish first pillar + 3–5 support articles; citation cleanup underway; initial PR/link pitches sent.
• 90 days: Core Web Vitals improvements on priority templates; local rank gains in target cities; second content cluster live; board-ready performance readout with next-quarter roadmap.

Tools you’ll likely use

GA4, GSC, GTM, Looker Studio, Screaming Frog/Sitebulb, Ahrefs/SEMrush, PageSpeed Insights/Lighthouse, Chrome DevTools, Regex/XPath testers, Local SEO rank trackers, schema.org generators/validators, CMSs (WordPress, Webflow, Shopify).

Job Type: Part-time

Expected hours: 15 – 25 per week

Benefits:

• Flexible schedule

Ability to Commute:

• Pocatello, ID 83201 (Required)

Ability to Relocate:

• Pocatello, ID 83201: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person